Well, it sure has been an interesting off season, and first two months of the season. No one could have predicted that right? Just kidding, I predicted it back in June. But even I was off on the number of teams that would fold. My number predicted was twenty five and thanks to the Chris and Rhea Reaves crime syndicate those numbers exceeded expectations.
Speaking of Chris and Rhea Reaves, more players and parents are talking about the interviews they are giving to local law enforcement and the FBI. Bernie Madoff must be proud. I feel bad for their kids though, cant be easy having to face people after this. Maybe Chris and Rhea will take their childrens photos down from websites so they wont be associated with things?
The Lac La Biche Islanders have finally gone down. In fact the downfall of the AEJHL can be tied directly to the Lac La Biche team. If not for court orders and default judgements, the league might have finished with four or five teams. But, greed and stupidity are two qualities that often travel in the same mind. Lac La Biche brings the season death total to thirty three.
The NJHL added two teams and the USPHL added one. The Onion Lake Scouts move to the USPHL is one that will likely open the doors to more Alberta cities next year. Multiple sources are already reporting at least two or three USPHL expansion inquiries for Alberta next year.
So, is the folding season over? It might be and it might not be. There are still a few teams in the NA3HL Southeast Division that could be taken out to the trash heap any minute.
I wonder just how much the NA3HL regrets allowing this division to exist at all. I wonder how proud they are that in saving the NAHL Maine Nordiques they also saved the NA3HL Nordiques who are a bad hockey team, and the Carolina Rage who are a Midget AA team playing dress up as a junior team.
How bad is the Southeast Division? Its so bad that teams are willing to risk violating USA Hockey Rules about having a minimum of ten players on a game roster.
Nine skaters and two goalies on the Atlanta Capitals game roster the other day against the Carolina Rage twelve skaters and two goalies. Shot totals? Seventy six shots against Atlanta who lost sixteen to two. This dear readers is not junior hockey, its an embarassment.
The Atlanta Capitals are a minus one hundred and twenty goals against differential in fourteen games. Seriously. What idiot is ok with this? What group of idiots is ok with these kids getting injured because there are not enough players? What group of idiots is ok with allowing the Southeast Division to damage the NA3HL brand in this way?
I actually wonder if the NA3HL owners care at all. Becuase if they did,, they would be calling for teams to be folded, and someone to lose their job. Who ever let these operators in, deserves to get fired. People leading these franchises should be out of hockey immediately.
How can parents put up with this? This is not junior hockey. It is a disaster and an embarassment to the game. For a league that once used to be pretty strong, it has become the third level of Tier 3.
But hey, prospects of expansion next year look great.
Speaking of next year. We expect anther major correction in pay to play. It will equal or be bigger than this year. Stick around, next week we restart our “Its Not Junior Hockey” series.
