OT: Arizona Sundogs to suspend operations for 14-15 season

[Dolemite]

Effective Immediately.

http://arizonasundogs.com/news/headlines/index.html?article_id=2846

Click to read more...

 

[YotesFan47]

That sucks, I was looking forward to making some trips up to watch them play and get time out of the city.

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

Just goes to show that even having a successful product at some point in the history is not enough to keep the team permanently.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

An interesting take:

http://rapidcityjournal.com/blog/ru...cle_aaa49eec-2867-11e4-baf3-001a4bcf887a.html

 

[Mosby]

It sucks when any fanbase loses their team. But, if I'm to look at this from the perspective of a Coyotes fan, perhaps this is a fanbase that we can absorb. Obviously there is already a lot of overlap of people who cheer for the Coyotes and Sundogs, but there has to be some fans who were more focused on the Sundogs.

I think we can absorb that group, similar to what Nashville did when the Thrashers left Atlanta. If memory serves, I think their pro shop even offered a 'trade in' offer of a free Preds jersey when you trade in your Thrashers jersey. We don't need to go to that extent, but these are still hockey fans. A Sundogs ticket ranges from $21 to $41, not all that different from an upper level ticket in Glendale.

 

[Bondurant]

How was the attendance up in Prescott Valley? I had thought about going up there for a day/weekend trip because I like the area and wanted to take in a game. Ticket prices ended up turning me off. Back in the mid 90s I used to watch the Kalamazoo Wings play the Roadrunners and it was only $10 or $12 for a ticket on the glass. Odds are they're more expensive in leagues all over the States but it's hard for me to grasp with what I used to pay and the fact that I can go to a Coyotes game for cheaper (using StubHub).

Hope they can return in full force next season, though, if they have a good local fan base in the Prescott area.

 

[Mosby]

Finished 8th of 10 teams in attendance last year. Averaged 2,570 fans per game, about 53% capacity.

http://chl.stats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=12&seasonid=11255

 

[0point1]

According to this site (http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance&season_id=43) the Portland Pirates did 2,185. I am wondering if Prescott would be a good home for our AHL affiliate or if Tucson (or Vegas) would do better. Need to average about 5,000/game to be sustainable.

 

[Mosby]

Tim Toyota's in Prescott holds 4,810 for hockey. The TCC in Tucson seats 9,275 and was previously home to teams in the CeHL, SwHL, PHL, and WCHL (most recently the Tucson Gila Monsters in 1999).

I tend to agree that many of the NHL clubs on the West Coast will move their minor team to that side of the country. It just makes sense from a logistics and cost standpoint.

Not sure I'd want my minor league team in Vegas though. Not the best home town for a bunch of 20-year-olds, haha.

 

[Kaibur]

I went to a Wranglers game a couple of years ago. At the same time, there was a Polka festival and a National Cheerleading Competition going on inside the casino. One of those would probably distract the players more than the other.

 

[goyotes]

Talk has recently been that the Coyotes might consider moving their AHL team out west and Prescott was mentioned as a location. The size of the arena seems to be an issue, but I would love to see Prescott get an AHL team so the Toyota center gets more use. An hour and a half drive down the hill for call ups sure we be nice.

 

[rt]

Maloney has stated before that he likes his AHL team in the Northeast due to easier travel. Bus rides and all. The AHL is an eastern league. No teams in California or Colorado. Nothing in western Canada. A couple of teams in Texas and one in OKC but other than those three, Illinois is about as far west as it gets.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

According to this site (http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance&season_id=43) the Portland Pirates did 2,185. I am wondering if Prescott would be a good home for our AHL affiliate or if Tucson (or Vegas) would do better. Need to average about 5,000/game to be sustainable.

The year before that was 4,444. This past year they didn't play in Portland due to lease problems if I remember correctly. I think they played in Lewiston ME.

 

[0point1]

That's true GiveAFlyingPuck, forgot about that.

The one good thing about the Sundogs shutting down is the end to their LA Kings inspired jersey. That was vomit worthy.

Edit: That had me thinking that if the IceArizona guys do bring a team to Arizona they should give them the Coyotes running dog logo. Sundogs is a good name but I think it would be cool if the AHL Arizona team was called Desert Dogs.

 

[manictech]

Tim Toyota's in Prescott holds 4,810 for hockey. The TCC in Tucson seats 9,275 and was previously home to teams in the CeHL, SwHL, PHL, and WCHL (most recently the Tucson Gila Monsters in 1999).

I tend to agree that many of the NHL clubs on the West Coast will move their minor team to that side of the country. It just makes sense from a logistics and cost standpoint.

Not sure I'd want my minor league team in Vegas though. Not the best home town for a bunch of 20-year-olds, haha.

I wish we could get a team here in Tucson!

 

[0point1]

I would love a team in Tucson too, just 1 hour away from me. I probably would make it to about 10 games a season.

 

[KG]

There's a lot of rumors floating around about the ECHL contracting and many ECHL teams being promoted to AHL while adding one more in either Denver or Prescott for the Avs/Yotes.

The CHL is apart of that. The level of play between the CHL and ECHL is not much different.

 

[wildcat48]

There's a lot of rumors floating around about the ECHL contracting and many ECHL teams being promoted to AHL while adding one more in either Denver or Prescott for the Avs/Yotes.

The CHL is apart of that. The level of play between the CHL and ECHL is not much different.

There is no promotion. This is not soccer. The AHL has 30 teams and they have no plans on expanding. If the AHL is going to move westward it will happen by one of three ways. Own a franchise & move it, purchase a franchise & move it or affiliate with a private owner of an existing franchise. The rumors are just that rumors.

 

[KG]

I didn't mean promotion in the soccer sense.

 

[RABBIT]

I was fortunate enough to to get a ticket to the championship for the Sundogs some years back.

I had never been to Prescott before that, beautiful weather and the arena was very nice, but it certainly felt strange to be in. The roof seemed so low since I was so used to the size of the Job, haha. Definitely a small place, but beautiful. Reminds me of a smaller version of the Duck's Honda Center. Would be nice to get an AHL team there, but i think rt is right.