Who might be moving to Glens Falls?

[MikeF]

I was at the Devils game last night against the Phantoms and their were not many Phantoms fans there.

 

[210]

I do not consider two or three teams a lot of teams. Here's who doesn't that I know of off the top of my head:

Chicago
Milwaukee
Iowa
Grand Rapids
OKC
Texas
Abbotsford
Manchester
Portland
Syracuse
Binghamton
WBS
St. Johns
Hamilton
Lake Erie
Norfolk
Hershey
Hartford
San Antonio
Rockford
Toronto

To make sure I'm not confusing anything, the above is a list if AHL teams that didn't play a game at their NHL affiliate's building this season? If so, add:

Worcester
Providence
Springfield

 

[CJNewman]

Binghamton just played a game in Ottowa vs Hamilton.

 

[Nightsquad]

To make sure I'm not confusing anything, the above is a list if AHL teams that didn't play a game at their NHL affiliate's building this season? If so, add:

Worcester
Providence
Springfield

Albany has not played a game in Newark NJ. Unfortunately for them they have four games scheduled in of all places Atlantic City. Two games so far in AC and they have not been able to even draw out of the 2K range, sucks for Albany fans and cannot help build good relations with the few Albany faithful!

 

[Tommy Hawk]

First they have played only one game in Philly so far this year not two yet. Also a lot of teams play one game in their NHL affiliate to boost attendance and I see no mention of Rochester who played an outdoor game and one in Buffalo boosting their attendance. Plus I would love to know the Albany media source you got your info about Albany fans helping Glens Falls attendance because other than Pete Dougherty of the Times Union no one covers the Devils and as a fan who has been to many games between the two I can tell you it's the complete opposite. The Phantom fans used to come down from Glens Falls by the hundreds to Albany to see the games where you might see 20 Devils fans in Glens Falls at most any time they would play. So in conclusion I would love to know your source for your information or are you just making stuff up.

Binghamton just played a game in Ottowa vs Hamilton.

Three or four teams playing in or near their NHL team is not "a lot of teams play one game at their NHL affiliate to boost attendance". It is VERY FEW teams play an outdoor game or at their NHL affiliate's venue to boost attendance.

To make sure I'm not confusing anything, the above is a list if AHL teams that didn't play a game at their NHL affiliate's building this season? If so, add:

Worcester
Providence
Springfield

You are correct. You have missed nothing!!

 

[RFA]

I went to one of the AC games and it was a good time. We're going back. There are very few people that are upset with the games there, it ends up making season tickets cost less.

As far as the fans who did and didn't drive to the other teams barn on the Northway, did the ones who stayed home really miss anything? I think I've been to all the "rivalry" games this season, and have been thoroughly disappointed.

I'm pretty sure that I saw Toronto play at Air Canada Centre around Christmas, maybe I'm wrong.

Bottom line is the league is made up of 30 independent franchises. Most have drastically differing deals at just about every level- ownership right down to who takes out the trash. If AC is going to pay Lou Lamerillo a few thousand per game or the Brooks get some revenue from a couple of games in Philly, I don't see how that's bad.

 

[GareFan18]

People keep saying that, but it doesn't make it so. Recently, teams have moved east or north (Utica, Iowa), not west. Having been in Cincinnati in recent years, I can say that their economy is terrible. There isn't enough money to support the AHL. Indy would fit in the AHL if Cincinnati, Louisville or Lexington came back, maybe Ft Wayne.

Kansas City would fit in to the AHL. The Missouri Mavericks average 5,200 in a building that seats a little more than 5,800. The architecture is exactly the same as the Texas Stars barn.

I know people scoff at reported attendance, but I go to the games in KC and can attest that 5,200 is about right.

KC was a very good IHL market and would be a very good AHL market -- top 10 to 12 in attendance. Would the team make money? Who knows? I'm not sure any of these minor league teams make money -- even the CHL teams who have a salary cap.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Kansas City would fit in to the AHL. The Missouri Mavericks average 5,200 in a building that seats a little more than 5,800. The architecture is exactly the same as the Texas Stars barn.

I know people scoff at reported attendance, but I go to the games in KC and can attest that 5,200 is about right.

KC was a very good IHL market and would be a very good AHL market -- top 10 to 12 in attendance. Would the team make money? Who knows? I'm not sure any of these minor league teams make money -- even the CHL teams who have a salary cap.

try telling that to mayor Sylvester James, Gare, KC has had it w/ pro hockey, WHICH IS WHY Independence, where the Mavs are survives and thrives.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

try telling that to mayor Sylvester James, Gare, KC has had it w/ pro hockey, WHICH IS WHY Independence, where the Mavs are survives and thrives.

When are you going to stop about the whole name and city thing? And which Kansas City are you referring? There are two of them because a river runs through it. There is Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

You complain the Wolves are not in Chicago, you complain about all that stuff. Do you complain that WBS shouldn't be WBS? No, How about Portland that isn't playing in Portland. Or Lake Erie? They do not play in Lake Erie or even Fort Erie. Or Adirondak? They play in Glens Falls.

Or the NY Giant and Jets? Did not hear you complain about the Super Bowl being in New York even though it was actually in New Jersey.

Get over it.

All I want to know in this thread is who the heck has GF been talking to? It seems that the league is more stable than it has been in a while with the exception of Vancouver finding a temporary spot in Utica.

 

[Thunder God]

The Teams from the west are

Abbotsford Heat
Charlotte Checkers
Oklahoma City Barons
San Antonio Rampage
Texas Stars

Let's do the math! 5-2 is 3 so the final 3 teams are

Abbotsford Heat
Charlotte Checkers
Texas Stars

The final 2 teams are talking to the Mayor of Glens Falls and my guess is

Charlotte Checkers and the Texas Stars. What is your Speculation to this

 

[Tommy Hawk]

The Teams from the west are

Abbotsford Heat
Charlotte Checkers
Oklahoma City Barons
San Antonio Rampage
Texas Stars

Let's do the math! 5-2 is 3 so the final 3 teams are

Abbotsford Heat
Charlotte Checkers
Texas Stars

The final 2 teams are talking to the Mayor of Glens Falls and my guess is

Charlotte Checkers and the Texas Stars. What is your Speculation to this

None of the teams in the west are viable candidates to move.

Abbotsford - No way Calgary leaves the cash cow.

Charlotte - The owner bought Albany specifically to move them. Super close ties to the Hurricanes. No arena issues.

Oklahoma City - Sweetheart deal for the Oilers. The Oilers would have to get a better deal and pay to break the agreement in OKC. As cheap as they are (leaving their franchise dormant because it cost less) I doubt they will be looking.

San Antonio - Owned by the Spurs. Good attendance and fills dates at the arena.

Texas - The Dallas Stars bought the old Iowa franchise specifically to move them to Texas. The Stars built the arena near Austin for the team. Good success at box office and on ice. No way they gonna move to a place that places their prospects so far from where they play 75% of their games.

So, why not propose some teams that actually may move? Why didn't you mention any Eastern Conference teams?

Let's take a look:

Springfield - consistently low attendance. Owner threatening moving, etc., major shakeup in upper management this year.

Worcester - consistently low attendance. lost team once before

Utica - low attendance this year.

Portland - Consistently low attendance the past several years

Albany - see all the previous attendance comments

As an FYI, 7 of the top 10 attendance teams are in the WEST!!!!

7 of the bottom 10 teams in attendance are in the EAST!!!

 

[UticaHockey]

None of the teams in the west are viable candidates to move.

Abbotsford - No way Calgary leaves the cash cow.

Charlotte - The owner bought Albany specifically to move them. Super close ties to the Hurricanes. No arena issues.

Oklahoma City - Sweetheart deal for the Oilers. The Oilers would have to get a better deal and pay to break the agreement in OKC. As cheap as they are (leaving their franchise dormant because it cost less) I doubt they will be looking.

San Antonio - Owned by the Spurs. Good attendance and fills dates at the arena.

Texas - The Dallas Stars bought the old Iowa franchise specifically to move them to Texas. The Stars built the arena near Austin for the team. Good success at box office and on ice. No way they gonna move to a place that places their prospects so far from where they play 75% of their games.

So, why not propose some teams that actually may move? Why didn't you mention any Eastern Conference teams?

Let's take a look:

Springfield - consistently low attendance. Owner threatening moving, etc., major shakeup in upper management this year.

Worcester - consistently low attendance. lost team once before

Utica - low attendance this year.

Portland - Consistently low attendance the past several years

Albany - see all the previous attendance comments

As an FYI, 7 of the top 10 attendance teams are in the WEST!!!!

7 of the bottom 10 teams in attendance are in the EAST!!!

Low attendance is a relative term. The average attendance for the Utica Comets is 88% of capacity. And this is with a team that lost it's first 10 games and until very recently has been stuck in the AHL basement all year. I would call this very good attendance.

 

[MM658]

Springfield - consistently low attendance. Owner threatening moving, etc., major shakeup in upper management this year.

Portland - Consistently low attendance the past several years

As an FYI, 7 of the top 10 attendance teams are in the WEST!!!!

7 of the bottom 10 teams in attendance are in the EAST!!!

Springfield - Signed a lease for next season already.

Portland - Signed a long-term lease recently.

Not to say those leases are iron-clad, but they certainly aren't moves that a team that has been in active negotiations with another city would make. Why force yourself into a buyout situation if there's a good chance you plan on leaving?

RE: Top-10/bottom-10 attendance. One could argue that all that means is that the teams in the West are better at padding attendance figures. That aside, attendance is often only a small piece of the puzzle. Expenses can vary greatly, and teams playing in larger arenas generally have higher lease expenses. Not to mention travel. I would say as a rough rule of thumb, teams in the East don't NEED to draw as many ticket buyers to break even as the teams in the West.

 

[Neill99]

Seattle/Glen Falls

What about Seattle new NHL when ever they get it hooking up with Glen Falls.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

[MOD]

OK. Then which teams? Here re ones that 100% will NOT move:

Grand Rapids - Been around since IHL and affiliated with Detroit. Owners also own the arena. attendance excellent

Chicago - No way Levin mives especially if he gets an NHL team

Iowa - Just moved from Houston. Great location to the Minnesota Wild. Centrally located to where the MW play.

Milwaukee - Owned by most of the same owners that own the Brewers.

Texas - Owned by the Stars, 90 minutes away, new arena built by team

San Antonio - Owned by the Spurs, fills arena dates

Abbotsford - The city wants the Canucks there but Flames won't move without mucho cash

Toronto - Owned by the Leafs. Call up commute is a few minutes

Rockford - Hawks signed like a 10 or 20 year agreement. 90 minutes from Chicago, 60 from O'Hare.

Rochester - Owned by Sabres. One of the longest continuing franchises in the AHL and no name change.

Charlotte - Owned by close friend of Hurricanes owners. Bought Alabny specifically to move and be affiliated with Hurricanes.

The only ones with any remote possibility are
OKC - most likely of WC teams but not of all AHL teams

Utica (doubt they will move since this is their first year)

Lake Erie (doubt it as they seemed to have turned a corner the past few years and are in a airline hub - call-ups super easy)

Hamilton - They might move if Hamilton gets an NHL team

So maybe the mayor is confused about which conference the team currently plays. There are more candidates for relocation in the Eastern Conference than the Western Conference.

So I basically do not believe the information that you are passing along. Maybe he is talking to Syracuse who USED to be in the Western Conference.

 

[MM658]

Just got my 2014-15 Springfield Falcons season ticket renewal notice in the mail today -- another reason to doubt that Springfield is on the candidate list.

It seems that the sum total of this multi-page thread is that there are logical reasons AGAINST any team that someone can propose as being the mystery candidate. So, bottom line, whomever it is seems to not make complete sense given the known (or presumed) data.

This leads me to believe that either this will end with no team in the GFCC, or the franchise that relocates must be getting a great offer, to move against conventional wisdom.

I'm betting on the former. I think it's much more likely for GF to land a team in 2015-16; it seems too late and too illogical for something to come together for this fall, based on the status of the various franchises discussed.

 

[Thunder God]

OK. Then which teams? Here re ones that 100% will NOT move:

Grand Rapids - Been around since IHL and affiliated with Detroit. Owners also own the arena. attendance excellent

Chicago - No way Levin mives especially if he gets an NHL team

Iowa - Just moved from Houston. Great location to the Minnesota Wild. Centrally located to where the MW play.

Milwaukee - Owned by most of the same owners that own the Brewers.

Texas - Owned by the Stars, 90 minutes away, new arena built by team

San Antonio - Owned by the Spurs, fills arena dates

Abbotsford - The city wants the Canucks there but Flames won't move without mucho cash

Toronto - Owned by the Leafs. Call up commute is a few minutes

Rockford - Hawks signed like a 10 or 20 year agreement. 90 minutes from Chicago, 60 from O'Hare.

Rochester - Owned by Sabres. One of the longest continuing franchises in the AHL and no name change.

Charlotte - Owned by close friend of Hurricanes owners. Bought Alabny specifically to move and be affiliated with Hurricanes.

The only ones with any remote possibility are
OKC - most likely of WC teams but not of all AHL teams

Utica (doubt they will move since this is their first year)

Lake Erie (doubt it as they seemed to have turned a corner the past few years and are in a airline hub - call-ups super easy)

Hamilton - They might move if Hamilton gets an NHL team

So maybe the mayor is confused about which conference the team currently plays. There are more candidates for relocation in the Eastern Conference than the Western Conference.

So I basically do not believe the information that you are passing along. Maybe he is talking to Syracuse who USED to be in the Western Conference.

I have done Research on each teams Lease. Like Syracuse their lease runs out in 2024. And Utica Comets and their lease runs out in 2019

 

[RFA]

I'm not sure that the announced attendance is always that much of a factor. Recent teams to move (all for their own reasons) include Manitoba, Philly Phantoms, Houston, Peoria and now maybe St. John's, and none had announced attendance problems. Even the Devils leaving Lowell wasn't as much of an announced attendance issue as the building being turned over to the college. They had three other chances to leave because of dismal numbers.

On Feb 19th 2009, no one would have guess that they Phantoms would be calling Glens Falls home a couple of months later.

I'm fairly confident that there was a serious chance of Springfield moving to GF, but at this point, for next year, I agree that it would be a big surprise.

I'd also estimate that 5 of the pages worth on this thread could be edited out and no one would miss them.

All things considered, I'd still say the frontrunner for next season would be the Devils in Adirondack. No mention of season tix for Albany next year, and they could focus on season ticket sales rather than groups. There's no guarantee that the general hockey fan population would welcome them however.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Frostbite, you said a few pages back that you're not an insider and that your ideas are only based on speculation. Don't claim to have insider knowledge unless you're willing to post a source. Same goes for everybody.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Just got my 2014-15 Springfield Falcons season ticket renewal notice in the mail today -- another reason to doubt that Springfield is on the candidate list.

It seems that the sum total of this multi-page thread is that there are logical reasons AGAINST any team that someone can propose as being the mystery candidate. So, bottom line, whomever it is seems to not make complete sense given the known (or presumed) data.

This leads me to believe that either this will end with no team in the GFCC, or the franchise that relocates must be getting a great offer, to move against conventional wisdom.

I'm betting on the former. I think it's much more likely for GF to land a team in 2015-16; it seems too late and too illogical for something to come together for this fall, based on the status of the various franchises discussed.

The Atlanta Thrashers were still renewing season tickets on the day the move was announced.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

I have done Research on each teams Lease. Like Syracuse their lease runs out in 2024. And Utica Comets and their lease runs out in 2019

And the Omaha and Quad City leases were also for multi years and were broken after 2 years. Iowa Stars same thing. Leases are consistently broken by the teams but I have never heard of a city breaking them, and I would be willing to bet if Abbotsford had an out with Calgary that they would have pulled the trigger last summer when Vancouver bought Peoria, who also had a lease.

 

[pelts35.com]

Utica - low attendance this year.

Utica's attendance isn't that low. The building only seats just over 5000 and they are drawing 3350 per game including a number of weekend sellouts.

 

[pelts35.com]

I have done Research on each teams Lease. Like Syracuse their lease runs out in 2024. And Utica Comets and their lease runs out in 2019

What do the team's leases have to do with anything?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

What do the team's leases have to do with anything?

Theoretically, a team would be less inclined to relocate before their arena lease is up, as breaking their lease by moving usually conveys a monetary penalty as written into their contract.

Granted, that didn't stop Vancouver from leaving Peoria with two years left on the Rivermen's lease with the Civic Center. If memory serves, the penalty for that was surprisingly small, under $100,000.

 

[mmazz22]

The Utica aud seats about 3800. So average atty of 3400 is pretty darn good.
Yea and the Bing Rangers sold season ticks in 97 and they left.
So I hold no stock in that ever anymore.
In my heart I feel if it's any team it's Albany moving.