Monarchs are ceasing operations

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I don't think you grasp much of this at all.

The WHL claims a territory in the United States from Minnesota all the way south and all the way west... but they're never going to put a franchise in Omaha. The territory that is addressed is in regards to PLAYER eligibility. Players residing in Ontario (and points south) who choose to play Major Junior play in the Ontario league, players in the West play in the WHL, players in New England and parts of the East Coast play in Quebec.

There's another territorial issue... the teams in the WHL US Division aren't far from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, the previous incarnation of the Edmonton Oil Kings moved to Portland in 1977 or so, and- present day- a nice cozy 5-team US Division nestles in rather close to British Columbia. There used to be a team in Billings, Montana, but that didn't last long (that might have been a bit south of the travel tolerance level for Alberta and Saskatchewan teams in the league). New England is most certainly close enough to current Quebec League teams to make something viable. With the right ownership, some city like Manchester could conceivably make a go of it... provided potential fans get over college and pro biases and embrace the game. That last sentence is, of course, a tricky issue... but when you're in this Portland, you can talk about having watched Marian Hossa and Cam Neely and the like who played in Portland and went almost straight to the big show.

I get that, PCS, but it's not happening here, it's been tried and it gets into governmental oversight, which is another issue, hence the reference to H2B1 , WHO thought hockey players would have to apply for tourist status to play each year....hence the more logical solution to go NAHL, if you can't go pro, or if the ECHL deems it unlikely, right now there's no committed owner or corporate partner, as Spectra is in Portland, or as Deacon was for Newfoundland....

Courteau isn't to be trusted, whether it's publically or privately, no matter what the Q's position to the press is in regards to New England, they abandoned the region by their actions 8 years ago, but did nothing to ensure their viability to any future markets, including Manchester...... I foresee the same issues affecting them as happened in Lewiston, if they elect to pursue that, imagine if the Q had tried /attempted doing that the last 19 years in Manchester.

 

[wildcat48]

 

[BruinsFan37]

This thread should be locked. Hockey is dead in Manchester for the time being and a discussion about the Q expanding into New England doesn't really belong here.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

THE Monarchs Booster Club remains, though, and yes, it's still part of the AHLBCC, but it was the last scheduled meeting.... the article points out, though members, just as this thread is split since the abrupt ending of the franchise..... some still want the AHL to return there( not as realistic a chance), as to if the city is serious about entertaining the option or trying to entice Atlanta to relocate from Gwinnett/ Cobb County, with a new video board at the SNHU ONE OF THOSE perks..... of course, the hope of getting Boston to affiliate in Manchester,EVEN WHEN the Monarchs WERE searching for an owner, so at this point, this thread might as well fade into history as the team did

 

[210]

There is nothing more meaningless than a group being a member of the AAHLBC. All it takes is a person paying the dues. The Worcester Sharks Booster Club, which absolutely does not exist in any form, is still a member because one person from the group decided to keep paying the dues. The list of AAHLBC members is a Who's Who of defunct AHL franchises.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

There is nothing more meaningless than a group being a member of the AAHLBC. All it takes is a person paying the dues. The Worcester Sharks Booster Club, which absolutely does not exist in any form, is still a member because one person from the group decided to keep paying the dues. The list of AAHLBC members is a Who's Who of defunct AHL franchises.

Anything written in Cantlon's Corner is more meaningful than AHLBCC.

 

[Cacciaguida]

Cheer up Manchester. Maybe when Quebec gets a team maybe they will take pity on you.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

Cheer up Manchester. Maybe when Quebec gets a team maybe they will take pity on you.

The possible Quebec City NHL ownership group has wanted trois rivieres as a ahl site for a long time. The most likely future for Manchester is a bruins echl affiliate with local ownership that cares.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

The possible Quebec City NHL ownership group has wanted trois rivieres as a ahl site for a long time. The most likely future for Manchester is a bruins echl affiliate with local ownership that cares.

Trois Rivieres may be gone if Montreal wants that market, Centrum, because it fits into Laval.

 

[BruinsFan37]

 

[Cacciaguida]

I could definitely see Quebec move a club or two into New England just to they could grow their outreach outside of Quebec. Grabbing Manchester for AHL and Vermont as ECHL or something. Taking the markets the Bruins leave open.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

I could definitely see Quebec move a club or two into New England just to they could grow their outreach outside of Quebec. Grabbing Manchester for AHL and Vermont as ECHL or something. Taking the markets the Bruins leave open.

1. NHL is not going to Québec City. The NHL is done with expansion and relocation, baring an Atlanta v2.0 emergency, isn't heading there. Trois-Rivières is moving to take on Montréal's EC affiliate because they saw the writing on the wall after waiting the better part of two decades to take on a AHL team of QC. They have famously held themselves back and even they're now moving on. NHL to QC toadies should follow suit.
2. In the impossible scenario where the NHL does return to Québec City, there are multiple far better markets than Manchester.
3. Vermont to the ECHL? The biggest city is Burlington at 40k, and that's college hockey territory. The next biggest town is 20,000 and there's no arena anywhere else in the state that's even close.

Hockey isn't going back to Manchester in the near future. The AHL will never return, ECHL isn't going to touch it with a ten-foot pole, and any information about a league below that going to Manchester is hearsay. The past few years have made potential ownership groups see it as a burned or poisoned market, however temporary.

 

[Cacciaguida]

1. NHL is not going to Québec City. The NHL is done with expansion and relocation, baring an Atlanta v2.0 emergency, isn't heading there. Trois-Rivières is moving to take on Montréal's EC affiliate because they saw the writing on the wall after waiting the better part of two decades to take on a AHL team of QC. They have famously held themselves back and even they're now moving on. NHL to QC toadies should follow suit.
2. In the impossible scenario where the NHL does return to Québec City, there are multiple far better markets than Manchester.
3. Vermont to the ECHL? The biggest city is Burlington at 40k, and that's college hockey territory. The next biggest town is 20,000 and there's no arena anywhere else in the state that's even close.

Hockey isn't going back to Manchester in the near future. The AHL will never return, ECHL isn't going to touch it with a ten-foot pole, and any information about a league below that going to Manchester is hearsay. The past few years have made potential ownership groups see it as a burned or poisoned market, however temporary.

1. Quebec's expansion bid wasn't turned down, it's in limbo. And the NHL always tells the public they not are expanding until they have expanded. I've heard it all, you would have said Winnipeg was never going to get a team a decade ago so pardon me for not paying attention to the skepticism. It's more fun this way.

2. If possible I'd like to hear them. I don't see many open spots in Quebec. Granby? Sorel-Tracy? Salaberry?

3. Vermont could only work in the ECHL, they'd have plenty of local rivals, could even recruit the old college players for marketability and there is no way the QMJHL is going there.
There's plenty of markets that share arenas with college basketball/hockey teams. Kalamazoo, Utica and larger market Milwaukee come to mind.
We are speaking about averaging 3000-4000 attendance which the Catamounts do easily. This would be for brand outreach, player development and potentially TV rights. There's still plenty of markets like Lowell and Fredericton who could easily support minor league hockey.
If I were the Bruins I'd go to Lowell before Manchester, but that's me.

 

[210]

UMass-Lowell has no interest in allowing pro hockey at the Tsongas Center.

 

[BruinsFan37]

UMass-Lowell told the Devils that they wouldn't be welcome there when their lease was up and the Devils were happy to oblige since they didn't want their farm team to be in the Bruins backyard anyway.

Minor league hockey is even deader in Lowell than it is in Manchester.

If only this thread was as dead....

 

[JMCx4]

... Minor league hockey is even deader in Lowell than it is in Manchester.

If only this thread was as dead....

I think that's gonna take the OP to request a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order from the moderator staff. It's somewhere in the Forum rules.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

1. Quebec's expansion bid wasn't turned down, it's in limbo. And the NHL always tells the public they not are expanding until they have expanded. I've heard it all, you would have said Winnipeg was never going to get a team a decade ago so pardon me for not paying attention to the skepticism. It's more fun this way.

2. If possible I'd like to hear them. I don't see many open spots in Quebec. Granby? Sorel-Tracy? Salaberry?

3. Vermont could only work in the ECHL, they'd have plenty of local rivals, could even recruit the old college players for marketability and there is no way the QMJHL is going there.
There's plenty of markets that share arenas with college basketball/hockey teams. Kalamazoo, Utica and larger market Milwaukee come to mind.
We are speaking about averaging 3000-4000 attendance which the Catamounts do easily. This would be for brand outreach, player development and potentially TV rights. There's still plenty of markets like Lowell and Fredericton who could easily support minor league hockey.
If I were the Bruins I'd go to Lowell before Manchester, but that's me.

The NHL announced it was no longer accepting bids, and that QC's original deferred bid was rejected. It ends there, there's plenty of news detailing this. In the impossible scenario QC were to get a team, Trois-Rivières was above and away the number one. Everywhere else would require kicking out a Q team or doesn't have a big enough population to support a Q team let alone an AHL team. Salaberry is closer to Ottawa than it is QC, has a mere 40,000 people and is in prime time Canadiens country. They wouldn't even be considered.

Vermont is not a minor pro hockey market. There isn't interest in non-Catamounts hockey. Kalamazoo shares a market with Western Michigan, but not arenas. Its population is also 350k vs 40k. Utica shares facilities with a D3 team, and has a long history of pro hockey which Vermont doesn't have. Lowell is not minor league territory either, it's just a really good college hockey market. There's a massive difference, learn it. It's why no one minor league team has set up shop within 30 miles of Boston. It's why there's no minor pro hockey in Minnesota and none in the Dakotas, etc. This thread needs to be put out of its misery.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

I think that's gonna take the OP to request a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order from the moderator staff. It's somewhere in the Forum rules.

Indeed. We can't watch every single thread, so please report it when it seems like it's time to move on, as was the case here.