I’m typing this before we take on the Devils, partly to
defray my nerves, and partly to keep my mind on UK hockey matters rather than drifting
into memories of watching the Blackhawks in Miami this time last year :sighs:! There
have been plenty more than five things to fill the blog this week, so this one
is all about the new boys.
- Flames and Lightning – with Guildford announced as recent applicants to join the EIHL, and thus likely to join Milton Keynes as new entrants next year we could be left with a 12 team league. Great news as it looks like we must be doing something right, and also gives the fans some new teams to see and the potential for a southern double-header weekend road-trip (providing we can all fit in!). As per the Ice Hockey Annual they have average home crowds of 1,756 and 1,500 - which is already more than the Strom, Stars and Capitals, so they look like awesome additions and the cream of the EPL crop.
- Restructuring the league – We currently play 52 league games (8 in-conference and 4 outside each) and 10 cup group games = 62 games each before the play-offs excluding any games doubling up. So how might that have to change? Reading Simmsey’s and Tony’s programme notes it seems they’re considering either a twelve team straightforward league, or two conferences of six each, and each has their plus/minus.
- Simple twelve team league - The single league probably won’t happen due to travel costs and simple maths – to get 6 games against everyone else is 66 games – so unless we ditch the cup group stages (please) we can’t have that many league games, and also Tony and Gary lose out on upto four Panthers v Steelers pay-days. Possible, but a radical cup review would be required. Five games against each is better maths, but leaves us with an in-balance of home and away games against each rival.
- Two conferences of six – The maths helps here, as you can have six games against each conference rival, and four against each opposite conference team, in a total of 54 league games. The Scots can keep their local travel, but it only works if you can balance the teams. The obvious geographical one is to move Belfast into the northern conference, and bring in Guildford and MK into the Erdhart – but that gives Belfast a much easier route to the league title, and all the accusations that will bring, and it makes for nightmare group-of-death opposition for the new boys (Cardiff, Nottingham, Sheffield and Coventry).
- The third way – How about adding a third conference? Geographically you would leave the Scots to fight amongst themselves, cluster MK, Guildford, Coventry and Cardiff in the south, leaving Belfast, Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham in the middle. Makes it easier for Cardiff and Braehead to win their conferences maybe, but as they would only play six games in-conference, and four games outside conference against each team then the whole conference bias is much smaller, we still total 50 games, and Guildford and MK avoid Sheffield and Nottingham a couple of times.
So that leaves us with plenty of options, and plenty of
opportunity for the league committee to balls it all up – and as both MK and
Guildford can seat about 2,200 (roughly the same as Dundee and Manchester) also
some road-trip opportunities as they're both closer than Scotland and the beers not too bad!
Let me know you're thoughts too.
Cheers
Tony.
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