source, last I knew Albany wasn't looking to replace the Devils, until the arena was redone.
another rumbling:
- Thread starter CHRDANHUTCH
- Start date
source, last I knew Albany wasn't looking to replace the Devils, until the arena was redone.
Tommy Hawk
Registered User
- May 27, 2006
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RowdyFan42
Registered User
The renovations are expected to be done in time for the 2018-19 season, so it would not be unreasonable to have a tenant lined up for then.
210
Registered User
And going on further, Agalloch didn't say they were, only that they could be.
Heck, they could be looking at Buenos Aires too.
Tommy Hawk
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- May 27, 2006
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and going on further, agalloch didn't say they were, only that they could be.
Heck, they could be looking at buenos aires too.
might be better off there also....
road trip!!!!!
210
Registered User
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
I'm adding on to this thread instead of starting a new one because this is more whisper than anything... even though there's a relatively recent article in the Sacramento Bee discussing a new arena on the Sacramento State campus. That arena has been talked about for years.
They're talking about not just Sac State athletics, but bringing the G-League team from Reno into Sacramento... and minor league hockey. And more, but it's already getting crowded enough with Sac State and the like.
The whisper: the Barracuda would move to Sacramento.
My conjecture comes in these parts:
Does that mean Calgary gets its pick of the smoldering remains of the WHL US Division (Spokane would be obvious if things play out that way)? Or does the WHL adjust... and is this where Boise steps up? Or is there an option near Everett and Abbotsford in play?
They're talking about not just Sac State athletics, but bringing the G-League team from Reno into Sacramento... and minor league hockey. And more, but it's already getting crowded enough with Sac State and the like.
The whisper: the Barracuda would move to Sacramento.
My conjecture comes in these parts:
- I'm betting there won't be any hockey capability in the new building, especially when 5,000 seats is the maximum discussed. (Side note: also in the Big Sky Conference, Portland State's new arena will top out at 3,000 seats and definitely no hockey capability)
- The Flames are doing their usual bang-up job burning a market. I was in Stockton last year on a Saturday night. I know how much they legitimately used to draw. It was a morgue last year.
- So guess where I think the Barracuda will end up.
Does that mean Calgary gets its pick of the smoldering remains of the WHL US Division (Spokane would be obvious if things play out that way)? Or does the WHL adjust... and is this where Boise steps up? Or is there an option near Everett and Abbotsford in play?
There will be one more movement of Ahl teams in my opinion. But it will probably all happen at the same time.
Vancouver going west finally, along with Seattle and their AHL affiliate. Can also see the oilers and flames moving their teams closer to home.
Vancouver going west finally, along with Seattle and their AHL affiliate. Can also see the oilers and flames moving their teams closer to home.
how?
I don't see EDM/CGY bolting Stockton or Bakersfield, don't both teams own them outright? Stockton almost lost theirs had it not been for the Flames, and the Heat are franchise history wise the one Spectra was awarded in 1977
It seems you answered your own question. You just surrounded it with unrelated nonsense.
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
O ye of little imagination.
A franchise swap between Stockton and San Jose and a move of the "Barracuda" and voila.
Thing is, I'm not sure the Oilers abandon Bakersfield. I'm also not sure that Calgary and Edmonton really have Alberta options to stab at the heart of the WHL. All assuming Calgary stays in place- it should, like that matters.
Not saying it will happen, but if the Flames were to move to Houston how receptive would Calgary be to getting the Condors?
wrong franchise.... Edmonton is the one who owns/operates Bakersfield, Stockton is the Flames O&O, I do not Believe Calgary is being relocated and PCS does have a point there with both Alberta teams owning their WHL counterparts
No what I’m saying is let’s say the Flames did leave. What’s stopping the Oilers from deciding to move their AHL team from Bakersfield to Calgary to get them closer to the parent club? I too believe the chances of the Flames leaving Calgary is slim but at the same time people in Cleveland didn’t think the original Browns would leave either. The same with people in Seattle with the SuperSonics.
THEY'RE NOT, do you know the history of the Flames affiliation, the affiliate has moved or relocated more times than the parent Flames have, that has nothing to do with either the Heat or the Condors, in fact, the Condors history goes back to the Toronto area, as the current Condors arrived from OKC, IT'S HOW Anaheim actually got into San Diego by Edmonton sending Norfolk the Condors ECHL Franchise, much the same way Calgary gave Glens Falls the Thunder, until a few years ago.....
here's a brief summary of the Flames/Oilers affiliate/cities, BJ:
1993-2003: Calgary buys franchise and sets up in Saint John, NB..... TEAM wins Calder in 2001; same year the league absorbs the midwest footprint and the original IHL;
Flames then briefly place affiliate in suspension, prospects play in Lowell, same year 1st Lockout cancels NHL season,
Edmonton relocates their affiliate from Toronto after being locked out of lease; moves to then Rexall Place for locked out NHL Season, then suspends their affiliate for 7 seasons minus a 5 way affiliation for a season...
Calgary then turns around signs an agreement with Omaha, (the Ak-Sar-Ben, tribe aka NEBRASKA backwards), calls them the Knights, lasts them 2 years, then flips it to Quad City, yes, the Mallards disappeared briefly, then the Abbotsford experiment than was a 10 year agreement that was brokered out after 5 years, meanwhile EDM faced a potential revocation of their affiliate of the current Condors had they not selected OKC, for 5 years.
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
That's a horrible horrible thing to do to Calgary. I would say with 99.4% assurance that would be a disaster if tried. Calgary fans would rightly not accept that. Would there be riots? Eh...
Since you mentioned that Sonics... you can imagine how many message board idiots thought the Portland Trail Blazers should have taken a D-League (now G-League) team and placed it in Seattle after the move to Oklahoma. It just didn't happen; it certainly was never anything the Blazers entertained. The Blazers bought the team in Boise... and then sold it before Utah bought and moved that franchise to the same city as the parent Jazz. The Blazers have tried to televise games in Seattle, it's been shut down and restarted before. There's nothing indicating any sort of Seattle acceptance of the concept.
LadyStanley
Registered User
Sharks have no plans to move Barracuda.
An AHL team in Sacramento would be really close to Stockton.
Vegas may want their AHL affiliate close. Vancouver might as well.
An AHL team in Sacramento would be really close to Stockton.
Vegas may want their AHL affiliate close. Vancouver might as well.
Tao Jersey Jones
Registered User
That tells me that the county executives are totally out of touch with reality if they think the devils have any interest in returning to Albany.
And hockey season normally takes place at the same time as youth hockey.....good lord this politician is clueless........
He is trying his best lol, he is the county executive up their in Smallbany County NY lol. Have family in nearby Saratoga County smack between Glens Falls and Albany NY they said the local sports radio show over weekend discussed the return of professional hockey but conversation centered around the Rangers organization. The radio jocks doing the show said it has to be the Rangers, that any other organization would be a no go and they wouldn't even discuss any other organization on the air. The radio show stated "we didn't even discuss the AHL Devils when they were here, why would we entertain the thought of any affiliated team other then the Ranger in NY Ranger's Country!". Bottom line is they are spending millions (around $30 million) in arena upgrades and just built a new convention center behind it, and they were banking on the return of Arena Football League in Albany which was a huge draw (they averaged 10,000 to 13,000 fans for the AFL) but the AFL's ship has sailed. The AFL is down to four teams (Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Albany) and there is much speculation the AFL will have no choice but to fold or suspend. Either scenario would be detrimental to the AFL already had been trying to re establish itself. Who knows what will happened, stranger things have.
He isn't to that far off to say youth hockey doesn't affect attendance. Unless the youth organization is aligned with the local minor league team sometimes its tough for families to get to games because of schedules. Not just hockey but high school sports as well, they all affect availability. When my daughter did pop warner cheer forget it, practice and game, the travel competition. She also played hockey as well which conflicted at least twice a week with attending games. During those years I was lucky enough to attend roughly a few games per month at best. A place like Albany unlike upstate Utica or Binghamton has way more other things going on. A search online shows they have about four Youth Hockey organizations operating alone in that region. Not to mention two DI college teams, and two DI college basketball teams. Albany's problems appears to be saturated, there is only so much time and with so much other equally important things going on (your children). Albany really isn't too much bigger then places like Utica or Binghamton but that whole region seems a lot more busier. I think feelings are mutual, the fans who do enjoy minor league hockey up that way have no use for the Devils, them leaving was a blessing. That County Executive shouldn't have let them back in the first place, Albany's attendance really took a hit and declined after 2010.
Youth hockey is the same issue in all Northeast ahl markets. Utica area has 5 youth organizations , Rocheseter and Syracuse have a bunch also.. all 3 cities have college and high school hockey up the wazoo....... that is an extremely lame excuse that youth hockey affects attendance.. it's the same everywhere....
Not necessarily, I think lots of things affect attendance but I get what that County Executive was saying. When I did my time as a hockey dad my schedule not only conflicted with games, practices, and whatnot I to felt the ice rink and hockey burnout. I think one area that affected the attendance up in Albany was the gripe from fans that every game on a Saturday in Albany was played at 5pm. The Devils organization didn't compromise when the fans complained and pushed back, the organization maintained it was ideal time for development reasons. 5pm Saturday starts for every game is absurd, interfered with school events, birthdays, and not to mention young adults who want to go out and have dinner then go down to games. I think the County Executive is missing all the reasons but I do get what he was saying. The family crowd is a must to survive, and if it was tough to attract the crowd then there is part of the problem.
Personally I think the Devils did a lot to run counter to what was important to that particular market. Those fans up that way love their NYC and New England teams, if they couldn't carve out a local identity like they did with the old River Rats I cant see how anyone expected different. They really only had decent teams for two years out of almost their last 15 seasons. Something must be going on though as I don't see why he would have said what he did, then the reported suggesting maybe a hint of breaking news. It may be nothing, but who know. I doubt it would be the ECHL, I cannot see Adirondack letting another team come into their market this time around.
UticaHockey
Registered User
There was an article a couple years ago in the Times Union about the poor attendance that gave the reasoning for the 5:00 pm Saturday game starts. The team felt like it had a positive impact on attendance because more people from locations of an hour + away (especially the Glens Falls area) would come to Devils games if the games ended before 8:00 pm. To me it sounded like they realized there wasn't enough interest in the Devils if the greater Albany, Troy, Schenectady area so they needed to market to a larger area.
