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| The last you'll see of this logo (which kind of sucks because it isn't a bad one) (Image via Wikipedia) |
Earlier this month the Central Hockey League announced they would cease operations immediately and have the seven remaining teams join the ECHL. This has been rumoured for a while, but it was expected that the league would last one more season. Players of the teams that joined the ECHL were released from their CHL contract and are now free agents (as per PHPA union rep Mike McKenna)
On one hand, it is a shame that the CHL ended up folding. There was always talk of there being AAA, AA, and A level hockey to complement the NHL. The AHL (AAA) and ECHL (AA) have cemented themselves within that hierarchy. The CHL would have been solid as that A level league since they had teams with NHL affiliates. The only other leagues I could see coming close are the SPHL and FHL, and even then they have no teams that are affiliated with a higher league (to my knowledge).
On the other hand, it is a good thing that this happened. It probably would have been hard for the ECHL to expand en masse to match the NHL and AHL, so being able to absorb a league is a good alternative. With this expansion, the ECHL also re-balances it's league, as it can have an even 14 teams per conference (although due to the short notice, the CHL teams have been lumped into one division, it's assumed that reconfiguration will happen in the offseason).
Either way, the landscape of minor league hockey has change. If things go as plan, in a few years every NHL team will have their own two-tier development system.
Lineup Notables
Colorado Avalanche vs. Montreal Canadiens
Colorado: Jesse Winchester (concussion), Patrick Bordeleau (back), and Semyon Varlamov (groin) are out while Reto Berra (neck) is questionable. Calvin Pickard is starting.
Montreal: Habs are healthy. Carey Price will be in net.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Ottawa Senators
Columbus: Nathan Horton (back), Boone Jenner (hand), Brandon Dubinsky (lower body), and Ryan Murray (knee) are out. Curtis McElhinney will start.
Ottawa: Marc Methot (back) is out. Robin Lehner is in net.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Toronto: David Booth (foot) and Brandon Kozun (lower body) are out. Jonathan Bernier is expected to start.
Detroit: Pavel Datsyuk (shoulder) is out. Jonas Gustavsson will start.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Vancouver Canucks
Tampa Bay: Matthias Ohlund (knee) and Radko Gukas (lower body) are out. Ben Bishop is in net.
Vancouver: Canucks are healthy. Eddie Lack is starting tonight.
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