[Cushman] Situation developing in the ECHL. Leafs and Habs affiliates may not finish this season..
Situation developing in the ECHL. Leafs and Habs affiliates may not finish this season per @MatthewVachon_
The ECHL will take over the Growlers and Lions after Apr. 2 due to league debts from the owners DSE. Governors will then decide whether to pay for them to finish the year https://t.co/dBoAMl1xXk
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) March 27, 2024
16 comments
The rest of the Tweet:
> The ECHL will take over the Growlers and Lions after Apr. 2 due to league debts from the owners DSE. Governors will then decide whether to pay for them to finish the year
I already lost the Beast! Now the Growlers too?
I thought MLS&E owned the Growlers?
Are ECHL teams financially independent of the big clubs?
I know it’s not really any fault of the leafs, but surely whatever it takes to run an ECHL team would be what amounts to a rounding error to MLSE. You would think they could bail them out and finish out the year for the good of the players in the organization, and then decide where to go from there.
Easy to say when it’s not my money I guess, but it’s not really a great look for anyone, and it seems like an easy enough solution.
MLSE isn’t paying dues? That’s embarrassing.
I didn’t realize ECHL had affiliation with the NHL. Do they supply players to AHL teams? I”m assuming that’s a tier lower than the A?
Anyway, how does an organization with billions of dollars find themselves in debt? I’m speaking of the Leafs specifically.
I know when Allen Bester wasn’t “good enough” for the NHL or AHL, he went to the Orlando Solar Bears who I just learnt is part of the Tampa organization.
The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL’s Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League and Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Solar_Bears)
that sucks, really started getting into the growlers this year. great time to buy up merch if you want to support the team (or even if you want to pick up something before they sink and get moved to the US or wherever).
The Growlers are currently owned by Dean McDonald and Deacon Sports & Entertainment (DSE).
EDIT: found this story from October about partnering with other low level clubs…looks like the plan didn’t work out as they had hoped?
https://ntv.ca/newfoundland-growlers-unveil-new-ownership-structure/
You never hear or see them, but there’s always many diverse and very passionate people who are employed at these ECHL teams – would be awful news to see these teams go under.
I saw first hand how the Beast were crippled during the pandemic. You don’t wish that on anyone.
Matt Cooke is the Growler coach.
I don’t believe every AHL team is owned by the entity that owns the parent club either.
Aww man I just found a sweet Growlers shirt at the thrift store
And if my aunt had wheels, she would be a bicycle
Two of the best echl jerseys. Sad news.
In related hockey news what does this say about the future of the Acadie Bathurst Titan I wonder?