argh1 Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 As the NHL union brethern are happily taking jobs away from European players in Euro leagues does any-one have links to these leagues. In my for some reason obtuse desire to follow the small, I've followed British ICE-HOCKEY for a few tears , I mean years . So here's my contribution Elite Hockey League British National League EDIT: I just have to add this ! Beginners Guide to Ice-Hockey Ice-Hockey the fastest growing spectator sport in the U.K. ! Does this remind anyone of the CSA and membership claims [:I] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amacpher Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 I haven't looked for any hockey links of foreign leagues just yet because I'm still in denial about summer being over. But I do find it funny how every day I hear the media talking about how there will be no professional hockey to watch for a while and how the fans are the big losers in this. Ummm... how about broadcasting some games from Europe? With the bigger ice surfaces, better crowd atmosphere and better player talent its gotta be alot better than that ridiculous four-on-four Original 6 hockey league (or whatever the heck its called). Yes, there does exist a world outside the United States and Canada ... [8)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertuzzi44 Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 quote:Originally posted by argh1 As the NHL union brethern are happily taking jobs away from European players in Euro leagues does any-one have links to these leagues. In my for some reason obtuse desire to follow the small, I've followed British ICE-HOCKEY for a few tears , I mean years . So here's my contribution Elite Hockey League British National League EDIT: I just have to add this ! Beginners Guide to Ice-Hockey Ice-Hockey the fastest growing spectator sport in the U.K. ! Does this remind anyone of the CSA and membership claims [:I] How many people go to those games?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Bertuzzi44 How many people go to those games?? Average attendance BNL 1149 BNL stats Elite League I dunno but as it is a higher league I'm guessind 3500-5000 . So the regular minor pro range. I'll check club sites and get back to you. EDIT: The rinks are in the 4000-7000 seat range ELITE LEAGUE . So we're talking CHL type rinks . So pro hockey in the U.K. would be at par with pro soccer in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 Now that it's been mentioned, European hockey could probably be got on the cheap. Don't know if most hockey fans would put up with tape delayed games though. No idea what so ever about the weekend scheduling in Europe but I bet there could be a couple of afternoon games broadcast live across Canada (just like Champions League matchs). For all I know there might not be any weekend games played in much of Europe just to avoid competing with football. German league apparently is quite good and has been for years. One of the more physical leagues as well, which of course is always nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandal Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 You'll have to try to do with a swedish language only site, but www.hockeyligan.se is the official site for the swedish top hockey league. There is a list of NHL'ers playing with clubs in the league at http://www.hockeyligan.se/statistik/vonkonow/index.phtml?nid=4500 . I don't follow hockey, but MODO seems to be the club to watch (Forsberg, Näslund, Sedin brothers amongst many others) while Mats Sundin has signed for Djurgården. A lot of the players seems to choose to play for their old, pre NHL career, team. The swedish public broadcasting owns the TV rights and you'll find highlight clips and other stuff at their hockey site at http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=19901 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I have watched quite a few German league games and it is a decent league but probably a bit below AHL level. There are a fair number of former NHL players who are older and former AHL and two way contract players who found out they could make more money in Europe than in the AHL. These are complemented by some second choice players from hockey countries such as the Czech Republic and German players some of whom are decent but many of whom are well below AHL level. Occasionally when one is watching the games one will see some former borderline NHLer whose name you haven't heard of in some time. For example, Sergio Momesso was a star player in Germany for several years when I was living there. The atmosphere at the games is generally good, a mix between typical hockey and soccer atmosphere but usually without any hooliganism. German hockey is not very prominent on the national scene, far below soccer in popularity but those people who are fans are very dedicated, almost cult like in following the teams. The Russian league is a bit better and probably the best European league at the moment. I would put it at about par with the AHL or maybe slightly better. They have the same number of former NHL and AHL players as well as Czech and other European players and often the best pick of these groups as the hockey salaries in Russia have been rising and foreigners have to be a bit better if they want to make a Russian team than a German or Swiss team. This is because the Russian players are much superior to their German equivalents even if the first choice Russian players are all in the NHL or AHL. Hockey rivals soccer in popularity and is probably the more popular sport except for in the south. The atmosphere is again similar to soccer probably even moreso than in Germany and there are occasional hooligan problems with the Moscow teams. This is because unlike in Germany where almost all the major hockey clubs are separate entities with no ties to soccer clubs, many (though not all) of the clubs are just departments of a sports club which also has a soccer team. Thus CSKA Moscow (Central Red Army) and Moscow Dynamo both have prominent soccer and hockey teams. Many of the soccer fans and thus also the hooligans attend hockey matches in the offseason and as the arenas are not segregated like the stadiums this can lead to some problems. The German fans seem to be more current as far as knowing what is going on in the NHL but the Russian fans are far more knowledgeable about the game itself, comparable to Candian fans. As far as television coverage, while it would be interesting to see the different leagues and hockey cultures, there probably would be little difference in playing level between watching a Russian league game or an AHL game. A number of NHLers have signed for Russian teams this year which will improve the league's level but many of the young NHL players on two way contracts are also playing in the AHL this year. There might be a few more prominent names in Russia or Sweden but I doubt the difference in playing level from the AHL would warrant the cost and time difference problems in televising the games on a major channel. The NHL players are pretty evenly spread among the various European leagues. Certain clubs may have dramatically improved themselves but the effect on the level of the leagues as a whole is less dreamatic. Televising some Russian or Swedish games might be something for a sports channel to look into though as I imagine the rights could be had fairly cheaply. However, I doubt the CBC would get huge audiences for a game between CSKA and Dynamo or the Hamburg Freezers versus Berlin Polar Bears (coached by Pierre Page). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadienfan Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I'd be perfectly happy to watch pro hockey coming out of Europe than the NHL for atleast a year. Hopefully this will help the European countries gain fan support, higher player skill levels and more money. All in the hope of one day having some sort of head to head North American vs European club team meetings! Remember when the Red Army and Moscow Dynmo game over to play club teams? It was pretty cool eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Canadienfan I'd be perfectly happy to watch pro hockey coming out of Europe than the NHL for atleast a year. Hopefully this will help the European countries gain fan support, higher player skill levels and more money. All in the hope of one day having some sort of head to head North American vs European club team meetings! Remember when the Red Army and Moscow Dynmo game over to play club teams? It was pretty cool eh. The famous New Year's Eve Les Habs vs Red Army? in '76 ? Some call the best game ever played Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I've never been much for hockey, but I might give a game here in London a go, one of these weekends... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadienfan Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Blue and White Army I've never been much for hockey, but I might give a game here in London a go, one of these weekends... Good idea! Like most sports it's better to see a game in person than on the telly. Can you skate Blue and White Army? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amacpher Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Grizzly I have watched quite a few German league games and it is a decent league but probably a bit below AHL level. ... However, I doubt the CBC would get huge audiences for a game between CSKA and Dynamo or the Hamburg Freezers versus Berlin Polar Bears (coached by Pierre Page). I can see that these Euro leagues aren't gonna be much (or any) better than AHL, but two or three well known players playing with a bunch of scrubs (in the worse case) in Europe might still be more interesting than watching 50 unknowns. Personally, I'd rather watch CSKA x Dynamo than Portland x Binghamton ANY SEASON for a similar reason why I would often choose to watch a Bundesliga match ahead of serie A: Quality isn't everything. Lets face it, Russia is the Brasil of hockey while the AHL is the Serie B of the hockey world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 5, 2004 Author Share Posted October 5, 2004 quote:Originally posted by amacpher Quality isn't everything. Lets face it, Russia is the Brasil of hockey while the AHL is the Serie B of the hockey world. Ah, but let's take a quick check of RSN & TSN schedules...... RSN nothing listed but I know I've seen AHL advertised hmmmmmm. RSN showed CHL last year but again nothing listed. TSN shows natta , nuthin', zip . A European game of the week would be way kewl but I'm ascared we'll get ECHL before that'll happen . The brand new Victoria SalmonKings of the ECHL. So along with Victoria of the ECHL , Hamilton , Winnipeg , St. John's and Edmonton of the AHL plus CHL and maybe even CIS hockey [:0] ( ya just knows they'll show NCAA 1ST the dweebs ) . My dream of seeing top Euro leagues maybe just a dream.......or maybe the NHL/NHLPA will come to terms soon hahahahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Victoria Salmon Kings. Teams and Arena Capacity for the British Elite League. Basingstoke Bison, Basingstoke Arena (4,000) Belfast Giants, Odyssey Arena (7,100) Cardiff Devils, Wales National Ice Rink (2,498) Coventry Blaze, Coventry Skydome Arena (2,626) London Racers, Lee Valley Ice Centre (Unknown) Manchester Phoenix, Manchester Evening News Arena (17,245) Nottingham Panthers, The National Ice Centre (7,500) Sheffield Steelers, Sheffield Arena (10,000) Manchester has pulled out for this season. This leaves the league with 7 teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 5, 2004 Author Share Posted October 5, 2004 quote:Originally posted by DoyleG Victoria Salmon Kings. Teams and Arena Capacity for the British Elite League. Basingstoke Bison, Basingstoke Arena (4,000) Belfast Giants, Odyssey Arena (7,100) Cardiff Devils, Wales National Ice Rink (2,498) Coventry Blaze, Coventry Skydome Arena (2,626) London Racers, Lee Valley Ice Centre (Unknown) Manchester Phoenix, Manchester Evening News Arena (17,245) Nottingham Panthers, The National Ice Centre (7,500) Sheffield Steelers, Sheffield Arena (10,000) Manchester has pulled out for this season. This leaves the league with 7 teams. I'd seen the rumours but I never followed up . You're right something about a year off while the new rink gets built (like we've never heard the year off thing before.....how many indoor soccer teams that never came back for example Manchester Phoenix site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 quote:Originally posted by CanadienfanGood idea! Like most sports it's better to see a game in person than on the telly. Can you skate Blue and White Army? Kind of, but I'm not great at it. I'm from Vancouver, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amacpher Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 quote:Originally posted by argh1 As the NHL union brethern are happily taking jobs away from European players in Euro leagues does any-one have links to these leagues. Livescore.net provides good up-to-the-minute scores of the major Euro hockey leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Barça has just signed a Canadian coach, Jamie MacDonald I think the name is. Here the level is pretty low though the odd foreigner helps, it is semi pro in a 7 team league. And maybe they get a couple hundred fans out for games in Barcelona, better in the places like Puigcerdà and La Seu in the Pyrenees where it is the only available team sport. I have a buddy here from Montreal who occasionally goes with his Spanish wife, they met in Russia at a league game in Moscow, says that was amazing for atmosphere. Canada tv should go for Russian league for crowds and quality I'd say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 6, 2004 Author Share Posted October 6, 2004 quote:Originally posted by amacpher Livescore.net provides good up-to-the-minute scores of the major Euro hockey leagues. I found another one by accident... As I was checking Euro 2nd Division standings (Tenerife is in 7th in Segunda Liga ) on soccerway.com I found a link to www.hockeyway.com that's probably always been there but I never noticed 'till now . Hockeyway seems to have the standings and scores for most major (?) Euro leagues . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Champ Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 quote:Originally posted by argh1 The famous New Year's Eve Les Habs vs Red Army? in '76 ? Some call the best game ever played Yeah! I got that game on tape and watched it a few weeks ago. Also features one of the best sports interviews of all time with Peter Mahovlich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 6, 2004 Author Share Posted October 6, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Current Champ Yeah! I got that game on tape and watched it a few weeks ago. Also features one of the best sports interviews of all time with Peter Mahovlich. Yah , it was one of the best . If you can copy that game e-mail me at t31046@netscape.net. Don't tell me you have the '72 series too. It's not Euro related ... but I'd have a hard time saying some of those Nordiques v Habs playoff games were'nt the best , the most intense games ever played.[8D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcl_19 Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 I played a little hockey in belgium last year.....trained with a belgian division 1 team for a while, tho i couldnt play because since it was my first (and it turned out to be my only) year in belgium, the team (or i) woulda had to pay about 1000 euros of insurance...It was the top amateur league in the country....the next level higher is a semipro league with about 4 belgian teams and 7 dutch teams. Lemme tell you, the hockey in belgium is like the soccer in belize (well not that bad but pretty damn bad......i've barely played any competitive hockey in my life and i coulda easily made a team in their top division, other than a guy who made a few appearances for the french national team the team was pretty soft) Apparently the semi pro league is half decent tho. Only one belgian has ever made it to the nhl. Dont think there'd be any chance of this "League of the Low countries" or whatever it's called coming on tv in NA anytime soon tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted October 10, 2004 Author Share Posted October 10, 2004 While I wait for baseball to end and then a hi-lite show to end (oops wrong thread ). I see a full 1/4 of NHLPA members have signed Euro contracts ( with a lock-out clause ) This makes me think the players are showing the owners that they don't need the NHL and the NHLPA must realize that the players will find employment elsewhere . Counting players closing in on retirement and players with 2-way NHL/AHL/ECHL/UHL contracts , shouldn't the owners and union execs have a greater sense of urgency to get a deal done before the workers say "who cares , I got me a job"? Before the advertising $ slids to another league or the NHL loses it's draw as the top league and the sport at the pro level becomes fragmented amongst many leagues ! Killing time before I watch the soccer game . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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