HWP1997
Registered User
- Nov 2, 2016
- 30
- 15
I'm pleasantly surprised to see this conversation wasn't derailed by Whalers fans.
Wolf Pack staying in Hartford!
- Thread starter Hartford Hockey
- Start date
Centrum Hockey
Registered User
- Aug 2, 2018
- 2,092
- 728
https://nypost.com/2018/10/04/msg-moving-ahead-with-plans-to-spin-off-the-knicks-and-rangers/
maybe they will sell the wolfpack to Another Team or local owner Dolan has let hockey ops/spectrum handle the wolf pack
maybe they will sell the wolfpack to Another Team or local owner Dolan has let hockey ops/spectrum handle the wolf pack
210
Registered User
nope, multiple arenas and teams have used Spectra either to build them or manage them..... it won't happen anyway since Spectra also owns and operates Portland as they have done for years independent of the arena contract, some have forgotten it was Spectra who built Cross to begin with
Centrum Hockey
Registered User
- Aug 2, 2018
- 2,092
- 728
Wolf Pack Watch: Lack of Offense Harms Pack, Slump Continues - FOREVER BLUESHIRTS
Hartford is using the first of their 3 one year extension's
Hartford is using the first of their 3 one year extension's
MSG IS, Centrum, not Hartford.... still in question and this comes directly from the Rangers board, and their insiders which has not been decided and brought up from time to time here as well is what is the future of the XL Center as it presently stands as compared to similar markets which have been renovated or replaced various amentities
Centrum Hockey
Registered User
- Aug 2, 2018
- 2,092
- 728
The long term future of the building has nothing to do with the Wolfpack committing for 20-21.
yes it does, Centrum.... it always has been a contention/concern before the relocation of the Whalers to Carolina and then the bid for MSG to buy the arena outright, not just the Pack
Tommy Hawk
Registered User
- May 27, 2006
- 4,223
- 104
soundtigersfan
Registered User
I'm glad to see them staying, but there are much larger issues with minor league hockey interest in Connecticut as a whole that threaten their long-term viability. My perception as a lifelong resident of the state who has lived in Fairfield, Middlesex and now Hartford Counties is that neither the Sound Tigers nor the Wolf Pack have the same level of interest and visibility in the community that they once enjoyed. Interest in college hockey continues to grow with several excellent programs throughout the state (Yale, Quinnipiac and UCONN among them), and most of that growth seems to be coming from cannibalization at the expense of the minor pro teams and their respective fanbases. I don't think there are any quick fixes to help either team. It's easy to blame it on marketing, but I think it's a much bigger issue. Hockey continues to remain very popular as a sport, but the minor pro teams seem to have declining interest and attendance.
Centrum Hockey
Registered User
- Aug 2, 2018
- 2,092
- 728
Hartford is almost certainly a AHL or nothing market there is no way anything below the AHL will ever work.
210
Registered User
That is unfortunately the case...many still think the NHL is returning at some point.
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
Are there many Islanders fans in the Bridgeport area? I always thought that was more Rangers country. Meanwhile, Hartford can hardly be considered Rangers country... so I wonder how much that has to do with it.
soundtigersfan
Registered User
I don't think that has much to do with it at all. My best guess is there are no more than 1,000 Islander fans in all of CT. Outside of the "Whalers or bust" crowd the state is mostly split between Ranger and Bruins fans based on geography.
You could make an argument that the parent clubs might potentially alienate some diehard fans of opposing teams (i.e. Ranger fans who won't root for an Islanders farm team in Fairfield and New Haven Counties or Bruins/Whalers fans that will never root for a Rangers farm team in the Greater Hartford Area), but the reality is that most people attending minor league hockey games do so because it's affordable and easily accessible. You don't have to drive hours to get to a game, pay $30+ for parking, and spend hundreds of dollars per ticket for some of the most inflated ticket prices in the NHL between Boston and New York. Instead, you can get in and out relatively easily and afford to take the family out to a game.
I think carving out more of a local identity for each team that acknowledges that it's a development league but doesn't tie the identities of the local teams as much to the parent club is a plus, but I'm not sure there are any easy solutions. College hockey is on the rise in the state, and that's a great thing. However, it's cannibalizing existing AHL fans for sure.
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
I don't think of this as a huge factor that will cause sudden problems, but what you were describing was a slow erosion. The Sound Tigers have been there for almost 20 years, the Wolf Pack for slightly longer. That slow erosion of enthusiasm could play a role.
Also, I don't see how it's possible to establish a local identity separate from the big club when the locale is filled with fans of the affiliation's rival. Isn't this essentially a similar problem that Abbotsford ran into, albeit with different economics?
the issue, which is gone permanently, at least in Bridgeport's case, and others throughout the region, is a committed ownership group, now both teams have connections regionally, Worcester and Portland, as compared to a few years ago, when the Rangers were in Greenville, there's more of a connection now, since Bridgeport essentially replaced New Haven.
if you subscribe to the XL Center newsletter, you may receive a survey about the future of the arena....
HWP1997
Registered User
- Nov 2, 2016
- 30
- 15
Indeed. And there is no way anything above the AHL will ever work.
Yeah and those who still believe the NHL/Failers are coming back are VERY delusional.
What's ironic (and hilarious) is Failers fans claim to "support" Hartford hockey and yet they're actively boycotting the Wolf Pack at the same time.
