Hockey: Year-Round, No NHL Required

Continental Hockey League

Drop the Puck on Independence

We've debated healthcare systems that will determine whether people live or die. We've wrestled with taxation models that will shape economic futures for generations. We've confronted firearms policy differences that may prove irreconcilable.

Now let's talk about something that actually matters: hockey.

The Continental Hockey League represents South Alberta's most audacious proposal—and possibly its most Canadian. An independent professional league, free from NHL ownership disputes, American network television demands, and Gary Bettman. A league where the Oilers and Flames don't need permission from Arizona or Florida to schedule a Tuesday night game. A league where Texas's climate means year-round ice without astronomical cooling costs.

Is this realistic? Let's find out.

THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE

Alberta's Hockey Infrastructure:

Alberta bleeds hockey. The province hosts two NHL franchises—the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers—plus a robust minor league and junior system:

• WHL (Western Hockey League): Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Red Deer Rebels, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers
• AHL (American Hockey League): Calgary Wranglers (Flames affiliate), Bakersfield Condors (Oilers affiliate, though located in California)
• AJHL (Alberta Junior Hockey League): 16 teams across the province
• University hockey: Canada West conference teams with genuine followings

Hockey isn't just entertainment here. It's infrastructure. Every small town has an arena. Every kid learns to skate. The sport is woven into provincial identity in ways that outsiders struggle to comprehend.

Texas's Hockey Infrastructure:

Texas has hockey—more than most people realize:

• NHL: Dallas Stars (1993-present, originally Minnesota North Stars)
• AHL: Texas Stars (Cedar Park, Dallas affiliate)
• ECHL: Allen Americans, Texas Brahmas (Fort Worth)
• NAHL/USHL: Various junior programs developing players

The Stars have built a genuine fanbase in the metroplex. When they won the Cup in 1999, Dallas threw a parade. The team has made the playoffs consistently and produces NHL-caliber excitement.

But let's be honest: Texas is not Alberta. Hockey competes with football (the real religion), baseball, basketball, and soccer for attention. The sport is growing but remains niche outside the DFW area. Houston hasn't had professional hockey since the Aeros left in 2013. San Antonio's Rampage folded in 2020. Austin has never had a major hockey presence.

The NHL Problem:

Both Alberta franchises and the Dallas Stars operate under NHL rules, which means:

• Salary cap: Limits spending regardless of team revenue, constraining big-market ambitions
• Revenue sharing: Alberta teams contribute to subsidizing franchises in non-traditional markets
• Schedule control: The NHL determines when and where teams play
• Lockouts: Three work stoppages since 1994 have cost fans entire seasons
• Expansion fees: New franchises cost $650+ million—money that flows to existing owners, not hockey development
• American television priority: NBC/ESPN/TNT contracts prioritize US market timing

An independent Continental Hockey League would answer to no one but its member cities.

THE CHL PROPOSAL

Charter Franchises:

Six founding members, balanced across the new nation:

*Assuming NHL departure/buyout—a significant assumption addressed below.

The Expansion Question:

Should the league start with six teams, or begin with four (the two Alberta clubs plus Dallas and one Texas expansion) and grow deliberately? Arguments exist for both:

Start with six:

• Immediate geographic balance
• Enough teams for meaningful scheduling
• Statement of ambition

Start with four:

• Prove the concept before expanding
• Houston and Austin markets are unproven for hockey
• Financial sustainability over spectacle

THE NHL DIVORCE

Here's the uncomfortable reality: the Flames, Oilers, and Stars are NHL franchises. They can't simply declare independence.

Options for separation:

1. Buyout: South Alberta's government purchases the franchises from current owners at market rate. The Oilers sold for $625 million USD in 2008; current valuations exceed $1 billion each. Total cost: $3-4 billion for three teams.

2. Expansion draft: The CHL launches with new franchises, leaving NHL teams in place. This means Calgary and Edmonton have two top-level teams—one NHL, one CHL—competing for fans and players.

3. NHL withdrawal: The league decides Alberta and Texas markets aren't worth serving without cross-border travel. Unlikely but not impossible if political conditions make operations difficult.

4. Gradual transition: CHL launches as a minor league, develops fan base and infrastructure, eventually attracts NHL talent as contracts expire. A 20-year project.

5. The nuclear option: South Alberta nationalizes the franchises as "critical cultural infrastructure." Legally dubious. Diplomatically catastrophic. Extremely fun to imagine.

YEAR-ROUND HOCKEY

One genuine advantage of Texas inclusion: climate-controlled arenas operate year-round without seasonal constraints.

Alberta's outdoor rinks define winter culture—but summer hockey is played indoors everywhere. The question is economics: can arenas afford to make ice in July?

In Texas, where air conditioning runs constantly anyway, the marginal cost of ice maintenance is lower than you'd think. Houston's former Toyota Center made ice for the Aeros while hosting summer events. Dallas maintains year-round ice at the StarCenter facilities.

A proposed schedule:

Year-round hockey means year-round revenue, year-round employment for arena staff, and no five-month gap where fans find other interests.

PLAYER ACQUISITION

Where do CHL players come from?

NHL free agents: Players whose contracts expire could sign with CHL teams. Initially, salaries would need to compete with NHL offers—difficult without comparable television revenue.

European leagues: The KHL, SHL, Liiga, and other European leagues already attract NHL-caliber talent. A well-funded CHL could compete for these players.

Junior development: Alberta's WHL system produces NHL talent annually. A CHL partnership could create direct pipelines: play junior in Red Deer, turn pro in Calgary.

College hockey: American college players currently have NHL or European options. The CHL adds another.

The salary question: Without NHL-level television contracts, can the CHL pay NHL-level salaries? Probably not initially. The league might position itself as high-quality but not maximum-dollar—similar to how MLS operates relative to European soccer leagues.

Some players will choose lifestyle over maximum earnings. Living in Calgary or Austin, playing meaningful hockey, avoiding NHL lockout drama—this has value beyond pure salary.

PLAYOFF FORMAT PROPOSALS

The forum is invited to debate formats:

Option A: Traditional Bracket

• Top 4 teams from each division
• Best-of-7 series throughout
• 2 months of playoff hockey

Option B: Round Robin Finals

• Top 6 teams qualify
• Round robin group stage
• Top 2 meet in best-of-7 final
• More games, more drama, more revenue

Option C: The Calgary-Edmonton Guarantee

• Bracket seeded to ensure Alberta rivals meet in Conference Final if both advance
• Maximizes Battle of Alberta drama
• Possibly unfair to other teams

Option D: Single Elimination Chaos

• 6-team bracket, single elimination
• One bad game ends your season
• Maximizes stakes, minimizes games

Option E: Promotion/Relegation

• Bottom CHL team plays top minor league team for spot
• Creates season-long stakes for bad teams
• Revolutionary for North American sports

JERSEY AND BRANDING CONCEPTS

Every league needs aesthetic identity. The CHL presents an opportunity to build something distinctive:

The Flag Problem: Do jerseys incorporate South Alberta national imagery? The maple leaf may feel too Canadian for Texas fans; the lone star may feel too Texan for Alberta fans. A new symbol—perhaps the proposed longhorn-wearing-a-toque—threads this needle absurdly but memorably.

Colour Palette:

• Calgary Flames: Red and yellow (maintained)
• Edmonton Oilers: Blue and orange (maintained)
• Dallas Stars: Victory green and black (maintained)
• Houston: New identity needed—navy and orange? H-Town teal revival?
• Austin: Keep it weird—purple and black? Bats theme?
• San Antonio: Silver and black (Spurs adjacent)? Fiesta colors?

Alternate Jerseys: The CHL could mandate annual "cultural exchange" alternates—the Flames wearing a Texas-influenced design, the Stars in Alberta-themed sweaters. Merchandise bonanza.

Questions for the forum:

• Should team names reference regional culture (Houston Roughnecks, Austin Outlaws) or hockey tradition (Houston Whalers revival, San Antonio Blades)?
• How Texas is too Texas? How Canadian is too Canadian?
• Should there be a unified league crest that all teams display?

THE ECONOMICS

Let's be honest about money.

Revenue streams:

• Gate receipts (18,000 seats × $80 average × 36 home games = $52 million per team)
• Television (South Alberta national broadcast deal—value uncertain)
• Merchandise (especially if designs are good)
• Sponsorship (regional and national)
• Concessions and parking

Cost structures:

• Player salaries (largest expense—league must set realistic cap)
• Arena operations
• Travel (Calgary to San Antonio is 2,800 km—charter flights aren't optional)
• Front office and coaching staff
• Minor league affiliates

The TV question: The NHL's value comes largely from American television contracts. A South Alberta-only league has a smaller audience but also less competition for attention. Could the CHL become the premium sports property in a new nation hungry for national identity?

Soccer leagues in smaller countries sustain professional operations. The CHL's viability depends on becoming culturally essential—not competing with the NFL for American eyeballs, but owning the South Alberta sports conversation.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FORUM:

On league structure:

• Six teams to start, or fewer? More?
• What cities beyond the core six deserve franchises? Red Deer? Fort Worth? Corpus Christi?
• Promotion/relegation: revolutionary or destabilizing?

On the NHL relationship:

• Is peaceful separation possible, or does this require a legal/political fight?
• Could the CHL coexist with NHL teams in the same cities?
• Would you support government purchase of franchises?

On player development:

• How does the CHL partner with junior hockey?
• Should there be a draft, or free market player acquisition?
• What's the right salary cap for a startup league?

On culture:

• How do we make Texans care about hockey at Albertan levels?
• How do we make Albertans accept Texas teams as legitimate rivals?
• What traditions should the league establish from Day One?

On the fun stuff:

• What should Houston's team be called?
• What should Austin's team be called?
• Best jersey concepts?
• Outdoor game locations? (Lake Louise? The Alamo? A frozen pond that doesn't exist in San Antonio?)
• Mascot ideas?

THE HONEST ASSESSMENT

The Continental Hockey League is the most implausible element of Albertification.

Healthcare integration is hard but precedented. Taxation models are math problems with political constraints. Even firearms policy, for all its difficulty, involves established legal frameworks.

But creating a new professional sports league? Convincing NHL-caliber players to leave guaranteed money for an experiment? Building hockey culture in Houston from scratch? Maintaining competitive balance between markets of vastly different sizes?

This is probably impossible.

And yet.

The World Hockey Association existed from 1972-1979, competing directly with the NHL and eventually forcing a merger that absorbed four franchises. The XFL returned from the dead. MLS went from joke to legitimacy. Sports leagues have been built from nothing before.

If South Alberta becomes a nation, it will want national sports. Hockey is the obvious choice—the one sport where this new country would be immediately world-class. The CHL may be a fantasy, but it's a fantasy worth designing carefully.

Because sometimes fantasies become blueprints.