Liga Mexicana Elite
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| Current season | Liga Mexicana Elite 2011/12 |
| sport | ice Hockey |
| abbreviation | LME |
| Association | Mexican Ice Hockey Federation |
| League foundation | 2010 |
| Teams | 4th |
| Country countries |
 Mexico
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| Title holder | Teotihuacan Priests |
The Liga Mexicana Élite ( LME ) is a semi-professional Mexican ice hockey league that was founded in 2010 . Organized by the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation, the league is the highest Mexican league in ice hockey.
history
The Liga Mexicana Élite was founded by the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation with the aim of promoting young players and professionalizing ice hockey in Mexico. It also helps the players of the Mexican national ice hockey team to prepare for their annual World Cup participation. Since there was previously no comparable ice hockey league in Mexico, an entry draft was held in preparation for the season, in which the four teams in the league were allowed to divide the 70 best players in the country among themselves in order to create a relative balance of team strengths. Before the draft, each of these players was rated and classified into one of three categories (top players, good players with less game practice, and junior players). The order of the draft was drawn by lot, so that the first right to vote fell to the totems, followed by the Eagle Warriors, Astronomers and finally Priests. Each team was finally allowed to sign 17 field players and two goalkeepers.
The number of participants in the league is to be gradually increased to up to twelve teams within the first five years of its existence. Starting with the second season of the league, it will also be opened to players from other countries and it is expected that Canadian and US ice hockey players in particular will use this opportunity.
marketing
When marketing the league, the Mexican ice hockey association relies on a mixture of tradition and internationality. The team names of the four teams each contain terms from the time before the conquest of Mexico by Spain, but the names are also in English for better international marketing in North America. In order to focus on the sport as such and to ensure fair games, a zero-tolerance strategy was announced before the start of the season, which is intended to prevent over-hard play from the outset.
All matches of the Liga Mexicana Élite are broadcast live on Mexican television by the sports channel TVC Deportes.
In the future, the league would like to intensify its cooperation with large professional football clubs and win them over as partners for individual clubs. With this step, the Mexican ice hockey association wants to secure the financing of the league as well as expand the independence from the national sports association. Interested parties include CF Monterrey and UNAM Pumas . The Mexican ice hockey association FC Barcelona , whose ice hockey department of the same name successfully participates in the Spanish super league and international competitions, serves as a model .
2010/11 season
The regular season began on October 2, 2010 and ended on February 19, 2011. The games will only be played in the ice rinks La Pista San Jeronimo and La Pista Lomas Verdes , as all four founding members of the LME come from the capital, Mexico City . The games always take place on Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. The first game of the LME took place between the Mayan Astronomers and the Zapotecs Totems (6: 1), the first goal scorer in the league was the Mexican international striker Adrián Cervantes from the Mayan Astronomers. The Mayan Astronomers and the Teotihuacan Priests qualified for the finals, which took place between July 1st and 3rd, 2011 . The Teotihuacan Priests prevailed in the best-of-three series with 2-1 wins against the Mayan Astronomers and became the first champions of the Mexicana Elite League.
mode
The regular season includes twelve game days. The winner of the regular season automatically qualifies for the final, while the teams in second and third have to compete in best-of-three mode for the final. The final itself will also be played in best-of-three mode.
Attendees
Web links
- The league on the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation website
Individual evidence
- ↑ deportesaqui.com, page no longer available , search in web archives: Presentan Liga Mexicana de Hockey sobre Hielo
- ↑ todomenossoccer.com, page no longer available , search in web archives: Inicia la Liga Mexicana Elite
- ↑ record.com.mx, page no longer available , search in web archives: Próximo sábado, inauguración de la Liga Mexicana de Hockey sobre Hielo
- ^ Mexican hockey goes semi-pro. In: iihf.com. September 3, 2010, accessed May 30, 2017 .
- ↑ veracruzsports.com, Liga elite de hockey sobre hielo
- ↑ codeme.org.mx, page no longer available , search in web archives: Se fusionan futbol y hockey
- ↑ codememx.org, page no longer available , search in web archives: Inició actividades LME de hockey
- ↑ terra.com, page no longer available , search in web archives: Terra transmite final de Liga Mexicana Elite de Hockey
- ↑ eurohockey.com, Teotihuacan Priest Liga Mexicana de Elite champion