Glendale and Ice Arizona Agree on New Lease - City Council Passes It.

[hbk]

If not for Coyotes, it is very likely Austin Mathews would never have played hockey.

 

[TheLegend]

Do you have any idea how hockey has grown in Arizona? Didn't think so.

Not a matter of growth, Jakey.

He did say he thinks AZ is a sustainable market. But I believe his point is the franchise has been saddled with so much weight around it's neck in the past decade or so that it honestly needs an owner with Steve Ballmer pockets to get out from under it all.

IA is doing what they can to continue the growth. But it has to translate into ticket sales now.... not a few years down the road.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

Not a matter of growth, Jakey.



IA is doing what they can to continue the growth. But it has to translate into ticket sales now.... not a few years down the road.

Well, the best way to grow ticket sales is to market the team properly, and you can't properly market a team with an expiration date on it's cap stamped 2017. The only hope I see is if they can get a Res. to build them an arena closer to Scottsdale and the East Valley. Perhaps we could have the first Native American owned professional sports team in the country.

..and this from someone who supports the team with season tickets and parking.

 

[Matias Maccete]

Well, the best way to grow ticket sales is to market the team properly, and you can't properly market a team with an expiration date on it's cap stamped 2017. The only hope I see is if they can get a Res. to build them an arena closer to Scottsdale and the East Valley. Perhaps we could have the first Native American owned professional sports team in the country.

..and this from someone who supports the team with season tickets and parking.

If that means the kachina jerseys come back I'm all for it.

 

[kihekah19*]

If that means the kachina jerseys come back I'm all for it.

 

[Mosby]

Saw on Twitter that the Anaheim Ducks high school hockey league is up to 48 teams. They had 1 team in 2008. Talk about explosive growth in a non-traditional market!

I think we can see a similar pattern in AZ.

 

[kihekah19*]

Saw on Twitter that the Anaheim Ducks high school hockey league is up to 48 teams. They had 1 team in 2008. Talk about explosive growth in a non-traditional market!

I think we can see a similar pattern in AZ.

I would guesstimate we have at least a dozen teams in the valley. Quality of play is suspect, but participation is at a strong level.

 

[Sinurgy]

Saw on Twitter that the Anaheim Ducks high school hockey league is up to 48 teams. They had 1 team in 2008. Talk about explosive growth in a non-traditional market!

I think we can see a similar pattern in AZ.

You by chance have a source for that?

 

[Mosby]

You by chance have a source for that?

Helene Elliott, Ducks/Kings writer for the LA Times.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

Helene Elliott, Ducks/Kings writer for the LA Times.

It's not "Helen"?

 

[kihekah19*]

You by chance have a source for that?

I heard something to the same effect, listening to an interview on NHL radio. Don't remember who was being interviewed however.

 

[hbk]

I heard something to the same effect, listening to an interview on NHL radio. Don't remember who was being interviewed however.

Yep. Heard it as well.

 

[XX]

I think we can see a similar pattern in AZ.

Ice is still expensive and there's not a ton of enthusiasm for expensive club sports in AZ.

 

[Summer Rose]

High school hockey in Arizona has grown slowly, comparably. When I played for my school in 02-03 and 03-04 there were 17 teams statewide. Now there are 6 D1 teams, 8 D2 teams, 10 D3 teams, and 8 of those schools/clubs have JV teams (there was no JV when I played so it's hard to compare). That makes either 24 or 32 teams depending on how you want to count it. Just throwing that out there.

High school hockey isn't that prolific though anyway. The travel teams are alive and well and thriving however. DYHA just renamed themselves the Junior Sun Devils with ASU's announcement of conversion to NCAA since they're both based out of Oceanside.

 

[kihekah19*]

High school hockey in Arizona has grown slowly, comparably. When I played for my school in 02-03 and 03-04 there were 17 teams statewide. Now there are 6 D1 teams, 8 D2 teams, 10 D3 teams, and 8 of those schools/clubs have JV teams (there was no JV when I played so it's hard to compare). That makes either 24 or 32 teams depending on how you want to count it. Just throwing that out there.

.

Thanks LJ, knew I was being conservative in my guesstimate and hoped someone would have some accurate numbers.

When I was involved in youth travel, I looked at H.S. as being like house league and I would imagine it is similar today, but the ability of the players is less important than the enthusiasm, when considering growth of the game.