Update (5/10): Since this article’s publication, Steve Dangle has removed his original report, noting that he had received “several concerning reports that raised doubts about several of the facts contained in the report.”
Yesterday, I posted a video reporting on a new 3-on-3 hockey league in North America.
Today, I have received several concerning reports that raised doubts about several of the facts contained in the report and have decided to delete the report on all platforms.
— Steve “Dangle” Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) May 10, 2024
Original story: Some potentially major professional hockey news dropped on Thursday night.
According to Steve Dangle with an exclusive scoop, a brand new, fully 3-on-3 pro hockey league is coming to North America this fall. The league named Major League Hockey seeks to take advantage of the NHL’s 3-on-3 overtime format which has led to exciting finishes since first being adopted before the 2015-16 season.
Dangle revealed that the league will be made up of 16 teams with 14 players (12 skaters, 2 goalies) on each team. The 16 teams will be located in both Canada and the United States in the following regions:
- British Columbia
- Saskatchewan
- Quebec
- Ontario
- New York
- California
- Minnesota
- Arizona
- Missouri
- New England
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Florida
There’s no information yet on which exact cities will be getting teams or what buildings they’ll play at. Two of the regions will be getting two teams.
Dangle also states that the MLH, like the NHL, will have a salary cap. Each MLH team will be able to spend up to $30 million, meaning players across the league will make on average $2.1 million if all teams spend up to the cap. All 16 teams will be allowed to sign three “marquee players” with professional experience in North America, Europe, or Russia. The rest of the roster will be rounded out with players from the college hockey ranks in the US and Canada, major junior players from around the world, and “qualified” women’s players.
2018 Stanley Cup champion with the Washington Capitals, Devante Smith-Pelly, replied to Dangle’s tweet of the news with interest. DSP announced his retirement from pro hockey last year.
I’m back.
— Devante Smith-Pelly (@smithpelly23) May 10, 2024
Additionally, every single win a team gets will net them a bonus of $100,000 spread evenly among the coaches and players. The salary cap news alone means this league will be paying half a billion dollars worth of wages to its players and that does not include additional contracts for coaches, other team personnel, or these bonuses.
The mountain of capital required to fund that sort of operation leads to a further report from The Hockey News’ Jacob Stoller. Stoller says that he has heard that a “good chunk” of the venture funds is coming from Saudi Arabia. Bauer, one of the leading ice hockey equipment manufacturers, is also reportedly involved to some extent.
Allan Walsh, one of the most well-known agents for NHL players, also tweeted out that he has heard the “venture has significant financial backing.”
The Saudi government has placed its stake in many large sporting arenas over the past decade including major ventures into professional wrestling, soccer, and golf among others.
The league’s games will not be as long as your regular NHL contest. They’ll instead wrap up after just 24 minutes of play with one intermission separating two halves, raising questions about travel logistics and how exactly teams will sell tickets to such a short event.
