There is a sixth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space, and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow -- between man's grasp and his reach; between science and superstition; between the pit of his fears and the sunlight of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area that might be called the Twilight Zone.

It is 1949 in Paramount, California, and we arrive to find a large machine, 14 feet in length and 9 feet in height. Next to this mechanism stood a much smaller man, but, despite the differences, the two shared the same name. The man is Frank J. Zamboni, and the contraption is the “Model A”, an ice-resurfacing machine that would alter the course of history. Frank J. Zamboni – the creator of the Zamboni, and, in the Twilight Zone, a traditionalist’s nightmare. – Let’s take a trip.
 

(Our Timeline)
-   1942: New York Rangers general manager, Lester Patrick, suggests suspending his team’s play due to lack of players, but is persuaded not to.
-   February 1943: League President, Frank Calder, collapses during meeting and dies. 
-   Red Dutton, owner of the Brooklyn Americans, takes over as league President. His team would halt operations, being promised they could resume after WWII. Marking the start to the “Original Six” or “Golden” era.
-   1946: NHL owners refuse to do what they promised, stopping Brooklyn from resuming operations. This led to the resignation of Dutton. Leading to Clarence Campbell as the next league President.
 
(The Twilight Zone Timeline)
-   February 1943: League President, Frank Calder, collapses during meeting and dies. 
-   Red Dutton, owner of the Brooklyn Americans, is asked to shelf his team to take the reins of the league, being promised his team would resume operations after WWII. Dutton becomes uncertain of the league’s motives and takes his team to a regional league. This leaves 6 teams in the league.
-   New York Rangers general manager, Lester Patrick, suspends his team’s operations to take over as President of the NHL. This leaves 5 teams in the league.
-   Lester is capable, but not a Clarence Campbell. The league falls into financial troubles because of travel and the lack of American fans, who were unenthusiastic about paying to see two Canadian teams dominate their own team every other game.
-   1949: The creation of the Zamboni advances the popularity of hockey on the west coast far beyond belief. Rinks start appearing at a rapid rate, but the older generation, who were the ones with money in their pockets, thought hockey was a waste of money. A game that belonged in markets with a cold climate. Because of this, there were no professional or even high-level senior leagues to be seen. 
 

Backroom Babbling
Here’s where our story starts. It is 1952 and we are back in Paramount, California. To be more specific, we are at Frank Zamboni’s “Iceland Skating Rink”, which is being renovated to hold 10,000 spectators. In a meeting room is Tin (Timothy) Canton, Sgt. Jonathan Johnson, Cooper Dust, Buzz Buissen, Jed Diggins, Zamboni and a mysterious man who claims to be there on behalf of Zamboni’s old friend.

Sergeant Jon Johnson, a large, clean-cut, man who served in WWII, breaks silence.
“I was more than happy to help with supplies for your little ice cleaning venture, Zamboni, but calling me here from six hours away to show off your expansion feels like an Axis level low blow.”
     
Buissen follows with
“Yeah, Frank, what’s the big deal. I came from Utah to stare at a bunch of guys? Some ugly ones too.”

Before a fight broke out, Zamboni reveals the purpose of the meeting. He used the next six hours to lay down a structured plan to construct the first hockey league of the West. While the characters in the room have dramatically different personalities, they are Zamboni’s most trusted friends and the right ones for the task – he hopes.
 
 
Mysterious Man’s Meeting Notes
-   Proposed league name: West Coast Elite Hockey League (WCEHL). – I made a point to mention how idiotic “Elite” was. We’d be the only league in the West! This comment went on deaf ears.
-   First season starts November of 1953 with 7 teams. We were considering a “traditional” start, but then quickly realized that our climates were still miserable in September.
-   Team locations: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas (us of course).
-   Season will be 34 games and go until May. This will be followed by a 5 game series between the top two teams from the regular season to claim the league title.

I can’t fathom what identities these goofs will come up with. How patriotic will Sgt. Johnson’s team be? Or maybe we will get a dumb gray team from the man who calls himself “tin”. Buckle up, boss, this will be a ride.
 

Conclusion 
Well, there’s the long-winded intro. Know that this league will most likely be all humorous for me, essentially an exaggerated telling of owner’s, teams and identities in sports. It will also be a satirical reimagining of baffling events that have happened in sports history. This idea started as a way to make fun of the traditionalist fan who uses the argument of “The place doesn’t even have snow” as reasoning for a city not to have a hockey team. This is all for now, so feel free to try connecting owners to markets. I’d also like to hear some of your favorite moments in sports history that seemed like they could be out of a prime-time drama (Ex. The NHL letting John Spano buy the NY Islanders with an “IOU”). Welcome to the “Golden Coast” Era of hockey.


PSSTTT OVER HERE. COME CLOSER. DO WORK FOR ME. I... UH.... I MEAN, JOIN YUM!
(but don't screw up because there is a whole 8 picks a year.) 



Oh, you have dark mode on? Aren't you something special. Not like you cracked a code, it's a font color.

Last edited by Thehealthiestscratch (4/11/2021 3:23 pm)