Recently, SPHL Commissioner Jim Combs had an interview on the minor league news website The Sin Bin. Several topics were discussed in the 27-minute-long session, covering the league's history, Mr. Combs' background and where he evolved from a hockey referee to league commissioner, player success stories such as IceGators-to-Stanley Cup goalie Scott Darling, two-time Olympic gold medalist Shannon Szabados, and former IceGators goalie & two-time Kelly Cup champ Riley Gill. Additional topics covered included the potential for future league expansion, how the SPHL remains cost-effective for fans and owners, the challenges of arena availability, and the league's unique playoff format.
The entire interview may be found on the Sin Bin's website. If you don't have the time to listen to the whole discussion, here are a few highlights. Mr. Combs responses are in italics, and my comments are below.
The entire interview may be found on the Sin Bin's website. If you don't have the time to listen to the whole discussion, here are a few highlights. Mr. Combs responses are in italics, and my comments are below.
On Cost Effectiveness
The salary cap is about half of what the AA-level ECHL is.
We try to focus on affordable family entertainment... they're not the avid hockey fans that are going to be there every single night
Don't get all insulted now... We are those hockey fans that are going to be there every single night. However, it should be the mission of the league and its franchises to build up the pool of casual fans in each market.
We try to focus on affordable family entertainment... they're not the avid hockey fans that are going to be there every single night
Don't get all insulted now... We are those hockey fans that are going to be there every single night. However, it should be the mission of the league and its franchises to build up the pool of casual fans in each market.
On how Mr. Combs Hockey Background
I played hockey as a kid... enjoyed it. Somebody asked me, "Why don't I start refereeing?"
Hahaha... somebody didn't like you too much.
I did video replay for Greensboro when Hartford moved... before they moved over to Raleigh.
I love that he still refers to the NHL Carolina Hurricanes as the Hartford Whalers. Well played, sir.
I really thought I was out of hockey altogether... they asked me to be the commissioner of this new Southern Professional Hockey League.
From referee to commissioner. Out of the frying pan... into the fire.
Hahaha... somebody didn't like you too much.
I did video replay for Greensboro when Hartford moved... before they moved over to Raleigh.
I love that he still refers to the NHL Carolina Hurricanes as the Hartford Whalers. Well played, sir.
I really thought I was out of hockey altogether... they asked me to be the commissioner of this new Southern Professional Hockey League.
From referee to commissioner. Out of the frying pan... into the fire.
On Hockey in non-traditional Markets
We work with trying to provide the right experience - same with NASCAR. They're not... trying to sell racing, they're trying to sell the whole experience.
(Huntsville Havoc owner) Keith Jefferies and Huntsville this year , whose ticket sales went up... by winning eleven hockey games all year.
Every hockey team... in every league... needs to be taking notes as to what Huntsville is doing. What they pulled off last season is inconceivable.
(Huntsville Havoc owner) Keith Jefferies and Huntsville this year , whose ticket sales went up... by winning eleven hockey games all year.
Every hockey team... in every league... needs to be taking notes as to what Huntsville is doing. What they pulled off last season is inconceivable.
On League Credibility
When the ECHL started, they were basically the same model as what we are doing. They finally got this one guy... a goaltender... who finally made it to the NHL.
The answer to that trivia question is Scott Gordon, goalie for the Quebec Nordiques from 1990-91, and backup to Ron (cough cough) Tugnutt.
Hopefully in ten years from now, we'll be talking about hundreds of people that have made it to the NHL.
Whoooooa... Pump your brakes!
People want to say she (Columbus Cottonmouths goalie Shannon Szabados) is a great girl goaltender. No, she's not a good girl goaltender, she's a good hockey goaltender... She can play the game.
Fundamentally, she's the best goalie in the league.
The answer to that trivia question is Scott Gordon, goalie for the Quebec Nordiques from 1990-91, and backup to Ron (cough cough) Tugnutt.
Hopefully in ten years from now, we'll be talking about hundreds of people that have made it to the NHL.
Whoooooa... Pump your brakes!
People want to say she (Columbus Cottonmouths goalie Shannon Szabados) is a great girl goaltender. No, she's not a good girl goaltender, she's a good hockey goaltender... She can play the game.
Fundamentally, she's the best goalie in the league.
On League expansion
(Regarding Peoria's unique location, and the league's northern ambition) Whether it's in the next 60 days or the next six months, you're going to see more teams... in that northern area.
Perhaps the SPHL has designs on the FHL's Dayton and Danville franchises.
All of the leagues that have gone out of business... they ended up to where they were so spread out, the travel costs became out of control. When teams go to Peoria, they go for two or three games.
Believe it or not... Fayetteville, not Peoria, is the IceGators' longest road trip.
We are looking for expansion, but it has to make sense.
This is why we're not in the kind of unstable situation that the FHL seems to always be in.
Perhaps the SPHL has designs on the FHL's Dayton and Danville franchises.
All of the leagues that have gone out of business... they ended up to where they were so spread out, the travel costs became out of control. When teams go to Peoria, they go for two or three games.
Believe it or not... Fayetteville, not Peoria, is the IceGators' longest road trip.
We are looking for expansion, but it has to make sense.
This is why we're not in the kind of unstable situation that the FHL seems to always be in.
On the ECHL
We want our players to move up to the ECHL... so having that open line of communication... making sure we are working together to improve the game of hockey.
We want to have a developmental environment. Players, coaches, on-ice officials - all those people are going to move up as well.
When (players) get called up (to the ECHL), they're going to be able to play immediately at that level.
The overall level of talent in the SPHL really took a big leap last season. The league's relationship with the ECHL has a lot to do with it.
All five of our full-time officials from last year are now going to be full time in the ECHL.
So long, Fisher Price Ref!
We want to have a developmental environment. Players, coaches, on-ice officials - all those people are going to move up as well.
When (players) get called up (to the ECHL), they're going to be able to play immediately at that level.
The overall level of talent in the SPHL really took a big leap last season. The league's relationship with the ECHL has a lot to do with it.
All five of our full-time officials from last year are now going to be full time in the ECHL.
So long, Fisher Price Ref!
On the Schedule and Playoffs
If we're going to add games, we would have to add more weekends. Right now, we don't have an appetite for increasing the number of games... it would only increase games during the weekday.
Well, the league just lengthened the regular season by two weekends this year.
You're not doing much for the fan experience by producing more games during the week.
This is true. Weekday games for the IceGators would have trouble selling out Planet Ice, unfortunately.
(On arena availability for the playoffs) The majority of our markets, as we get later in the playoffs - and later into April and May - the buildings aren't available on the weekends.
I literally rolled my eyes when I heard this. You can't extend the regular season by two weeks, then talk about the lack of arena dates in late April/early May.
(On the best-of-three playoff format) So a couple of years ago, we said "What if we played a best-of-three, and see what it does with our attendance."
If you have a seven-game series, people typically aren't going to go to game 1. Game 2... not really, game 3... maybe, but games 4, 5, 6, 7... when someone's going to be eliminated, now all of a sudden there's a lot of interest.
I see the logic of where Mr. Combs is going, and I get that the idea of a three-game series is like playing a seven-game series, but starting at game 5 with the series tied 2-2. However, interest from casual fans in a hockey playoff series is like a snowball rolling down a hill - it increases the further it rolls. In a three game series, the first game may have the intensity of a game 5 to players and serious fans, but the short series doesn't have the time to generate momentum and interest to causal fans.
It's a tough spot for the SPHL. Increase to a five or seven game series, and casual fans skip the necessary weekday games - not to mention the difficulty in securing additional arena dates. Keep the three-game weekend series format, and you don't have the benefit of having the buildup of momentum and interest over time.
(In a three-game series) All of the games are more exciting, all of the games are more attended.
I don't know about games being better attended, but I agree about how the gravity of SPHL playoff games are significantly magnified.
We do have a couple of things on the board where "What if we play a best-of-five in the final, or what if playing a best-of-seven" and the reality is if you're adding Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday games... they're not going to be that well attended... At the end of the day, one team's winning the championship - that's it.
I like the idea of a best-of-five final series, and I think they would be well attended regardless on what days the games are played. I know that the last five-game final was in 2011, and was poorly attended - but this league has come a long way since then. It's time to give it another shot.
Well, we had the last place team beat the first place team in the first round... They said if we played a best of five - this wouldn't have happened.
Is that you, Jean-Guy Trudel?
Whoever wins - loves this. Whoever loses - always has an excuse.
Well, the league just lengthened the regular season by two weekends this year.
You're not doing much for the fan experience by producing more games during the week.
This is true. Weekday games for the IceGators would have trouble selling out Planet Ice, unfortunately.
(On arena availability for the playoffs) The majority of our markets, as we get later in the playoffs - and later into April and May - the buildings aren't available on the weekends.
I literally rolled my eyes when I heard this. You can't extend the regular season by two weeks, then talk about the lack of arena dates in late April/early May.
(On the best-of-three playoff format) So a couple of years ago, we said "What if we played a best-of-three, and see what it does with our attendance."
If you have a seven-game series, people typically aren't going to go to game 1. Game 2... not really, game 3... maybe, but games 4, 5, 6, 7... when someone's going to be eliminated, now all of a sudden there's a lot of interest.
I see the logic of where Mr. Combs is going, and I get that the idea of a three-game series is like playing a seven-game series, but starting at game 5 with the series tied 2-2. However, interest from casual fans in a hockey playoff series is like a snowball rolling down a hill - it increases the further it rolls. In a three game series, the first game may have the intensity of a game 5 to players and serious fans, but the short series doesn't have the time to generate momentum and interest to causal fans.
It's a tough spot for the SPHL. Increase to a five or seven game series, and casual fans skip the necessary weekday games - not to mention the difficulty in securing additional arena dates. Keep the three-game weekend series format, and you don't have the benefit of having the buildup of momentum and interest over time.
(In a three-game series) All of the games are more exciting, all of the games are more attended.
I don't know about games being better attended, but I agree about how the gravity of SPHL playoff games are significantly magnified.
We do have a couple of things on the board where "What if we play a best-of-five in the final, or what if playing a best-of-seven" and the reality is if you're adding Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday games... they're not going to be that well attended... At the end of the day, one team's winning the championship - that's it.
I like the idea of a best-of-five final series, and I think they would be well attended regardless on what days the games are played. I know that the last five-game final was in 2011, and was poorly attended - but this league has come a long way since then. It's time to give it another shot.
Well, we had the last place team beat the first place team in the first round... They said if we played a best of five - this wouldn't have happened.
Is that you, Jean-Guy Trudel?
Whoever wins - loves this. Whoever loses - always has an excuse.
What We Learned
We learned that the SPHL's expansion plans are going to focus on improving the northern footprint of the league to ease some of Peoria's travel distance. There is an increasing partnership with the ECHL, and it won't be much of a surprise if eventually there are formal affiliations between the leagues. Also, the commish makes sense in his case for keeping the three-game series in the playoffs. I don't completely agree, but perhaps I'm biased.
You get a feeling that the reason why the SPHL is improving as a league where the other A-level league isn't is that there is a steady hand at the wheel, and changes are done in a slow, methodical manner. This was a good interview to listen to. If you have half an hour to spare, please do so.
You get a feeling that the reason why the SPHL is improving as a league where the other A-level league isn't is that there is a steady hand at the wheel, and changes are done in a slow, methodical manner. This was a good interview to listen to. If you have half an hour to spare, please do so.