Huntsville, AL Hockey

[HockeylessInHouston]

Strongly considering Huntsville for retirement in 2022 or 2023 (Can't get out of Houston too soon!).

I know there are two hockey teams in Huntsville, one college and one Single A pro. That's two more than we have in my city of over 7 million people. But what's the hockey culture like there? Amateur leagues & rinks, high school, booster clubs, etc. Just what will I do for sports in the winter when the Trash Pandas aren't playing?

Thanks in advance.

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[JMCx4]

I know from talking to a "hockey dad" in the area, the amateur scene is pretty strong & well organized. Not sure about high school hockey programs. The SPHL Havoc fanbase is relatively large & turns out for games; they also have an active booster club. The UAH DI team was suspended back in May, after their former WCHA conference reorganized without them. The college team's future does not look hopeful.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

I know from talking to a "hockey dad" in the area, the amateur scene is pretty strong & well organized. Not sure about high school hockey programs. The SPHL Havoc fanbase is relatively large & turns out for games; they also have an active booster club. The UAH DI team was suspended back in May, after their former WCHA conference reorganized without them. The college team's future does not look hopeful.

The youth hockey association there is: https://www.nahahockey.org/

I doubt the UAH program survives. The SPHL will be there for the foreseeable future, barring an economic downturn or Keith Jeffries deciding he's had enough.

 

[HockeylessInHouston]

An chance of an upgrade to the ECHL? Used to drive over to Beaumont to watch the Texas Wildcatters (or stay late when I was there on business) and thought the ECHL had decent bang for the buck. Not sure about the "Single A" SPHL.

 

[JMCx4]

An(y) chance of an upgrade to the ECHL? Used to drive over to Beaumont to watch the Texas Wildcatters (or stay late when I was there on business) and thought the ECHL had decent bang for the buck. Not sure about the "Single A" SPHL.

The SPHL cost model suits the current Havoc owner. The ECHL is a significantly more expensive segment of the business to be in, with less leverage & autonomy for an individual owner because there are a lot more teams in the E'. And if you're being choosy about the level of hockey available in a Southern U.S. city/town, perhaps you should retire in Houston & wait for that sure-fire NHL franchise to be awarded or moved there.

 

[HockeylessInHouston]

Well, Houston will never get an NHL franchise, the city's job in the NHL will be to be the city owners threaten to move to so they can get a new arena.

Tillman's out of money after buying the Rockets and COVID has trashed his restaurant business. The city isn't much bigger than Nashville in terms of potential hockey fans and is becoming increasingly poor with about 70% of city residents in the bottom third of national family income. Virtually no middle class anymore. The majority of the affluent live 20+ miles from downtown.

No real chance of getting an ECHL team, only very limited chances of an AHL relocation (Milwaukee some day?). So yes, I need to move if I'm going to be a season ticket holder ever again.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

Well, Houston will never get an NHL franchise, the city's job in the NHL will be to be the city owners threaten to move to so they can get a new arena.

Tillman's out of money after buying the Rockets and COVID has trashed his restaurant business. The city isn't much bigger than Nashville in terms of potential hockey fans and is becoming increasingly poor with about 70% of city residents in the bottom third of national family income. Virtually no middle class anymore. The majority of the affluent live 20+ miles from downtown.

No real chance of getting an ECHL team, only very limited chances of an AHL relocation (Milwaukee some day?). So yes, I need to move if I'm going to be a season ticket holder ever again.

I seriously doubt the AHL will ever return to Houston and even in a hypothetical world in which it did. Tillman is so clueless when it comes to the economic dynamic's of the sport that he might freak out at a lightly attended random game and declare Houston can not support hockey at any level.

 

[JMCx4]

... So yes, I need to move if I'm going to be a season ticket holder ever again.

Embrace the town, support the team, enjoy the hockey whatever the level. It's what hockey fans do. It's a curse.

 

[JMCx4]

First person accounts from visits in 2015 & 2019. Propst Arena falls short of current ECHL venue norms.

 

[royals119]

First person accounts from visits in 2015 & 2019. Propst Arena falls short of current ECHL venue norms.

No first hand knowledge here, I was just curious about the name of the arena and went to read more about it. Apparently it seats over 7000 and they seem to have a big enough fan base who are willing to support it. They average a little under 5000 a game, and lead the SPHL in attendance. That would be a top ten team in the ECHL. . From your pics it looks nicer than Wheeling and Adirondack, and on par with most of the other buildings I've been to. No center scoreboard is a negative, but a lot of buildings have upgraded those over the last few years as the technology is more affordable. I don't think that is a requirement yet for the ECHL, but certainly nice to have. I imagine they don't have the necessary video system the league requires now for internet streaming and video replay. Other that that, what else are they missing from the building? I'm pretty sure Binghamton is going to get an ECHL team in a year or two, and that building isn't as nice as Huntsville looks in your pics.

Certainly just a building isn't enough, you also need a committed owner who wants to move to the ECHL and will spend the money for an expansion team, which they clearly don't have.

 

[JMCx4]

[ETA: Strictly a fan's POV] Von Braun Center is reminiscent to me of the Peoria Civic Center with its Carver Arena: A convention & exposition facility that happens to have an arena inside/alongside that can host small-ish concerts & other entertainment & seated business gatherings. Propst would not measure up to their potential ECHL Southern Division rivals' arenas that I've visited: Germain Arena in Estero, FL (Hertz now IIRC); Amway Center in Orlando (though not a fair comparison to any other ECHL venue); whatever Jacksonville's arena is called these days; Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville; and the Gwinnett Center arena. And I'm not sure what if any ECHL locker room facility standards are, but I've been in far nicer high school ones than the Havoc dress in at home.

 

[HockeylessInHouston]

First person accounts from visits in 2015 & 2019. Propst Arena falls short of current ECHL venue norms.

Propst is a nicer venue than the one I went to in Beaumont, though the Beaumont arena (Ford Center) probably seats 1000 more.

 

[JMCx4]

Propst is a nicer venue than the one I went to in Beaumont, though the Beaumont arena (Ford Center) probably seats 1000 more.

The VBC entry lobby accessing Propst Arena is far more pleasing aesthetically than the arena seating space & concourses themselves. Interior photos of the Ford Arena (Beaumont) are reminiscent of the old Daly City, CA Cow Palace - ANOTHER place the ECHL should have never put a franchise. We're arguing "less bad thans" here, which minor pro hockey leagues do quite enough of WITHOUT help from their fans.

 

[Atlantian]

It’s not as complex as we’re making it. If the owner wanted to move up to the ECHL then the team could and would do fine. I would be surprised if Crelin hadn’t already contacted them about it seeing as he has a knack for expansion. The arena is an issue but it’s not by far the worst in the south. I’ve been to all South arenas and some defunct teams save for Norfolk and I’d put it, at least from the pictures, on the same level or a bit below SC and Greenville. It definitely was not built for hockey which is not uncommon in southern arenas from that time. Idk about the lockers but a locker room renovation isn’t extremely expensive in the grand scheme of things. So I think they would succeed in the ECHL but there is zero chance they move up unless the SPHL falls apart which currently seems unlikely.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

It’s not as complex as we’re making it. If the owner wanted to move up to the ECHL then the team could and would do fine. I would be surprised if Crelin hadn’t already contacted them about it seeing as he has a knack for expansion. The arena is an issue but it’s not by far the worst in the south. I’ve been to all South arenas and some defunct teams save for Norfolk and I’d put it, at least from the pictures, on the same level or a bit below SC and Greenville. It definitely was not built for hockey which is not uncommon in southern arenas from that time. Idk about the lockers but a locker room renovation isn’t extremely expensive in the grand scheme of things. So I think they would succeed in the ECHL but there is zero chance they move up unless the SPHL falls apart which currently seems unlikely.

No way. SC and Greenville are way nicer. The VBC is more like Augusta or Macon.

 

[SemireliableSource]

I wonder how the crowds would be if they got rid of the GA tickets for secured seats. I have spoken to people up there who like the GA prices but get there early because they prefer their usual seats. At the same time, there are people who just want to sit in the cheap seats and drink beer.

I wouldn't put the VBC anywhere near Macon. I went on a road trip with my now-wife back when I worked for the Ice Flyers. Macon was/is bare-bones while Huntsville has recently renovated video/ribbon boards, a brand new audio system (at the time in 2017). There's a suite that I'm sure is open now but they found random unused space behind a wall they were turning into a suite. They have high-top tables along the glass with servers to bring you food and drinks during the game. It would be far from the best arena in the Coast but it is lightyears ahead of Macon. The biggest issue I can think of is the press box. I wish I had taken a picture. I'm 6' 4" so I'm used to dealing with tight spaces but there are giant beams about all the way from front to back of the press boxes about four feet off the floor. It's because they had to retrofit the existing structure into an arena and then were like, "wait ... what about a press box?"

I doubt Huntsville goes to the Coast because of the added cost but what you don't have to worry about is the fan experience. Keith doesn't skimp there (at least with the old staff. I no longer know anyone in their office but he's never cheaped out on fan experience before).