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Minor League Hockey Shake-up...coming


JackieMoon

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33 minutes ago, the admiral said:

Wouldn't be surprised to see the Rangers swap Hartford for Albany now that UConn hockey is up and running.

 

Do you think the Wolfpack would do better in Albany then they're doing in Hartford? I mean Albany has been a consistently worse market compared to Hartford over the last decade by a significant margin even with UConn up and running. And Hartford is closer to NYC too compared to Albany.

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Yeah, I think a New York farm team would do okay in New York's capital, and I don't think MSG has been all that pleased with Hartford for the last few years. I'd heard they'd get in on Nassau or Bridgeport eventually.

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Yeah, I was surprised, as well. I don't think it's fair to hold this season against the city; asking a local population to go see a team you've already told them is leaving is a bit foolhardy. Even aside from this season, though, it's not like they were a big draw.

 

As I understand it, Binghamton is mostly Pens and Sabres fans, so I think the Devils will have a tough time selling tickets, until they move somewhere else, in a few years. Unless they manage the market better, this is just the next spin on a sick cycle carousel.

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1 hour ago, bosrs1 said:

 

Do you think the Wolfpack would do better in Albany then they're doing in Hartford? I mean Albany has been a consistently worse market compared to Hartford over the last decade by a significant margin even with UConn up and running. And Hartford is closer to NYC too compared to Albany.

Albany is mostly Sabres and Rangers fans, right? I don't know that it'll be a huge success, but I think they'd be able to connect with the fanbase better than the Devils did.

1 hour ago, the admiral said:

Yeah, I think a New York farm team would do okay in New York's capital, and I don't think MSG has been all that pleased with Hartford for the last few years. I'd heard they'd get in on Nassau or Bridgeport eventually.

MSG would be idiots, to put their farm team in the heart of Isles fans territory, much less their old home. Talk about alienating a potential fanbase, from day one.

 

I get that making money isn't priority number one, but if you can make money, while you're at it, why not? The Isles would be wise to snatch up Nassau, for their AHL team.

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People close to the team told Fox 40 early Wednesday that a deal to bring an expansion AHL team to Binghamton to serve as the affiliate for the Las Vegas Golden Knights was no longer on the table, but that a current team would instead relocate to the Southern Tier.  This source also said that local ownership, which sold the Binghamton Senators to Albany, will not own the team coming to town next year, presumably the Devils, but will have a role in the front office 

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Wolves are getting the Vegas affiliation as the Blues seek to own their own team in Kansas City, less than five years after owning their own team in Peoria was too much of a burden.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

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That's a story that probably ends with Stillman running out of money because no one can make money owning the Blues, then the Hunt family getting a sweetheart deal on the Blues and everyone hoping they don't move to KC when it's time to make the city pay for Scottrade Center renovations.

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7 hours ago, MBurmy said:

If the A-Devils had kept the River Rats name (or officially switched back to it) at some point, they wouldn't be moving...

http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Sources-Albany-Devils-leaving-for-Binghamton-10884403.php

 

Look at the attendance numbers, they don't really support that narrative. They were trending downward, before the Devils change, and the lowest attendance average (before this season) was as the River Rats.

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On 1/27/2017 at 0:31 AM, BeerGuyJordan said:

http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Sources-Albany-Devils-leaving-for-Binghamton-10884403.php

 

Look at the attendance numbers, they don't really support that narrative. They were trending downward, before the Devils change, and the lowest attendance average (before this season) was as the River Rats.

 

The Devils did diddly poo with the team, barely did any tv advertising, and the marketing was bare bones.  It was like they really didn't want to be in the Capital District.  

 

 

tumblr_nulnnz7RCV1r5jqq2o1_250.jpg

Oh what could have been....

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On 1/26/2017 at 4:50 PM, BeerGuyJordan said:

 

MSG would be idiots, to put their farm team in the heart of Isles fans territory, much less their old home. Talk about alienating a potential fanbase, from day one.

 

I get that making money isn't priority number one, but if you can make money, while you're at it, why not? The Isles would be wise to snatch up Nassau, for their AHL team.

There are a ton of Rangers fans on Long Island and in Nassau County (I honestly don't know which team has more fans here, and as an Islanders fan, that sucks). Any alienated Islanders fans can be replaced by a Rangers fan who wouldn't have supported an Isles affiliate. I don't know if an AHL team would draw well here, especially with the big clubs not too far away. But I think a Rangers affiliate would have just as good a chance of succeeding as an Islanders affiliate. The Rangers might actually have a better chance since the AHL team can be a cheap alternative for someone who can't afford a ticket to MSG, while Isles tickets can often be found on Stubhub for under $10. I don't think AHL tickets would be much cheaper than that.

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32 minutes ago, cmm said:

There are a ton of Rangers fans on Long Island and in Nassau County (I honestly don't know which team has more fans here, and as an Islanders fan, that sucks). Any alienated Islanders fans can be replaced by a Rangers fan who wouldn't have supported an Isles affiliate. I don't know if an AHL team would draw well here, especially with the big clubs not too far away. But I think a Rangers affiliate would have just as good a chance of succeeding as an Islanders affiliate. The Rangers might actually have a better chance since the AHL team can be a cheap alternative for someone who can't afford a ticket to MSG, while Isles tickets can often be found on Stubhub for under $10. I don't think AHL tickets would be much cheaper than that.

Maybe I'm wrong about the territory, but both times I visited eastern LI, I saw mostly Isles fans, and few Rangers or Devils.

 

If your assessment is right, then the Rangers might do better. I still cringe at the idea of their biggest rival planting a farm team in their old home, but business is business.

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Albany feels right as a Rangers affiliate to me because the Rangers seem to own the Hudson Valley. I know we've talked about how greater Albany is split every which way, but the Rangers feel like the best fit, better than the Islanders, Devils, Bruins, or Sabres would be. It's too big a city and too nice an arena not to use at the AHL level.

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20 hours ago, the admiral said:

Albany feels right as a Rangers affiliate to me because the Rangers seem to own the Hudson Valley. I know we've talked about how greater Albany is split every which way, but the Rangers feel like the best fit, better than the Islanders, Devils, Bruins, or Sabres would be. It's too big a city and too nice an arena not to use at the AHL level.

I saw a lot of different fans, when I went to Albany, but it seemed like Sabres and Rangers stood out as most prevalent. There's no way the Sabres are abandoning Rochester (nor should they). Albany seems like a sound choice for the Rangers, if they insist in pulling up stakes. Albany's track record, coupled with that of the Rangers affiliates, doesn't exactly equal a no-brainer move, though.

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https://www.nhl.com/news/ahl-notebook-february-1/c-286338150

 

A couple of takeaways: Albany to Binghamton confirmed, and odds are good that AHL team 31 will begin play next season.

 

If Vancouver ever plans to move the Comets west, now is the time to do it. 

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8 hours ago, MBurmy said:

ECHL's IceMen to Jacksonville official, but they take the lazy route and keep the name.

 

I still wanted them to bring back the Lizard Kings...

Jax is a solid move, adding to the southern coastal corridor of teams. Keeping IceMen is not. It's a boring identity.

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Thunder Bay Lynx - International Hockey Association (2 seasons, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2018 Xtreme Cup Champions)Houston Armadillos - Major League Hockey (2 seasons, 2016-18) | Minnesota Muskies - North American Basketball Association (1 season, 2017-2018) | Louisville Thoroughbreds - United League of Baseball (1 season, 2017, 2017 United Cup Champions) | Las Vegas Thunderbirds - International Basketball League (1 season, 2016-17, 2017 Champions) 

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13 hours ago, the admiral said:

It's fine enough. It's better than the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Besides, Jacksonville is just a big nondescript zone. There's nothing interesting to do with it.

I was thinking less Swamp Rabbits and more Solar Bears, with respect to rebranding.

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