Bruins announce new ECHL affiliate in suburban Atlanta

[Gee Wally]

I wonder what attendence was when they played the Baby B's. As Icecats or Sharks?

Seemed like a good size crowd to me those nights.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

I wonder what attendence was when they played the Baby B's. As Icecats or Sharks?

Seemed like a good size crowd to me those nights.

Providence is always a huge crowd. Quite often against Prov they would raise the curtain system because they needed more seats. Capacity with the curtains in place is 7,000 I think.

The team in Worcester as the Sharks was never competitive. The town is a hockey market for the minors, I have no doubt about that. But people will not show up consistently to support a team that sucks. What's worse is that the Sharks NEVER cared about competing in Worcester, so there was never optimism that it would get better.

The IceCats were a little better, but they hurt the city with the way they were moved by the Blues. Lot of bridges burned with local businesses.

I don't know who this woman is but she's misjudging the market if she thinks it's not a hockey one. If the team that plays there is competitive (or attempts to be) they will be OK.

But to think that the Centrum would exist with no tenant is kind of insane. They need a tenant in there, for the benefit of the surrounding businesses.

 

[Woo Hockey]

I wonder what attendence was when they played the Baby B's. As Icecats or Sharks?

Seemed like a good size crowd to me those nights.

IceCats and Sharks have always had a good crowd when facing the Baby B's, usually two or three times as many people at the game compared to any other night, especially on the weekends. On a good night, it wouldn't be surprising to have more than 6,000 or more fans at the game, though games with even more were pretty common. On top of that, promotions such as Specialty Jerseys, Appearances from Pro-Athletes (such as Rob Gronkoski) were usually chosen for nights when a big crowd was practically guaranteed, which were the games vs Providence.

 

[GarbageGoal]

See, that never made sense to me about Worcester. Save your big promotions for when you play Albany or Springfield or Bridgeport.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

I think the logic was they were going to have a lot of people against a popular opponent, having the promo that night would get even more people to come based on the fact that they were playing Providence.

If they did it against Albany the boost may not have been as much because no one really wants to see Albany. You'd get more people with a promo against a popular team like Providence (or Manchester or Portland).

There are a lot of things about the management of the Sharks that should have been different. With any luck they'll be an ECHL team there that will be run properly with some emphasis on winning games and competing for a league championship.

 

[Fenway]

Lowell also got good crowds when playing Worcester and Manchester.

Lowell's biggest problem was since the arena only had 6,500 seats they could not get a big 11,000 seat gate to pad the average. Lowell also was hampered by playing too many home games on school nights.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

That capacity wouldn't be bad at all for the ECHL though.

I agree with you however that UMass-Lowell is unlikely to share the arena, though I don't think a Lowell ECHL team would be a big competitor for them. If they had the ECHL team playing on the weekends when Lowell was on the road, and vice versa, they could conceivably co-exist without much issue. The ECHL team would be able to play some midweek games too since HE doesn't do that very often.

Just hate to see so many New England cities losing teams with such little hope of new ones. This is maybe the most hockey-mad region in the country, there should be plenty of options to choose from that succeed.

 

[Fenway]

UMass Lowell has zero interest in another hockey tenant.

http://www.tsongascenter.com/ownership_management.php

That capacity wouldn't be bad at all for the ECHL though.

I agree with you however that UMass-Lowell is unlikely to share the arena, though I don't think a Lowell ECHL team would be a big competitor for them. If they had the ECHL team playing on the weekends when Lowell was on the road, and vice versa, they could conceivably co-exist without much issue. The ECHL team would be able to play some midweek games too since HE doesn't do that very often.

Just hate to see so many New England cities losing teams with such little hope of new ones. This is maybe the most hockey-mad region in the country, there should be plenty of options to choose from that succeed.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

It's too bad, Lowell's the size city that the ECHL is made for.

 

[Fenway]

It's too bad, Lowell's the size city that the ECHL is made for.

Maybe if the right ownership group came along UMass Lowell would reconsider the matter. I'm sure New Jersey left a bad taste with the Tsongas people.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

Maybe if the right ownership group came along UMass Lowell would reconsider the matter. I'm sure New Jersey left a bad taste with the Tsongas people.

I have no doubt. Like I said before New Jersey is notorious for being a terrible partner.

I think the talk about ECHL teams in New England is going to slow until the league can see how Manchester does this season.

They're in an interesting situation having just won the AHL title and now dropping down a league. Will the support still be there? If they fall flat this season then other teams in the region will never get off the ground IMO. I do hope the people of Manchester aren't so angry they'd avoid going.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I have no doubt. Like I said before New Jersey is notorious for being a terrible partner.

I think the talk about ECHL teams in New England is going to slow until the league can see how Manchester does this season.

They're in an interesting situation having just won the AHL title and now dropping down a league. Will the support still be there? If they fall flat this season then other teams in the region will never get off the ground IMO. I do hope the people of Manchester aren't so angry they'd avoid going.

AS I Said, it's going to be interesting, but the Kings have been a hands-off owner to both Manchester & Ontario, if you've been following either, there's no change, and POR Will "unofficially" assist the Monarchs in said transition, and it's odd to call Ontario the defending Calder Cup Champions, despite them not being a member club.

It's also doubtful you'll be seeing any more incursion of the ECHL AS Manchester is the furthest East, & Adirondack's (Stockton) Thunder is closest, unless Renfroe steps up his pursuit of another franchise.

 

[Speed]

It's also doubtful you'll be seeing any more incursion of the ECHL AS Manchester is the furthest East, & Adirondack's (Stockton) Thunder is closest, unless Renfroe steps up his pursuit of another franchise.

Am I missing where Renfroe was even looking for another franchise?

 

[BigBadBruin8]

I look at this as related info for Worcester as a minor league sports market...

The Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) just won the league championship for the 2nd year in a row last night in Bristol, CT. They've existed for two seasons, won the title both times.

They have had great fan support, including a fan bus that ran to Bristol last night to support the team which from the real quick highlights I saw online had a good number of fans there for a game like this.

They only reason people question if Worcester is a market for hockey is because they partner they had for the past 8 seasons or so could give two ***** about winning. Ice a competitive team, in any league, and they'll support it.

The FCBL is a wood bat summer baseball league for college players, similar to the Cape League but a step below. It's probably in the discussion for 2nd best summer league in the country.

And the Bravehearts success is on the heels of the Can-Am league's Worcester Tornadoes being horribly mismanaged and going bankrupt & folding. That didn't deter people from supporting this team.

 

[Speed]

I wonder what attendence was when they played the Baby B's. As Icecats or Sharks?

Seemed like a good size crowd to me those nights.

Last 3 season avg

2012-2013 7275
2013-2014 6584
2014-2015 5959

 

[BigBadBruin8]

Last 3 season avg

2012-2013 7275
2013-2014 6584
2014-2015 5959

Even the Baby B's were having a hard time getting people in the Centrum with the Sharks being so bad. The P-Bruins games in Worcester were almost exclusively scheduled on Saturday nights as well. I can't recall the last one that wasn't on a prime night.

 

[Fenian24]

I work in Worcester, and while the city is trying to improve it's downtown is a pit. They have talked for years of trying to renovate it but everything the city does fails.

Worcester never had a vibrant downtown night life but this is the worst I can remember it being.

For a team at any level to work here they would need to clean up downtown, put some business' in that stay open after 5 o'clock and have someplace you could go before or after games. Shrewsbury street has some nice restaurants but it really isn't downtown near the centrum.

I don't see Worcester getting a team back anytime soon, and as a city I have visions of Worcester becoming downtown Lawrence.

 

[Fenway]

I worked in Worcester when I first got out of college The city has just opened the Worcester Center Galleria and at first the concept worked but by the time the Centrum opened in 1992 the mall was a ghost town. A couple of years ago the city demolished it and started over.

The city did have a vibrant nightlife in the 70's simply because you have roughly 35,000 colege students in the area. I have no clue on why downtown died.

By comparison Providence which was in far worse shape than Worcester 40 years ago has turned things around. Their downtown mall worked.

Locals have told me the Stoddard Family that owned the Gazette and Telegram wanted to keep Worcester a backwater town. Back in the 50's they were awarded Channel 5 which would have become WTAG-TV and they decided there was no future in television and gave the license back. The Stoddard's also blocked a plan that would have made Worcester the state capital instead of Boston and bringing thousands of jobs.

When the Mass Pike was built in the 50's it deliberately bypassed Worcester and for decades you had to get off at Exit 11 in Millbury and take 122A into downtown. The airport is a complete joke as there is no easy access to it.

It is a very strange place.

I work in Worcester, and while the city is trying to improve it's downtown is a pit. They have talked for years of trying to renovate it but everything the city does fails.

Worcester never had a vibrant downtown night life but this is the worst I can remember it being.

For a team at any level to work here they would need to clean up downtown, put some business' in that stay open after 5 o'clock and have someplace you could go before or after games. Shrewsbury street has some nice restaurants but it really isn't downtown near the centrum.

I don't see Worcester getting a team back anytime soon, and as a city I have visions of Worcester becoming downtown Lawrence.

 

[Fenian24]

I lived and worked in Providence in the late 70's to late 80's. There revitalization worked because you had a mayor in Joe Paolino who owned a good chuck of property downtown, he went out of his way to make if safer and bring in business' that would commit to the area.

Maybe Worcester will become a renaissance city if I leave, my moving, finding a new job seems to be the key, although I haven't hurt Salem tourism yet.