Branch Shoots Down Spitfires

Friday was a huge day in the Ontario Hockey League and quite possibly for the entire structure of North American amateur hockey. David Branch, the President of the Canadian Hockey League and Commissioner of the OHL, dropped a bomb on the Windsor Spitfires in the form of massive fines and the stripping of several high end draft picks. 

The official statement released by the OHL can be read here. Media friends of TPS wrote several fantastic features on the subject and a couple of them will be on the show as guests later this Saturday morning. Neate Sager from Yahoo! and Buzzing the Net can add to this piece written by Cam Charron. 

TPS regular Patrick King's story can be found at Sportsnet.ca.

Chris Peters offers the American based perspective and it's a terrific read. You can find that here and he'll touch on it with me on the radio this morning as well.    

After the jump, I'll offer my own initial thoughts which are more about, "What happens next?"

An Open Letter From the USHL

~
"You guys talked about playing the Memorial Cup winner. Sure. Ready to do it. It would provide some great hockey." - Skip Prince, (Commissioner of the USHL)

For the last week or so there has been a lot of discussion on our show comparing the caliber of hockey leagues across North America. It began with a listener's comment to us via Twitter and took off from there. We've tossed around hypothetical match ups that would pit the Memorial Cup champs against the USHL's Clark Cup winners, considered a clash between Clark Cup and RBC Cup champions and wondered if it was all just a pipe dream.

Those conversations have spawned a TON of feedback to us via Twitter and to our email inbox. Last Saturday we were joined by Brian Werger, Director of Communication for the USHL, who offered up a perspective from his league's vantage point.

Yesterday, CHL President David Branch dropped a bit of a bombshell on the subject and today we've got an open letter from USHL President/Commissioner Skip Prince.

Tuesday Night on TPS: Is the CHL Branching Out?

~
Tonight we were honoured to have the head man from the biggest junior hockey league in the world with us, an up and coming prospect with the Pittsburgh Penguins, our resident CHL insider and a TPS favourite who shed some light on the Calgary Hitmen's import situation. It was a great show with some very interesting revelations.

Interleague Play in the CHL

~
Training camps are well underway in the CHL, the Q has even played exhibition games already. Now wouldn't it be nice if you lived in Regina and were able to watch Gatineau take on the Pats or Sarnia face off with Medicine Hat? How about living in Quebec and having the opportunity to see Kelowna skate against Belleville in the pre-season?

If the CHL held interleague play during the pre-season you would get to see that.

Does David Branch 'Wear Too Many Hats'?

~
The three CHL leagues have their own leadership in the form of Commissioners Gilles Courteau (QMJHL), Ron Robison (WHL) and David Branch (OHL). The leagues share many rules and regulations and during times like the CHL Top Prospects Game and the CHL Import Draft, they work in conjunction with each other.

But what happens when there is a dispute involving a couple of the leagues? Of course they take their issue to the CHL, however, the President of the Canadian Hockey League is the same David Branch that occupies the OHL office.

Is this a classic case of a conflict of interest? That's an argument coming out of the QMJHL right now and one that should be considered.

Saturday Morning Special - Aug 13th

~
Another jam packed edition of The Pipeline Show this morning as we went touched base with a CHL team in the QMJHL, the OHL and the WHL plus went across the border for the latest at the U20 camp in Lake Placid for USA. We also checked in with one of our regular CHL gurus for his take on the latest chapter in the never ending border kerfuffle between major junior and NCAA hockey.

David Branch responds to Paul Kelly

-
About 2 and a half months ago TPS welcomed Paul Kelly to the show. The former head of the NHLPA is now working for an organization called College Hockey Inc. which represents NCAA hockey. Kelly surprised Guy and I by firing some major shots at the CHL. He bluntly said the league is paying players under the table and that...

"anybody who doesn't think it's happening has their head in the sand."

If you haven't yet heard Kelly's full comments which included statements that the CHL is blocking players from the NCAA and that the CHL scholorship program is inferior to the NCAA version click here.

To Get a sense of the reaction North of the border, read on...

Cormier done, Branch to discuss

~
Patrice Cormier was suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoff, which is over 40 games if Rouyn-Noranda goes 7 games in every series. I haven't heard anyone say it was to long, but a lot that have said it was justified. CHL commish David Branch will appear on The Pipeline Show tomorrow night, and we'll talk with Branch about the lengthy suspensions that have been handed out in junior hockey this year. If you have a question for Branch. pipeup@theteam1260.com.

Kassian Gets 20 Games

~
OHL commish David Branch today announced that Windsor Spitifires forward Zack Kassian has been suspended for 20 games after his hit on Barrie's Matt Kennedy.

The official release is here.

When Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino was on the program Tuesday, he spoke about an angle he saw that night that showed, frame by frame, Kassian not leaving his feet.

So what do you think... too light, too heavy or just right? we offer up 2 different video replays of the incident and our thoughts after 'Read More'.

Another OHL Questionable Hit

Not even a week after OHL commisioner David Branch handed down a season long suspension to 20 year old Michael Liambas for his hit on Ben Fanelli, fans are wondering about another qustionable hit.



This one to me is far worse than the Liambas hit, with the big difference being that Brent Sullivan gets up and skates away. In the Carnavale hit, Sullivan is never once square, and there is even more of a charge than Liambas. We'll be discussing this on our show tonight. Listen live www.thepipelineshow.com