It occurred to me today that the NHL playoffs are going beyond the IIHF and CHL championships, but that the AHL finals are even going longer. The AHL?
It is the American Hockey League, which should be distinguished from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) which of course includes American teams! CHL teams are "major juniors". The AHL is "semi-pro", populated by young prospects and journeymen players in their 20s, 30s and even 40s.
In the AHL Western Conference finals, the Texas Stars defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs tonight. They advance to the Calder Cup finals which start on June 3rd. PK Subban of the Montreal Canadiens was re-assigned to their Hamilton development team, in time for the game.
Texas came from behind, to win the game 4-2. Subban has now appeared in two losing final games in one year. The young man is getting an education.
Texas came from behind, to win the game 4-2. Subban has now appeared in two losing final games in one year. The young man is getting an education.
The Stars will face the Hershey Bears, who are returning to the Calder Cup finals for the fourth time in five years. Hershey is without any doubt, the powerhouse of the AHL Eastern Conference.
AHL, CHL, NHL, IIHF, KHL, there sure are a lot of initials and hockey leagues. For the moment, understand that the European KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) is taking a run at the NHL for international supremacy. KHL is by no means a minor league.
If the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk "defect" to the KHL, an era will end, the period started by the defection of the Stastny brothers to the NY Islanders from behind the Iron Curtain. That curtain has not only turned to rust, but it can be argued that the quality of hockey is again equivalent in Europe, now that they have integrated the North American style of play.
The IIHF World Championships, held each year, reflect the equity of hockey talent. Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and the US are all competitive. IIHF stands for the International Ice Hockey Federation. Until the advent of the KHL, the only two "power players" on the world stage were the NHL and IIHF. Now there are three. The 2014 Winter Olympics will be affected; NHL interests will be outweighed by IIHF, KHL and the host country Russia.
All of the others - AHL, IHL, ECHL, CHL, WHL, OHL, QMJHL - are feeders into the NHL. Throw in the NCAA, NESCAC and other collegiate associations and the picture is complete. A real alphabet soup. If you want the initials decoded - post a reply or comment and the Tattler will answer.
Hockey Rules.
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