Pro Hockey Cheat Sheet for the ESPN Brainwashed
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by Mlnsports
Okay sports experts, I am depressed... I tossed one of you bright boys (or girls) a soft-puck last week that would be a no-brainer save for the fact that apparently many of you taking the big ArmchairGM sports quiz have had your brain sucked out by E-SPIN clips.
The question was: "Which state has the largest number of professional Hockey Teams." As of this morning, the AGM brain trust had answered:
New York 63.6% Minnesota 18.2% California 18.2% Texas 0% Massachusetts 0%
No one got the correct answer: TEXAS, with 11 professional hockey teams, including an NHL club, 2 AHL clubs, and 7 CHL clubs and an ECHL club. The Lone Star state may be miles away from naturally occurring ice, but the folks who love football, baseball, rodeo, NASCAR, and tractor pulls like the physicality of ice hockey played live.
Hockey is like revenge: It's a dish best served cold, and in your face. Regional pro hockey now accounts for millions of fans nationwide, watching in 3000s and 5000s, and for the Class A leagues, 1500s.
The American Hockey League (AHL) is the triple-A feeder to the NHL. Players are under NHL contract, just as with minor league baseball. The class AA is a bit murkier. The ECHL and the CHL are the two biggest class AA leagues, with the newly resuscitated International Hockey League (IHL) the smaller third. These leagues have some teams affiliated with the NHL, some affiliated with the AHL, and a lot of independents. The biggest difference between the levels is largely in speed an agility. The AHL flies, while players in the CHL and ECHL range from rising youngsters to gritty veterans.
If you want to know more about minor league hockey, check out the hockey section at MLN Sports Zone
