Quebec would have a team in the new Major Hockey League

Steve Dangle announced something big last night.

According to what he learned, a new hockey league will be created as early as next fall. It will feature 16 teams across Canada and the United States.

The name? Major League Hockey.

BREAKING NEWS!

A NEW pro hockey league is coming to North America! 3-on-3 Major League Hockey arrives THIS FALL! @Steve_Dangle has the details! pic.twitter.com/D1M2g9ci0x

– sdpn (@sdpnsports) May 10, 2024

Obviously, there are many questions surrounding this project. And in his several-minute video, Dangle took the time to lay the groundwork for what the new league will look like.

First, the league must be different from the NHL. There will be clubs of 12 skaters plus two goalkeepers, and three-on-three play will be the order of the day in 24-minute games, with one intermission.

Not everyone will like it, of course.

We’re talking about a league with a $30 million payroll, i.e. $480 million for 16 clubs and an average of over $2 million per player. Rumour has it that a good part of the money will come from Saudi Arabia.

I’m hearing that a good chunk of the venture capital is coming from…. Saudi Arabia.

Bauer is also apparently involved somehow.

As Steve reports, the league will have a $30M (!!!) salary cap. https://t.co/vu8IxqGQYw

– Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) May 10, 2024

I don’t have the feeling, at the moment, that it will be like the World Association of the 1970s, since MLH won’t play by the same rules as NHL hockey.

It doesn’t remind me of LIV versus the PGA either, since the hockey league won’t have the means to match its ambitions. Only three players with a pro background will be allowed on each team.

With the possibility of making millions of dollars, I can see teams in the new league signing NHL players who can’t make it in the Bettman circuit… but I don’t see a Bobby Hull situation on the horizon. Not in the short term, at least.

I can, however, see a player like Carter Hart taking a chance, if he’s ever accepted.

Not to go too far down the rabbit hole but another train of thought took me to some members of the 2018 Canadian world junior team.

– Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) May 10, 2024

The question at this point is where the teams will be located. And on that, Dangle talked about places that should have a team all over the continent.

He only named provinces and states, but here’s what he came up with:

Quebec
Ontario
British Columbia
Saskatchewan
New York
California
Arizona #Ironic
Minnesota
Missouri
New England
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Texas
Florida

He’s named 14 places and there will be 16 clubs. So some states/provinces will have two teams. Will it be in Quebec? I don’t know, but I’d put my money on New York and California.

To be seen.

I wonder if the club will be in Montreal or Quebec City, if we’re talking about big cities. If not, maybe it’s the kind of project that will go to Trois-Rivières or Sherbrooke, but I have my doubts.

Who will be the owner? Who will be the coach? Which players will agree to come and play? Which arena will host the games? Will there be interest? Will the club be profitable? These are the questions that arise.

Extension

Here are a few other things to note in connection with today’s news.

– Every win will raise $100,000 for the winning club. We’re not just talking about the players, which means that everyone will be looking to win games.

– Players will come from the NCAA, Canadian junior, Canadian universities or even Europe. There could be women joining the project to play alongside the men.