Hockey Rants

Thursday, September 23, 2004

OSHL in trouble...or just unrealistic expectations?

It looks like the Original Stars Hockey League (OSHL) is in need of a serious tune-up before they get underway. According to various (And sometimes conflicting) news reports, such as this one, the OSHL has suspended the remainder of its exhibition schedule and will start up again on October 7th.

As you would expect with any league that is put together in a hasty manner, the OSHL has run into numerous problems in its exhibition schedule that call into question some of the problems that need to be addressed:

1. Lack of Intensity � The OSHL has built itself as a shinny league, so then why the surprise that the players would basically go out there and have games with 29 goals? The rules and the format lend itself to an offensive Midway-style hockey game.

Problem? There is no incentive for the players to play with any intensity. Why would they risk injuring themselves in the OSHL? What do the winners get? The players have no real loyalty to their OSHL club, and expecting them to do so is foolish.
2. Lack of Information � As Ben Wright has pointed out,
Note to OSHL- if you can't manage simple updates on a website, which I manage to do several times almost every day, how are we to believe that you're capable of running an even mediocre hockey league?

If the fans can�t get fast and accurate information on the OSHL, how can you expect them to turn up for the games? At the very least, the OSHL should have a daily posting on their website informing the consumers and fans of any breaking news, start times, reschedulings, etc. Information is power, and in today�s Internet age, people want information NOW!
3. Ticket Prices - $15-60$ for shinny hockey? Even if the proceeds are going to charity, most fans aren�t going to spend that much money to watch shinny hockey, even if the players are NHLers. Now, for a one-time charity event, you can expect decent crowds...and the crowds of 2,000+ are pretty good considering the OSHL isn�t anything close to real hockey.

I can pay $20-25 to see real hockey in the WHL with real intensity and something substantial on the line. I certainly wouldn�t pay those prices or go out of my way to go watch the OSHL.
4. Anti-Player Sentiment � Many fans are channeling their anger towards the players in this lock-out (You know it�s true), and they see the OSHL as a vehicle of the rich NHLers. Showing support for the OSHL is almost akin to showing support for the NHLPA, if you see it in that light.
5. Lack of Support from the Players � A telling quote from Wade Belak:

�"A lot of players just found out the schedule a day after the lockout was announced. Originally there were 115 guys signed but only 45 showed up. That's not even enough to ice six teams."

I know many big names were announced when the OSHL was first suggested...now that less and less players have committed to the OSHL, this gives fans even less of a reason to attend the games.

Look, I believe the OSHL is a nice quick-fix diversion during the lockout, and it has potential to be something decent in the short-run. At the same time, the OSHL has greatly overestimated its performance and not done a good enough job promoting itself to the fans.

Basically,
1. Update the OSHL website daily
2. Lower ticket prices - $15 is decent, but $60? Let�s get real...
3. Tweak the rules � Try and get some semblance of defence into the OSHL. There is a such thing as too much offence. Perhaps getting rid of the penalty-shot-for-a-penalty gimmick would help.
4. Don�t expect big crowds. Sorry, but the fact that you got 2,000 fans to each game is actually pretty good considering high-level AHL hockey has trouble attracting large crowds in places like Hamilton.

When/If the real season starts up again on October 9th, maybe Randy Gumbley will have made the necessary changes to make the OSHL work. We�ll see...

# posted by Unknown @ 10:13 am