Future Markets Discussion

[My Cozen Dylan]

I'd like to hear from people on here where the next AHL or ECHL teams should go.

Are there any markets that had teams in the past that may work out? Richmond, maybe New Orleans?

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[Panic at the Back]

Issue for New Orleans is the rent at the Smoothie King Center. If they could play at Lakefront Arena (and I think they could), the rent is probably much lower.

I think Chattanooga could be a good spot for an ECHL team as well.

Heck, I'd love to see Huntsville in the ECHL - the Southern Hockey League just doesn't have it.

 

[Peter6625]

A Bruins affiliate in Worcester is a no brainer. The guy who owns the Providence Bruins, also own the New England Sports Center right down the street from Worcester in Marlborough, MA. Dress them in black and gold, throw a Bruins logo on them and they will pack the house.

 

[Panic at the Back]

A Bruins affiliate in Worcester is a no brainer. The guy who owns the Providence Bruins, also own the New England Sports Center right down the street from Worcester in Marlborough, MA. Dress them in black and gold, throw a Bruins logo on them and they will pack the house.

Yeah, that just makes sense.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

I'd like to hear from people on here where the next AHL or ECHL teams should go.

Are there any markets that had teams in the past that may work out? Richmond, maybe New Orleans?

The Richmond Coliseum has been falling apart for the last 20 years. But maybe it has one last run left in it...

A membership in New Orleans would run into serious travel cost issues if they didn't have the revenue to match. Additionally, the Pelicans will not allow a hockey team in the Smoothie King Center as long as they are there - it's in their lease. Lakefront Arena at UNO can't fit a rink.

Chattanooga has no suitable building and is thus a non-starter.

Huntsville is in the SPHL for the foreseeable future, because Keith Jeffries, their owner, is the puppeteer pulling Jim Combs' strings.

Worcester needs a few years to air out after the Sharks leave.

 

[JackJ]

Echl in Toronto (Ricoh Coliseum) - Leafs affiliate

Surprised it hasn't happened already given the lack of events scheduled when the marlies aren't playing.

 

[Panic at the Back]

The Richmond Coliseum has been falling apart for the last 20 years. But maybe it has one last run left in it...

A membership in New Orleans would run into serious travel cost issues if they didn't have the revenue to match. Additionally, the Pelicans will not allow a hockey team in the Smoothie King Center as long as they are there - it's in their lease. Lakefront Arena at UNO can't fit a rink.

Chattanooga has no suitable building and is thus a non-starter.

Huntsville is in the SPHL for the foreseeable future, because Keith Jeffries, their owner, is the puppeteer pulling Jim Combs' strings.

Worcester needs a few years to air out after the Sharks leave.

Yeah, NOLA would be hopeful.

Chatty - interesting. Seems that town is booming thanks to VW.

Huntsville - yeah, more hopeful than actual for me.


So where would you want to put teams?

 

[CrazyEddie20]

I really don't care, so long as the memberships are well-capitalized, are in a decent arena, and have competent management. I've worked for teams that were all of those things, and I've worked for teams that were none of those things.

It's pretty silly to speculate or fantasize about what cities are going to "get teams." The reality is that teams need an owner to pony up the money for the league membership, sign a lease, buy the gear, and market the team long before the team even thinks about stepping on the ice for the first time. If there's an owner talking in the media about buying a membership in a league, a city is probably going to end up with a team. If there's not, it's really just idle speculation.

I'd love to see lots of cities have minor league teams. I'd love to see teams across the country draw 5,000 a night. But without sufficient capital, without a good building, and without talented management, teams don't have a chance to do that.

 

[Disengage]

Echl in Toronto (Ricoh Coliseum) - Leafs affiliate

Surprised it hasn't happened already given the lack of events scheduled when the marlies aren't playing.

Yeah, no. Don't see that one happening. It would just cannibalize the Marlies' ticket sales.

 

[Panic at the Back]

I really don't care, so long as the memberships are well-capitalized, are in a decent arena, and have competent management. I've worked for teams that were all of those things, and I've worked for teams that were none of those things.

It's pretty silly to speculate or fantasize about what cities are going to "get teams." The reality is that teams need an owner to pony up the money for the league membership, sign a lease, buy the gear, and market the team long before the team even thinks about stepping on the ice for the first time. If there's an owner talking in the media about buying a membership in a league, a city is probably going to end up with a team. If there's not, it's really just idle speculation.

I'd love to see lots of cities have minor league teams. I'd love to see teams across the country draw 5,000 a night. But without sufficient capital, without a good building, and without talented management, teams don't have a chance to do that.

I understand what you are saying, same for me with soccer. I've worked in soccer for 20+ years, and it is the same story.

Setting aside all the necessary requirements, where do you think hockey "Could*" be successful. (* - having great ownership, great management, arena lease, etc).

I'll still with Chattanooga.

I'd still love to see Huntsville in the ECHL as opposed to SHL. When New Orleans had a team, I enjoyed the ECHL, not as much as NHL or AHL.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

I understand what you are saying, same for me with soccer. I've worked in soccer for 20+ years, and it is the same story.

Setting aside all the necessary requirements, where do you think hockey "Could*" be successful. (* - having great ownership, great management, arena lease, etc).

I'll still with Chattanooga.

I'd still love to see Huntsville in the ECHL as opposed to SHL. When New Orleans had a team, I enjoyed the ECHL, not as much as NHL or AHL.

Huntsville is a non-starter in the ECHL. The arena is complete dump, and you'd need to give the Huntsville hockey culture an enema to get Keith Jeffries out of there.

Any ownership group and arena manager with a suitable building in almost any market that work together to do things the right way could be successful. Naming cities is just a masturbatory exercise in wishful thinking.

 

[JungleJON]

I would wait until at least January to see if Vancouver is going to look out west for a new location for their AHL team, as well as Phoenix. Plus if the NHL admits both Quebec and Las Vegas into the league you will need to have two more AHL affiliates one in the East and one in the West.

So a lot can happen without even having to worry about new locations or rehashing old locations once again.

 

[Panic at the Back]

Huntsville is a non-starter in the ECHL. The arena is complete dump, and you'd need to give the Huntsville hockey culture an enema to get Keith Jeffries out of there.

Any ownership group and arena manager with a suitable building in almost any market that work together to do things the right way could be successful. Naming cities is just a masturbatory exercise in wishful thinking.

Be Crazy Eddie.



Sorry, it had to be done.

Okay, I give you all the money you need to form a team in the ECHL - you hire the management, the arena is ready to go. Everything is set - you just need to pick the city- what city do you pick?

 

[Woo Hockey]

A Bruins affiliate in Worcester is a no brainer. The guy who owns the Providence Bruins, also own the New England Sports Center right down the street from Worcester in Marlborough, MA. Dress them in black and gold, throw a Bruins logo on them and they will pack the house.

^

https://www.facebook.com/Save-Worcester-Hockey-1379287455716117

If anyone wants to keep up with this, I've started this with someone else on here.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Be Crazy Eddie.



Sorry, it had to be done.

Okay, I give you all the money you need to form a team in the ECHL - you hire the management, the arena is ready to go. Everything is set - you just need to pick the city- what city do you pick?

Knowing what I know about the business of hockey, I do the following:

I invite five different empty arenas in five different cities to give me lease offers.

After reviewing the offers, I meet with accounting and legal professionals to decide how to proceed.

The accounting and legal professionals tell me there's no way any of those offers, without free arena rent and 100% of the concession money, will break even, much less make money.

Since your money has been gifted to me without conditions attached in the facts you described, I thank you for your contribution to Crazy Eddie, Inc. and buy houses in Key West, Aspen, and Nantucket, all of which unlike a minor league hockey team will at minimum hold, if not appreciate, in value.

 

[Panic at the Back]

Knowing what I know about the business of hockey, I do the following:

I invite five different empty arenas in five different cities to give me lease offers.

After reviewing the offers, I meet with accounting and legal professionals to decide how to proceed.

The accounting and legal professionals tell me there's no way any of those offers, without free arena rent and 100% of the concession money, will break even, much less make money.

Since your money has been gifted to me without conditions attached in the facts you described, I thank you for your contribution to Crazy Eddie, Inc. and buy houses in Key West, Aspen, and Nantucket, all of which unlike a minor league hockey team will at minimum hold, if not appreciate, in value.

You only get the money if you take the ice with your new ECHL team.

You just won't play will you

 

[CrazyEddie20]

I really can't put my finger on a market where I'd even want to try.

There's an old joke among front office people.

Q: How do you end up with a million dollars in minor league hockey?

A: Start with 10 million.

 

[Panic at the Back]

I really can't put my finger on a market where I'd even want to try.

There's an old joke among front office people.

Q: How do you end up with a million dollars in minor league hockey?

A: Start with 10 million.

Same joke for soccer... that's why I enjoy hockey. The business wears you down.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Same joke for soccer... that's why I enjoy hockey. The business wears you down.

The next pro soccer team in North America to make money will be the first. MLS is a ponzi scheme and I'm not sure how the NASL and USL manage to stay alive, but that's not for this forum.

 

[Predarat]

The most obvious one, unless its already in the works is OKlahoma City to the ECHL.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I'll keep saying Peoria until it happens.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

Huntsville is a non-starter in the ECHL. The arena is complete dump, and you'd need to give the Huntsville hockey culture an enema to get Keith Jeffries out of there.

Any ownership group and arena manager with a suitable building in almost any market that work together to do things the right way could be successful. Naming cities is just a masturbatory exercise in wishful thinking.

Would you go as far as to say there is no such thing as a good/better hockey market (i.e. hockey is no more popular anywhere in the US than it is anywhere else) or that at least any market where there is a significant difference is already in the NHL?

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

Yeah, no. Don't see that one happening. It would just cannibalize the Marlies' ticket sales.

If the Leafs want a GTA ECHL affiliate, they would just affiliate with the Beast.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Would you go as far as to say there is no such thing as a good/better hockey market (i.e. hockey is no more popular anywhere in the US than it is anywhere else) or that at least any market where there is a significant difference is already in the NHL?

No. But that said, there's no "good hockey market" where, given the money, arena situation, and staff, I'd want to put a team at the current time.

I mean, hockey is pretty popular in Flint, Port Huron, and Muskegon; in Worcester, Omaha, and Oklahoma City, but there are pretty good reasons there aren't professional teams in those cities right now.

And for those of you who are going to tell me that there's an FHL team in Port Huron - stifle yourselves. The FHL isn't professional.

 

[Panic at the Back]

I'll keep saying Peoria until it happens.

That's how you play the game!