Geoff

Boise was passed up for a reason. The owner of the Steelheads and the staff think they've found a model that works there. Increasing ticket prices to support an AHL team likely wouldn't fly. Also, from what I've seen/heard, the owner wasn't too keen on turning over hockey ops, if not all ops, to Seattle.

That anniversary logo looks familiar...

Bennigans. Come on, y'all. The e-vite clearly states Bennigans.

This is an underrated reply.

I think they'll switch soon. I'd say next offseason. With this stuff, there's always a trickle down. The AHL finds the next new hotness in providers (it was AmericaOne, then Neulion), the ECHL follows suit usually a year later, and then the SPHL the year after that. I know quite a few SP fans in multiple markets that complain about the price but still plop it down each year. As long as people still open their wallets, Neulion sees no need to drop the price.

Peoria's majority owner is close to a billionaire and they're one of a handful of teams that turn a profit. They're not hurting for cash. With Evansville sticking around and seemingly stable,

That's not exactly new news. That article is a month old.

Nah, it's not Grand Canyon. Looks the Horizon League is heading into beautiful Indianapolis. They've invited IUPUI. They're replacing northeast Indiana but not quite Chicago with Indianapolis. Even though this isn't really about TV viewers, it's an upgrade in locale.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. The owner says he's designed the logo himself. H/T to MaconHockeyFan on SPHLForums.com

I've seen others say cell phone company

I never heard of (or don't remember) any legal issues with their newest logo. It doesn't matter anyway, it was confirmed that Cottonmouths franchise is now Birmingham and this will be a new franchise altogether. And it's uh ... it's a name... and that's a logo...

It looks like we'll have another new logo for minor league hockey in Columbus, Ga., starting in 2018-19. http://wrbl.com/2017/06/20/new-owner-purchasing-columbus-pro-hockey-affiliation-from-sphl/ This article makes it seem as though this is the same franchise as the Cottonmouths but that the now former owners do not wish to give up the branding.

Might be named the Maine Mariners. That was the name when the Flyers were first involved with Portland.

Mike, you can't use logic. The NHL's intentions and how they view the two markets are crystal clear even if they refuse to admit or even refute them. They see Korea as providing virtually nil while China has the largest population in the world and chief rival, the KHL, is already making inroads. The nation as a whole has a hunger for sports and is getting more and more into western/team sports. It has very little established hockey culture and the NHL basically want to indoctrinate them.

The would be the other recently successful minor league (and my) team, the Pensacola Ice Flyers: 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2015-16. Maybe that's where you got it.

They've actually won four straight championships. The timing makes sense when you consider the new owner wants to put his stamp on the franchise. Americans fans are PISSED and letting the team know.

This isn't a done deal yet. The preliminary deal was approved but the league needed to approve the renovations to the rink. The announcement being delayed and the search for new ownership in Columbus has led to rumors of the Bulls becoming a relocation of the Cottonmouths.

This project is actually two arenas. ~16,000 for the Coyotes and ~4,000 that will serve as the home for ASU and the practice rink for the Coyotes. I'd assume really big games will be played in the main rink as with now at Gila River.

Some Binghamton fans feel a return of the Binghamton Rangers is a done deal and see this video as a hint. At the 2:43 while saying they can't officially announce the new affiliation right now, there's a guy in a Rangers jacket right in the center of the screen.

But will they find an ownership group in St. John's willing to subsidize travel like the Aces do?

In other news, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference will not move forward with expansion. The Minnesota State will stay in the WCHA for now and Arizona State is still looking for a hockey home. http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2016/8/31/12734222/nchc-says-no-to-expansion-from-arizona-state-and-minnesota-state

Technically it's contiguous but Boca Raton and Miami aren't close to Birmingham in the slightest.

wut... That name ... it broke my brain. I can't sentence my disbelief.

lol TCU isn't really a "Christian school" like BYU, Baylor, or SMU. It's affiliated with the Disciples of Chirst but they have no say in the governance of the school. And even if they did, the Disciples of Christ are accepting of homosexuality and even allow LGBT individuals to be ordained ministers. Currently the only religious requirement at the school is that undergrads must take a single one semester class of their choice on a religion. Could be Christianity, could be Islam, could be Buddhism, could be the usual suspect of Intro to World Religions, etc.