The Flames are Out in QC

[SparkyOne]

Originally Posted by dobbles

also, will they be going to the north division? manitoba is the closest team and they are in teh north. however, the other teams in the north division are farther than all the midwest teams. the west division can't manage to take on another team as they are already oversized. i think it would be silly to split up the midwest cluster as that is one of the big travel benefits.

Yep, they'll be playing in the North. Other than Manitoba, that's Grand Rapids, Lake Erie, Rochester, Hamilton, and Toronto.

Good luck to Abbotsford. They're going to need it!

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

I still don't see why the other teams voted for this. I suppose its a matter of if they vote against the Flames now, the Flames may vote against them later. I'd really love to know the actual vote, and who was excluded.

I mean, if you accept all the arguments for Abbotsford being made in this thread, all it means is that its not a bad place to play for the AHL Flames. None of them, except for some older references to "expanding the market," help any other team but the Flames. It just seems easier to vote no and stick with the status quo, if you don't have as much to gain as the Flames do.

That said, if the AHL expands to the west coast, which I agree they probably will, then everything mostly works out.

Your first paragraph explains your second. If one organization starts interfering with another, the entire partnership fails. As it is, the greatest harm to the existing teams is financial, and the Abbotsford group is remedying that. So, the question becomes whether a cross-continent flight once or twice a year is enough to interfere with another team's plans? Evidently, the answer is no.

[Canada 02]

Thoughts from Bridgeport Sound Tigers President regarding the long distance travel

When it comes to travelling to Abbotsford, Howard Saffan, the president of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders in Bridgeport, Calif.), has few concerns.

"The major hurdle that the ownership group had was getting teams like ourselves out there, and they absolutely agreed to pick up the travel expenses and so we greatly look forward to being in Abbotsford," he said yesterday.

Saffan said his team already faces bus trips of seven or eight hours.

"That is about as much of an inconvenience [as Abbotsford]," he said. "Whether you are on a bus or on a plane, it doesn't really make a difference."

Saffan considers the fact that Abbotsford is 45 minutes from Vancouver International Airport as being a major bonus in getting visiting teams into the region.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for Abbotsford and its surrounding area," he added.

[dobbles]

thats a weird article. first off, bridgeport is in connecticut, not california as the article states. also its highly unlikely that bridgeport would ever even go to abbotsford. they didn't even make a midwest trip this year. they did fly to texas for 2 games early in the year, but most east teams don't play west teams because of the travel involved. thurdly, the only time they face those long bus trips is when they have to drive all the way down to norfolk. which is really the exact point we have all been making. norfolk is just a much smaller case of it. its not economical to fly so they are stuck on a bus for 8 hours to get there. whats not mentioned is that bridgeport has several teams within a 1-2 hour drive. Bridgeport didn't play any midwest teams or any teams in the west division. aside from their 1 trip to texas and having to go to norfolk, their farthest rival is 220 miles away. i kind of find them as not to credible regarding travel.

[moon]

Originally Posted by dobbles

as i have said in previous posts about this, the whole prepares them for the nhl stuff is pretty lame. when in the nhl do you play 3 nights in a row? when in the nhl do you play a game, fly 1,500 miles and play again the next day? even in regular nhl back to backs, there is normally very little travel involved. many times teams this season would play a game in texas one night, fly back up to the midwest and play the next day. now imagine that scenario with an extra 1,000 miles added in and a 2 timezone shift.

and its not even about th players being tough enough to handle that. but their increased travel schedule will lead them to play more fatigued. that will decrease their output, increase their chance for injury, and limit their success. i just think its a losing formula for the team.

To me it is 2009 it isn't like they are stuck on crappy buses with seats two sizes to small.

I used to travel a ton for my work, a lot longer trips than in the AHL, and with the way airplanes are now it didn't really affect me at all after a long trip.

I know you have to hate the move and try to make it seem like a bad idea at all times but really the travel seems like a pretty petty issue.

[icarus]

I tend to agree with the QC fans. Abbotsford really makes very little sense as an AHL location. I am skeptical about this whole venture but I will leave it up to the Fraser Valley ownership group to prove me wrong.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by moon

To me it is 2009 it isn't like they are stuck on crappy buses with seats two sizes to small.

I used to travel a ton for my work, a lot longer trips than in the AHL, and with the way airplanes are now it didn't really affect me at all after a long trip.

I know you have to hate the move and try to make it seem like a bad idea at all times but really the travel seems like a pretty petty issue.

wow, you really are a worthless troll aren't you?

i have stated ad nauseum for dinks like you the reason i don't like the move. but apparently all that gets into your tiny brain is that i am bitter because they left qc. get over it. i have no reason to be mad. our local owners ran out of money, thats why the team is gone. while i have said all along i feel cgy folks could have helped us out by keeping their mouths shut, they are not the reason we failed. a fickle local fan base that doesn't really care for hockey is why the team failed. the reason i bring up travel, as i have stated a million times, is that when we got the chance to talk to players about travel, they often commented on how rough it was. heck, someone that wrote about travel a lot is mitch love that plays for houston and played in the whl. so apparently he thinks travel is a significant issue. and as i have contended so many times, that extra travel will wear on players causing them to play below their potential and not be at their best for games. but all i ever get back is some lame excuse about how they aren't tough enough and this will get them ready for the nhl. (even though the nhl charters jets everywhere and rarely even plays back to back games)

you go ahead and keep holding your uninformed ignorant opinions about why i post. it's working out real well for you. its losers like you that make me happy calgary is out of the playoffs.

[moon]

Originally Posted by dobbles

wow, you really are a worthless troll aren't you?

Troll??? Coming from you that is awesome. Don't you have some arguments to make up or drive by posts to make in the Fire and Ice forum. Its to see you actually have a post or two in which you seem to make an effort rather than just trying to take pot shots at Flames fans.

you go ahead and keep holding your uninformed ignorant opinions about why i post. it's working out real well for you. its losers like you that make me happy calgary is out of the playoffs.

Again you using the term ignorant is not only ironic but funny as hell as well. It is posters like you that makes me glad the Flames are gone from Quad City.

[Canada 02]

here is the link to the above article; http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_va.../41239154.html

the stuff quoted above was from a google cached version; the link is an edited version which clearly says Bridgeport, Conn

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by moon

Troll??? Coming from you that is awesome. Don't you have some arguments to make up or drive by posts to make in the Fire and Ice forum. Its to see you actually have a post or two in which you seem to make an effort rather than just trying to take pot shots at Flames fans.




Again you using the term ignorant is not only ironic but funny as hell as well. It is posters like you that makes me glad the Flames are gone from Quad City.

drive by posts in the FOI forum? wtf are you talking about? i post on things relevant to my hockey interests. so obviously i don't participate in all the game threads considering i don't like the flames. just because i disagree with the ######s who think there is a league wide conspiracy for the red wings, i am a troll?

why don't you go back to whining about how awesome your team is if it wasn't for bad refs, injurues, bad luck, leaguewide hatred, and divine intervention...

[moon]

Originally Posted by dobbles

drive by posts in the FOI forum? wtf are you talking about? i post on things relevant to my hockey interests. so obviously i don't participate in all the game threads considering i don't like the flames. just because i disagree with the ######s who think there is a league wide conspiracy for the red wings, i am a troll?

why don't you go back to whining about how awesome your team is if it wasn't for bad refs, injurues, bad luck, leaguewide hatred, and divine intervention...

You don't post in the game threads? Must have been that other dobbles that I saw posting one liners after Flames losses.

Show me those posts in which I said that the Flames were awesome, let alone then blaming it on refs, injuries, bad luck etc.

In fact I would love to see the post where I even talked about injuries as some sort of excuse.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by moon

You don't post in the game threads? Must have been that other dobbles that I saw posting one liners after Flames losses.

Show me those posts in which I said that the Flames were awesome, let alone then blaming it on refs, injuries, bad luck etc.

In fact I would love to see the post where I even talked about injuries as some sort of excuse.

actually i have posted in gdt's on occasion. i was just using it as an example. but i never just came in to post one liners. i think the 1 time that might have happened was after the avery incident i posted something about how that must have distracted the flames. but when i did participate in gdt's such as during red wings games, i just watched the game and talked. in that controvertially reffed game i actually agreed with flames fans about many of the bad calls. but i guess we won't talk about that as it doesn't support your opinion of who i am...

and the last thing i am going to do is search through your posts to see what you have said. i actually don't think anyone has blamed the flames season on divine intervention, so i guess you got me there. good work sherlock...

[spuzzum]

I live in Abbotsford and have had a tour of the new arena including the facilities. It's a top notch facility for an AHL team. Habitants of Abby always complain there is nothing or little to do in the town. With hockey coming this way, it sure opens up a huge amount of possibilities.