WHA (World Hockey Association)

[Guest NYJetFan86]

I dont know if this has been posted or not but i read on ESPN.com about a new hockey league opening up run by Bobby Hull currently has teams in: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Detroit, Dallas, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Two more teams (Toronto and Hamilton) will be included if they can get arenas to play in. WHA regular season starts October 29 and will be 76 games long. The league will also have no red line, no touch icing, touch up offside, 3 on 3 overtime followed by a shootout. Teams have a $15 million dollar salary cap to work with for the first year. NHL players that sign with the league will have the option to stay in WHA or go back to the NHL if a lockout is resolved.

Comments??

[sahyder1]

This won't really last long. Not that many guys are gonna make the jump because of the low pay scale. Heck, Brett Hull isn't making the jump and his father is commish.

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

It will last, but at a UHL-type level.

[Mike Ockizitchy]

Well, you never know man. The WHA's entry draft, which is coming up, allows 17 year old players. So if there's a lockout players like Crosby and Ovechkin could be lost to the WHA because there's no NHL in progress. They might sign there to play and that could help build a solid league around players like thoughs.

[Guest NYJetFan86]

Mike makes a good point about the draft and most players currently in the NHL including Brett Hull would most likely wait a little while before jumping to WHA because a new CBA can be reached at any time. I think that the WHA is lacking a team in a big market like New York, Philadelphia, and Calirfornia. I would love to have a hockey team in my home town of Long Beach, NY especially because we have our own ice rink where a team from an upstart league like WHA can play and draw a good number of fans

[Corizzle]

There was an old WHA, it's where Gretzky originally played. It went under. Probably same here, if there is a lockout in the NHL it will live for a few years and then go under

[Clawson]

I think that the WHA is lacking a team in a big market like New York, Philadelphia, and Calirfornia.

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What the fuck you smoking?

They should give Vermont or Maine a team if anything.

[Guest NYJetFan86]

why vermont??

[kingtut307]

They should stick to smaller markets with teams...places that don't get NHL hockey, IMHO. Especially if the NHL returns, that way they won't have to compete with NHL teams for fans.

[Damian WayLNKe]

Hopefully they put a team in Baltimore.

[Guest Hit Man 3120]

This seems so rushed to cash in on the lockout. If they tried to do this right and put in non-NHL markets they could be a decent alternative to the NHL. But going into NHL markets like Detroit & Toronto is just stupid

[Lowerdeck]

Problem is the AHL is in quite a few (potential) markets too, especially in the northeast.

It doesn't make much sense either since these teams are mostly in the north and east. And then there's Orlando and Jacksonville - way far south. And then there's Dallas, all off on it's own.

A New York team wouldn't be too bad. Philly can screw itself.

[Mike Ockizitchy]

With the way things are looking for the season next year someone like Hull(and especially Hull seeing as his dad is commish) or Manny Legace, etc... I wouldn't doubt seeing them there. Even St. Louis was quoted as saying something along the lines of "I'd be stupid not to give it a thought" or whatever. Even if the NHL was coming back oh say in January for example or December, I still wouldn't doubt seeing a few guys in the league. Because in the WHA, as it's planned as of now, each team can have I think 2 players that can have contracts which would allow them to jump back to the NHL if they were to come to an agreement.

[SeanDMan]

With Brett Hull not being offered a contract with the Wings, I could see him playing in this new fangled league.

[sahyder1]

With Brett Hull not being offered a contract with the Wings, I could see him playing in this new fangled league.

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Bobby was on Cold Pizza a couple of days ago and said Bret would not be coming over.

[SeanDMan]

Yeah but just last night Ken Holland said no the Brett Hull

[Gabriel]

I want the WHA to succeed, if only to give us an alternative league to the money-hungry NHL.

I love the NHL, but it will be nice to have teams of similar calibre on TV with Team Payrolls that are just above what a lot of players make by themselves in the NHL.

[kingtut307]

I read that the league will play 4-on-4 hockey instead of the traditional 5-on-5...does that reek of them doing something different for the sake of different or do you think it'll make for something really interesting?

[Cactus Drags]

4 on 4 as standard would suck, although I guess it'll open the ice a bit. I can't see this getting off the ground to be honest. Not unless there's some serious breakdown in the NHL negotiations.

[sahyder1]

I haven't anything about 4 on 4 being used for this league. OT will be 3 on 3.