SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … Pending its approval by the AHL Board of Governors, the American Hockey League’s 2012-13 regular-season schedule will be released on Friday, August 17, at 3:00 p.m. (more...)
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League today released the complete schedule of regular-season games for the 2012-13 season, the league’s 77th year of operation. The season, comprising 1,140 games, begins on Fri., Oct. 12 and concludes on Sun., Apr. 21; each of the league’s 30 clubs will play 76 games, 38 at home and 38 on the road.
I think everyone can pretty much figure out their teams' schedules before they even come out. I'll give it a shot for Milwaukee.
12 vs Chicago
12 vs Peoria
12 vs Rockford
8 vs Grand Rapids
4 vs Houston
4 vs San Antonio
4 vs Texas
4 vs Abbotsford
4 vs Oklahoma City
4 vs Hamilton
4 vs Toronto
4 vs Lake Erie
2 vs Charlotte
I think everyone can pretty much figure out their teams' schedules before they even come out. I'll give it a shot for Milwaukee.
12 vs Chicago
12 vs Peoria
12 vs Rockford
8 vs Grand Rapids
4 vs Houston
4 vs San Antonio
4 vs Texas
4 vs Abbotsford
4 vs Oklahoma City
4 vs Hamilton
4 vs Toronto
4 vs Lake Erie
2 vs Charlotte
Interesting that they didn't bother to release the matrix and then the schedule. I guess they figured they could avoid one round of gripes by releasing the dates and opponents at the same time.
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The Chicago Wolves = 2008 Calder Cup Champions!
Interesting that they didn't bother to release the matrix and then the schedule. I guess they figured they could avoid one round of gripes by releasing the dates and opponents at the same time.
eh, I'll just be keeping an eye open for a few key matchups. If the NHL does lockout, think I might very well go to some IceHogs and Rivermen games, in addition to my usual one or two Wolves games as well.
Several teams are playing at least one "home" game in the arena of their NHL parent... more than the typical season, if my eyes and memory don't betray me.
Also, Portland is playing more than a handful of games in Lewiston.
I think everyone can pretty much figure out their teams' schedules before they even come out. I'll give it a shot for Milwaukee.
12 vs Chicago
12 vs Peoria
12 vs Rockford
8 vs Grand Rapids
4 vs Houston
4 vs San Antonio
4 vs Texas
4 vs Abbotsford
4 vs Oklahoma City
4 vs Hamilton
4 vs Toronto
4 vs Lake Erie
2 vs Charlotte
Nailed the division games. Missed on Texas, San Antonio, Toronto, Hamilton and Charlotte. Admirals play Texas, San Antonio, Toronto and Hamilton 2 times and Charlotte 8 times. Everything else was right.
Nailed the division games. Missed on Texas, San Antonio, Toronto, Hamilton and Charlotte. Admirals play Texas, San Antonio, Toronto and Hamilton 2 times and Charlotte 8 times. Everything else was right.
Well done. I didn't expect Charlotte playing 8 against Milwaukee. No Rochester again.
eh, I'll just be keeping an eye open for a few key matchups. If the NHL does lockout, think I might very well go to some IceHogs and Rivermen games, in addition to my usual one or two Wolves games as well.
With me, I'll probably take in some Amerk and Bulldog games(maybe Marlies, too; they're all within a 90-minute drive of Buffalo).
Don't forget that you have the USHL's Steel as an option, too.
How would teams playing more opponents "broaden the game"?
Oh i don't know......maybe give fans in other cities a chance to see players or teams they normally wouldn't. Maybe that casual fan becomes a full-time fan after seeing some new opponent. I happen to know of people who don't go to games simply because they feel they can see that team any of the other 4 or 5 times they come to town.
I've only been following the AHL for a few years now, since I moved to Chicago's northwest suburbs and going to Wolves games became somewhat convenient for me, and I'm not going to lie.... not having the opportunity to see a couple of the eastern teams at all during the regular season, especially Hershey, is disappointing for me.
I know, it's to cut down on travel costs, but having a home and away series against every team in the other conference would seem like a smart move, imho. Heck, that very proposal was essentially the only reason I was actually kind of okay with the NHL's prior proposed realignment plan.
Oh i don't know......maybe give fans in other cities a chance to see players or teams they normally wouldn't. Maybe that casual fan becomes a full-time fan after seeing some new opponent. I happen to know of people who don't go to games simply because they feel they can see that team any of the other 4 or 5 times they come to town.
Fans really aren't asking for a lot. Just a few games a year against teams from the other conference. Or at the very least playing every team from the conference you're in.
When nearly 50% of your team's games are against three teams, that's not fun for anybody.
If they could just expand the season to 78 games you could make a really simple schedule that everyone would know before the season.
-A home and home against one division from the opposite conference = 10 games
-4 games against each team from the same conference that isn't in the division = 40 games
-8 games against two teams from same division and 6 games against the other two = 28 games
Simple. Division rivalries are still intact, you just rotate them every year. Example if Milwaukee plays Chicago and Rockford 8 times one year, they play them 6 times the next year and then they get 8 games against Peoria and Grand Rapids.
Same for games against the opposite conference. Say the Midwest gets matched up with the Atlantic, the North gets matched up with the Northeast and the West gets matched up with the East. Just rotate that every year.
Now every team is playing 19 teams each year with 5 new teams each year.
I've only been following the AHL for a few years now, since I moved to Chicago's northwest suburbs and going to Wolves games became somewhat convenient for me, and I'm not going to lie.... not having the opportunity to see a couple of the eastern teams at all during the regular season, especially Hershey, is disappointing for me.
I know, it's to cut down on travel costs, but having a home and away series against every team in the other conference would seem like a smart move, imho. Heck, that very proposal was essentially the only reason I was actually kind of okay with the NHL's prior proposed realignment plan.
I don't get this gripe over travel costs when like half the AHL teams are NHL owned. Whos whiny line is that? The NHL's weak easy decision or is it the local owners idea?
There should be no gripe over travel costs because a bunch of teams are close together for the most part. Sure you'd have to take flights to get there but after that you can bus.
You can bus from Texas (Austin) to San Antonio to Houston and I suppose if you had to, Oklahoma City.
You can bus from Peoria to Rockford to Chicago to Milwaukee.
You could bus from Hamiton to Toronto to Rochester.
All the Eastern teams can bus. The only outliers where you would for sure have to fly or it's iffy if you don't are Abbotsford, Charlotte, Norfolk, Lake Erie, St. John's and Grand Rapids.
There should be no gripe over travel costs because a bunch of teams are close together for the most part. Sure you'd have to take flights to get there but after that you can bus.
You can bus from Texas (Austin) to San Antonio to Houston and I suppose if you had to, Oklahoma City.
You can bus from Peoria to Rockford to Chicago to Milwaukee.
You could bus from Hamiton to Toronto to Rochester.
All the Eastern teams can bus. The only outliers where you would for sure have to fly or it's iffy if you don't are Abbotsford, Charlotte, Norfolk, Lake Erie, St. John's and Grand Rapids.
Isn't flying these days in the long run almost cheaper with these gas prices?
There should be no gripe over travel costs because a bunch of teams are close together for the most part. Sure you'd have to take flights to get there but after that you can bus.
You can bus from Texas (Austin) to San Antonio to Houston and I suppose if you had to, Oklahoma City.
You can bus from Peoria to Rockford to Chicago to Milwaukee.
You could bus from Hamiton to Toronto to Rochester.
All the Eastern teams can bus. The only outliers where you would for sure have to fly or it's iffy if you don't are Abbotsford, Charlotte, Norfolk, Lake Erie, St. John's and Grand Rapids.
You really could add Grand Rapids and even Cleveland ,to some extent, to this....GR is only 3 hrs by bus from Chicago and Cleveland is something like 5 from GR.
The bottomline to all of this is yes you can poo poo the argument of travel cost since it isn't our money all you want, but Dave Andrews has said in conversation with me and also on record that a large portion of the teams( see eastern seaboard) don't want to travel.
Technically though it is our money since our ticket money goes to various operating cost such as travel and hotels,meals,etc.
