Andrews on SXM: 31st AHL team coming 2018-19

[LadyStanley]

Missed his segment live (and too busy to listen on demand -- so far), but sound bite in promos is that the league will be at 31 teams for 2018-19 season start.

Let the speculation begin.

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[My Cozen Dylan]

Sounds like the Colorado Eagles will affiliate with the Avs and San Antonio would then be available for St Louis.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Is there even on demand SXM? I'd like to hear it myself.

 

[Fenway]

Manchester, NH will make a big push as the ECHL is not really working there. Friends who supported the Monarchs said it was a thrill to see the Kings win 2 Cups because many of the players came through Manchester, but very few ECHL players make it to the NHL.

Portland, Maine is to risky and frankly the NBA D-League team has done a good job in attracting families and the market isn't that big.

St. John's could be a sleeper but I think they need Quebec to get a team to have any chance.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Manchester, NH will make a big push as the ECHL is not really working there. Friends who supported the Monarchs said it was a thrill to see the Kings win 2 Cups because many of the players came through Manchester, but very few ECHL players make it to the NHL.

Portland, Maine is to risky and frankly the NBA D-League team has done a good job in attracting families and the market isn't that big.

St. John's could be a sleeper but I think they need Quebec to get a team to have any chance.

Portland is confirmed, Fenway, as of 11 AM, Spectra bought the Alaska franchise, and the Flyers also run the business end of the Hartford franchise as well as XL, just as Spectra does CIA.....

Manchester will lose hockey then, likely for good, with that opinion if now Portland and Worcester are the new core for the ECHL in New England.

you're discounting what Comcast Spectacor has done in Portland, something they actually repeated in and around the demise of the Spectrum, with Lehigh Valley....

but it'll likely be the Eagles as team 31, but that's again, up to their ownership if they want to be promoted.... I agree w/ Ristoreilly, Portland is just now too expensive to be in the AHL based off how the Pirates ended up losing despite the renovations to CIA, AND THE LEASE dispute back in 2013. if the 450K loss taken by Cain is really accurate reporting, we'll never really know.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Time to stop recycling old markets but 31 teams will further add to the watering down.

 

[LadyStanley]

Is there even on demand SXM? I'd like to hear it myself.

Yes, if you have internet/cell-app and paid for the service.

(Sometimes they put segments like this on SoundCloud so all can listen.)

 

[CANADIENSFAN90]

the monarchs are not going to move

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Didn't you guys here the news? With Andrew increasing the franchise value so much, the league is expanding to 62 teams. Each NHL team will be required to affiliate with TWO AHL teams and the schedule will consist of only the two teams playing each other. The remaining 31 teams will then play in a tournament similar to the Final 4.

This way everyone posting on here about their cities getting a team will get one!!

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Didn't you guys here the news? With Andrew increasing the franchise value so much, the league is expanding to 62 teams. Each NHL team will be required to affiliate with TWO AHL teams and the schedule will consist of only the two teams playing each other. The remaining 31 teams will then play in a tournament similar to the Final 4.

This way everyone posting on here about their cities getting a team will get one!!

Lol but I thought when everyone gets one of something the system collapses because then the rich have to prop up the poor ones. Like what happened in the IHL2.0 where the Franke's were propping up like 90% of the league by the end.

 

[GindyDraws]

Didn't you guys here the news? With Andrew increasing the franchise value so much, the league is expanding to 62 teams. Each NHL team will be required to affiliate with TWO AHL teams and the schedule will consist of only the two teams playing each other. The remaining 31 teams will then play in a tournament similar to the Final 4.

This way everyone posting on here about their cities getting a team will get one!!

This already exists. It's called the American Basketball Association.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

This already exists. It's called the American Basketball Association.

I thought that dissolved into the NBA eons ago?

 

[Peter6625]

Make Manchester great again, bring back the AHL. The ECHL is unwatchable.

 

[210]

Make Manchester great again, bring back the AHL. The ECHL is unwatchable.

Don't hold your breath...

 

[GindyDraws]

I thought that dissolved into the NBA eons ago?

That was the iconic ABA.

The current ABA is this bizarre League where teams fold days before their first game & other teams must create zombie franchises to fill the schedule.

There are already over 400 dead franchises ranging from Maine to Singapore to Venezuela.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

That was the iconic ABA.

The current ABA is this bizarre League where teams fold days before their first game & other teams must create zombie franchises to fill the schedule.

There are already over 400 dead franchises ranging from Maine to Singapore to Venezuela.

Lol wow. That's one thing I love about minor leagues. They'll do any absurd idea and just when you think you've heard it all it can be topped!

 

[Fenway]

The Bruins relationship with Providence is 'strained'. They are livid over some off-ice moves the Providence Bruins ownership have made recently and Manchester is just as close to TD Garden as Providence is.

A Manchester Bruins team would average 7-8K a game rivaling Providence.

The only thing I know for certain is the Bruins no longer want to associate with Providence owner H. Larue Renfroe.

 

[210]

The Bruins relationship with Providence is 'strained'. They are livid over some off-ice moves the Providence Bruins ownership have made recently and Manchester is just as close to TD Garden as Providence is.

A Manchester Bruins team would average 7-8K a game rivaling Providence.

The only thing I know for certain is the Bruins no longer want to associate with Providence owner H. Larue Renfroe.

What were the "off-ice moves" they didn't like?

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

The Bruins relationship with Providence is 'strained'. They are livid over some off-ice moves the Providence Bruins ownership have made recently and Manchester is just as close to TD Garden as Providence is.

A Manchester Bruins team would average 7-8K a game rivaling Providence.

The only thing I know for certain is the Bruins no longer want to associate with Providence owner H. Larue Renfroe.

uh, too little, too late, Fenway, I'm not sure the Kings would've entertained that option even back then, they said they're not going anywhere even when they sold the ownership end.....

source, because frankly, Manchester stays right where it is, now, with Worcester and Portland aboard, now, I don't really see the Kings leaving because Ontario and some clause legally goes with that....

 

[Nightsquad]

I don't see the Boston-Providence affiliation coming to an end anytime soon. If it does, that would severely impact Providence's AHL success. Manchester's best AHL attendance like many others came in the "novelty" years when the product was fresh and relatively new to the market. I don't think the "fan base" has been overly impressive the last two seasons in the ECHL. Drop offs are expected initially but the fan loyalty to hockey overall has been very poor, even with a decent ECHL product with a roster of players the past two seasons who could play at the AHL level. I am sure even the Bruins AHL squad in other New England cities would do just as well as Manchester. Imagine the Bruins in Springfield, Worcester, Portland, Bridgeport, Burlington VT (if they had suitable arena) and heck even Lowell would sell out every night had the Bruins landed there. Anything can happen to our surprise of course but I would be shocked to see such a perfect relationship like Boston-Providence come to an end.....Providence reminds me of a little Boston, the arena in Providence feels like a Bruins affiliate, almost too perfectly. The Manchester fans like the Adirondack fans will stomp their feet, jump up and down crying foul declaring the ECHL is inferior rah rah rah and all that nonsense. The ECHL is a step below the AHL we get it, the roster poaching and turnover drives many crazy, myself included. If major cities, many who are major league in other sports can put sustainable attendance in their building's for an ECHL team then that reflects poorly on Podunk towns like Manchester or Glens Falls who refuse to support teams which cost multiple millions to operate in their respective towns... If an ECHL team is doing their best to give the fans an entertaining product to be proud of and the fans are not receptive then that suggests people are not interested.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I don't see the Boston-Providence affiliation coming to an end anytime soon. If it does, that would severely impact Providence's AHL success. Manchester's best AHL attendance like many others came in the "novelty" years when the product was fresh and relatively new to the market. I don't think the "fan base" has been overly impressive the last two seasons in the ECHL. Drop offs are expected initially but the fan loyalty to hockey overall has been very poor, even with a decent ECHL product with a roster of players the past two seasons who could play at the AHL level. I am sure even the Bruins AHL squad in other New England cities would do just as well as Manchester. Imagine the Bruins in Springfield, Worcester, Portland, Bridgeport, Burlington VT (if they had suitable arena) and heck even Lowell would sell out every night had the Bruins landed there. Anything can happen to our surprise of course but I would be shocked to see such a perfect relationship like Boston-Providence come to an end.....Providence reminds me of a little Boston, the arena in Providence feels like a Bruins affiliate, almost too perfectly. The Manchester fans like the Adirondack fans will stomp their feet, jump up and down crying foul declaring the ECHL is inferior rah rah rah and all that nonsense. The ECHL is a step below the AHL we get it, the roster poaching and turnover drives many crazy, myself included. If major cities, many who are major league in other sports can put sustainable attendance in their building's for an ECHL team then that reflects poorly on Podunk towns like Manchester or Glens Falls who refuse to support teams which cost multiple millions to operate in their respective towns... If an ECHL team is doing their best to give the fans an entertaining product to be proud of and the fans are not receptive then that suggests people are not interested.

uh, it failed in Portland, NS, look back to 1987-91, where exactly did you think Providence got their franchise from....PORTLAND

 

[go comets]

Sad fact is, cities like Manchester and Portland are lucky to have echl hockey instead of going completely dark. It's not the AHL, but support it or you will lose it....

 

[wildcat48]

The Bruins relationship with Providence is 'strained'. They are livid over some off-ice moves the Providence Bruins ownership have made recently and Manchester is just as close to TD Garden as Providence is.

A Manchester Bruins team would average 7-8K a game rivaling Providence.

The only thing I know for certain is the Bruins no longer want to associate with Providence owner H. Larue Renfroe.

Yeah... I don't foresee that happening. Manchester, Worcester & Portland's days in the AHL are numbered and its only a matter of time before Springfield & Hartford join that list. The AHL is leaving New England for various reasons that have been discussed previously. The league is moving into bigger markets or markets closer to the parent club and there is nothing that would suggest that Providence is any trouble financially.

 

[Nightsquad]

uh, it failed in Portland, NS, look back to 1987-91, where exactly did you think Providence got their franchise from....PORTLAND

How did it fail, attendance for those five seasons was around 4000 give or take. That's was actually pretty good by AHL standards for the day. Portland is a small city, the arena wasn't exactly a showcase of state of the art. W/O knowing the reasons behind the sale, the revenue from the gates or advertising, food sale revenue who are we to suggest a failure. Sometimes owners get too old, whereby nobody else wants to own a headache. Sometimes bigger cities (Providence) with well funded owners come along and purchase teams from owners in smaller markets. Sometimes markets get sacrificed or squeezed out like Manchester, Adirondack, Norfolk, or Peoria which otherwise could host a team at a higher level. Peoria was a prime example of losing their "franchise" through no fault of their own to a place like Utica NY. Peoria always drew much better then Utica even when they were in the ECHL. To suggest failure to me is a broad term, I am a glass half full kinda guy...Six in one, half dozen in the other......Pearls of wisdom...

 

[GarbageGoal]

I think Boston would buy the team before they'd leave Providence. Jacobs already holds the concessions which is always his number one interest.

I honestly don't know **** about our owner H Larue Renfroe, but he must be losing it if he's pissing off Boston (if any of this claim is true) and doesn't realize that hanging on to the Bruins affiliation should be the number one priority (and quite frankly, the next ten boxes on the list after that) of an AHL owner in New England. It's a ticket to print money and ensure you'll never fail.

And Providence got the franchise because that old crook Buddy Cianci wooed the owners Anderson and DuRoss by selling Providence as a city on the rise. And he was right. It's a great place and every AHL fan who visits praises it for it's restaurants and other attractions like Waterfire. And the Bruins certainly didn't argue being a bit closer to Boston.