As though I need something else to write about, the world of minor hockey doesn’t get it’s due often enough. There is a lot of it out there, so I want to start doing a few quick hits.

• The Cincinnati Cyclones have updated their website. This has been a long time coming, as the return of the Cyclones was heralded by the same tired design as three years ago, when they suspended operations. The Clones need your help to keep playing. Prove that hockey belongs in Cincinnati, go to a game.
• The AHL preseason is underway. If you want to see where your team’s prospects are, and how they are doing, check out www.theahl.com for links to the various teams, and some recaps.
• If you need your local league’s stat fix, find it at Pointstreak. They run scores and stats for a lot of low minor leagues (plus lacrosse). Don’t miss this resource.
• It’s hard to get the latest news about your minor team. Here’s a tip: Go to google news, plug in your team’s name surrounded by quotes. Then you can watch an RSS feed from this page, and get whatever news comes down the pipe automatically in your RSS reader (Feedreader is what I use).
• Locally, the Battle of Colorado is getting geared up. I’m thinking of starting a blog (more like moderating) about the two teams involved, the Colorado Eagles, and the Rocky Mountain Rage (of the Central Hockey League). I would love to find two people who are fans of the two teams, and let them blog away, with me occasionally popping in. If there is any interest in this type of things, let me know in the comments or email.
• Remember, the rules of various leagues are a little different from the NHL (no touch icing being a huge one). The Central Hockey League has implemented a new one for the puck over the glass. Rather than a 2 minute penalty, it is now treated like icing in the NHL, where a team is not allowed to change players on the ice. This is something people have been talking about around the NHL. Here is your experiment. Look to the minors for innovation.

More will come as I keep this from being an “All Avs, All the Time” blog.

Technorati : AHL, CHL, Cincinnati, Cyclones, Eagles, Hockey, Rage