Global United Hockey plans to begin its inaugural season during the summer of 2012 with a six team USA Division. Each team will play 30 regular season contests. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams will compete in a single weekend tournament for the Global United Hockey Championship. The league anticipates that a six team Canadian Division will begin operations the following season. Then in 2014, Global United Hockey anticipates a European Division. This will allow the GUH to present a true Four-on-Four Ice Hockey World Championship in 2016.
Global United Hockey has taken a unique approach to ice hockey in order to emphasize the skill and grace associated with the game. The League will play its games similar to international ice hockey, however it will be played with five players instead of the traditional six. They will consist of 3 forwards and one defensemen and one goaltender. Furthermore, teams will be limited to twelve players. This will allow for two lines, one extra forward, three defensemen, and two goaltenders.
(It should be noted that throughout this plan, the GUH is referred to as four-onfour ice hockey, even though there are five players from each team on the ice. This is because the goaltender is commonly not included in the equation.) Global United Hockey has also made several unique adjustments to the playing rules. The result will be a faster more wide-open game with enhanced scoring chances. Those adjustments include playing without a center red line and far blue line icing.
These adjustments will certainly showcase the skill and speed associated with the game of ice hockey, but Global United Hockey has an even greater vision. The GUH is determined to be the first professionally operated sport league committed to the same fundamental principles guiding the modern Olympic movement. This alone may have a monumental impact on the future direction of all professional and collegiate sports programming.
Based on the “International “ potential of the League, national broadcasting agreements will be explored prior to the start of the first season. Global United Hockey will also create an up-close and personal weekly television show to highlight the unique cultures represented in the Global United Hockey.
Global United Hockey is positioned to have immediate and substantial growth in the areas of corporate sponsorship, advertising endorsements, live attendance, and licensing agreements. Global United Hockey offers the most innovative programming in sports today, while maintaining a position closely tied to cultural understanding and acceptance.
Norb Ecksl joined Slater Brothers Entertainment in 2009 as a Senior Sports Consultants and will serve as the League’s first Commissioner. He is a veteran of 35 years in sports management. He has a wide range of experience and has performed in every facet of sports and event management.
Ecksl is the President of Big League Sports Productions, a sports management and consultant firm based in Gilbert, Arizona. From 1997-2007, Ecksl, along with his long-time mentor, Dick G. King, operated BLSP and served various clients while also generating interest in new sports leagues and entertainment ventures.
For the last six years, BLSP has been involved in research and development of these new sports ventures, a 4-on-4 professional hockey league and the All World 6’4 Basketball League. He has developed and structured Pro Team Poker™ which allows players on two different teams to play, live, against each other for points. The team with the most points at the end of the match wins.
From 1995-2001 Ecksl was heavily involved in the growth of independent baseball as part of the founding group for the Big South League in 1995 and served as COO. He was also part of the founding group of the All American Association in 2001. He served as President of the A.A.A. for two years.
In 1994-95 Ecksl served with the Great Falls Americans of the American Frontier Hockey League as Vice President of Marketing. He developed the marketing program and helped carry out all operational facets of the Junior “A” team. He also lent his expertise to League sales, marketing and promotions for the Rocky Mountain based League. He also served as co-host for a weekly hockey show on KTGF-TV Channel 16, an NBC and FOX affiliate in Great Falls, Montana, in addition to leading the production team as Executive Producer.
From 1990 to 1994, Ecksl held executive management roles with the MiamiFreedom Soccer Club as Executive Vice President & General Manager in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) and the Miami Tribe Football Club as Assistant General Manager in the Professional Spring Football League (PSFL).
He served as Vice President of Marketing with the West Palm Beach Blaze of the Sunshine Hockey League. The inaugural season (1992-93) of the five-team league was led on the business side by Blaze management and operations through his direction with the culmination of a Standing Room Only crowd (the first of three) that packed the West Palm Beach Auditorium just halfway through the home schedule.
He served as Assistant General Manager of the National Baseball Congress in Wichita, Kansas in 1986 and 1987, one of the top summer collegiate tournaments and programs held in the United States, serving in scouting, marketing, operations and broadcasting capacities.
He served as President of the New York Slapshots, a minor hockey league franchise in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, for the 1985-86 season. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Director of Public Relations for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the St. Louis Arena for two years.
Before joining the Blues, he spent five years honing his skills in minor league baseball. In 1983 he served as Director of Operations and Communications for the inaugural Triple-A World Series in Louisville, Kentucky (the first professional baseball event ever televised on ESPN).
In 1982, he assumed the post of Assistant to the President of the American Association in Wichita after a stint with the Wichita Aeros, the Texas Rangers’ Class AAA farm club, in 1981, serving in PR, promotions and broadcasting capacities.
He was General Manager of the Macon Peaches, a first year franchise in the South Atlantic League (Class A) and served in front office roles with the Florida Baseball Company, owner of the Miami Amigos of the Inter-American League (Class AAA) and the Miami Orioles of the Florida State League (Class A). He also served as Public Relations Director of The Columbus Hotel and Mall in downtown Miami and was involved in coordinating events for the popular Orange Bowl Parade.
He started his baseball career in charge of public relations and promotions for the inaugural season of the Vancouver Canadians of the Pacific Coast League, the Class AAA affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
Prior to working in baseball, he served the Washington Diplomats of the North American Soccer League, the Washington Capitals of the NHL and the New York Nets of the original American Basketball Association in media relations capacities and worked in the New York Raiders’ press box during the inaugural season of the original World Hockey Association.
He served as PR Director for the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League in the 70s and was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference. Ecksl served in the last season of the Eastern Hockey League as a statistician and PR Associate.
