billsportsmaps.com

May 29, 2016

Affiliated Triple-A minor league baseball (MiLB): location-map of 2 leagues, the Pacific Coast League (PCL) & the International League (IL) – with 2015 attendances and MLB-team-affiliations noted./ + illustrations for: the highest-drawing MiLB team in 2015, the Charlotte Knights & the 3rd-highest drawing team in MiLB in 2015, the Sacramento River Cats.

Filed under: Baseball,Baseball: MiLB Triple-A — admin @ 9:39 pm

pacific-coast-league_international-league_map_2015-attendances_post_e_.gif
Affiliated Triple-A baseball: location-map of 2 leagues, the Pacific Coast League (PCL) & the International League (IL), w/ 2015 attendances and MLB-team-affiliations noted




By Bill Turianski on 29 May 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Official site of the International League…Triple-A International League [MiLB].
-International League/current teams (en.wikipedia.org).
-Official site of the Pacific Coast League…Triple-A Pacific Coast League [MiLB].
-Pacific Coast League (en.wikipedia.org).
-2015 Affiliated Attendance by League… 2015 Affiliated Attendance by League (by Kevin Reichard at ballparkdigest.com).
-2015 Affiliated Attendance by Average.. 2015 Affiliated Attendance by Average (by Kevin Reichard at ballparkdigest.com).

-Article on Norfolk Tides’ bizarre new bright-green/orange/black/turquoise/grey uniforms…Tides Unveil New Creative Identity) [article, with 5 disparaging comments by angry Norfolk fans] (milb.com/news).

-Top 100 MiLB caps in 2014 [fan vote]…Clash of the Caps – Who has the best caps in the minor leagues? [2014 season] [#1: El Paso Chihuahuas]…(milb.com/milb/fans/caps).
-Top 100 MiLB caps in 2015 [fan vote]…Clash of the Caps – Who has the best caps in the minor leagues? [2015 season] [#1: Daytona Tortugas]…(milb.com/milb/fans/caps).

    Affiliated Triple-A minor league baseball (MiLB):
    Location-map of the 2 leagues, the Pacific Coast League (PCL) & the International League (IL) -
    with 2015 attendances and MLB-team-affiliations noted

By Bill Turianski on 11 April 2015; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.com.

Elements of the map page…
The location-map shows the top-minor-league/AAA affiliate of each Major League Baseball team – 30 teams from one of two Triple-A leagues: the Pacific Coast League (PCL) & the International League (IL). On the map, the teams are shown with their home-cap-crest and the cap-crest of their MLB parent-club. Flanking the map are the 2015 attendances of the teams, with the PCL teams on the far left of the map, and the International League teams on the far right. Listed in both the PCL & IL league-charts are:
1). 2015 Attendance figures (home regular season average attendance),
2). Change in crowd-size from previous season (numerical change from 2014),
3). Ballpark name,
4). Ballpark city-location,
5). Ballpark capacity (total capacity and seated capacities),
6). Year the ballpark was opened.

Finally, a line has been inserted on the map, running north from the Florida panhandle, through the middle of Tennessee, then jogging west in Kentucky, and then running north again between Indiana and Illinois. This line denotes the division between the PCL-territory (to the west of the line), and the IL-territory (to the east of the line). In case you are wondering, the furthest-east PCL team – the Nashville Sounds, is slightly west of the furthest-west IL team – the Indianapolis Indians. In other words, there is no over-lap between the 2 leagues’ territorial ranges. But just barely.

There are actually 3 Triple-A leagues within Minor League Baseball (which is run by Major League Baseball)…
There are 3 Triple-A leagues: the International League, the Pacific Coast League, and the Mexican League. The International League and the Pacific Coast League are comprised of pro ball clubs at the Triple-A level which have an affiliation with one of the 30 Major League Baseball teams. But the Mexican League is comprised of pro ball clubs at the Triple-A level without any affiliations to MLB teams. {To see my map-and-post on the 2015 Mexican League, click on the following, Mexico: Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (LMB) (Mexican League), location-map/attendance-map (2014 figures), with active-clubs titles list.}


The International League (IL)…
-International League/current teams (en.wikipedia.org).
-Baseball-reference.com/BR Bullpen blog/International League (baseball-reference.com/bullpen).
The International League was established in 1884, with the modern-day International League re-established in 1912. As it says at the Baseball-reference.com blog, …”The “international” in the name was due to the league having teams in Toronto and Montréal for decades.”…{see this}. Currently [2016], the IL has 14 teams in 3 divisions. The IL spans the Northeast (6 teams), the South Atlantic Seaboard (4 teams), the eastern part of the Upper Midwest (3 teams), and the south-central Ohio River Valley (1 team). In 2015, the IL continued to be the highest-drawing minor league, averaging 7,199 per game (down 70 per game, from the 7,269 per game the IL averaged in 2014).

The oldest team in the IL is the Rochester Red Wings…
The Red Wings, of Rochester, New York, have been an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins since 2003, and have existed as a pro ball club in Rochester – continuously – since 1899 {source: baseball-reference.com/[city, Rochester NY]}. Along with the Toledo Mud Hens and the Syracuse Chiefs, the Rochester Red Wings are [tied for being the] second biggest pro sports team in the USA which is community-owned (the biggest community-owned team in the USA is, of course, the Green Bay Packers of the NFL)/{sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fan-owned_sports_teams#Baseball ; Rochester Community Baseball}. The Rochester Red Wings are tied with the Columbus Clippers (established 1977) for the most Governor’s Cup International League titles – 10. Columbus, a Cleveland Indians affiliate since 2009, won the 2015 International League title (their 3rd IL title in 6 years). But the Governor’s Cup title was established in 1933 as the trophy for the IL’s then-newly-established playoffs {see this, Governor’s Cup}. So if you count all International League titles, starting in 1912 [when the Eastern League (I) changed its name to the International League], Rochester has won 14 IL titles (and 20 minor league baseball titles, overall). Rochester’s last IL title was in 1997.

The highest drawing team in the IL these days is the Charlotte Knights…
The Charlotte Knights have basically tripled their fan-base ever since leaving their inadequate ballpark that was situated way out of town. That ballpark was about 19 miles south of the Charlotte, North Carolina city center – and was actually out-of-state, in Fort Mill, South Carolina. In 2013, the Knights drew a league-worst 3.0 K per game at that in-the-middle-of-nowhere ballpark. Now (since 2014), the Knights play in a sweet new 10.2 K-capacity ballpark in downtown Charlotte, which is called BB&T Ballpark (Charlotte) {see illustration below}, and the Charlotte Knights pack ‘em in to the tune of 9.4 K per game. That has made the Charlotte Knights (an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox) the highest-drawing minor league team in all of the USA, Canada, and Mexico {see MiLB 2015 attendance figures at the links section at the top of this post}. The other high-drawing teams in the International League are the Indianapolis Indians (a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate) and the aforementioned Columbus Clippers, both of whom draw above 9 K; while the Lehigh Valley IronPigs [of Allentown, PA] (a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate), and the Buffalo Bisons (a Toronto Blue Jays affiliate) both draw above 8 K.

Below: BB&T Ballpark (Charlotte). Home of the Charlotte Knights (the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox).
Best-drawing team in the IL & Best attendance in all of minor league baseball in 2015 (best of all 176 MiLB teams which record attendance)…
bb-and-t-ballpark_charlotte-knights_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Logos from sportslogos.net/[Charlotte Knights]. Exterior roof-top view of stadium, photo by Barton Mallow [architect] at bartonmalow.com/projects/Charlotte-Knights. Interior shot of ballpark with downtown Charlotte skyline in the background, photo by Charlotte Knights at milb.com/[Charlotte Knights/tickets].

The Pacific Coast League (PCL)…
-Pacific Coast League/current teams (en.wikipedia.org).
-Baseball-reference.com/BR Bullpen blog/Pacific Coast League (baseball-reference.com/bullpen).
The Pacific Coast League was established in 1903. The PCL currently [2016] has 16 teams in 4 divisions within 2 conferences. The PCL spans not only the Pacific Coast but the entire Western United States (that whole area of the continental USA which is west of the Mississippi River) – plus 3 teams east of the Mississippi: one in New Orleans and two in Tennessee. The reason for the vast geographical spread of the Pacific Coast League is that, in 1997, the PCL absorbed 5 teams from the defunct American Association, which was Midwestern-US-based, and was the third Triple-A affiliated league back then. (Here are the 5 former-American-Association-teams that were absorbed into the PCL in 1997: Iowa Cubs, Nashville Sounds, New Orleans Zephyrs, Oklahoma City RedHawks [now nicknamed the Dodgers], Omaha Royals [now nicknamed the Storm Chasers].) In 2015, the PCL continued to be the second-highest-drawing minor league, averaging 6,508 per game (up 223 per game, from the 6,285 per game the PCL averaged in 2014). The PCL title-winner last year [2015] was the Fresno Grizzlies, who are a Houston Astros affiliate.

The team with the most PCL titles no longer exists – that was the San Francisco Seals, who won 13 PCL titles before the team moved on (to Phoenix, AZ) after the 1957 season, to make way for big league baseball in the Bay Area, when the New York baseball Giants moved from New York City to become the San Francisco Giants in 1958.
Here is a small map that I put together in 2009 which shows the old, Golden-Age/early 1950s Pacfic Coast League…
pacific-coast-league_in-the-1950s_d.gif
Original source of image above – [PCL, 2009 map (incl. Golden Age of PCL/1950s map).] (billsportsmaps.com/MiLB Triple A)

The oldest city-location in the PCL is in Sacramento, California…
Sacramento’s first PCL team was in 1903, with several franchise-shifts since then; the current ball club there moved from Vancouver, BC, Canada to Sacramento in 2000, becoming the River Cats. The Sacramento River Cats, an affiliate of the nearby San Francisco Giants, are perennially the highest-drawing PCL team, and were again in 2015, drawing 9.3 K per game. The other high-drawing teams in the PCL are the Round Rock Express [of Greater Austin, TX] (a Texas Rangers affiliate), the El Paso Chihuahuas [est. 2014] (a San Diego Padres affiliate), and the Albuquerque Isotopes (a Colorado Rockies affiliate). [Side-note: the Albuqueque Isotopes are (brilliantly) named after the fictional ball club which moved from Springfield to Albuquerque, in a famous 2001 episode of The Simpsons/ see this article from Telegraph.co.uk, from May 2015 by Rebecca Hawkes: The Simpsons: 27 times real life echoed the show/ and see #19 there: 'When the Albuquerque Isotopes became a real baseball team'.] Those 3 teams – Round Rock Express, El Paso Chihuahuas, and Albuquerque Isotopes – all drew above 8 K last season [2015]. A team that drew very close to 8 K last year was the Nashville Sounds, who drew 7.9 K (and increased their crowd-size by over 3 thousand per game), thanks to their brand-new 10-K-capacity ballpark in the downtown of the Music City, First Tennessee Park.

Below: Raley Field. Home of the Sacramento River Cats (the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants).
Best-drawing team in the PCL & Third-best attendance in all of minor league baseball in 2015 (3rd-best of all 176 MiLB teams which record attendance)…
raley-field_sacramento-river-cats_e_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Logos from: sportslogos.net/[Sacramento River Cats]. Aerial view of stadium, photo unattributed at city-data.com. Interior/night-time view of a full house at Raley Field, photo by Chris at westsacliving.com/[blog article on visiting Raley Stadium]
___

Thanks to BallparkDigest.com, for attendance figures, 2015 Affiliated Attendance by League (ballparkdigest.com).
Thanks to the contributors at:
-Pacific Coast League (en.wikipedia.org);
-International League (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to AMK1211 for blank map of USA, ‘File:Blank US Map with borders.svg”>File:Blank US Map with borders.svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
Thanks to Rochester Red Wings, for photo of home cap crest, here (redwings.milbstore.com/store).

May 21, 2016

Ligue de Hockey Junior Majeur du Québec (LHJMQ) [English: Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)]: location-map with: 2015-16 attendance data, QMJHL titles & CHL/Memorial Cup titles listed/+ illustrations for the 2 QMJHL teams with the best attendance in 2015-16 (the Quebec Remparts & the Halifax Mooseheads), and the 2 QMJHL teams with the best-percent-capacity figures in 2015-16 (the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies & the Val-d’Or Foreurs).

Filed under: Canada,Canada>QMJHL,Hockey — admin @ 8:20 pm

Brand-new post…2017 Memorial Cup, here:
2017 CHL Memorial Cup tournament (in Windsor, Ontario/ May 19 to May 28) – the 4 teams: Windsor Spitfires (host team), Erie Otters (OHL), Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL), Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL): photo-illustrations with standout players in 2016-17.

quebec-major-junior-hockey-league_map_2016_w-2015-16-attendances_arena-capacities_percent-caps_chl-qmjhl-titles_post_e_.gif
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)]: location-map with: 2015-16 attendance data, QMJHL titles & CHL/Memorial Cup titles listed




By Bill Turianski on 21 May 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Teams, etc… Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Official site… theqmjhl.ca.
-Site officiel (en Français)…lhjmq.qc.ca.
-2016 CHL Memorial Cup tournament… 2016 Memorial Cup (en.wikipedia.org).

-My 2012 map-&-post on major junior hockey in Canada (CHL) from Nov.2012…Canadian Hockey League: location maps for WHL, OHL, and QMJHL teams (60 teams) and 2011-12 attendance data. Plus the top 3 highest drawing teams, the top 10-highest percent-capacities….

The QMJHL, one of 3 major junior hockey leagues in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL)…
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) is one of three Canadian major junior hockey leagues, along with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). Since 1971-72, the 3 leagues have sent their league-champion to compete for the Memorial Cup title. Since 1975-76, the 3 leagues together comprise the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The 3 CHL leagues are for players aged 16 to 20 – there are no restrictions for the amount of USA-born players on each team; however, non-Canadian-&-American players (ie, European and Russian players) are restricted to 2 per team roster. The 3 leagues of the CHL are quite a big deal, because approximately 54% of all NHL players, currently, were drafted from either the OHL, the WHL, or the QMJHL. {Citation: see 2nd paragraph, here [Ontario Hockey League page at en.wikipedia.org].}

Click on image below for:
Location-map of all the teams in the 3 leagues which comprise the Canadian Hockey League (CHL/60 teams)…
chl_canadian-hockey-league_2016_location-map_60-teams_whl_ohl_qmjhl_post_d_.gif

The CHL is an umbrella-organization for the 3 leagues; there is no inter-league play except for the post-season tournament…the CHL has a four-team playoff tournament – the Memorial Cup, which is played at a different host-city each May. (Note: see 4 paragraphs below for more info about the Memorial Cup.)

On the map page…
The map page shows the locations (and the logos) of the 18 QMJHL teams -12 of which are in the Canadian province of Quebec, 3 of which are in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, 2 of which are in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and one of which is in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. The locations of all the NHL teams from the Eastern Canada/upper-north-east-USA region are also shown on the map.

The map…
The map itself is a section of a blank map of Canada, which I found at Wikipedia Commons (and which was not available 7-and-a-half years ago, when I made my first map of the QMJHL). I cropped and enlarged that blank map, then I drew in the St. Lawrence River’s river banks in the area between Kingston, ON and Quebec City, QC – because the original map did not show that. I also added the Ottawa River, which makes up a large part of the boundary between the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Then I added one more detail – bridges – and shown on the map is the 12.9 km/8 mile-long bridge which connects mainland Canada (in New Brunswick) to the province of Prince Edward Island (the Confederation Bridge). I also included the two eastern-most bridges which span the St. Lawrence River and connect southern Quebec to the rest of Quebec, at Quebec City: the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge. (East of Quebec City, the river widens considerably and no bridge is feasible for the rest of the length of the St. Lawrence River, as the river makes its way north-east to the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf Of St. Lawrence.)

On the right-hand-side of the map page is a chart for the QMJHL which shows 7 things…
1). 2015-16 average attendances of the 22 QMJHL teams, ranked {source: Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 2015-16 Attendance Graph (hockeydb.com)}.
2). Home arena seated capacity of the 18 QMJHL teams.
3). Percent-capacity for each team in 2015-16 [Percent Capacity equals Average Attendance divided by Arena-seated-capacity] (ie, how well the team fills its arena).
4). Metropolitan-area population of each team’s home-city (or home-town). {Source: List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada [2011 census figures] (en.wikipedia.org).}
5). Season the QMJHL team began play in its present-day location.
6). QMJHL titles (and the year of last title/ since 1966-67).
7). CHL/Memorial Cup titles (and the year of last title/ since 1971-72)/ see notes below.

Notes on the Memorial Cup title / CHL title…
The Memorial Cup was instituted in 1919, and was named in remembrance of the Canadians who died in the Great War (World War I). From 1919 to 1971, the Cup was contested between 2 teams: the best junior team each season from Eastern Canada versus the best junior team from Western Canada. (The winner won that season’s Memorial Cup title.) The current format of the Memorial Cup tournament dates to 1971-72, when a 3-team playoff tournament was created. The tournament at that point [1972] involved the champion from each of the 3 leagues:
•The-long-established-[1933]-and-now-20-team OHL.
•The-established-in-1966-and-now-22-team-WHL.
•The-then-newly-established-[1971]-and-now-18-team-QMJHL.

4 years later [1975], the arrangement was formalized with the institution of the Canadian Hockey League – which, again, is the governing body of the OHL/WHL/QMJHL. In 1982-83, the Memorial Cup tournament was expanded to a 4th team, with the host-city’s team given a place in the competition. (There is a different host-city for the Memorial Cup each May/ see next paragraph.) Currently, the 60 teams in the CHL (from the 3 member-leagues), which hail from 9 Canadian provinces and 4 American states, compete for the chance to qualify for the Memorial Cup tournament and win the Memorial Cup title/CHL title.

Red Deer, Alberta will host the 2016 Memorial Cup…
2016 Memorial Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
The 2016 Memorial Cup tournament will be held at the 6,000-capacity ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta, with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels the host-team. The tournament will run from May 19th to May 29th, 2016.

List of Memorial Cup champions (en.wikipedia.org).

QMJHL teams that have won Memorial Cup titles (1969-2015)
1971: Quebec Remparts (I) (Quebec City, QC QMJHL charter franchise (I) (1969-70 to 1984-85)// defunct).
1972: Cornwall Royals (Cornwall, ON QMJHL charter franchise (1969-70 to 1991-92)/in 1992 transferred over to the OHL & moved to Newmarket, ON (1992-94)/in 1994 moved to Sarnia, ON/present-day Sarnia Sting).
1980: Cornwall Royals (see above).
1981: Cornwall Royals (see above).
1996: Granby Predateurs (Granby, QC QMJHL expansion franchise (1981-82 to 1996-97)/in 1997 moved to Cape Breton, NS/present-day Cape Breton Screaming Eagles).
1997: Hull Olympiques (Hull, QC QMJHL charter franchise (1969-70 to present)/present-day Gatineau Olympiques).
2000: Rimouski Oceanique (Sherbrooke, QC QMJHL charter franchise (1969-70 to 1981-82)/in 1982 moved to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC (1982-95)/in 1995 moved to Rimouski, QC/present-day Rimouski Oceanique).
2006: Quebec Remparts (II) (Beauport [Greater Quebec City], QC QMJHL expansion franchise (1990-91 to 1996-97)/ moved ~5 km west & became 2nd Quebec City, QC QMJHL franchise (1997-98 to present)/present-day Quebec Remparts (II) ).
2011: Saint John Sea Dogs (Saint John, NB QMJHL expansion franchise (2005-06 to present).
2012: Shawingan Cataractes (Shawingan, QC QMJHL charter franchise (1969-70 to present).
2013: Halifax Mooseheads (Halifax, NS QMJHL expansion franchise (1994-95 to present).

    Illustrations for the 2 QMJHL teams with the best attendance in 2015-16 (Quebec Remparts & Halifax Mooseheads),
    and the 2 QMJHL teams with the best-percent-capacity figure in 2015-16 (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies & Val-d’Or Foreurs)

Quebec Remparts: Best attendance in the QMJHL in 2015-16, at 13,835 per game..
quebec-remparts_centre-videotron_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Jersey illustration by sportslogos.net/Quebec Remparts. View of Qubec City in winter from the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River, photo by Bernard Gagnon at File:Quebec City 01.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Cobbled street in Old Quebec with Funiculare in background, photo by Miranda at spendyourdays.com/europe-in-quebec-city-canada. Xmas in Old Quebec, photo unattributed at thispeacefulhome.com via pinterest. Aerial view of Centre Videotron, photo by Ville de Quebec at lecentrevideotron.ca. Rooftop-view of Centre Videotron, photo by Daniel Mallard/Agencie QMI via fr.canoe.ca/. The queue for the sold-out opening night at Centre Videotron [Aug. 31 2015], photo by Daniel Mallard/Agencie QMI via journaldequebec.com/premiere-grande-soiree-de-visites-du-centre-videotron. Shot of interior of Centre Videotron [preseason game, Montreal vs. Pittsburgh on Sept. 28 2015], photo by Dario Ayala/Montreal Gazette at montrealgazette.com/sports. Shot from the upper-stands at a game-night at Videotron Centre [photo from Sept. 2015], photo unattributed at blogs.theprovince.com/2015/09/28/the-morning-skate. Photo from a 2012 Bring back the Nordiques rally in Quebec City, photo unattributed at sb7.sportsblog.com/posts/1148850/which_nhl_teams_should_relocate__part_1.
Quebec Nordiques fans keeping the flame alive, photo from nordiquebec.blogspot.com. Photo of Nordiques fans with Sakic and Stasny jerseys, in line at opening night at Centre Videotron, photo by Pierre Boissinot via torontosun.com/[sports].

Halifax Mooseheads: 2nd-best attendance in the QMJHL in 2015-16, at 6,893 per game…
halifax-mooseheads_scotiabank-centre_2013-chl-memorial-cup-champions_b_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Jersey illustrations by sportslogos.net/Halifax Mooseheads. Aerial view of Halifax, photo unattributed at thefabweb.com. Exterior view of Scotiabank Centre, photo by Andy Ritter at roamingtherinks.com. Halifax Mooseheads: the 2013 QMJHL champions (and the 2013 CHL/Memorial Cup champions), photo by /status/333025704633565184″>twitter.com/TheDrake1001 [tweet/photo from Scotiabank Centre on May 10 2013]. 2013 Mooseheads squad with banners and trophies on Banner Night in Halifax, photo by Ted Pritchard/ [Halifax] Chronicle Herald at thechronicleherald.ca/mooseheads/wildcats-top-moose-spoil-banner-night.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies:
Best at filling their arena in the QMJHL in 2015-16, at 100.5 percent-capacity.
And: the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are the 2016 President’s Cup winners (their first QMJHL title)…

rouyn-noranda-huskies_arena-iamgold_2016-qmjhl-champions_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies jersey, illustration by sportslogos.net/Rouyn-Noranda. Aerial shot of Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Point du Jour Avaiation, here via gigi461.canalblog.com. Shot of Northern Lights above Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Charles Schiele Photography at coolnaturephotos.com/aurora-borealis-at-rouyn-noranda-qc-canada-by-charles-schiele-photography. Shot of interior of Aréna Iamgold, photo by François Fortin at stationnation.blogspot.com.
Standout Huskies players in 2016 QMJHL playoffs…
Timo Meier, photo unattributed, here, at sportsnet.ca. Francis Perron, after scoring in 2nd game of 2016 Presidents Cup finals (4-1 to Huskies), photo by Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at huskies.qc.ca/article/24-h-plus-tard-victoire-des-huskies. Chase Marchand, photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images via sportsnet.ca. Anthony-John Greer, after scoring in 2nd game of 2016 Presidents Cup finals (4-1 to Huskies), photo by Jean-François Vachon/TC Media via lafrontiere.ca/sports/hockey/2016/5/7/huskies-shawinigan. Jean-Christophe-Beaudin, photo by Agencie QMI via bsndenver.com/nhl-draft-prospect-profile-jean-christophe-beaudin. Title celebration photo, by Vincent Éthier/QMJHL Media at theqmjhl.ca/2016-president-cup-huskies-win-first-ever-president-cup-title.

Val-d’Or Foreurs: 2nd-best at filling their arena in the QMJHL in 2015-16, at 93.2 percent-capacity…
val-d-or-foreurs_centre-air-creebec_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
Jersey and shoulder-patch illustrations by sportslogos.net/Val d’or Foreurs. Aerial shot of Val-d’Or in the autumn, photo unattributed at voyageretdecouvrir.com/voyage_au_quebec_abitibi_temiscamingue. Aerial shot of some of the extensive precious metals mining in the Val-d’Or area, photo by Agnico Eagle at agnicoeagle.com/northern-operations/goldex. Exterior shot of Centre Air Creebc, photo unattributed at ici.radio-canada.ca. Interior shot of Centre Air Creebec, photo by atmosphare.com/fr/Interieur_Realisations/Mobilier/Centre-Air-Creebec. Another full house of Val-d’Or Foreurs fans applaud their team [circa April 2015], screenshot of video by tvasport.ca. Shot of Huskies one ice for Canadian national anthem. photo by stationnation.blogspot.com.

___
-Thanks to the contributors at Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Thanks to STyx at Wikipedia for the blank map of Eastern Canada [segment of map of Canada], by STyx at File:Canada (geolocalisation).svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-A big thank you to Hockey Database site, for the hard-to-find OHL attendance figures (nobody wants to bother hunting down and compiling them, I guess), at Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 2015-16 Attendance Graph (hockeydb.com).

May 14, 2016

2016 CHL Memorial Cup tournament (in Red Deer, Alberta/ May 20 to May 29) – the 4 teams: Red Deer Rebels (host team), Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), London Knights (OHL), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): photo-illustrations with standout players in 2016 playoffs/+ 2016 CHL location-map.

Filed under: Canada,Hockey — admin @ 2:47 pm

By Bill Turianski on 14 May 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
WHL official site…whl.ca [live scores at top banner]
2016 Memorial Cup (en.wikipedia.org),
…2016 CHL Memorial Cup tournament preview at Reddit.com…Memorial Cup Preview (reddit.com/r/hockey, posted by SchoppNotebook).

Click on image below for:
Location-map of all the teams in the 3 leagues which comprise the Canadian Hockey League (CHL/60 teams)…
chl_canadian-hockey-league_2016_location-map_60-teams_whl_ohl_qmjhl_post_d_.gif

The CHL is an umbrella-organization for the 3 leagues; there is no inter-league play except for the post-season tournament…the CHL has a four-team playoff tournament – the Memorial Cup, which is played at a different host-city each May. It is an 8 game tournament (9 if a tie-breaker is needed).

Notes on the Memorial Cup title / CHL title…
The Memorial Cup was instituted in 1919, and was named in remembrance of the Canadians who died in the Great War (World War I). From 1919 to 1971, the Cup was contested between 2 teams: the best junior team each season from Eastern Canada versus the best junior team from Western Canada. (The winner won that season’s Memorial Cup title.) The current format of the Memorial Cup tournament dates to 1971-72, when a 3-team playoff tournament was created. The tournament at that point [1972] involved the champion from each of the 3 leagues:
•The-long-established-[1933]-and-now-20-team OHL.
•The-established-in-1966-and-now-22-team-WHL.
•The-then-newly-established-[1971]-and-now-18-team-QMJHL.

4 years later [1975], the arrangement was formalized with the institution of the Canadian Hockey League – which, again, is the governing body of the OHL/WHL/QMJHL. In 1982-83, the Memorial Cup tournament was expanded to a 4th team, with the host-city’s team given a place in the competition. (There is a different host-city for the Memorial Cup each May.) Currently, the 60 teams in the CHL (from the 3 member-leagues), which hail from 9 Canadian provinces and 4 American states, compete for the chance to qualify for the Memorial Cup tournament and win the Memorial Cup title/CHL title.

Red Deer, Alberta will host the 2016 Memorial Cup…
2016 Memorial Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
The 2016 Memorial Cup tournament will be held at the 6,000-capacity ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta, with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels the host-team. The tournament will run from May 20th to May 29th, 2016. (Note: within the Red Deer Rebels illustration below, you can read a short paragraph about the etymology and early history of Red Deer, Alberta, and its location with respect to Edmonton & Calgary.)

    Below: the 4 teams who have qualified for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament…
    2016 Host: Red Deer Rebels / 2016 WHL champions: Brandon Wheat Kings / 2016 OHL champions: London Knights /2016 QMJHL champions: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies…

Red Deer Rebels: 2nd-best at filling their arena in the WHL in 2015-16, at 93.9 percent-capacity.
Host of 2016 Memorial Cup tournament, the Red Deer Rebels…
red-deer-rebels_emax-centrium_k_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Jersey illustration by sportslogos.net/Red Deer Rebels. Aerial view of Red Deer, photo by Waynercook at File:Red Deer – Aerial – downtown bridges.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Aerial view of Red Deer Alberta in summer, photo unattributed at yellowpencil.com/reddeer-aerial.jpg. View of Red Deer in summertime, photo unattributed at meshav.com. Red Deer Rebels 2014-15 alternate burgundy jersey & R and RED DEER shoulder-patch logos, photos from reddeerrebels.com/article/back-in-burgandy-rebels-unveil-third-jersey. Exterior shot of Enmax Centrium, photo by Curtis Lund via goodkey.com. Shot of traveling Red Deer fans cheering on the Rebels’ 5-0 away-win versus the Oil Kings at Rexall Place in Edmonton on March 6, 2014. photo by Derek Leung at gettyimages.co.uk.
Players…
Ivan Nikolishin, photo by Red Deer Rebels at reddeerrebels.com/players. Adam Helewka, photo by WHL.ca at whl.ca/rebels-helewka-named-whl-player-of-the-week. Jake DeBrusk, photo by Swift Current Broncos.com at swiftcurrentonline.com/debrusk-pederson-thriving-after-trade.

The Brandon Wheat Kings are the 2016 Ed Chenowyth Cup winners (their 3rd WHL title)…
brandon-wheat-kings_keystone-centre_2016-whl-champions_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Brandon Wheat Kings jersey illustration by sportslogos.net/Brandon_Wheat_Kings. View of Brandon skyline from nearby lake, photo by Travel Manitoba at flickr.com . Exterior shot of Keystone Centre in winter, photo by stadiumjourney.com. Interior shot of Keystone Centre, with Wheat Kings fans waving gold scarves, photo by keystonecentre.com. Wheat Kings players celebrating Championship Series OT win over Seattle [May 7 2016], photo by Tim Smith at winnipegsun.com.
Players…
Nolan Patrick, photo by Tim Smith at
brandonsun.com. John Quenneville, photo unattributed at alchetron.com/John-Quenneville. Tim McGauley, photo by Marissa Baeker, Getty Images via sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/whl-playoffs-mcgauleys-hat-trick-helps-wheat-kings-advance.
Jordan Papirny, photo by Greg Southam at edmontonjournal.com. Ivan Provorov, photo unattributed at hockeywilderness.com. Reid Duke, photo by Doug Westcott at eliteprospects.com. Jayce Hawryluk, photo unattributed at brandon-wheat-kings-online-store.myshopify.com/products/jayce-hawryluk-vintage-jersey. Wheat Kings celebrating in ice after a goal, photo by Brian Liesse at new.whl.ca/gallery/frozen-moments-brandon-wheat-kings-whl-champions [5/24]. Wheat Kings full-team title celebration photo, photo by Brian Liesse at new.whl.ca/gallery/frozen-moments-brandon-wheat-kings-whl-champions [24/24], via luberslounge.blogspot.com/2016/05/wheat-kings-claim-whl-title.





London Knights: Best OHL attendance in 2015-16 & 2nd-best at filling their arena in 2015-16 at 99.6 percent-capacity
And: the London Knights are the 2016 Robertson Cup champions (their 4th OHL title)…
london-knights_budweiser-gardens_r_.gif
Photo and illustration credits above – Jersey front illustrations by sportslogos.net/London Knights. Aerial view of London, ON in early autumn, photo by londontourism.ca via ctvnews.ca/canada. Aerial view of downtown London, ON, photo unattributed at ca.hotels.com. Rppftop view of Budweiser Gardens, photo by Craig Glover/London Free Press/QMI Agency via sunmediaphotos.photoshelter.com. Exterior shot of main entrance to Budweiser Gardens, photo unattributed at londonmoms.ca. Logos from sportslogos.net/London Knights. Team lined up on ice for national anthem in front of another full house at the JLC (aka Budweiser Gardens), photo by London Knights at londonknights.com/team-history.
Players…
Mitchell Marner, photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images via mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/12/06/mitch-marners-second-consecutive-hat-trick. Christian Dvorak, photo by London Free Press via londonknights.com. Matthew Tkachuk, photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. Tyler Parsons, photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images via zimbio.com. Knights players celebrating after sweeping Niagara in finals, photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images via blackburnnews.com/knights-sweep-ice-dogs-claim-ohl-championship.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies:
Best at filling their arena in the QMJHL in 2015-16, at 100.5 percent-capacity.
And: the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are the 2016 President’s Cup winners (their first QMJHL title)…
rouyn-noranda-huskies_arena-iamgold_2016-qmjhl-champions_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies jersey, illustration by sportslogos.net/Rouyn-Noranda. Huskies Aerial shot of Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Point du Jour Avaiation, here via gigi461.canalblog.com. Shot of Northern Lights above Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Charles Schiele Photography at coolnaturephotos.com/aurora-borealis-at-rouyn-noranda-qc-canada-by-charles-schiele-photography. Shot of interior of Aréna Iamgold, photo by François Fortin at stationnation.blogspot.com.
Standout Huskies players in 2016 QMJHL playoffs…
Timo Meier, photo unattributed, here, at sportsnet.ca. Francis Perron, after scoring in 2nd game of 2016 Presidents Cup finals (4-1 to Huskies), photo by Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at huskies.qc.ca/article/24-h-plus-tard-victoire-des-huskies. Chase Marchand, photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images via sportsnet.ca. Anthony-John Greer, after scoring in 2nd game of 2016 Presidents Cup finals (4-1 to Huskies), photo by Jean-François Vachon/TC Media via lafrontiere.ca/sports/hockey/2016/5/7/huskies-shawinigan. Jean-Christophe-Beaudin, photo by Agencie QMI via bsndenver.com/nhl-draft-prospect-profile-jean-christophe-beaudin. Title celebration photo, by Vincent Éthier/QMJHL Media at theqmjhl.ca/2016-president-cup-huskies-win-first-ever-president-cup-title.
___
-Thanks to the contributors at Western Hockey League;
Ontario Hockey League;
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).

Thanks to the fine site known as Elite Prospects.com (Hockey Prospects), for player info…eliteprospects.com.

May 6, 2016

Leicester City FC – the unlikely champions of England in 2016: chart of Best Eleven/primary squad (the 11 primary starters + 4 other player-options (15 players profiled/with 2015-16 league stats & international stats/ plus, manager Claudio Ranieri, with his CV).

Filed under: 2015-16 English football — admin @ 2:07 pm

By Bill Turianski on 6 May 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

    Leicester City FC – the unlikely champions of England in 2016 (at 5000-to-1 odds)…

Question: where is Leicester? Answer: As you can see in the small map below, Leicester is near the centre of England – in Leicestershire – which is in the East Midlands. Leicester is 144 km (89 mi) NW of London, by road. Leicester’s nearest major city is Nottingham (which is also in the East Midlands)…Leicester is 44 km (27 mi) S of Nottingham, by road. Also, Leicester is nearby another major city – Birmingham (which is in the West Midlands)… Leicester is 53 km (33 mi) ENE of Birmingham, by road. {Source: distancefromto.net.} There is something which makes Leicester stand out from other British cities..”This is the first city in the United Kingdom with less than 50 percent of the population identifying as “white British”…” {quote from We’ve Come to Win the League, by Wright Thompson at espn.go.com}.

With about 755,000 people residing in Greater Leicester, Leicester is the 16th-largest metropolitan-area in the United Kingdom, and the 12th-largest metro-area in England. {Source/2011 figures: List of metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom (en.wikipedia.org).}
leicester-city_2015-16-english-champions_king-power-stadium_location-map-for-leicester_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Aerial view of King Power Stadium (home of Leicester City FC), with the city of Leicester in the background, photo by Plumb Images via gettyimages.in. Leicester City 2015/16 home jersey, photo by blsec.com. Aerial view of Leicester city centre, photo by AeroEngland.co.uk at aeroengland.co.uk/leicester. Blank map of the UK [segment], by Daniel Dalet at d-maps.com/[UK]. Shot of Eden Hazard scoring goal against Tottenham (which evened up the score 2-2 and thus clinched the title for Leicester City), photo by Reuters via dailymail.co.uk. Shot of Leicester City fans who were watching, in a pub, celebrating their club’s title-win, photo by Eddie Keough/Reuters via nytimes.com. The Leicester City Premier League winners bus parade (16 May 2016), photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Title-winners LCFC banner, photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. Bus with Ranieri and squad at victory parade, photo by Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images via fansided.com/2016/05/16/enormous-turnout-leicester-city-team-parade.





-From 2 May 2016, from the New York Times, by Sam Borden, The Remarkable Rise of Leicester City – A year after narrowly avoiding relegation, the Foxes beat 5,000-to-1 odds to win the Premier League title (nytimes.com/sports/soccer).

-From 29 April 2016, from Guardian/football, by Paolo Bandini, Claudio Ranieri: a gentle and principled man on the verge of immortality (theguardian.com/football).

-From 2 May 2016, from Guardian/football-blog, by Barney Ronay, The Leicester Supremacy – a triumph that was never supposed to happen
Champions have vaulted an impassable gulf of finance and privilege in modern‑day Big Football to re‑energise the most inspiring sporting principle of open competition (theguardian.com/football/blog).

-From 4 May 2016, from Sky Sports, by Nick Wright, Leicester’s N’Golo Kante the signing of the season after stellar campaign (skysports.com/football).

-Recommended (cool animation + informative)…From ESPN, with illustrations by Martin Laksman • Animation by Rich Hinchcliff, Leicester’s heroes [animated article profiling Leicester players] (espn.go.com).

    Leicester City FC – the unlikely 2015-16 English champions: chart of primary squad (Best Eleven)
    (11 primary starters + 4 other player-options (15 players profiled/with 2015-16 Premier League stats & international stats/ plus, manager Claudio Ranieri, with his CV)…

leicester-city_squad-chart_2015-16-champions-of-england_claudio-ranieri_jaimie-vardy_riyad-mahrez_n-golo-kante_k_.gif"

Photo and Image credits above -
Leicester players (Okazaki, Mahrez, Drinkwater) celebrate Wes Morgan’s goal versus Southampton at King Power Stadium [1-0 final score, on 3 April 2016], photo by Reuters via dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3522008/Wes-Morgan-admits-quite-ill-just-day-scoring-against-Southampton-boost-Leicester-City-s-title-chances.
Manager, Claudio Ranieri, photo of Ranieri discussing tactics with Morgan, Okazaki, and Vardy during game-break [22 Aug. 2015 vs Spurs], photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Squad listening to Ranieri on touch line, photo by AP via screamer.deadspin.com/leicester-city-cant-really-be-this-good-can-they.
LCFC stats leaders, Vardy, photo by Action Photos via dailymail.co.uk. Mahrez, photo by PA via dailymail.co.uk. Kanté, photo unattributed at sportsmole.co.uk.
Leicester City 2015/16 home jersey, photo by blsec.com.
Player photos,
Goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel (GK), photo is a Getty Images photo unattributed at tarringa.net, here, 1.pictures.zimbio.com.
Defenders,
Danny Simpson (RB), photo unattributed at skysports.com/football/leicester-vs-man-city, here. Wes Morgan (CB), photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Robert Huth (CB), photo unattributed at squaka.com. Christian Fuchs (LB/LMF), photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Midfielders/Wingers…
Riyad Mahrez (RW/LW/AMF), photo by Rex Features via telegraph.co.uk/sport. Danny Drinkwater (CMF/RMF/DMF), photo unattributed at givemesport.com, here. N’Golo Kanté (CMF/DMF), photo unattributed at skysports.com.
Marc Albrighton (MF/MF/CMF), photo by leicestermercury.co.uk.
Forwards…
Shinji Okazaki (FW/LW/RW), photo by Plumb Images via gettyimages.ie. Jamie Vardy (FW/LW/RW), photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Other player-options…
Nathan Dyer (RW/LW), photo by Getty Images via sportsmole.co.uk. Andy King (CMF/AMF/DMF), photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Leonardo Ulloa (CF), photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Jeffrey Schlupp (LB/LMF/LW), photo by Ross Kinniard/Getty Images at gettyimages.co.uk.

___
Thanks to all contributors at the following sites…
-Wikipedia page of Leicester City FC… Leicester City F.C. (en.wikipedia.org).
-Squad…LEICESTER CITY 2015-16/SQUAD (soccerway.com).
-Squad, with stats, incl. assists… Leicester, Squad [2015-16] (whoscored.com).
-Squad, with stats, incl. player-positions & market value… transfermarkt.com/leicester-city (transfermarkt.com).
Sites where I found stats which I used on the chart,
Interceptions: statspack.squawka.com [2015-16 PL]; whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/England-Premier-League.
Tackles: skysports.com/football/news/11712/10266844/leicesters-ngolo-kante-the-signing-of-the-season-after-stellar-campaign.
Assists, appearances: whoscored.com [2015-16 PL].
Nationalities: transfermarkt.com/premier-league.

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