AIHL Committed Teams UPDATED JULY 6th

[AIHL]

Below is list of Committed Teams as of july 6th 2008

We are currently in the prosess of working in our website so we dont have just a splash page.

We are current putting together a 4 team division in Michigan and are close to finalizing the teams that will be in that division. We will anounce the teams when they are ready.

We are current putting together a 4 team division in the Southeast and are working with teams in Georgia,Florida NC,and SC. More to come as that developes.

AIHL COMMITTED TEAMS

Atlantic Division
Philadelphia Growl
Feasterville Fury
Philadelphia Revolution
NJ Stampede to be renamed
NJ Grizzlies
Aston Demolition
* 2 New Teams will be added to this division TBA

Northeast Division
CT. Blaze
L.I. 495ers
Boston Swamp Rats
Massachusetts Bombers
Hartford Fire ants

Mason Dixon Division
Pittsburgh Bandits
Richmond Robins
SC Pirates
Maryland Knights
Winchester Generals

Southwest Division
Phoenix Dragons
El Paso Black Diamonds
Tucson Desperados
* New Teams will be added to this division TBA

Pacific Division
21-East Bay Jaws
22-San Jose Pirates
23-Northern California Mustangs
24-Saxons Will have a new Name

SoCAL Division
25- To Be Named
26- To Be Named
27- To Be Named
28- To Be Named
* 4 New Teams will be added to this division TBA

[ParkwayArena]

What rinks are the potential GA/FL teams playing out of?

[Doug Jones]

Second thought, my comments weren't needed!!

[Jon Mosenson]

I apologize for any false information anyone may have heard but the Long Island 495ers organization has not decided as to which league we will be playing in. Please take us off the list of committed teams. I do not come on this website much nor do i sign in so if you have any questions or comments for me my email is [email protected] Thank You.

[Eastcoastdude]

The Conneticut Blaze has not committed to this league either! I dont know who is committing these teams and we dont come on here either but please dont say we are playing without verification.

[GROWL]

Both owners (Dave Mosenson & Bill Dinapoli) made commitments last week.

[Jon Mosenson]

Dave Mosenson may have been having a conversation with you ABOUT the league but he never said we are in. I repeat the 495ers have not chosen which league to play in!

[minutemen]

Just curious, why has your team not made a decision yet. Obviously almost all of your division has jumped to AIHL. If you stay in PIHA who will you play? I am just wondering if your team has any inside from PIHA. I am amazed that all PIHA has done is to create partnerships with USA Inline and Statewars. I feel that did not accomplish anything and the problems with the league still have not been dealt with yet.

[Center_ice]

May have something to do with the fact that hs is in Germany with CJ?

[minutemen]

that makes sense

[InlineMBA]

Kind of confusing, from an outsiders point of view. Who's staying with PIHA? Who's moving to AIHL?

My son played PIHA for one year - and, according to him, he enjoyed himself. However, I don't know much about the "behind the scenes" goings on.

I watched the 2007/2008 season unfold, online, and it appeared that PIHA was having a good competative year with an unlikely Champion, which was good stuff.

I have no clue what happened to make the whole thing unravel so fast at the end of the season, and out of no where pops up the AIHL.

I just hope it works out well for all parties involved in either the AIHL or PIHA. Good hockey is good hockey.

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

[33]

Kind of confusing, from an outsiders point of view. Who's staying with PIHA? Who's moving to AIHL?

My son played PIHA for one year - and, according to him, he enjoyed himself. However, I don't know much about the "behind the scenes" goings on.

I watched the 2007/2008 season unfold, online, and it appeared that PIHA was having a good competative year with an unlikely Champion, which was good stuff.

I have no clue what happened to make the whole thing unravel so fast at the end of the season, and out of no where pops up the AIHL.

I just hope it works out well for all parties involved in either the AIHL or PIHA. Good hockey is good hockey.

Steve Inge - ROXBURY 8

if you would like my personal opinion on why this all happened you can pm me and i will let you know what i think.

[hckypop02]

Nor-Cal Mustangs had a great year and we look forward to the new AIHL league. As a fan, father, supporter and volunteer I would like to see more coverage online for the teams in both the Pro as well as the Minor divisions. The support was great and from what I hear will be even better this year with the new league.

[thepredictor]

if you would like my personal opinion on why this all happened you can pm me and i will let you know what i think.

I second that!

PM me for my account of why what happened.

I at least will say I am not drinking the PIHA kool aid.

[Center_ice]

I think for 33 it goes a little deeper than just kool aid, say maybe like family which is why an unbiased opinion is out of the question.

[33]

I think for 33 it goes a little deeper than just kool aid, say maybe like family which is why an unbiased opinion is out of the question.

hahahaha! you kill me. i really appreciate you signing your name to your posts. coward! stop hiding...come out and play.

[SPORTSPLEXJEFF]

Steve we all know who you are and I do not know what you feel the reasoning is to the AIHL starting. You and I have always been boys and I will gladly explain to you in private why I decided to have the Fury move over to the AIHL.

As I am sure Todd will agree when him and I spoke I understood his decision and will not try to sway him in any direction.

Give me a call or pm me bro I would love to talk to you.

[That Guy]

Hey the AIHL is going to be a joke. And, I heard they were going to have all stars in the league like Jon Mosenson, Danny Marmorstein, Luis Gonzales and the BOMBER. AIHL (AAU) is trying to steal the PIHA thunder by starting this league. I just dont see why they teams are jumping to the AIHL when it is going to be dis-organized and PIHA has been around and is way more organized. "if it aint broke dont fix it"

[minutemen]

PIHA has had some leaks for years and they were not fixed. I am no bashing it but when owners for the past few years have raised problems and there has been not attempt to fix them, then that is a problem. If your a player or fan you have no idea. Owners kept things quiet, so not to ruin the league. But the owners had enough and formed this league. There has been many attempts to work things out with PIHA front office, but they did not want to fix things. What is the problem with having stars in the league? PIHA does.

[seanth123]

"if it aint broke dont fix it"

Well, the owners/players are or will be "broke" if they stay with the current "Pro Joke". Talk to your owners, they will give you the specifics on financial and operations reasons for making the change. Bring a pillow and popcorn, it will probably be a long meeting.

[minutemen]

yes your correct. People that are not involved in the ownership and have questions of why should ask. I can say that every owner that has moved, is doing this in the best interest of the players, coaches, fans and the sport of inline.

[Tekkaman]

So splitting up the talent pool is good for our sport and the fans? .........sigh

[minutemen]

No, but when more teams enter the league the others will follow. Right now AIHL has the majority PIHA teams in each division. So what are the remaining one or two teams going to do? Not play. Once they realize that the league is official, then they will come on board as well. A league of PIHA size can not be run by one person and that has been the major problem. Owners and players have to have a say and PIHA does not want to do that from my knowledge. There are many other reasons but they have been stated too many times.

The NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB all in there history had to compete with other Pro leagues. Then they decided to merge and that is what we see on television today. This is not the first sport to have problems like we are seeing. There could be a possibility that one day AIHL and PIHA can come to terms, and that would be great. People coming together and trying to better the sport is a great thing. You can not have one person running the show and PIHA is not the only venue that does this. That is what has killed the sport in my opinion. Just teams paying money and putting money in individuals pockets. The rinks supply all the time and the rinks are the ones suffering. I am a rink owner and it has to stop. Now what you have is a united front between 35 to 40 teams across the country, and more will follow. If anyone can say that this will not be good for the sport, then that is your opinion, and I respect that, but I think your wrong.

[Drew10]

All great points Justin!

[GR8SK8r06]

Will you people please knock it off with the "Where the money in PIHA went" and all the "they have 189,000 dollars" statements! When 9 of the teams dont pay the money to the league and most of the other teams pay late it is kinda hard to spend it!!! Then everyone turns around and says "wheres the accountability?" You have a double standard here and these people dont get it! Every year before this last one the league operated it lost money and they still stayed around because they love the sport and wanted to help it! Now you want to destroy them for some growing pains!

Does AAU think these teams that didnt pay PIHA will magically change their ways and pay this year. These guys have no experience in dealing with a league like this! They cant even run the USA team or their tournaments correctly! All they have run is a series of tournaments where you rent a rink out for the weekend and its yours! In a league like this you have to deal with all the rink owners/managers with their rink problems and crazy schedules of events.

If you think AAU and FLYNN are going to solve all your problems you are WRONG!! LOL are you kidding me! There will be more problems than before and its easy to sit back, paint a beautiful picture and say "this is how its going to work......" because once it gets down to it these guys are inexperienced and unknowledgable! All they want is their Insurance card money! This league has not proved anything to anyone so they are not legit at this point!

Its been like a month since the season ended and you guys wont give PIHA the opportunity to right what was wronged before and burn em at the stakes! THIS is what kills roller hockey! PIHA was going to organize a committee to run the league next year! So whoever told people they weren't is wrong! Stealing teams and players from one another with the attitude that "we can do it better!" Wishful thinking guys but when it gets to the nitty gritty they have absolutely no clue!

"ITS EASY TO SIT IN THE STANDS AND PLAY REF....... BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GET ON THE RINK TO DO IT BECOMES A WHOLE NEW STORY!"

[Tekkaman]

From what i heard, this is just another pay to play league. I also heard that you have to pay for travel and expenses for the finals. So let's see where all the money in this league goes. Also since it's AAU there won't be any cash prize at the end, unless AAU change's it's name.

[minutemen]

I hear what your saying but AAU and Flynn are not running the league. The owners of all the teams are.. Flynn is part of the owners not the head person. The commissioner, who will be selected, will help with the communication of the league, something that has lacked in PIHA my five years involved. In my opinion communication is key to any business or organization. And PIHA has proved not to communicate well with the the owners. Yes I do not think AAU would be capable of running the league and they are not. They are the insurance like you have stated, but at least players will be covered. They will also assist us in running the league.

[SPORTSPLEXJEFF]

Will you people please knock it off with the "Where the money in PIHA went" and all the "they have 189,000 dollars" statements! When 9 of the teams dont pay the money to the league and most of the other teams pay late it is kinda hard to spend it!!! Then everyone turns around and says "wheres the accountability?" You have a double standard here and these people dont get it! Every year before this last one the league operated it lost money and they still stayed around because they love the sport and wanted to help it! Now you want to destroy them for some growing pains!

Does AAU think these teams that didnt pay PIHA will magically change their ways and pay this year. These guys have no experience in dealing with a league like this! They cant even run the USA team or their tournaments correctly! All they have run is a series of tournaments where you rent a rink out for the weekend and its yours! In a league like this you have to deal with all the rink owners/managers with their rink problems and crazy schedules of events.

If you think AAU and FLYNN are going to solve all your problems you are WRONG!! LOL are you kidding me! There will be more problems than before and its easy to sit back, paint a beautiful picture and say "this is how its going to work......" because once it gets down to it these guys are inexperienced and unknowledgable! All they want is their Insurance card money! This league has not proved anything to anyone so they are not legit at this point!

Its been like a month since the season ended and you guys wont give PIHA the opportunity to right what was wronged before and burn em at the stakes! THIS is what kills roller hockey! PIHA was going to organize a committee to run the league next year! So whoever told people they weren't is wrong! Stealing teams and players from one another with the attitude that "we can do it better!" Wishful thinking guys but when it gets to the nitty gritty they have absolutely no clue!

"ITS EASY TO SIT IN THE STANDS AND PLAY REF....... BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GET ON THE RINK TO DO IT BECOMES A WHOLE NEW STORY!"


First of all Richard my intention is not to turn your board into a flame war with my post. If you feel that it is or will please delete it.

Normally I don't respond to ignorant statements of this nature but I felt this one had the need.

1. 9 Teams didn't pay their money. Who the hell is not collecting the league fees and staying up to date on them! There are only 2 people responsible for this and that is PIHA management.

2. If the league operated at a loss maybe somebody should have tried harder in getting sponsor money.

3. AIHL plans on having a board of directors besides the owners running the league. Somebody will be accountable for collecting the money.

4. Flynn and the statement "this is how its going to work......": By the way Flynn pretty much ran a lot of stuff for the league. Dude the owners have full control of the league including all decisions which are going to be voted on.

5. Lastly since the season ended complaints were made and demands by the owners for change and we were told I will never give you any control of this league.

So if you choose to respond feel free to do with some class as I have not attacked you or the league. I just stated the facts that as a disgruntled owner I have a right to. When I sent my complaints in they fell on deaf ears!
When a ship is sinking do you stay on it or try and get on the life raft to survive? I know I would not go down with the Titanic.

[GR8SK8r06]

I hear what your saying but AAU and Flynn are not running the league. The owners of all the teams are.. Flynn is part of the owners not the head person. The commissioner, who will be selected, will help with the communication of the league, something that has lacked in PIHA my five years involved. In my opinion communication is key to any business or organization. And PIHA has proved not to communicate well with the the owners. Yes I do not think AAU would be capable of running the league and they are not. They are the insurance like you have stated, but at least players will be covered. They will also assist us in running the league.

With the ALL owners running the league there are going to be hissy fits and fights breaking out between different owners. This is going to break out into a political nightmare with coaches and groups teaming up against one another. You responded with class Jeff? Whatever buddy! Calling me ignorant is not a fact my friend! I have forgotten more about hockey then you will ever know my friend!

[minutemen]

Hey I think that owners voting can cause conflict, and it concerned me at first but I feel it will work. The rule is majority vote wins, But at least owners that opinions that are denied will be heard and voted on. Do not get me wrong I like Charley a lot, and that is why I never say his name just PIHA. But business is business and that is what it come down to. Let me ask you a question are you an owner? If not, how much have you paid to play and how many years? And I do not think Jeff was classless in his statement. I do not think he was calling you classless just letting people know to respond but in good manner. Like he said, he was not attacking you.

[SPORTSPLEXJEFF]

With the ALL owners running the league there are going to be hissy fits and fights breaking out between different owners. This is going to break out into a political nightmare with coaches and groups teaming up against one another. You responded with class Jeff? Whatever buddy! Calling me ignorant is not a fact my friend! I have forgotten more about hockey then you will ever know my friend!

Ahh a personal attack on my knowledge of the world of hockey. Congrats on what you have forgotten and what you will soon learn. Hockey is a sport run by multiple people. Not just one as PIHA has been. Also please don't refer to me as friend or buddy considering I don't even know your name since you don't sign it.

By the way you can keep the beer you offered to buy me on May 1st.



Hey I think that owners voting can cause conflict, and it concerned me at first but I feel it will work. The rule is majority vote wins, But at least owners that opinions that are denied will be heard and voted on. Do not get me wrong I like Charley a lot, and that is why I never say his name just PIHA. But business is business and that is what it come down to. Let me ask you a question are you an owner? If not, how much have you paid to play and how many years? And I do not think Jeff was classless in his statement. I do not think he was calling you classless just letting people know to respond but in good manner. Like he said, he was not attacking you.

Thank you Justin. At least I know that an adult understands what I had to say.

[minutemen]

No problem my friend. I read it over to make sure and I feel you did not come across the way he thought.

[minutemen]

Now I do understand where people are coming from on the 9 teams that did not pay. What do you do if your PIHA. I now from experience how tough it is to collect money face to face at my rink, it is a lot harder when you have teams all over the country. I know my first two seasons Charlie was very good on allowing me time to pay and I always thank him for that. So all of the AIHL people how do we fix this problem? Just would like to hear some ideas. If you kick the teams out in a 4 team division, there is no division. I think they handled it right, if you do not pay you do not make the play offs.

[Center_ice]

Wow... just amazing to me how blind some people are. The owners did an incredible job in PIHA of hiding the truth from the players, obviously too good.

Lets go back to a league where 9 teams including the eventual league champion didn't pay the fees (although one team wanted to and the league wouldn't let them?!). The Champions supposedly even had illegal players the whole way through the playoffs! (supposedly because one of the players hadn't played in enough games to qualify (20) and another wasn't even on the roster for the first few rounds. Not a knock on Phx, just a knock on the league management who either didn't take time to fix the stats/rosters or just looked the other way.)

Lets go back to a league that took all the players money for a bogus insurance that no one (sorry, almost no one) received any proof of actually existing.. (and home made players association card made from someones desktop certainly does not count!)

Lets go back to a league that has ignored 98% of its owners... doesn't return calls and never addresses issues. I can't believe anyone would say something on here about Anthony Flynn. He and a group of other coordinators/owners have kept this league running. Without them, there would have been no communication, a myriad of missing stats and no news stories just to think of a few...

Lets go back to a league that refuses to open up it's books and responds with either hand written chicken scratch or some ridiculous pie chart.

Lets go back to a league that turns around and tells all the teams that they have to order new uniforms from one manufacturer (After most of the teams already have purchased from another whom they were previously told they had to order from) and that league fees were being raised dramatically, without reason (when for years the league has told owners the more teams the lower the fees) immediately before the start of the season.


06-$2,800 - paid for minor and pro all star game, refs, uniforms, some playoff travel...
07-$3,800 - paid for minor and pro all star game, some playoff travel
08-$4,500 - paid for minor all star game, some playoff travel


Lets go back to a league that puts some teams in the worst motels to save $10 a night while putting others (with family) in 4 star hotels....

And lets certainly go back to a league that used the owners money to create the highly successful PIHA International that provided the sport with such exposure and benefited the entire league... (thats sarcasm. fyi)

All of the best players will be playing in the new league minus maybe one yoder, 2 yinglings and a couple others (not saying there not great players, just saying there are more than enough good young players coming up to make up the difference).

And I would like one of the PIHA supporters to tell me, what does Charley and Jim do that merits them to run the league. Do they make decisions? ... no. Do they provide any help running the various divisions or the website? .... no. Do they Make suspensions? ... no that would fall on Don Franks.

To quote a great movie, Office Space:

"What is it you would say, you do here?"

Funny how many of the loyal piha supporters on here come from CO.

[FrankFrank]

Center_ice... seriously... you have way too much time on your hands to write that all out. Especially seeing as how that has all been said at least 5-10 other times in prior posts. Thank you for restating the obvious.

But then again... no one is really giving you any credibility since you can't figure out how to sign your posts.

Did PIHA have problems? Sure, what league doesn’t. Is AIHL going to be flawless? No, what league is. I don't think anyone has/will argue that.

How bout this... You don't like PIHA... great, stay at your rink and in your new league.

Enough PIHA bashing... you don't see us picking out your new leagues' early flaws do ya? So relax and let the chips fall where they may.

Frank~Frank Szilagyi
PIHA Player/Coach

[pghbandit11]

Lets talk about suspensions, we a preseason game against Potomac this year, there was a scuffle in the corner with Dustin Roux and another Potomac player(Dustin's helmet was knocked off) the refs blew the whistle. The refs go over to the scuffle Dustin turns to skate away and the Potomac player slammed his head off the glass. fortunately He only had a mild concusion, but the it was an obvious intent to injure, the league Geniuses decided that intent to injure was only worth 6 games because it was during the preseason, and Potomac was an expansion team! I bet if this situation happened to CJ Yoder or Brian Yingling the player would have received a more harsh punishment. Potomac did the right thing and kicked the player off their team, another example of how the owners did all the work.

We also had a game at Scottdale this year where only one ref showed up(he was late), so they got an inhouse ref from Hotshots to do the game.

[pghbandit11]

With the ALL owners running the league there are going to be hissy fits and fights breaking out between different owners. This is going to break out into a political nightmare with coaches and groups teaming up against one another. You responded with class Jeff? Whatever buddy! Calling me ignorant is not a fact my friend! I have forgotten more about hockey then you will ever know my friend!

Dude if your going to call somebody why dont you sign your name to your post. Who are you to rip on guys like Jeff and Flynn who do alot for roller hockey. Wow you must have forgotten alot about life to be this ignorant to not see what piha really is.


What elite players are actually playing piha next year besides CJ Yoder and Brian Yingling?

[mephisto7890]

Center_ice... seriously... you have way too much time on your hands to write that all out. Especially seeing as how that has all been said at least 5-10 other times in prior posts. Thank you for restating the obvious.

But then again... no one is really giving you any credibility since you can't figure out how to sign your posts.

Did PIHA have problems? Sure, what league doesn’t. Is AIHL going to be flawless? No, what league is. I don't think anyone has/will argue that.

How bout this... You don't like PIHA... great, stay at your rink and in your new league.

Enough PIHA bashing... you don't see us picking out your new leagues' early flaws do ya? So relax and let the chips fall where they may.

Frank~Frank Szilagyi
PIHA Player/Coach

PIHA deserves all the bashing it gets.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

This thread is getting mighty heated, and I'm not sure of the best solution. Maybe some of us should step back and consider the question:

How will my post help further the growth of inline hockey?

[wildpuck]

Competition isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do understand the concern for potentially causing a divide in the sport.

We (the Revolution ownership) liked what we heard at the AIHL meeting and we are willing to give it a shot. While we had our concerns about the way some stuff was handled in PIHA, I'm sure there will be concerns/problems with the first AIHL season.

What we all need to do is stop the personal shots. Charley has done a lot for the sport. So has Anthony Flynn. So has Jeff Haze. So have countless other owners/gms/captains of teams. I'm sure that I don't know what a lot of you have done with your respective team/league, so I wouldn't want to discount anything that you've done since I don't know you personally. Leave the people out of it and focus on the organization.

If you're sticking with PIHA, great. Talk with the other PIHA owners and the league and see what you can do to make the next season even better. If you are with the AIHL, then great. Let's follow through with the ideas from the initial meeting and the vision that is the new league.

Maybe the AIHL won't work. Maybe this is the end for PIHA. Maybe we can both co-exist.

Stop all the bickering and focus on improving your respective league.

[jj deviney]

I Say We Put Away The Skates And Play Some Dek Hockey.....anyone?

[HiddenMickey]

PIHA deserves all the bashing it gets.

Yea, do they? So who is running this league. Does anyone want to step forward and take a little credit? Come on, you know you want to. Just would like to know who we should be thanking.

[HiddenMickey]

I Say We Put Away The Skates And Play Some Dek Hockey.....anyone?


:::crickets:::

[SPORTSPLEXJEFF]

I Say We Put Away The Skates And Play Some Dek Hockey.....anyone?

Shameless way to plug your own business!

But hey you and Jamie do run an awesome tournament series!

[jj deviney]

Google Cool Hockey Events

Thats A Plug Hahahaha

Thanks Jeff

WHEN IS THIS SEASON PROJECTED TO START ANYWAY.

[scotty b]

Funny how many of the loyal piha supporters on here come from CO.
[/QUOTE]

I usually see a total of 3 people from colorado on this website. And one of them tried to start his own league. Back away from the generalizations.

[joisyan]

trying to bring this full swing back to the topic of AIHL, is the "elite" division going to be 16+. or do you have to be 18+ for the higher tier?

[ThunderHockey41]

good question, thats one thing I never quite understood in not only PIHA, but NARCh and TORHS, how you need to be 18 in order to play pro. you would think that "elite" or "pro" would be judged by talent level, not age.

[Alvare71]

I was wondering how AIHA presented there package to the teams, Beside PIHA not repsonding to the owners. What made all of these teams jump ship, I know the owners get to vote on issues, but who will control the final say?

They are going to get a commish, will he work with the owners or make choices on his own.


If this is going to be non-profit, staff will be able to get paid, are there going to be paid positions, if so how many and who are they going to trust?

[growl89]

good question, thats one thing I never quite understood in not only PIHA, but NARCh and TORHS, how you need to be 18 in order to play pro. you would think that "elite" or "pro" would be judged by talent level, not age.

It is a liability issue with the insurance company. Its the same issues with mens leagues in local arenas. Also if kids under 18 accept money, it could mess with thier amatuer status?

[Alvare71]

But it has to be a sanctioned league in order to effect there status, None of these leagues effect anything right now.

Unless there is a league that I dont know about no one looks at these leagues as being legit.

[TourBandits]

Amateurism
Only an amateur student-athlete is eligible for intercollegiate athletic participation in a
particular sport (NCAA Bylaw 12.01.1).
An individual loses amateur status and shall not be eligible for intercollegiate competition
in a particular sport if the individual (NCAA Bylaw 12.1.1):
· Uses his or her athletics skill (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that
sport;
· Accepts a promise of pay even if such pay is to be received following completion
of intercollegiate athletics participation;
· Signs a contract or commitment of any kind to play professional athletics,
regardless of its legal enforceability or any consideration received;
· Receives, directly or indirectly, a salary, reimbursement of expenses or any other
form of financial assistance from a professional sports organization based upon
athletics skill or participation, except as permitted by NCAA regulations;
· Competes on any professional athletics team and knows (or had reason to know)
that the team is a professional athletics team (per NCAA Bylaw 12.02.4), even if
no pay or remuneration for expenses was received;
· Enters into a professional draft or an agreement with an agent or other entity to
negotiate a professional contract (NCAA Bylaw 12.2.4.2.1 for exception related
to professional basketball draft)
Prohibited Forms of Pay
"Pay" as used above includes, but is not limited to, the following:
· Salary, Gratuity or Compensation. Any direct or indirect salary, gratuity or
comparable compensation.
· Division or Split of Surplus. Any division or split of surplus (bonuses, game
receipts, etc.) Educational Expenses not received from parents or legal guardians,
unless otherwise permitted by NCAA regulations.
· Educational expenses from an outside sports team or organization that are based
in any degree upon the recipient's athletics ability even if funds are given to the
institution to administer to the recipient.
· Excessive or improper expenses, awards and benefits.
· Cash or the equivalent thereof (e.g., trust fund) as an award for participation in
competition at any time, even if such award is permitted under rules governing an
amateur, non-collegiate event in which the individual is competing.
· Expense incurred or awards received by an individual that are prohibited by the
rules governing an amateur, non-collegiate event in which the individual is
competing.
· Expenses received from an outside amateur sports team or organization in excess
of actual and necessary travel, room and board expenses, apparel and equipment
for competition and practice held in preparation for such competition.
· Payment to individual team members for unspecified or unitemized expenses
beyond actual and necessary travel, room and board expenses for practice and
competition.
· Actual and necessary expenses or other form of compensation to participate in
athletics competition (while not representing an educational institution) from a
sponsor other than an individual upon whom the athlete is naturally or legally
dependent or the nonprofessional organization that is sponsoring the competition.
· Any payment, including actual and necessary expenses, conditioned on the
individual's or team's place finish or performance or given on an incentive basis,
or receipt of expenses in excess of the same reasonable amount for permissible
expenses given to all participants involved in the competition.
· Preferential treatment, benefits or services because of the individual's athletics
reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete, unless such
treatments, benefits or services are permitted under NCAA regulations.
· Participation for pay in competition that involves the use of overall athletics skill
(e.g., "superstars" competition) constitutes a violation of NCAA amateur status
and would render the individual ineligible for intercollegiate competition in all
sports (NCAA Bylaw 12.1.1.1).
· A student who accepts pay in any form for participation in "road racing" is
ineligible for intercollegiate competition in cross country or track.
Professional in Another Sport
A professional athlete in one sport may represent a member institution in a different
sport. However, the student-athlete cannot receive institutional financial aid in the second
sport unless the student-athlete (NCAA Bylaw 12.1.2):
· Is no longer involved in professional athletics
· Is not receiving any remuneration from a professional sports organization.
· Has no active contractual relationship with any professional athletics team
Questions and Answers Related to Agents
Question #1: I have been contacted by agents who wished to represent me both before and after the
draft. Can I reach an agreement with an agent to represent me without jeopardizing my
further eligibility in collegiate athletics?
Answer: No. If you or your parents reach a verbal or written agreement with an agent, this will
jeopardize your eligibility at an NCAA institution
Question #2: Is it true that it is permissible for a student-athlete to have an advisor, but not an agent? If
so, what is the difference between an advisor and an agent?
Answer: It is permissible for a student-athlete to have an advisor (but not an agent) without
jeopardizing further eligibility at an NCAA institution. Under NCAA regulations, a
student-athlete and his or her parents are permitted to receive advice from an attorney or
other individual concerning a proposed professional sports contract, provided the advisor
does not represent the student-athlete directly in negotiations for a contract. In this
regard, it is permissible for an advisor to discuss the merits of a proposed contract with a
student-athlete and give suggestions about the type of offer the student-athlete should
consider. However, an advisor may not be used as a link between the student-athlete and
the professional sports team or organization. If the advisor makes direct contact with the
professional team, the advisor shall be considered an agent and the student-athlete will
have jeopardized future eligibility. For example, an advisor may not be present during
discussions of a contract offer with a professional team or have any direct contact (Le.,
by persons, telephone or mail) with a professional sports team on the student-athlete's
behalf. Finally, the student-athlete must compensate the advisor at his or her normal rate
for services rendered.
Question #3: May I receive any benefits (e.g., transportation or meals) from an agent or advisor
without jeopardizing my eligibility?
Answer: No. A student-athlete will be ineligible if he or she accepts any transportation or other
benefits from any person who wishes to represent him or her in the marketing of athletics
ability. This rule does not prohibit a student-athlete from having a meal with someone
who wishes to represent him or her, provided each pays for the actual cost of their meal
and arranges for separate transportation.
Question #4: Am I permitted to negotiate directly with a professional sports team?
Answer: Yes. NCAA legislation was changed in 1992 to allow a student-athlete and his parents or
legal guardians to negotiate directly with a professional team. A student-athlete is also
permitted to have the institution’s professional sports counseling panel negotiate on his or
her behalf.
Question #5: May I reach any kind of agreement for a contract with a professional team and still retain
eligibility?
Answer: No. If a student-athlete reaches a written or verbal agreement for any portion of the terms
of a professional contract, he or she will have jeopardized future eligibility.
Question #6: What happens if a professional team offers to fly my parents and me to its city to watch a
ballgame and meet with local media? Is a representative of the team permitted to take my
parents and me to dinner or entertain us in any way?
Answer: In order to retain eligibility, a student-athlete is not permitted to receive any kind or
entertainment expenses from the professional team. This includes a representative of a
professional team purchasing a meal or paying expenses for a visit to the city of the team
for any reason.
Question #7: Am I allowed to participate in a tryout with a professional team?
Answer: Yes, but only during the summer (beginning at the end of the academic year). Under
these circumstances, a professional team is not permitted to provide any expenses for the
tryout. Thus if a student-athlete decides to travel to a particular place to participate in a
tryout during the summer, all expenses associated with the tryout must be provided by the
student athlete. Accordingly, this means that a student-athlete will jeopardize eligibility if
he or she participates in any professional league tryout camps that take place during the
academic year.

Jon Roux
Tour Bandits

[Alvare71]

I understand the by laws, But there are no true Pro Roller hockey leagues, I mean most colleges dont even consider there roller hockey team part of there college, they are a club.

[alex]

The Champions supposedly even had illegal players the whole way through the playoffs! (supposedly because one of the players hadn't played in enough games to qualify (20) and another wasn't even on the roster for the first few rounds. Not a knock on Phx, just a knock on the league management who either didn't take time to fix the stats/rosters or just looked the other way.)


Center_ice, everything else you said in your post is fine and dandy with me but stop throwing around false accusations. I don't care if you put the word "supposedly" in front of the statement, you're still spreading Bullsh*t! We...did...not...use...a...single...illegal...play er...all...year. Understand? Send me money for postage and I can send you tapes (as all our games were taped) of all of our games and you can self-check our rosters for yourself. You can watch 32 of our games and check all 9 of our players who played playoffs as having the minimum 20 games.

The only fault in our rosters online not matching up lies with the system used to input rosters/scoresheets combined with (what's new!) lack of communication from the "league office." So, put it to rest already. I know it's hard to believe about a team from Arizona but we were the best team in PIHA last year and we won it with 9 qualified players.

[Falcons77]

Lets talk about suspensions, we a preseason game against Potomac this year, there was a scuffle in the corner with Dustin Roux and another Potomac player(Dustin's helmet was knocked off) the refs blew the whistle. The refs go over to the scuffle Dustin turns to skate away and the Potomac player slammed his head off the glass. fortunately He only had a mild concusion, but the it was an obvious intent to injure, the league Geniuses decided that intent to injure was only worth 6 games because it was during the preseason, and Potomac was an expansion team! I bet if this situation happened to CJ Yoder or Brian Yingling the player would have received a more harsh punishment. Potomac did the right thing and kicked the player off their team, another example of how the owners did all the work.

We also had a game at Scottdale this year where only one ref showed up(he was late), so they got an inhouse ref from Hotshots to do the game.

So I guess Dustin had nothing to do with the incident you mention? Yes, I even agree my player should have had more then 6 games, and we actually kicked him off the team. But don't claim that he was attacked, he was "reacted" to.

and for refs....... does everyone not realize that the SAME GUYS will probably be doing games???? Sure we can schedule the betters ones more often, but is there some magic ref tree out there that is suddenly going to produce the refs that we all want to have every game?

[pghbandit11]

[QUOTE=Falcons77;51564]So I guess Dustin had nothing to do with the incident you mention? Yes, I even agree my player should have had more then 6 games, and we actually kicked him off the team. But don't claim that he was attacked, he was "reacted" to.

"Reacted" to, are you kidding me. If you call that a reaction then I guess Todd Bertuzzi just reacted when he punched Steve Moore in the back of the head. I never said Dustin was innocent, it was a scuffle between him and your player, Dustin turned his back to skate away and your player slammed his head off the glass, you can say what you want but that was a blatant cheapshot.

The ref situation in piha is horrible, and Im guessing it wont get better.

[HiddenMickey]

From a players/coaches/ fans point of view 90% of the time the reffing is always bad on the losing end, but I am sure the reffing was only bad in PIHA.

[Bronson9]

This really has nothing to do with this topic, however I find it funny that people are calling one another cowards because they do not post their name, yet the person calling the other a coward also does not post their name.

Sorry for wasting everyone's time reading this, I was bored.


Oh yea, My name is Nick Bronson

[hckypop02]

I too questioned the eligibility of the eventual winners of PIHA this year as I noticed that some of the players seemed ineligible. I was told it was due to lack of updates on the web site. I don't buy into that for a minute and therefore I believe the "best" team did not win atleast fair and square.
Bravo to all the teams that played by the rules and shame on the one's that didn't!! Maybe a change will be better who knows. I do know 1 thing a large amount of money was spent by owners who love the sport and played by the rules and are not happy with the outcome. I'm not talking about winning or losing but getting what the league promised and did not deliver was the problem. All teams and players should be treated the same and pay what needed to be payed. Everyone knew coming into the league what was expected of them so no excuses.

[Wingman]

I too questioned the eligibility of the eventual winners of PIHA this year as I noticed that some of the players seemed ineligible. I was told it was due to lack of updates on the web site. I don't buy into that for a minute and therefore I believe the "best" team did not win atleast fair and square.

I wouldn't count on the PIHA web site as a reliable source of information... it was not near as updated and accurate as it should've been.

[hckypop02]

Yes Wingman I agree. I followed closely and was dissappointed that the stats were not accurate. One of the best parts for the players as well as the fans is to be able to track how a player is doing. Support is key for the sucess of anything we do and in time we will have a league that will shine and grow as a sport we are all proud of. No negative karma here positive energy is much better!!

[socalhockey]

I too questioned the eligibility of the eventual winners of PIHA this year as I noticed that some of the players seemed ineligible. I was told it was due to lack of updates on the web site. I don't buy into that for a minute and therefore I believe the "best" team did not win at least fair and square.
Bravo to all the teams that played by the rules and shame on the one's that didn't!!

No negative Karma just positive energy? How is calling out the winners of PIHA as having ineligible players, and that the "best" team not winning (which by the way is incorrect because the best team did win), being positive? Since when could anyone base their facts on a stats site?

[General28]

On a side note, when is the AIHL website going to reflect the updated list of teams?

[hckypop02]

I am not basing my allegations on a stat site I was personally involved with what was going on and experienced it first hand because I was present at the regional playoffs. Let me tell you that the experience with PIHA this year was a good one for me but obviously things need to change if so many owners are switching. I believe if everything was done correctly the outcome would have been different and we are all entitled to our own opinion, some just know more than others. Taking nothing away from the eventual winners but too much nonsense is going around and I do my research before I write!

[Wingman]

Yes Wingman I agree. I followed closely and was dissappointed that the stats were not accurate. One of the best parts for the players as well as the fans is to be able to track how a player is doing. Support is key for the sucess of anything we do and in time we will have a league that will shine and grow as a sport we are all proud of. No negative karma here positive energy is much better!!Absolutely. Accurate player/game stats is a big part of building a fanbase... which is really important for the growing of the sport.

[33]

This really has nothing to do with this topic, however I find it funny that people are calling one another cowards because they do not post their name, yet the person calling the other a coward also does not post their name.

Sorry for wasting everyone's time reading this, I was bored.


Oh yea, My name is Nick Bronson

i think people that need to know know who i am, do.

[GROWL]

With the ALL owners running the league there are going to be hissy fits and fights breaking out between different owners. This is going to break out into a political nightmare with coaches and groups teaming up against one another. You responded with class Jeff? Whatever buddy! Calling me ignorant is not a fact my friend! I have forgotten more about hockey then you will ever know my friend!

So the league wont work because of hissy fits and fights between the owners. Funny, because that is why PIHA didnt work. Teams have had hissy fits and fights with the league. We already disagree with most of the decisions the league made, so how could it be any worse? If everyone has a democratic voice in the decision process, then they can't complain, they can campaign their agenda and work towards a solution that makes them happy.

For the record, I don't know why I was called out here. Those who know the truth can tell you that I was one of the last to bail on PIHA. That back in September and December, Ruppy and I were the ones trying to keep it together. Likewise all season it was the same, until the end when it became apparent that the league had its own agenda and were not interested in giving in to the wishes of the owners at all. I will have no more involvement in the AIHL then I did in PIHA. In fact I will likely have less as now I might have to pass my team on to different ownership.

[HockeyDad1987]

Hi,

I saw on the AIHL website that Raleigh is showing interest. Will that be the Assault? Their website says that they don't know who is speaking to the AIHL but it won't be under the Assault name. I want my son to continue playing at the highest level possible but I'm not sure there will be a team now that Chris Street has moved. Hopefully I'm wrong, can anyone direct me to who might be in charge with the new Raleigh team? I'd like to help out! Thanks!

[ParkwayArena]

On second thought, I don't have anything nice to say so I'm gonna stay out of this....I have better things to do with my time that'll actually help the sport rather than talk politics about leagues that are hundreds of miles from me now. Good luck everyone.

[thepredictor]

Below is list of Committed Teams as of july 6th 2008


AIHL COMMITTED TEAMS

Atlantic Division
Philadelphia Growl
Feasterville Fury
Philadelphia Revolution
NJ Stampede to be renamed
NJ Grizzlies
Aston Demolition
* 2 New Teams will be added to this division TBA

Northeast Division
CT. Blaze
L.I. 495ers
Boston Swamp Rats
Massachusetts Bombers
Hartford Fire ants

Mason Dixon Division
Pittsburgh Bandits
Richmond Robins
SC Pirates
Maryland Knights
Winchester Generals

Southwest Division
Phoenix Dragons
El Paso Black Diamonds
Tucson Desperados
* New Teams will be added to this division TBA

Pacific Division
21-East Bay Jaws
22-San Jose Pirates
23-Northern California Mustangs
24-Saxons Will have a new Name

SoCAL Division
25- To Be Named
26- To Be Named
27- To Be Named
28- To Be Named
* 4 New Teams will be added to this division TBA

I noticed that in the Mason Dixon there is no Harrisburg, York and Potomac.

I guess they will make up a 3 team division in PIHA. That should be fun.

Guys we are gonna pay 4500 dollars to play york 16 times and potomac 16 times.

Now that ladies and gentlemen is a great division.

Good luck Harrisburg on your run to 32-0 nobody can blow that one!

[shootthepuck]

32-0 has never happened yet. It will not happen. Those teams will eventually have to go the AIHL to play competitive hockey.

[SPORTSPLEXJEFF]

I noticed that in the Mason Dixon there is no Harrisburg, York and Potomac.

I guess they will make up a 3 team division in PIHA. That should be fun.

Guys we are gonna pay 4500 dollars to play york 16 times and potomac 16 times.

Now that ladies and gentlemen is a great division.

Good luck Harrisburg on your run to 32-0 nobody can blow that one!

Dude give me a break! Leave the teams alone who want to stay with PIHA. It is their choice.