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ECHL is sadly becoming similar atleast though with local ownership it just comes down to who wants it the most.
Pirates Moving To Springfield
- Thread starter Disengage
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ECHL is sadly becoming similar atleast though with local ownership it just comes down to who wants it the most.
MM658
Registered User
As has been pointed out by other locals, the Pompea ownership did not do the city any favors. An ownership change, with a new approach and fresh ideas, CAN make a difference. There is, in fact, proof of that. The last two years of the Peter Cooney-owned Springfield Indians averaged 3,100-3,200 per game. After he sold the team out of town and Landon/LaChance created the expansion Falcons franchise, attendance the first year immediately went up to 3,976 with a last-place team. Year two was over 4,100, and by year three (a deep playoff run), it was over 4,800. A 50% increase in three years is testament to what can be accomplished with a fresh start and a new approach.
Granted, a decade-plus of godawful teams followed, along with a downturn in downtown's fortunes, and those gains were eventually wiped out. But to say that "they can't draw because they haven't drawn recently" is an oversimplification.
Not to say things WILL work out....just saying that they CAN.
(And FWIW, I do agree that the future of minor pro hockey in the Northeast is the ECHL, not the AHL.)
crimsonace
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And AEG owns the Kings, Reign and Monarchs. The "if we stay away, the AHL will come back" attitude will likely lead to one thing - no hockey.
Doggy
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- Oct 11, 2011
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You say that like you think people have an agenda. I think its a matter of realizing they have better options nearby.
As for AEG, my guess is they would rather have the team out West some place but were required by contract to keep a team in Manchester. I am sure if Manchester could secure an AHL club they would let AEG walk away from their lease "free and clear" and AEG would take them up on it.
crimsonace
Registered User
I can remember going through this song & dance in Indy about 15 years ago. "If we just don't support the CHL team, it will dissolve and the AHL will come flying in."
The CHL team did go after five years and a couple of ownership changes (Chen -> local people -> Chen). When Chen sold the assets of the team back to local ownership, they took the team into the USHL. The CHL, USHL and now the ECHL teams all get pretty similar levels of support.
IMO, with the market size of Manchester and the fact that the AHL is moving away from its previous New England core, the best way to bring an AHL team back to Manchester is to support the one you have.
wildcat48
Registered User
As the AHL lost all logic or reasoning?
Charlie Pompea sells the Falcons to Arizona. Looks at buying into the Pirates with the intent on keeping them in Portland. Decides against it. But becomes an investor in the group that helps purchase the Pirates and moves them back to Springfield.
So he sells his team in Springfield to help buy a team that will play in Springfield. Also, hearing that much of the staff will be retained including his daughter.
Charlie Pompea sells the Falcons to Arizona. Looks at buying into the Pirates with the intent on keeping them in Portland. Decides against it. But becomes an investor in the group that helps purchase the Pirates and moves them back to Springfield.
So he sells his team in Springfield to help buy a team that will play in Springfield. Also, hearing that much of the staff will be retained including his daughter.
210
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It was either sell to Arizona or own a dead franchise. When an NHL team wants to AHL franchise all they have to do is threaten to walk away from them leaving them without an affiliate.
That doesn't add up. Pompea seems to have a good chunk of money - he's a big donor to University of New Haven, pledging a $1m donation this past year and he has a center named after him. Having just sold the team, why would he want to be just a minority owner in a new team since he has the money to ?
I have heard some new-owner names from a very good source and they are solid local players. Although my source didn't explicitly say that Pompea was not involved, I don't understand why he would be involved, and I would be shocked that these local players would allow his daughter to run the team given how bad a job she did, and how significantly unqualified she is (this was her first job out of college). The owners I heard aren't mickey-mouse guys who just have a lot of money and don't know what to do with it - they are guys who know how to be successful.
Hope for all the folks in Springfield this isn't true. The numbers since she took over the team don't lie. Hope this is a false report.
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wildcat48
Registered User
Springfield will have a new head coach. Panthers' AHL head coach Scott Allen has been promoted to Florida as an assistant coach on Gerard Gallant's staff.
READ MORE>>>>>
READ MORE>>>>>
An article in today's paper outlines the ownership group of the new Springfield team:
http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2016/06/springfield_american_hockey_league_team.html
They sound like solid players who know what they are doing.
http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2016/06/springfield_american_hockey_league_team.html
They sound like solid players who know what they are doing.
MM658
Registered User
With Dinesh Patel and Vidhyadhar Mitta involved, perhaps they can get away with reviving the Springfield Indians name without fear of being called insensitive to Native Americans? 
wildcat48
Registered User
He also registered the domain springfieldindians.com - and has it plus the trademark listed "for sale" - so he is an opportunistic squatter. I bet any good lawyer could bust that sham, since he is not actually using it in trade and his motivation is pretty clear.
I'm not sure that Indians would be the right name for the team though. Yes, it's the nostalgic pick, but it hasn't been used in 22 years, and a lot of fans have no connection to it. It basically appeals to people 40 and getting older each year. Plus, the current trend is to not use native groups for team names. Why enter that fracas?
It would be really hard to have a mascot too - if you have an abstract name, you can get away with a totally unrelated mascot. For example, the Drummondville Voltigeurs have a lion for a mascot. Why a lion? No idea. What can you have as a mascot if your name is "Indians"? A panther? A dog? A bird? Everything is dissonant with Indians, and it would be impossible to do an Indian-themed mascot without it being a farce.
I just hope they don't pick some random animal for a team name. I like personally Pioneers, or Traders, or Puritans (named after a famous landmark statue - and if they picked it, they could have a turkey for a mascot!)
I'm not sure that Indians would be the right name for the team though. Yes, it's the nostalgic pick, but it hasn't been used in 22 years, and a lot of fans have no connection to it. It basically appeals to people 40 and getting older each year. Plus, the current trend is to not use native groups for team names. Why enter that fracas?
It would be really hard to have a mascot too - if you have an abstract name, you can get away with a totally unrelated mascot. For example, the Drummondville Voltigeurs have a lion for a mascot. Why a lion? No idea. What can you have as a mascot if your name is "Indians"? A panther? A dog? A bird? Everything is dissonant with Indians, and it would be impossible to do an Indian-themed mascot without it being a farce.
I just hope they don't pick some random animal for a team name. I like personally Pioneers, or Traders, or Puritans (named after a famous landmark statue - and if they picked it, they could have a turkey for a mascot!)
MM658
Registered User
I'm not sure Puritans is the path they'd want to go down, either. If Native American imagery isn't PC, I can't see how religion-based branding is any better.
Pioneers, I could live with. (Springfield is the metro center of the "Pioneer Valley" region of Massachusetts, for those unfamiliar.)
Falcons was an appropriate choice in '94, given the arrival of Peregrine Falcons downtown prior to the creation of the team. But that is not an option this time, for legal reasons. And it's just as well -- new team, fresh start.
There's some support in town for Tornados, given that the area just south of the arena was torn up by one, five years ago this month. (The MGM casino is part of the revitalization plan for that area.) My feeling is, why "celebrate" something that was destructive to the region? Rebuild and move on; don't dwell on it.
I just hope they choose an identity, colors, logo and uniform that is completely unrelated to the parent club, something that will be "evergreen" in the face of the affiliation carousel that independently-owned AHL teams deal with. No offense to the Panthers. And I like their new logo and unis -- I just don't want the "Springfield Panthers" or even a team with its own nickname simply using the same uniform as the parent club, given the temporary nature of such agreements.
Pioneers, I could live with. (Springfield is the metro center of the "Pioneer Valley" region of Massachusetts, for those unfamiliar.)
Falcons was an appropriate choice in '94, given the arrival of Peregrine Falcons downtown prior to the creation of the team. But that is not an option this time, for legal reasons. And it's just as well -- new team, fresh start.
There's some support in town for Tornados, given that the area just south of the arena was torn up by one, five years ago this month. (The MGM casino is part of the revitalization plan for that area.) My feeling is, why "celebrate" something that was destructive to the region? Rebuild and move on; don't dwell on it.
I just hope they choose an identity, colors, logo and uniform that is completely unrelated to the parent club, something that will be "evergreen" in the face of the affiliation carousel that independently-owned AHL teams deal with. No offense to the Panthers. And I like their new logo and unis -- I just don't want the "Springfield Panthers" or even a team with its own nickname simply using the same uniform as the parent club, given the temporary nature of such agreements.
Sometimes going back to a historic name such as the Indians or Comets works well, but sometimes it doesn't. If they choose not to due to marketing reasons and demographic changes of the region then that's fine. Not to do it because it "insults" or "offends" a few people is getting old. The political correctness police becoming all too common in this country is a sign we as a nation are becoming too sensitive, weak, and slowly allowing nanny state governing to consume every aspect of our lives. If anything the word Indians plays homage to the past, and honors our true homeland natives. I see nothing wrong with the name Indians should they choose that. If they do that name, why not consult with nearby native leaders?? I see nothing wrong with that. As far as someone suggesting Pioneers that to has a nice ring to it after all, yea that is known as the Pioneer Valley. I never cared for the Falcons name much, always liked the Indians and the old Coliseum screams hockey history right up there with the old Hershey Park Arena. I have to hand it to the Florida Panthers though, their new logo design is absolutely sick. Projecting pride and strength they hit a home run with that logo...
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Tommy Hawk
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Why not Falcon? They sold the franchise, but they may not have sold the name.
Springfield Monorails
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MM658
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It was stated in a recent article on the Springfield newspaper's website that the name "cannot be the Falcons, but could be the Indians."
Presumably, Charlie Pompea - who sold the Falcons to the AZ Coyotes - still owns the "Springfield Falcons" trademark.
Same thing happened in '94 when Peter Cooney sold the Springfield Indians. He wanted a lot for the rights to the name, so Landon/LaChance went with Falcons, instead. (Although, there were other reasons, too.)
MM658
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MM658
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Springfield Hockey, LLC has applied for trademarks on Springfield Indians (and two former logos) and also Springfield Thunderbirds.
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