Playoff ??

Does anyone have any idea of the way the playoffs are going to be played this year? Will they still take the top 4 from each division or what?

I would like to see the top four from each division. Have two rounds to determine a division champ. Then have those four teams play (round robin, championship and consolation games) at a neutral site to determine the Robertson Cup champion. A neutral site such as the Schwann's Super Rink where they have the showcase might be good.

Well that is the way the playoffs are going to be except for the neutral ice.

Why the Hell should they play for the championship @ the Schwann's Super Rink in Minnasota? That is a REAL NEUTRAL site. isn't there 2 teams that play in Minn. less then an hour or so away from the rink.

Mike

Not sure of the playoff format but I do know that the National Championship is going to be hosted by the Mahoning Vally Phantoms this season.

Re: Playoff ??

Wildcat_fan wrote:

Does anyone have any idea of the way the playoffs are going to be played this year? Will they still take the top 4 from each division or what?

What are you wondering if y'all have a chance to go to the playoffs since y'all should be in 4th by then if not sooner.

The rinks in Minneapolis only hold 400-500 at most; it's not enough seating. I'm thinking either the top four in each division advance or the top three with the division winners getting a first-round bye. It could turn into the NHL playoffs of 20 years ago where all but the cellar dwellers get in.

Re: Playoff ??

Tornado Fan wrote:

Wildcat_fan wrote: Does anyone have any idea of the way the playoffs are going to be played this year? Will they still take the top 4 from each division or what? What are you wondering if y'all have a chance to go to the playoffs since y'all should be in 4th by then if not sooner.

It's a good thing that computers (not printers) use ink, because you're not even worth the ink it WOULD take if it did, to comment on!

Have you ever had anything nice to say, about anything other than the Tornado?

Anyone have any MIDOL for this person(?)?

Re: Playoff ??

[quote="Wildcat_fan"][quote="Tornado Fan"]

Wildcat_fan wrote:

Have you ever had anything nice to say, about anything other than the Tornado? (?)?

Texarkana Bandits. I like their team and fans, They welcome you to come visit the barn. When I go there I get "Thanks for coming" from just about everybody.

Hmmm...youre starting to sound familiar.

Sam Hain wrote:

Not sure of the playoff format but I do know that the National Championship is going to be hosted by the Mahoning Vally Phantoms this season.

How, may I ask, did you find this out?

Not sure how he found out but I heard it officially at the Minnesota Showcase

theSHADOW wrote:

Sam Hain wrote: Not sure of the playoff format but I do know that the National Championship is going to be hosted by the Mahoning Vally Phantoms this season. How, may I ask, did you find this out?

Can't remember when or where exactly. It might have been on the league website or something but I'm pretty sure its been at least three months or so that I heard.

The site has nothing as far as I've seen. I know Mahoning Valley was one of the places that was a finalist (as were Cleveland, Alpena, Fairbanks, and Wasilla, or some combination of the sort), but I wasn't aware anything was official.

And being from Ohio as I apparently am according to a few certain Glassrattler members (which STILL is news to me), you'd think I'd be first to hear about it if it was indeed in Mahoning Valley.

Not that it matters much, just wondering what the official word is, if any.

With only a 1/3 of the seasion to go I would hope the league would announce the playoff format and locations soon...

Playoff format is the same as last year as far as what I have heard. Best of 5, then Best of 7, But that could change. Championships are in Youngstown, OH (Mahoning Valley). It just has not been announced yet.

I sent an e-mail asking if the location was set yet and received the following reply today:

"There will be an annoucement on this within a few weeks. Details have not yet been finalized. It will be on NAHL.com as soon as everything has been ironed out. Thanks for your interest.


Stu Hackel
Director of Information and Communications
NAHL"

Take it for what its worth but it ain't set in concrete yet!

Stu's announcement should be real interesting.

Everything works great with three divisions and a host team for the forth. However, four divisions makes for complications. The site for the tournament in the past was bid on (within the division who';s turn it was to host) by a team WILLING to to take on the financial and extreme work effort involved. Willing to take it on is key. Many teams were not so anxious to do that. With they're team playing as a host they could count on the existing fan base plus any fans from participating teams might make the trip. Take away the Host team and it's fan base and why would any team owners want the risk?

Take the tournament to a neutral site and who finances and works the thing???

I am not sure about this but I believe the host team not only pays all the costs of the rink, security, medical and staff salaries; but a major portion of the travel and hotel/meal expenses too! If this is true – then how many teams are financially setup to take on this expense? With or without the local team to draw paying fans? Add in the fall-off of your fan base for games after the regular season has ended. The Tornado saw this in Frisco when we hosted. Sure, the turnout was fair to pretty good when the Tornado played (and host teams play the preferred night times) but the other games had less butts in the seats than for a squirt game.

I know anyone reading this is an avid hockey fan and you would be to every game played regardless of the times if close enough to drive. But think of the not so avid fans at your arena and estimate how many would be in the seats. Grim isn’t it? Think further, how many fans from visiting teams come to your building to see their team play?? Even grimmer!

So, I think it will be amazing if Ohio or any team leaps to the front and says I want to Host! In any division!!

I don’t know what they will come up with for a format or how the host team might get compensated if they don’t have their team in it but I can imagine the NAHL has been doing some head scratching trying to figure a solution. Otherwise, this would have been solved, publicized and taking reservations months ago.

Have you got a great metropolitan hockey market, a center of transportation and oodles of money in the bank? If so, contact Stu Hackel at NAHL headquaters.

Maybe they should do it the way they have been for the Divisional playoffs with the four teams from each division battling it out. Take the four winners and seed them one through four based on their records. Than have 1 play 4 etc. with the better ranked team getting home ice advantage. The two winners of those series than play each other with home ice again going to the better seed. That way no neutral site is used and the fans who follow their teams would get to see the games. Don't know how that would work financally for the teams, but I think they would draw more fans (and their money) if the game was at home instead of hundreds of miles away. Just my 2 cents, for whats its worth.

Quote:

Maybe they should do it the way they have been for the Divisional playoffs with the four teams from each division battling it out. Take the four winners and seed them one through four based on their records. Than have 1 play 4 etc. with the better ranked team getting home ice advantage. The two winners of those series than play each other with home ice again going to the better seed. That way no neutral site is used and the fans who follow their teams would get to see the games. Don't know how that would work financally for the teams, but I think they would draw more fans (and their money) if the game was at home instead of hundreds of miles away. Just my 2 cents, for whats its worth.