Season ending tournament?

[GR8SK8r06]

This may have been brought up before but what does everyone think about a season ending tournament with the top 8 teams or so at a predetermined venue to crown the official PIHA champs. This would be the best way of determining who the best team in PIHA is, also it would give the division champs an opportunity to play a number of teams from different divisions. This way we would know with more certainty who the best team in PIHA is and not only that, but it would give a sense of pride just reaching the tournament for all teams involved. Plus, it would give all of us something to talk about!!! hehe. What does everyone think?

[imasieve30]

I think its a great idea! Minus the one location thing.

We should call it "The Playoffs"

Let me know what you think...

[hockkid13]

I think it would be cool to have a tourney, but not to determine the top team in PIHA. As an exhibition event, I think it would be great to see teams from other divisions and to possibly play against them. To determine the best team in PIHA, I just don't see how playoffs doesn't prove that.

[Bfoster]

I think PIHA should have a showcase tournament including all th teams either in the beginning of the season or the middle. Maybe pair it with a large youth tournament to get a big fan base out there. it'd be sick

[Phelan96]

Initially I thought this was a good idea until I read how it will determine the best team in PIHA...I believe that's what the PIHA Playoffs and Championship series is set up for.

If you disagree with the format of the league and how the best team is already determined then you must disagree with how the best teams in the NFL, NHL, MLB etc are determined. Which would be ridiculous.

Anyway a huge tournament with nothing but PIHA teams and maybe teams in the process of entering the league in the following year would be a great idea.....but strictly for exhibition purposes of course.

[minutemen]

I am a bit confused GR8SK8r06. The play offs determine who the best team is, why would we have a tournament. This is a Pro league not a tournament series. I agree that it would be fun to have an off season tourney so teams can play each other but not to determine the PIHA Champion.

[Thunder23]

I think PIHA should have a showcase tournament including all th teams either in the beginning of the season or the middle. Maybe pair it with a large youth tournament to get a big fan base out there. it'd be sick

I like the idea of a showcase tourney. But, maybe just showcase the top eight pro teams from the previous season to play, possibly, toward the beginning to middle of the next year at a geographically centered site (St. Louis, Midwest somewhere).

The big problem would be cost of travel and rink time for the teams involved. Looks like there would need to be support from sponsors/ fundraisers, etc., to help offset the cost. It's possible.....

It would be pretty sick

[growl89]

I understand the tournament idea. It is a good idea. Just not to crown the PIHA champ.

The one problem with the current playoff system is that you play the teams in your division all of the time. Then playoffs come and it's the first two rounds, right there in your own division. I think it would be better to rank teams, say 1-16 in each conference and run the playoffs like that. Kind of like NCAA basketball. I think as the league gets more money, which next season hopefully sponsorship will pick up, then this idea may not be that out of reach.

For example, if this was the case right now the first round east playoffs would look like this. (Division winners get top 4 seeds)

1. Conn Blaze
16. Feasterville Fury

2. Philly Growl
15. Aston Demolition

3. Harrisburg Lunatics
14. Scottsdale inferno

4. scar pirates
13. Hartford Fire Ants

5. NJ grizzlies
12. Mass Bombers

6. Pitt Bandits
11.Boston Swamp Rats

7. Richmond Robins
10.LI 495ers

8. Raleigh Assault
9. Marple Gladiators

* i just went by number of losses as each team has played different amounts of games.


I think that this would be an interesting way to do the playoff system. Teams can either be reseeded afterwards, or play them out like NCAA. so it a 15 and 12 seed win, they can end up playing in the second round against each other.

You could run 4 different sites ( 2 east and 2 west ) best of three series. Winner from each Regional site moves to the conference finals.

Any thoughts?

[imasieve30]

Its too bad NARCH or TORHS couldn't squeeze this in as a division in one of their Summer or Winter Nationals.

Obvious problems are, NARCH or TORHS having any room in their schedules to fit this division in and players already involved in other divisions having to tack this on and juggle schedules.

Although a PIHA tournament sounds cool, I'm really not sure what it would accomplish...We have the playoffs to determine who is best. We have NARCH/TORHS for the highest level of tournament play.
Teams could either enter NARCH/TORHS as a full PIHA roster to compete, or perhaps PIHA divisional "All-Star" teams could be assembled to play against each other.

Seeing as how we didn't have an All-Star game this year and the amount of teams there are, maybe an East Coast and West Coast All-Star game would be more realistic. Then perhaps showcase the winning teams in one game in the middle of a major tourney??? (I'd imagine most of the players might be there competing already)

-Joe

[Superstar9]

I think Playoffs are the way to decide a champion. I do think that we could do it by conference if all the teams agreed for next season but, I don't think with that change the league can be expected to handle the travel expenses. I don't think the format this year is bad at all either.

As for a tournament, I think it would be excellent to have one in the off-season or pre-season. I would actually go as far as organizing such a tournament if enough teams wanted to participate.

As for an all-star game. We could still do all-star games in the post season. I would say to have a game for each conference.

East: Mason Dixon/Southeast vs. Atlantic/Northeast

West: Gateway/Rocky Mountain vs. Southwest/Pacific

[BLIZARD_HOCKEY]

West: Gateway/Rocky Mountain vs. Southwest/Pacific

Gateway/Rocky Mountain would blow that out of the water.

Final Score:
Gateway/Rocky Mountain - 21
Southwest/Pacific -6

I would actually go as far as organizing such a tournament if enough teams wanted to participate.

I would love to help organize that if teams are interested. I could run the west if you wanted to run the east. Lets get talking.

As far as sites, I like Growl89's Idea

You could run 4 different sites ( 2 east and 2 west ) best of three series. Winner from each Regional site moves to the conference finals.

This would be great, just no to decide the champion, I think we have decided that wouldn't be good.

[growl89]

yeah i just think as far as the divisional championships go... i think that this is a great way to do it. Look at the NCAA tournament... it works awesome. Same concept for the opening three rounds of the playoffs.

[growl89]

Here is a reason why I think ranking would not work in PIHA. The players at any given week can miss games for any number of reasons... Let me give an example. An NCAA basketball team consists of many, if not all scholarshiped atheletes, who are obligated week in and out to show up and play. The only way a player is missing a game is due to injury or coaches decision (most likely not with a big name player). In PIHA, a player or players, could miss any number of weeks just due to having to work. What I mean by this is that rankings are determined mostly by your opponents strength. So if a 16 ranked team in NCAA were to beat a 1 ranked team those 2 teams teams rankings would change a good deal, and rightfully so. But in PIHA, lets say the 16 ranked Stingers, were to play your 1 ranked Growl, but on the weekend that you guys play each other Sullivan, Keating, Joey D, Gsell, and Quartuccio all are away on summer vacation and they pull out a win over a depleted Growl team. Is it fair that the rankings would be affected that much due to just a personel scheduling conflict??? I don't think so. My point is, something that drastic could never happen in the NCAA as players are obligated to be there every single week, no matter what.


And an argument may be said about if you are missing key Pro players your minor team should be strong enough to maybe call a guy or 2 up for a game to fill in. But that again is my point. An NCAA team doesn't have another team of 10 guys to just pull players from if they need them.

This may or may not make sense to you, I think I may have rambled a little. But I think I got my baic point across.

well i think come playoff weekend it doesn't matter what teams have what players. So all in all If Joey D, Gsell, Quartuccio, sullivan and keating miss those games, they should not be on the team then. Everyone knows now when playoffs are right? so they should know to not schedule vacation. The regional format i suggested would just take the place of divisional playoffs. So it;s kind of the same thing no?

[hockkid13]

Sorry, I actually just went back and re-read your post on the format and I have to apologize. I either didn't read the words or it is just late enough where they were a blur to me. I think my confusion was the with the term "ranking". I at first thought you meant throughout the whole season ranking teams, as the NCAA does, and this determines where they fit into the playoffs. But looking back on your post you are basically just saying have conference playoffs, where the top team in the East plays the bottom team in the East, and so on and so forth. Well that I agree with. Sorry about that...

Also, I went back and deleted my original post, as it doesn't really make sense anymore.