Pro hockey in Kentucky

[Neill99]

Why can't people in Kentucky support minor pro hockey and minor league baseball works?.I was a big fan of the Kentucky Thoroughblades and the Lexington Men O' War.

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[LadyStanley]

Those were AHL teams IIRC.

Not ECHL.

 

[Canucks21]

Those were AHL teams IIRC.

Not ECHL.

Lexington men o' war played in the ECHL

Your right about Kentucky Thoroughblades they were a AHL team

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Who wants to watch that when the Kentucky NBA Calipari's take up the winter months?

 

[Cacciaguida]

I'm surprized there's no SPHL team there.

 

[iconoclast22]

The Central league planned on placing a team in Louisville, but this was maybe the season before they merged with the ECHL. They were never officially granted a team and apparently for the time being, fell off the drawing board. I think pro hockey in Louisville again is not a matter of if but when.

 

[Nightsquad]

I remember the AHL team in Lexington, the Thoroughblades. They always drew actually pretty well, think they averaged 4000 to 5000 with many weekenights drawing huge. At that time they actually drew AHL record crowds on occasion to Freedom Hall. Also remember the Louisville Panthers, so the AHL at one point for couple seasons had a nice footprint in KY.

 

[EbencoyE]

Tough to get enough attention in a college town - especially ones with top basketball programs.

 

[SemireliableSource]

In Louisville, the issue right now is venue. Freedom Hall and the KFC Yum! Center are way to damn big. Broadbent has a hella wide floor and not great sight lines. There was a plan to redevelop Louisville Gardens and rumbling of the USHL looking to put a team there but that renovation plan is officially dead.

 

[HisIceness]

It kind of blows my mind that Louisville has never had an NBA team although IIRC there was an attempt to move the Rockets there circa 1999 when the Rockets owner was looking for a new arena, although that was likely just the owner using Louisville as a pawn to get what he wanted, and then a few years later it was one of the cities along with St. Louis, New Orleans, and Norfolk that the Hornets were eyeing. The proposed arena at that time would have been called the KFC Bucket Center and I believe would have been built with Hockey in mind. I don't think the U of L basketball team had plans to play there full-time but I could be wrong.

Now with regards to hockey, I do think an AHL/ECHL team could thrive in Louisville given the right owners and circumstances and perhaps an ECHL/SPHL team in Lexington but no matter what Basketball rules that state.

 

[GindyDraws]

In Louisville, the issue right now is venue. Freedom Hall and the KFC Yum! Center are way to damn big. Broadbent has a hella wide floor and not great sight lines. There was a plan to redevelop Louisville Gardens and rumbling of the USHL looking to put a team there but that renovation plan is officially dead.

Freedom Hall is outdated, and the University of Louisville has complete control over the KFC Yum! Center.

I do agree that the two largest cities in Kentucky, Lexington and Louisville, have issues since they are both college towns and focus on college basketball during the winter months. But I think it can work out, but you might have to deal with an oddball location like Owensboro.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Maybe they can get Mufassa Afr to own a team in Kentucky again and center the name around the legendary chain restaurant KFC.

 

[HisIceness]

Maybe it's just me but I don't really consider Louisville to be a "college town". I get that U of L athletics, especially the basketball program, are big there, but the city has more going for it than just being home to a major university. It kind of reminds me a little bit of Nashville, minus the NHL and NFL teams.

Now Lexington I can see the argument for being called a college town.

 

[Cacciaguida]

In Louisville, the issue right now is venue. Freedom Hall and the KFC Yum! Center are way to damn big. Broadbent has a hella wide floor and not great sight lines. There was a plan to redevelop Louisville Gardens and rumbling of the USHL looking to put a team there but that renovation plan is officially dead.

I love those old school ancient arenas.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

why Louisville failed hockey-wise

Maybe it's just me but I don't really consider Louisville to be a "college town". I get that U of L athletics, especially the basketball program, are big there, but the city has more going for it than just being home to a major university. It kind of reminds me a little bit of Nashville, minus the NHL and NFL teams.

Now Lexington I can see the argument for being called a college town.

NOT really, His:

Lexington had the backing of both San Jose and USA Hockey and Louisville's inherit "rivalry" w/ Lexington, had everything to do w/ 3 collapses by one family and almost caused a 4th collapse had they not been forced to cede Elmira and angered one NHL franchise in Florida.

which is why Lexington got a 2nd chance, Louisville has yet to recover from its 2 yr brief which is why the arena options are limited even if UL accedes dates to another times.