What is the role of the EIHL.....

[nate24]

Not being confrontational but what is the role of the EIHL in the hockey world?

Are we trying to attain standards similar to Germany?

Are we a league for those wanting to make an impression before bigger leagues?

Are we simply a standalone league that has achieved all it wants to achieve?

I can find no clear answer and would be interested to see where others feel we fit in.

[PantherB]

At the moment it seems the league wants to do its own thing, make its own way to become a top league. Rejected help from the IIHF (More GB on that one, but it'd help), cuts TV deals if it doesn't suit them, uses shopping bags for important draws and a stolen shopping cart for moving the trophies.

It's as if the league is expecting the teams themselves to take control and push us higher in the hockey world, whilst those running the league essentially see it as a hobby and don't really do that much to help us.

Ignoring that little rant and getting back on topic, I'd go with your second option mainly, and wanting to be a league where players can make an impression before moving on to greater hights but i also see the league as wanting to make themselves of equal or higher quality to Germany. Lots of former EIHL'ers have landed some great deals and opportunities after playing here, your Lepine & Mosey being the main ones. Two unimpressful careers prior to moving to us and then making an incredible impact before being snapped up by the AHL!

[iginla]

Oooooh i could have some fun with this thread.....but I'm going to resist temptation ! Lol

[nate24]

Ha ha. Well I know it could run hot but it'd be interesting to see what everyone thinks. Go for it Iggy!

[kievthegreat]

It doesn't have a clear aspiration as all the clubs pull for their own interests. It doesn't have effective independent governance, instead it's a club run by members to further the ambitions of members (with one of the most powerful men in the group being it's chairman which throws up all manner of issues with regards to self interest.

Then you look at specific issues, you have clubs (Panthers and Clan) blocking wider coverage of the sport in the form of webcasts in order not to hamper gates. Then go further (rumoured to be the Panthers) and supposedly block attempts to televise more matches. Look at the development of ice hockey in general on these shores and the EIHL does NOTHING. Clubs might,but there is no strategy across the league (although this is endemic within British ice hockey bodies because the ridiculously poor governance infects all levels).

If you want a simple answer, the EIHL has 10 different goals. Most of them contradictory and probably none of them will be realised.

[spik]

Voting Brexit ,all foreigners will be sent home. Door shut and an all Brit player league.

[Kovalchuk17]

A league that doesn't value its own national team and development of British players. In turn we miss out on spaces in European competitions as a direct result.

Senior members of the EIHL obviously can't see that there is no top national league valued higher than the national team. See the correlation of how the Swedish, Russian, Czech, German, Finnish top leagues are valued to how the national teams preform.

We should be similar in statue to the French, Italian and possibly even Slovak/Danish/Norwegian leagues. However they value home grown talent and develop them. The EIHL just want more and more imports and make spaces for Brits rarer.

With recent results of EIHL teams beating DEL teams, we should perhaps be comparable to them. The DEL will always be seen as a better league though due to the number of Germans who come up through the ranks and perform for the national team (quite a few moving directly into the NHL too).

[Discoray]

When you think about it, the EIHL only really exists for keeping itself going for another year. It isn't a platform to develop or further British players, actually it's to the point it can be considered anti this. It doesn't really do that for imports either, though there have been a few exceptions. It's more often used as an easy and somewhat lucrative point of call for a lot of minor league North Americans, wanting a free stint half way over the world at a more favourable pay rate to that of home. (Without needing to learn a new language.)

There's next to no medium term planning or thinking, let alone long-term. This results in a whole comedy of errors that make the sport look utterly foolish. The no OT farce at Belfast, Challenge Cup Semi Draw, Belfast & Hull being allowed to ditch a 2nd leg, home advantage not being given to higher seeded teams in Play-Offs just to name a few recent ones. Then you have the actual Chairman of the EIHL (Tony Smith) state quite unequivocally in April at the fan forum, that the league could never afford the salary to employ a commercial director. Yet a few weeks later a job vacancy was posted for that very role at a good wage, and according to the last video update the EIHL is on the brink of selecting someone for the role. Todd Kelman said in January the Play-Off weekend is always played the same weekend every April, and he was tired of constantly getting asked that question. Less than 6 months later, the weekend is moved forward a week from the usual weekend. (That's why we always ask Todd!!)

[The Flying Shirt]

The only two roles of the EIHL is to survive and expand. Anything else is pure fantasy and the EPL is going to end up having a big part to play in this as well at some point as teams move from there to the EIHL too.

[Pies]

I have to say, I've never been able to get the same passion for Team GB as I do Panthers. So for me, the leagues job is to expand, attract the best players and big sponsors. The NHLs goal isn't to develop the Canadian/American players. But they have the grass roots laid down for them. If the UK wants to be taken seriously as a hockey nation, more needs to be done. We all know the ins and outs of it but ultimately that isn't the EIHLs role.

What the league needs to do is have a clear hierarchy that is independent of any club. It needs a league head, commercial director etc etc.

[Mark]

A league owned and wholly administered by it's own members will never achieve anything of note. Self interest, profits, greed and jealousy are the overriding tenets of the EIHL.

[pantherdman]

Easy, safe money and get it out the game.