Czech 1.liga champions 'HC Slovan Ústí or 'Ústí Nad Labem' or just plain old 'Ústí' or whatever the hell they are officially named have been given the chance to take part in next seasons Extraliga competition, increasing the number of teams taking part to fifteen. Two seasons ago after the regular season had finished finished Ústí who were the 1.liga champions played off against Vsetín for the right to play in the Extraliga the following year. Thanks to super ugly Sasu Hovi their Finnish goalie Vsetín won the play-down series and retained their all important life saving Extraliga status. After that and probably much to Ústí's horror the Extraligas governors decided to do away with the promotion and relegation ruling leaving an arguably superior Ústí squad stuck in the first division.... Fast forward a complete season and things have changed once again. Ústí have been given a slot in the top league along side Vsetín and the others. The plan just now (It will probably change) is for the league to run with fifteen teams until the 2008/09 season when it will return to a fourteen team competition. The bottom two Extraliga squads will enter into a relegation playoff mini tournament with whatever team is the 1.liga champions. The winning club will be in the Extraliga for the following year.
I think this new rule will put the long term future of Vsetín in some serious doubt. The small Moravian club has recently struggled to gain any serious sponsorship and as a result has seen them languish year after year at the foot of the table. It has also been responsible for the team losing the vast majority of its better players who have left to play their hockey for stronger rival squads that can pay them much better. Ústí seem to have money to spend and a decent fan base to call apon that could go along way to helping them become a main stay in the top division. (exactly what the league wants) In that case Vsetín must find a willing sponsor to help them out. They can then search for and capture the right players at the right price to get the job done. Their highly talented youth set up will bring few a through players but another Sasu Hovi who they plucked from the obscure world of SM-Liiga backup goalies would go along way to helping the club move up the table and to future safety. If not and the team are relegated from the Extraliga and as friend from Vsetin once told me hockey could disappear altogether from the town. Their amazing fans deserve so much better....
So similar to the Caps situation eh??
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