The Death Pool – Leagues With Teams On the Brink Of Folding

Ooooooooohhhhhh yeahhhhhhh kids, its August, and its time to start picking some of these Tier III teams off.  That’s right, we are going to start walking through the intensive care units and kicking out the plugs on some life support machines! Ha Ha Ha

So you want to know who is on the brink?  Yeah I bet you do.  Unfortunately I cant just go naming teams, but I can tell you what leagues have multiple teams on the brink of getting toe tags.

So lets start from east to west and cover the entire country.

Out East, the NA3EHL has at least two, and possibly as many as four teams on the brink.  Yep, turns out recruiting isn’t as easy as some idiots thought it might be.  Hmmmmm you think maybe having all those import players last year made you a little too confident?

Moving a little westward, there are at least four USPHL Mid West teams that have serious problems with their roster numbers.  Yep, turns out that getting the USPHL label is great for those teams that work hard and offer a great program, but there isn’t enough lipstick in the USPHL to put on any pig that’s just a bad program.  Do you think anyone ever actually tried putting lipstick on a pig?  If they did, why?  Yep, just another one of lifes mysteries there kids.

Staying in the Mid West for a minute, turns out some NA3HL teams are having a bit of a struggle with their numbers as well.  Hmmmmmm, you think the myth of being a direct path to the NAHL and then not moving kids up to the NAHL might have something to do with that?  Yep, you might just wannna find yourselves a new sales pitch there boys, no one believes it any more.

Heading a little further west, it looks like the new Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League, might not have been such a great idea after all.  Ummmmmm yeah, what does it say when players cut from your Midget AAA teams who are offered a spot on your new RMJHL team tell you “no thanks”?  What does it say about the level of play in the RMJHL if they even get off the ground when they are trying to fill rosters with kids cut from AAA?  Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence does it kids?!

Now I don’t want the AAU folks to feel left out here.  I am an equal opportunity plug puller ya know.  So lets stop in to the WSHL.  So yeah, it turns out that the new “Tier II” label they decided to give themselves while telling each team they have to collect at least $150,000.00 in fee’s from players isn’t helping a whole lot for some bad operations.  For more information please refer back to “lipstick on a pig”!  Ha Ha Ha

I love the Pacific North West too.  When it comes to Sea Food, its an awesome place to go.  When it comes to hockey though, ummmmm yeah, you might find yourself sleeping with the fishes!  The NPHL, or the old NorPAC as it was once affectionately known might just continue their streak of having teams fold right before the start or, or in the middle of the season.  When will that darn schedule be release anyway?

Yes, I know, I have completely left out our friends north of the border in Canada.  Did you really think I would discriminate like that?  Not a chance kids, I got a whole truck load of shovels to use this year, and I don’t want to leave anyone out.

The good old GMHL, already one firmly planted in the ground and grass starting to grow.  Turns out there are at least five more teams that aren’t even close to having rosters filled.  Funny thing is when teams draft a player who has no intention of ever reporting and these teams turn in the “card” as if they might some day report!  Ummmmm yeah, hate to break it to ya boys, but its cheaper to play mens league, and there are usually more scouts there too.

The good news in all of this………..

Well, besides keeping me busy over the next couple of weeks that is.  Some bad operators are going to be out of business and that’s a good thing.  Unfortunately some good operators are probably going to go down with the ship too.

But hey, lets keep up that Tier III expansion boys!  It works out so well every year doesn’t it?  Yep, the leagues keep getting franchise fee’s and players and parents keep getting screwed.  Don’t ever stop expanding boys, without your complete disregard for the quality of the game, and the best interests of development, I would be out of a job pretty quickly.

For the month of August, The Death Pool will be offering a free T-shirt suitable for funeral attire, for those teams that actually fold on their own before players move all over the country.  The T-shirt will feature the fabulous Death Pool skull and bones with “I finally did the right thing” printed underneath.  Just in case you’re worried you wont get one, I am ordering 30 just to make sure I have enough.