Hockey growth in Louisville Kentucky

[jj cale]

It’ll be something centered around the Derby like Louisville Stallions or Kentucky Thoroughbreds.
Any pro hockey would work for me. It blows my mind it’s been 17 years and we had good attendance back then too

Thoroughbreds would be a great name I think.

Thoroughblades is too ECHL ish/cheesy to me, not a fan.

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

neither city will do it, but thanks to the Louisville transplant for posting the update since both Florida and San Jose(with an assist to USA Hockey) left.... that is why hockey worked in Lexington as long as it did with the Sharks backing....

when the Thoroughblades were first awarded in 1996, there has been a rivalry between the two cities, and always will, if I remember these two fan bases correctly, and some of those fans there....

the accuracy of this Louisville poster needs to be clarified..... there won't be an AHL franchise in Kentucky because the market was tried and it's just not enough of a fanbase to survive and who's going to be an NHL affiliation, because you ALL know the requisites for being in the AHL..... AN NHL team has to be involved at that level....

Louisville's Panthers were not relocated, Florida wasn't paid the 2 seasons they were there due to the crooked ownership, which is why pro hockey will NEVER return to Louisville, even if Freedom Hall was resurrected, KFC YUM ! Center, do you really want to split dates with U-Louisville, AND YES, the Sharks owned Thoroughblades played in the Famed Rupp Arena, again, Kentucky simply isn't hockey centric the way UK AND Louisville are, with both cities an hour from each other..... the closest example is Michigan and Michigan State, and we know how that in state battle is drawn.... another is Cincinnati and Xavier battle royales in the NCAA, how those work out, when you see multiple videos of brawls, just like you saw with Colorado and Fort Wayne pregame in the last round of the Kelly Cup playoffs, that's how intense that gets.....

pro hockey in Louisville had the Afr Family running that ship, and all you newcomers here need to do is look that up and you'll see and/or understand why hockey is persona non grata, in Louisville, Port Huron, and the most evident, the history of the Elmira Jackals, and why no league will ever touch either of these markets..... it's great that the local High Schools have adopted the sport, but it's been tried, and failed..... I Just don't see any market like the three I JUST MENTIONED ever wanting to reintroduce the sport on a professional level, because of what's been a 'poisoned' history.... someone mentioned Elmira in the ECHL forum recently, and the response was since the County dealt with First Arena, and the issues surrounding why the Jackals survived as long as they did, the ECHL concluded there was no need or interest, it was that bad, publically, just as Roanoke had the Express for years, once the realization hit that it just wasn't a viable market, even that market rebuffed attempts to place a franchise back in the Civic Center until the SPHL returned there, that city wanted nothing to do with hockey, same in Elmira, because that's the perception or reality...

simply put, Elmira wants nothing to do with hockey, and no other franchise will ever erase what a previous franchise did, even the way it ended, publically .

I appreciate the insight but I do disagree. That was almost 2 decades ago. The City has grown (Louisville that is). With the amount of growth this city has there is a market to be tried IMO. We have multiple huge corporations in Louisville that would put in the money. UofL turnouts to the basketball games has dropped because of current scandals. Alot of the support has transferred to current Soccer team has got them MLS consideration. There will always be support for UofL but fan will support other teams in the city. Plus the city is losing money because of the vacancy of the Yum! Center. Papa Johns has also cut ties with the University and they have put marketing with the Predators and Ryan Johansen. The Nashville Predators also have been doing community events in Louisville

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

Thoroughbreds would be a great name I think.

Thoroughblades is too ECHL ish/cheesy to me, not a fan.

Agreed. I feel like the logo would resemble the Mavericks logos and have Fleur-de-lis mix into it some how

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I appreciate the insight but I do disagree. That was almost 2 decades ago. The City has grown (Louisville that is). With the amount of growth this city has there is a market to be tried IMO

ok, what NHL Franchise has an opening to even consider Louisville, then? because that's what other markets have asked and answered.... simply put, it likely isn't realistic, as Worcester, Portland, and Newfoundland have shown in the last 3 to 4 years, aas the frontnd Deacon just got that Growlers franchise launched last week, and even then, that wasn't a certainty if you read that thread as it happened and developed.....

USA Hockey has zero interest in operating a franchise, and they exited in 2001, and as I recall, that's when SVSE, now known as SJSE, DBA the Sharks bought the franchise.... what if KFC Yum isn't an option, what's your Plan B, LOUISVILLE? See what other markets have gone through, whether it's a corporation as Portland has or private owners as was done both in Worcester and Newfoundland......

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

ok, what NHL Franchise has an opening to even consider Louisville, then? because that's what other markets have asked and answered.... simply put, it likely isn't realistic, as Worcester, Portland, and Newfoundland have shown in the last 3 to 4 years, aas the frontnd Deacon just got that Growlers franchise launched last week, and even then, that wasn't a certainty if you read that thread as it happened and developed.....

USA Hockey has zero interest in operating a franchise, and they exited in 2001, and as I recall, that's when SVSE, now known as SJSE, DBA the Sharks bought the franchise.... what if KFC Yum isn't an option, what's your Plan B, LOUISVILLE? See what other markets have gone through, whether it's a corporation as Portland has or private owners as was done both in Worcester and Newfoundland......

Nashville has been doing community events in Louisville for the past year. It’ll have to be the Yum! center. The city is Louisville money and there has been talks with the University about renegotiating the lease because of the loss of money

 

[jj cale]

Agreed. I feel like the logo would resemble the Mavericks logos and have Fleur-de-lis mix into it some how

Next question for me is whether the team should be marketed along State or city lines?

Do they try to make an n.h.l team there the Kentucky thorougbreds and attempt to get as much support from the whole state or keep it a strictly city affair. I wonder what they would do in this matter?

Having grown up watching College basketball once cable t.v finally came to our village in 1985 I know full well of the rivalry between Louisville/Lexington in basketball matters and the hate is pretty strong so my guess is the fine people of Louisville could only go for the team being the "Louisville Thoroughbreds"

lol, as for me, I am and to this day a U.K fan in college basketball. Became a fan of the team the day me and my brother watched a freshman Rex Chapman dismantle the cards with a stunning 26 pt performance against the legendary Denny Crums boys.

From that day forward in college b-ball, my grass was blue.

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

Next question for me is whether the team should be marketed along State or city lines?

Do they try to make an n.h.l team there the Kentucky thorougbreds and attempt to get as much support from the whole state or keep it a strictly city affair. I wonder what they would do in this matter?

Having grown up watching College basketball once cable t.v finally came to our village in 1985 I know full well of the rivalry between Louisville/Lexington in basketball matters and the hate is pretty strong so my guess is the fine people of Louisville could only go for the team being the "Louisville Thoroughbreds"

lol, as for me, I am and to this day a U.K fan in college basketball. Became a fan of the team the day me and my brother watched a freshman Rex Chapman dismantle the cards with a stunning 26 pt performance against the legendary Denny Crums boys.

From that day forward in college b-ball, my grass was blue.

I still feel it would be at the State line other than the city. Lexington, Owensboro, being roughly and hour away it would reach out to them as well. I feel the state could unit on a pro sports team because that would be our first since the Colonels in the ABA. Louisville is also considered Kentuckiana because it’s right on the state line of Indiana. I feel it would also receive the southern Indiana market even if it was called Kentucky. Indianapolis is also about an hour an a half away as well. Indy is also load with Chicago fans tho so I don’t see a huge following from there

 

[jj cale]

I still feel it would be at the State line other than the city. Lexington, Owensboro, being roughly and hour away it would reach out to them as well. I feel the state could unit on a pro sports team because that would be our first since the Colonels in the ABA. Louisville is also considered Kentuckiana because it’s right on the state line of Indiana. I feel it would also receive the southern Indiana market even if it was called Kentucky. Indianapolis is also about an hour an a half away as well. Indy is also load with Chicago fans tho so I don’t see a huge following from there

Hmm, interesting.

Thanks for the input on the realities on the ground there, good stuff!!

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

Hmm, interesting.

Thanks for the input on the realities on the ground there, good stuff!!

No problem. Thank you for your input

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Nashville has been doing community events in Nashville for the past year. It’ll have to be the Yum! center. The city is Louisville money and there has been talks with the University about renegotiating the lease because of the loss of money

you haven't heard what the veterans have stated.... LOUISVILLE.... is a non starter because you have to prove that whatever damage, the city incurred, has nothing to do with Nashville, Louisville is a poisoned market, just as Port Huron and Elmira want nothing to do with hockey, any league has to consider that history of what the Afr's have done, it has been well documented on this forum, on the previous incarnation of this board before the transition to the current forum....

a)who's the owner;

b) what arena;

c) affiliation;

d) if private owner or corporation must convince a league to consider them, SEE FC Cincinnati's RISE to MLS, BUT they already existed..... Louisville has not convinced anyone that a repeat of 1999-2001 will not replicate itself, do you get what we're saying.... the Panthers may not have left had you had the correct ownership, not a corrupt one

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Hmm, interesting.

Thanks for the input on the realities on the ground there, good stuff!!

Indianapolis, has the Fuel,ALREADY existing, in the ECHL....

 

[jj cale]

Indianapolis, has the Fuel,ALREADY existing, in the ECHL....

Indianapolis might work in the future sure.

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

you haven't heard what the veterans have stated.... LOUISVILLE.... is a non starter because you have to prove that whatever damage, the city incurred, has nothing to do with Nashville, Louisville is a poisoned market, just as Port Huron and Elmira want nothing to do with hockey, any league has to consider that history of what the Afr's have done, it has been well documented on this forum, on the previous incarnation of this board before the transition to the current forum....

a)who's the owner;

b) what arena;

c) affiliation;

d) if private owner or corporation must convince a league to consider them, SEE FC Cincinnati's RISE to MLS, BUT they already existed..... Louisville has not convinced anyone that a repeat of 1999-2001 will not replicate itself, do you get what we're saying.... the Panthers may not have left had you had the correct ownership, not a corrupt one

It wouldn’t be the same ownership though! You are assuming it’ll be the Afr ownership. john schnatter has had state the need for a pro sports team in Louisville. NBA considered moving here but ultimately fell out because of the proximity of The Pacers and the support of UK and UofL and they felt that pro basketball would be able to top the support of the college basketball in Louisville. Humana is another example of ownership that could step up for a hockey team or even Yum

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Indianapolis might work in the future sure.

IT ALREADY EXISTS, jj... the Fuel might have a piece of that market in Kentucky

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

Indianapolis, has the Fuel,ALREADY existing, in the ECHL....

They do! But that’s not th point. The point is southern Indiana they would support the Louisville team. I said Chicago already has the Indy market. The Fuel are the Chicago Afillate

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

IT ALREADY EXISTS, jj... the Fuel might have a piece of that market in Kentucky

I live in southern Indiana ll. Only hockey we talk about is Nashville, high school and the UofL

 

[jj cale]

IT ALREADY EXISTS, jj... the Fuel might have a piece of that market in Kentucky

They very well may.

I think an N.H.L team in Louisville would kill all that however.

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

They very well may.

I think an N.H.L team in Louisville would kill all that however.

Indy is closer to Louisville than Chicago

 

[S E P H]

I've read a lot of college hockey articles about future potential targets and some of them had University of Louisville as a darkhorse candidate. I can't see them getting an AHL team nor NHL team, but if they build arena I think they should start with a D1 college team. After a decade or two once you build up a good fanbase around Louisville then I would welcome a AHL team to the area.

 

[jj cale]

Indy is closer to Louisville than Chicago

Exactly.

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

I've read a lot of college hockey articles about future potential targets and some of them had University of Louisville as a darkhorse candidate. I can't see them getting an AHL team nor NHL team, but if they build arena I think they should start with a D1 college team. After a decade or two once you build up a good fanbase around Louisville then I would welcome a AHL team to the area.

We have an arena. The Yum! Center can fit about 21000 roughly for hockey. It’s also vacate 3 nights out of the week. It a newer arena (Arena) and because of the vacancy it’s losing the city money

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

neither city will do it, but thanks to the Louisville transplant for posting the update since both Florida and San Jose(with an assist to USA Hockey) left.... that is why hockey worked in Lexington as long as it did with the Sharks backing....

when the Thoroughblades were first awarded in 1996, there has been a rivalry between the two cities, and always will, if I remember these two fan bases correctly, and some of those fans there....

the accuracy of this Louisville poster needs to be clarified..... there won't be an AHL franchise in Kentucky because the market was tried and it's just not enough of a fanbase to survive and who's going to be an NHL affiliation, because you ALL know the requisites for being in the AHL..... AN NHL team has to be involved at that level....

Louisville's Panthers were not relocated, Florida wasn't paid the 2 seasons they were there due to the crooked ownership, which is why pro hockey will NEVER return to Louisville, even if Freedom Hall was resurrected, KFC YUM ! Center, do you really want to split dates with U-Louisville, AND YES, the Sharks owned Thoroughblades played in the Famed Rupp Arena, again, Kentucky simply isn't hockey centric the way UK AND Louisville are, with both cities an hour from each other..... the closest example is Michigan and Michigan State, and we know how that in state battle is drawn.... another is Cincinnati and Xavier battle royales in the NCAA, how those work out, when you see multiple videos of brawls, just like you saw with Colorado and Fort Wayne pregame in the last round of the Kelly Cup playoffs, that's how intense that gets.....

pro hockey in Louisville had the Afr Family running that ship, and all you newcomers here need to do is look that up and you'll see and/or understand why hockey is persona non grata, in Louisville, Port Huron, and the most evident, the history of the Elmira Jackals, and why no league will ever touch either of these markets..... it's great that the local High Schools have adopted the sport, but it's been tried, and failed..... I Just don't see any market like the three I JUST MENTIONED ever wanting to reintroduce the sport on a professional level, because of what's been a 'poisoned' history.... someone mentioned Elmira in the ECHL forum recently, and the response was since the County dealt with First Arena, and the issues surrounding why the Jackals survived as long as they did, the ECHL concluded there was no need or interest, it was that bad, publically, just as Roanoke had the Express for years, once the realization hit that it just wasn't a viable market, even that market rebuffed attempts to place a franchise back in the Civic Center until the SPHL returned there, that city wanted nothing to do with hockey, same in Elmira, because that's the perception or reality...

simply put, Elmira wants nothing to do with hockey, and no other franchise will ever erase what a previous franchise did, even the way it ended, publically .

Another thing you are comparing Louisville to 2 Cities that have way less population and way less Possible investors than Louisville.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

It wouldn’t be the same ownership though! You are assuming it’ll be the Afr ownership. john schnatter has had state the need for a pro sports team in Louisville. NBA considered moving here but ultimately fell out because of the proximity of The Pacers and the support of UK and UofL and they felt that pro basketball would be able to top the support of the college basketball in Louisville. Humana is another example of ownership that could step up for a hockey team or even Yum

again, Louisville isn't happening, much as you've been duped into believing, LOUISVILLE, you haven't proven to any of us the 4 things I listed that you need..... as you've seen other markets transition from one to the other, I'LL give you another example:

Worcester: the now San Jose Barracuda, originally the Kentucky Thoroughblades, went directly to Cleveland in 2006, Why the Cleveland aka Lake Erie Monsters are there now is why the Gunds sold the real estate, including QLA, as it is now known to Dan Gilbert, that lease expired when that transaction was announced.... the Sharks went to Worcester to continue their history as well as Worcester's pro hockey history as successors to the Ice Cats (now the Utica Comets, owned by Vancouver, and Rob Esche), that deal ended when the Pacific Division and the quote made by Brian Burke in 2006 BECAME A REALITY.... hence the Barracuda. Worcester sat out 1 season between the Ice Cats and Sharks, sat out another 2 years while awaiting the launch of the current Railers HC, VIA Expansion....

Portland: 15 years in various forms of affiliation/franchises with three affiliations, before being relocated in the summer of 1992, NO Pro hockey that season, until the transfer of the Capitals and 2nd franchise sailing in to the market in 1993, this team also bitten by the Pacific creation, after 23 seasons, 4 affiliations later, sailed to become the successor to the Springfield Falcons(Tucson Roadrunners), Portland has been working since then to acquire another franchise which finally was accomplished and returns this October, same timeframe between the lead time in Worcester, and here.... before franchises were secured, one by expansion, the other by transfer of territory.

Newfoundland: detailed more in the ECHL Thread, but the basic gist, is the same after the Leafs, Jets, and Canadiens tenure, then scuffling between Deacon and the Edge, and the cooperation that launched the Growlers....

the only way Louisville can erase the Panthers era, and they have to acknowledge that, is a hockey only arena, not a shared arena, otherwise it's not going to be successful.

 

[LOUISVILLE ICE CARDS]

again, Louisville isn't happening, much as you've been duped into believing, LOUISVILLE, you haven't proven to any of us the 4 things I listed that you need..... as you've seen other markets transition from one to the other, I'LL give you another example:

Worcester: the now San Jose Barracuda, originally the Kentucky Thoroughblades, went directly to Cleveland in 2006, Why the Cleveland aka Lake Erie Monsters are there now is why the Gunds sold the real estate, including QLA, as it is now known to Dan Gilbert, that lease expired when that transaction was announced.... the Sharks went to Worcester to continue their history as well as Worcester's pro hockey history as successors to the Ice Cats (now the Utica Comets, owned by Vancouver, and Rob Esche), that deal ended when the Pacific Division and the quote made by Brian Burke in 2006 BECAME A REALITY.... hence the Barracuda. Worcester sat out 1 season between the Ice Cats and Sharks, sat out another 2 years while awaiting the launch of the current Railers HC, VIA Expansion....

Portland: 15 years in various forms of affiliation/franchises with three affiliations, before being relocated in the summer of 1992, NO Pro hockey that season, until the transfer of the Capitals and 2nd franchise sailing in to the market in 1993, this team also bitten by the Pacific creation, after 23 seasons, 4 affiliations later, sailed to become the successor to the Springfield Falcons(Tucson Roadrunners), Portland has been working since then to acquire another franchise which finally was accomplished and returns this October, same timeframe between the lead time in Worcester, and here.... before franchises were secured, one by expansion, the other by transfer of territory.

Newfoundland: detailed more in the ECHL Thread, but the basic gist, is the same after the Leafs, Jets, and Canadiens tenure, then scuffling between Deacon and the Edge, and the cooperation that launched the Growlers....

the only way Louisville can erase the Panthers era, and they have to acknowledge that, is a hockey only arena, not a shared arena, otherwise it's not going to be successful.

a)John Schnatter/Humana Inc./Yum! brand Inc/Kentucky Derby Foundation
b) what arena; KFC Yum Center. Roughly 21000 for ice hockey

c) affiliation; Nashville Predators

D) rise in economical status as well as investors. Currently in running for MLS. They are Building a. 25000 capacity stadium for it

 

[S E P H]

We have an arena. The Yum! Center can fit about 21000 roughly for hockey. It’s also vacate 3 nights out of the week. It a newer arena (Arena) and because of the vacancy it’s losing the city money

Didn't know that, however is the Yum! Centre similar to the Key Arena in Seattle as it's a 60/70s old skool arena that needs upgrades? Also is it an arena only made for basketball similar to the Barclay Centre? If you answered both no to these questions, I would absolutely love to see Cardinals in D1 hockey. That opens a door to a whole new discussion though, such as the school probably wouldn't want to pay for it, so they'll need donors which is easier said than done.