Despite Heavy Opposition, AHL's Pacific Division Postseason Play Is Still On
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It was essentially a foregone conclusion in February when the American Hockey League's (AHL) 2020-21 season began that the Calder Cup Playoffs were not going to happen. With teams mostly staying put and playing their nearby rivals in geographic clusters, combined with limited or no fan attendance across much of the league, it just didn't make sense - especially financially - to have a full playoff and award the Calder Cup.
That changed when AHL President/CEO Scott Howson announced on April 29th that while a traditional Calder Cup Playoffs wouldn't be able to be conducted, that each of the league’s five divisions had been provided the opportunity to independently determine its own postseason format.
Four of the five divisions made the decision to not have any type of postseason play, while the Pacific Division took the option - releasing their playoff format and schedule, which will begin on May 18th. All seven Pacific Division teams are scheduled to play in at least one game.
Per the league's release, rhe fourth- through seventh-place clubs in the regular-season standings will play a single-elimination play-in, held at FivePoint Arena in Irvine, Calif., to determine who will join the top three teams in the best-of-three semifinals.
The semifinal winners will advance to a best-of-three finals, with that winner being awarded the John D. Chick Trophy as champions of the Pacific Division.
What Inside AHL Hockey learned last week was brought into the public eye by well-known professional hockey agent Allan Walsh late Thursday night.
The players aren't fond of this postseason play. At all.
"I think you know how most players feel," one player on a Pacific Division team told InsideAHLHockey.com this week.
Of the players surveryed in the Pacific Division, over 94% of the 141 players voted against playing in this playoff format. The vote, per Walsh, was 133-8 in opposition
The Professional Hockey Players’ Association, the union for all players in the AHL and ECHL, spoke out against the Pacific Division's decision to have a postseason.
"I am disappointed in the AHL Pacific Division's decision, as it disregards the wishes of the vast majority of the players within the Pacific Division," PHPA Executive Director Larry Landon said in a statement released shortly following the AHL's release announcing the postseason play. "These concerns were communicated to the league on several occasions."
Landon's statement continued by re-stating the obvious concerns surrounding playing additional games behind May 16, the final day of the regular season. He didn't mince words showing his and his colleagues feelings about the Pacific Division's decision.
"The Pacific Division chose to ignore the spirit of cooperation that has existed between the PHPA an AHL for many years and decided to proceed with additional games anyway. There is a genuine inability to ensure the health and safety of players and the Pacific Division will not recognize what other teams have already recognized. The PHPA and its members are truly discouraged that the Pacific Division players' wellbeing will continue to be in jeopardy."
There is also a growing concern that worker's compensation won't cover any injuries that are sustained in these postseason games, a source close to the situation informed InsideAHLHockey.com.
It should also be noted that players won't be compensated for any playoff games played.
For those asking, why don't the players just opt out?
Given the fact that many of these career minor league players went almost a full year without collecting a paycheck, then returned for this 100-day regular season only receiving 48% of the contract they signed to play, most are likely not in a financial situation where they could afford to jeopardize their career's future.
"That's career suicide," one AHL player told InsideAHLHockey.com earlier this week when asked why the players don't mutiny.
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