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9/05/2022 11:25 am  #61


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Slapshot Kirby wrote:

Wait, my Buffalo Colts are leaving the MHL!?




Okay, joking aside, the New Yorker in me will just root for the Bluebirds. I'm also intrigued by this new round of expansion! Winnipeg probably has the best looking uniforms of the three new teams, although Peoria also has a cool name, seeing as foxes don't get used as mascots in North American sports much. 

 
One day my friend, the MHL will return to Buffalo.




 
 

9/06/2022 1:49 am  #62


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

A couple surprising cities for expansion. I think Winnipeg at this point is a bit of a stretch but hey, it could work. Peoria is another team I don't see lasting for very long with the knowledge of how that city grew (or didn't). Providence is cool to see, I could see them being a Hartford-like team in a small market. Winnipeg's logo is my favorite, that's a classic that could (and should) stay for a long time.

As another believer in the philosophy of "not every team makes smart decisions all the time, actually" I like to see random changes being made. Chicago's is an upgrade I think, while the others are lateral at best. Success could determine the staying power of these looks.
 

 

9/06/2022 7:15 pm  #63


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Very excited to see Winnipeg getting a team, obviously not great for travel, but size-wise, it makes a lot of sense. I do really like the look, although brown has never been my favourite colour for sports teams, I think it works well here and the logo is really classy. 

Otherwise, I like the other new teams as well, they are solid looks. I like the orange look for Peoria. 

Otherwise, I agree with QCS in that I like that these teams are just making random decisions and changes, it helps with the realism.


 

9/08/2022 2:30 pm  #64


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Glad that the new teams seem to be popular!

1922 Offseason: On the Ice

It was another busy offseason in the MHL, since three teams had to start from scratch. As well, all Colts players were now available for teams to sign.

But first came the re-sign phase. Teams chose which players they would like to keep, and which would become free agents. The first signing of the summer came from the Lakers, who re-signed centre Roderick Jensen to a 5-year, $18,500 contract. Jensen put up 25 points in 42 games in 1921-22. Other signings included the Bluebirds inking defensive centre Lewis Urban to a 7-year, $79,800 contract, Brooklyn retaining defender Paul Anderson, and the Ottawa Lumbermen re-signing depth forward John Lavigne to an incredibly cheap 3-year contract.

The three new teams didn’t waste much time grabbing their first players, who were all goalies. Winnipeg’s first signing was 20-year-old Eddie Harvey, who was considered the best player in Manitoba’s amateur league. Peoria’s first player was also a 20-year-old local kid, John Gilchrist. For Providence, they went with pro experience, as they signed Caleb Ross, who had played with Buffalo the past two seasons.

After that, all focus was on the Buffalo free agents, and it did not take long for them to get PAID. First, Providence scooped up C Ronald Nicholson, signing him to a 7-year, $112,000 contract. Nicholson is a defensive beast, a big help for a new team. Next, Peoria signed C James Pastor, a young gun with tons of offensive talent. Next off the board were the Colts’ two defensive dynamos, Jacques Julien and Marco Galli. Julien signed an 8-year, $131,200 contract with Kingston, while the 30-year old Galli signed a very similar contract with the Montreal Greys. Both defensemen were in the top 10 in league scoring, putting up 31 and 36 points, respectively.

The biggest signing from a player that did NOT play for Buffalo came via the Ottawa Lumbermen, who signed defenseman Alden Bergeron to a 3-year, $23,700 contract. Bergeron wasn’t a star by any means, but was still a rock-solid defenseman who uses his 6’2, 236 pound frame to his advantage. The other big signings were all of former Buffalo players. Boston nabbed hulking winger Michel Brittain, while Hamilton acquired all-around solid winger Daniel Covington. Both players took big leaps forward in 21-22, and their potentials are both sky-high. Lastly, Toronto signed defenseman Francois Girard to a 6-year, $99,000 deal. Girard had a down year in 21-22, but the Lakers were confident he’d return to form in a big way for them.

There were two notable trades in the offseason, both featuring the Pittsburgh Internationals. First, they acquired cash from the expansion Peoria Foxes in exchange for forward James Kartey. This seemed like a really questionable move, but this was forgotten, because the next trade was even more bizarre. In the second move, they sent Andy Pierce (their best defenseman), AND cash to Boston in exchange for forward Jack MacKenzie. This left many people scratching their heads. Pierce, as a defenseman, produced at a higher rate than MacKenzie the forward did. On top of that, the fact that they felt the need to ADD cash to the trade made it seem real lopsided against them. However, only time will tell how the trade ends up.


     Thread Starter
 

9/08/2022 10:04 pm  #65


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Hmm, seems like Buffalo's guys all got their payday with their new teams. Excited to see if my Steelers can make a run in 22-23!




 
 

9/09/2022 3:44 pm  #66


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

1922-23 MHL Pre-season

The MHL announced some changes prior to the start of the year. First, the season would once again be 50 games long, as it was in 1920-21. As well, they moved back to 4 playoff teams, 2 per conference. The two teams in the same conference would face off in the semifinals, and the Western and Eastern winners would meet for the Abbott Cup.

In other news, right before the season, there was a massive trade, catching everyone off guard. The Brooklyn Kings acquired superstar goalie Frank Clercius from Toronto in exchange for C Greg Mullins, D Christophe Paquet, W Sylain Ermengille, and W Gerald Washington.

Clercius was the backbone of Toronto’s defense the past two years, leading them in strategy and performance. He compiled a record of 53-37-2 in Toronto, and led them to the inaugural Abbott Cup in 1921.

As for the Brooklyn players, the star piece is Greg Mullins, who scored 61 goals and 60 points in 89 games with the Kings. Mullins led the Kings in scoring both years in the MHL. Chris Paquet is a offensive defenseman, who has scored 52 goals and 64 points in 92 games with Brooklyn. Ermengille is a secondary scoring option, having scored 27 goals and 44 points in 79 games. Lastly, Gerald Washington is a young forward with tons of potential. In 14 games in 1921-22, he scored 8 goals and 10 points in limited minutes.

The general consensus was that Toronto won the trade in terms of talent alone, but their goaltending will be a big question mark, as new #1 option Gerard McDonald has a career record of 17-40, and unflattering numbers.

Back to the preseason. As he had done for both previous years, journalist Frederick Winton ranked the top teams in each category, as well as the league’s top players.

Center:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Kingston
3. Toronto

Wing:
1. Toronto
2. New York
3. Chicago

Defense:
1. Toronto 
2. Hamilton
3. Boston

Goaltender:
1. Brooklyn
2. New York
3. Montreal Greys

Overall:
1. Toronto
2. New York
3. Pittsburgh

Top Players:
1. Moses Addison, G, NYB (+8)
2. Frank Clercius, G, BRK (-1)
3. Andrew Moehring, D, NYB (-1)
4. Denis Jones, G, PIT (-1)
5. Robert Courbouche, C, MTL (0)


     Thread Starter
 

9/19/2022 1:55 pm  #67


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

1922-23 Regular Season: First Half

The 1922-23 season saw the league have 14 teams, its highest total so far. These teams would be split into two conferences, with the top 2 teams in each conference clinching a playoff spot. 

Scores from the league’s first games of the season included:
A tight 4-3 victory by the Sentinels over the Steelers,
Winnipeg just falling short 3-2 in their first game against Ottawa,
The Barons prevailing 5-2 in the Battle of Montreal,
The Lakers holding off a late comeback effort against the Kings in a 3-2 win,
Chicago winning 3-2 in overtime against the Ints,
An 8-2 thrashing of the expansion Foxes by Boston,
And an easy 5-1 victory by New York over the Spiders.

The Western conference, unlike previous years, had a much worse record than the east, but this was due to the fact that 2 of the 3 expansion teams were in that conference.

In the west, as most people expected, it was the Toronto Lakers in first. Their trade with Brooklyn have put them over the top. In fact, two of the players they got, Sylvain Ermengille and Chris Paquet, are 1st and 7th overall in league scoring. They seem unstoppable right now, and a threat for the Abbott Cup. Toronto sits at 19-6 halfway through.

Holding the second playoff spot were the reigning Western champs, the Pittsburgh Ints. None of their players were having insane years, but they were getting good play throughout their lineup, especially defensively. Their 60 goals against were the best in the West, which made up for the unimpressive offense. Pittsburgh sits at 15-9, 2 points in the playoffs.

Sitting just outside the playoffs in 3rd are the Hamilton Steelers. It was a remarkable turnaround for the team that finished dead last a season prior, without many major moves. However, experts believe their record might be a fluke, and that they’ll fall in the second half. At the halfway point, Hamilton sits at 14-11.

Sitting in fourth via a tiebreaker with Hamilton are the Chicago Wildcats. Similarly to the Steelers, they’ve made a remarkable turnaround from a terrible 1921-22 season. Their players have made lots of growth, especially winger Kevin Bishop, who went from being an average player to point-per-game in 1922-23. Chicago sits at 14-11, 2 points out of the playoffs.

The remaining 3 teams in the West are the Kingston Sentinels and the two expansion teams, Winnipeg and Peoria. Kingston is playing at around the same level at in 21-22, decent but not good enough. They sit at 13-12-1. As for the expansion teams, it’s been rough. Winnipeg has suffered immensely from travel and the costs associated with it. They’ve still managed an ok record for a team going through all this, as they sit at 6-19. As for Peoria, yikes. They lost their first 19 games before finally managing a tie against Kingston. After yet another loss, they eventually got their first win against an injury-riddled Ottawa team. That’s their only win to date, as they sit with a record of 1-23-1 through 25 games.

In the east, it was once again the New York Bluebirds on top, continuing right where they left off from their Abbott Cup-winning season in 21-22. Last year it was their offense that was unstoppable, this year it’s their defense that’s stealing the show, only giving up 53 goals in their 25 games so far. New York sits at 18-6-1, 1 point off the 1st seed overall in the MHL.

Sitting 2nd in the east were the Boston Harpers, improving even more off of an impressive expansion year. Their offseason additions were playing very well, and the addition of forward Tom Badie via a trade with Chicago was really paying off. Their offense was on pace with the Bluebirds’ as well, a very impressive feat. Boston sits at 15-9 halfway through.

Sitting just outside the playoff spots are the two Montreal teams. They were both doing well with similar overall records, but both had one aspect of their game that wasn’t good enough to get to the next level. For the 3rd-place Greys, it was their offense, who sometimes couldn’t bail out their world-class defensive performances. For the Barons, it was their defense causing them problems. Either way, both teams are still very much in the playoff hunt. The Greys sit at 15-10, while the Barons are sitting at 15-11.

The Brooklyn Kings were having their best season to date, but the problem for them was that despite this, there were still 4 Eastern teams ahead of them in the standings. However, their 10-3-1 divisional record will be a huge boost in their favour in case of tiebreakers. On the other hand, their record against the west and away from home are not that great, and are things they’ll have to work on in the second half. Brooklyn sits at 14-11-1.

The bottom two teams in the East are the Ottawa Lumberjacks and expansion Providence Spiders. Ottawa has had injury issues in the first half, with superstar and backbone centre Tom Robert injuring his shoulder early on in the year. The team has sputtered to an 8-16 record without him. In Providence, they’ve actually been the best of the 3 expansion teams so far, which isn’t really saying much. They’re still greatly struggling and sit at 6-19 at the halfway point.



League Leaders:

Goals: 
Robert Courbouche (MTB/CAN) (24)
Jacques Barbe (NYB/CAN) (23)
Alexander Palmer (BRK/CAN) (22)

Assists:
Lewis Urban (BRK/CAN) (18)
Sylvain Ermengille (TOR/CAN) (14)
Rod Jensen (TOR/CAN) (13)

Points:
Sylvain Ermengille (TOR/CAN) (33)
Alexander Palmer (BRK/CAN) (31)
Victor McDonald (KGN/CAN) (29)

Save Percentage:
Moses Addison (NYB/USA) (0.920)
Denis Jones (PIT/CAN) (0.916)
Alan Clercius (MTG/CAN) (0.911)

Goals Against Average:
Moses Addison (NYB/USA) (2.06)
Alex Graham (BOS/CAN) (2.29)
Denis Jones (PIT/CAN) (2.44)


     Thread Starter
 

9/19/2022 3:39 pm  #68


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Yikes, maybe West expansion came a little too early.

Anyhow, go Steelers! Glad to see this team is making big progress, although I doubt we’ll make the playoffs, this hopefully could be a sign of things to come.

And should the Greys be in first if they have 39 points?




 
 

9/19/2022 5:17 pm  #69


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Rugrat wrote:

And should the Greys be in first if they have 39 points?

If you look at their record, they should have 30 points, so I’m inclined to say that Noe made a typo when he made the graphic.





 
 

9/19/2022 9:50 pm  #70


Re: Metropolitan Hockey League: 1929 Offseason

Kingsfan11 wrote:

Rugrat wrote:

And should the Greys be in first if they have 39 points?

If you look at their record, they should have 30 points, so I’m inclined to say that Noe made a typo when he made the graphic.

Oh, thanks Captain obvious! 
 




 
 

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