Entering its fifth season, the WPHL is cleaning up its act and moving forward.

The opening of the new arena for the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs is as much a testament to gambling in Bossier as it is to fan support. Still, it is the wave of the future for AA hockey. Just as the baseball leagues are discovering the joys (and increased revenue) of playing in better venues, so too is the WPHL discovering that the road to affiliations with the IHL and others lie in providing players and fans with quality venues.

There are still the cosmetic jobs that try to Band-Aid bad situations. The Scorpions signed a five year deal with their home ice after the State Fair of New Mexico plunked a multi-million dollar renovation into the Tingley Coliseum.

It goes to show that you can throw a lot of good money after bad. The seats are new, albeit still uncomfortable. The heat works now, and there's a new coat of paint on most of the public spaces. The visiting locker room is still designed for the munchkins from Oz, not full-grown hockey players. Like most of the WPHL's venues, it's still a cow barn passing as an ice arena.

It's not just the look. Take the Austin Ice Bats' crib. Not a wholly un-fan-friendly environment. Austin fans must drive four-wheelers though, because the roadway leading to the arena could break off the axle of a less hearty vehicle. Still, it's a big and spacious crib once you get there, with big loft rooms for VIP treatment.

If you're a player in Austin, then don't count on VIP anything. The long walk from what passes as a dressing rooms over rubber mats through the mud and muck to the arena is a real drag.

Don't get me wrong. The IceBats are a cool team, and Austin is a VERY hip town. Still, it's about twenty minutes down Green Acres lane and a left turn to a very poorly marked set of rodeo exhibition buildings, miles from the warmth of Sixth Street, to get to an IceBats game. A venue in-town would yield bigger crowds.

If the WPHL wants a little respect, then it is going to have to make a concerted effort to avoid expansion debacles and concentrate on making all of the franchise arenas the newest, most fan-friendly environments that they can. Locating them in arenas that are more conducive to fan's participating wouldn't hurt either. That means don't put them in the corn field, or in a neighborhood where the cars are all up on blocks when the fans return to them to go home.

Of course, another sign of the maturity of the league, something which will have to be appreciated by IHL teams seeking affiliation deals, is better officiating.

As many fans have told me, better officiating would make for a more enjoyable game. It's not that the officials miss high sticking and other nifty penalties. They don't care unless it results in blood spillage. Even then, they'll wait out a good donnybrook just to give the fans a little lightweight boxing with their hockey.

This is the high-thug, low team-play brand of hockey that marred the first few years of the WPHL. The new WPHL is much more about discipline, fundamentals and the attack on the goal. Shouldn't the officiating reflect that?

Most of the coaches have implemented strict dress codes for their players moving to and from the stadiums. Owners are working with their communities to try and upgrade their venues, and the team's related image.

The payoffs are obvious. People like to bring their kids to games that don't look like a head count for the local bail-bondsman.

AAA hockey leagues, like the IHL, want players who can play, not just fight. If they send someone down, or call someone up, they want to know that this player has what it takes to play competitively at their level, and perhaps even get a shot at the NHL.

The days of the heat not working, the roof in the hall leaking, or the rodeo shutting out the playoffs need to come to a close.

The WPHL needs to invest in its future with its existing franchises. Moving into better halls, cleaning up the officiating, and increasing their work in the community are all positive steps towards a healthy, strong league.

The only thing that will slow down the progress of the league is another rush to expand, without making the product bigger, better, and more fan-friendly.

We look at the signs at the close of the first five years, and they all point towards a stronger, more dynamic brand of hockey in the remainder of the first decade of the WPHL.

 

 

What the WPHL
Wants to be
When It Grows Up.