#echl

I entered the ECHL in 2016. The "EC" seemed like it stood for Entertaining Circus rather than East Coast. One of my first memories was a 14-hour, straight shot road trip from Rapid City to Boise. Through the mountain pass, our bus driver's frozen piss was glued to the side of our 18-wheeler transport-truck "bus" from the catheter he attached to himselt to shave on travel time. That league is in the rear view.

427 regular season games later, I am a walking example of what the minors can do to your body. In the last 16 months, I've torn two hip labrum's, two shoulder labrum's, a groin and an MCL due to the grueling travel and the league's 72 game demand. It should be noted; nobody held a gun to my head and forced me to play. I fully understood the risks of the game, and I did it for my teammates and the chance to move an organization forward.

In one corner, new PHPA director Brian Ramsay is banging the table to make a difference for the players. He's sharp, direct, strategic and the PA is in good hands under his leadership. The first problem lies within previous years of weak negotiating and direction. When I entered the league, the rookie minimum salary was $445 a week. Today its $530. An $85 increase since 2016. There is a significant salary gap that needs to be made up to the players.

In the other corner, league commissioner Ryan Crelin has grown the league and in return, grown the game of hockey. That is not arguable. The shock wave of having a union director that cares mixed with teams that don't know how to turn a profit from their business is where another problem lies. Hockey, the ECHL and some of the teams have a marketing and retention problem. Their inability to make additional revenue and feel comfortable finally spending on player salaries, has made them put away their wallets and brought negotiations to a standstill. Player likeness is something the ECHL hasn't figured out. Players need to be compensated but also given a platform through the teams and league to be successful. Higher compensation = less players leaving = higher NIL returns.

To fill this gap in the meantime, where is the NHL? Where is Bettman? It's an NHL affiliated league with legitimate prospects. Do they care? With 750+ ECHLers playing games in the NHL, that's a feeder system. Where is the support?

Change for the players is long overdue. The compensation being requested is far from astronomical. If you don't have an extra 150K in your bank account as owner, then you shouldn't own a pro hockey team.

For players, unity is how you win. If you own a home, business and get your mortgage paid for by the team - congratulations, you've escaped ECHL reality. As a leader, it's your job to look to the left and right in your locker room and fight for the guys making $530 a week.