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Ice Cats sold


Dilbert

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http://www.theahl.com/AHL/News/2004/11/09/707175.html

According to The AHL, the St.Louis Blues have sold their AAA team , Worcester Ice Cats, to a couple of Peoria business leaders. They plan to move the team in 2005 to Peoria, Illinois. They currently opperate the ECHL Peoria Rivermen.

Sad to see Worcester go, but glad to see the AHL expanding more in the west.

At this point the AHL will have 3 new teams next year :cry::)

Iowa(Des Moines)Stars(Dallas)

Toronto(former St.John's)(Toronto)

Peoria(former Worcester) (St.Louis)

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Well, so much for that new logo the Ice Cats have....

Unless they didn't sell the name and logo rights. You might see the IceCats pop up again. While logistically horrible, Calgary does not have an A affiliate. Just a thought.

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With the relocation of Worcester to Peoria, I have come up with my idea of the alignment for 2005-06

Eastern Conf

Northeast Div

Portland Pirates

Manchester Monarchs

Lowell Lock Monsters

Springfield Falcons

Providence Bruins

North Div

Albany River Rats

Binghamton Senators

Hartford Wolf Pack

Hamilton Bulldogs

Toronto Hockey Club

South Div

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Hershey Bears

Philadelphia Phantoms

Norfolk Admirals

WESTERN CONF

East Div

Rochester Americans

Syracuse Crunch

Cleveland Barons

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks

Central Div

Grand Rapids Griffins

Milwaukee Admirals

Chicago Wolves

Peoria Rivermen

Iowa Stars

West Div

Manitoba Moose

San Antonio Rampage

Houston Aeros

Edmonton Road Runners

Utah Grizzlies

Again just an idea.

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Something doesn't seem right about having an East Division in the Western Conference :)

I'm hoping the AHL finally gets that 30th club to give every NHL team an affiliate... and here's hoping for some stability in the A.

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Founder/Editor, SportsLogos.Net

 

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I think it would be better to have all the New York State-based teams (Binghampton, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse) in one division with Hartford in that same division, like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Bridgeport

Manchester

Providence

Springfield

New Worchester Franchise

EMPIRE DIVISION

Hartford

Binghampton

Rochester

Syarcuse

Albany

NORTHERN DIVISION

New Toronto Franchise

Manitoba

Edmonton

Hamilton

Portland, ME

WESTERN CONFERENCE

MID-ALANTIC DIVISION

Philadelphia

Wilkes Barre/Scranton

Hershey

Norfolk

GREAT LAKES DIVISION

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Grand Rapids

Chicago

MIlwaukee

CENTRAL DIVISION

Iowa

Utah

San Antonio

Houston

Peoria

"I better go take a long walk off a short pier or something."

Some people on this bolard have told me to do just that.

My "Ron Mexico" alias is "Jon Tobago".

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you know something..what ever happened to the AHL being committed to having teams in Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saint John?

Well, those teams all folded.

Me, I'd just like to see the Moose and the Wolves in the same division again...back in the I, those were the games closest in intensity to the old Jets-Blackhawks games...always chippy, always exciting.

Welcome to DrunjFlix

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I think it would be better to have all the New York State-based teams (Binghampton, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse) in one division with Hartford in that same division, like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Bridgeport

Manchester

Providence

Springfield

New Worchester Franchise

EMPIRE DIVISION

Hartford

Binghampton

Rochester

Syarcuse

Albany

NORTHERN DIVISION

New Toronto Franchise

Manitoba

Edmonton

Hamilton

Portland, ME

WESTERN CONFERENCE

MID-ALANTIC DIVISION

Philadelphia

Wilkes Barre/Scranton

Hershey

Norfolk

GREAT LAKES DIVISION

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Grand Rapids

Chicago

MIlwaukee

CENTRAL DIVISION

Iowa

Utah

San Antonio

Houston

Peoria

Nah, Peoria and Chicago need to be in the same division. It just hasnt been right without Cleveland in the other divison from the Ducks.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHERN DIVISION

New Toronto Franchise

Manitoba

Edmonton

Hamilton

Portland, ME

How the hell can you call it the Eastern conference when it contains your westernmost team? :blink:

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How the hell can you call it the Eastern conference when it contains your westernmost team?  :blink:

Hey St. John's is currently in the WESTERN conference.

Edmonton's there because they want it in the same division as the other Canadian teams

I saw, I came, I left.

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I'd go with either...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Northeast Division

Lowell Lock Monsters

Manchester Monarchs

Portland Pirates

Providence Bruins

Worcester Ice Cats

Empire Division

Albany River Rats

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Hartford Wolf Pack

Springfield Falcons

Syracuse Crunch

Mid-Atlantic Division

Binghamton Senators

Hershey Bears

Norfolk Admirals

Philadelphia Phantoms

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Great Lakes Division

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks

Cleveland Barons

Hamilton Bulldogs

Rochester Americans

Toronto Minor Leafs

Midwest Division

Chicago Wolves

Grand Rapids Griffins

Iowa Stars

Milwaukee Admirals

Peoria Rivermen

West Division

Edmonton Roadrunners

Houston Aeros

Manitoba Moose

San Antonio Rampage

Utah Grizzlies

Or...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

New England Division (or Northeast Division)

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Hartford Wolf Pack

Lowell Lock Monsters

Manchester Monarchs

Portland Pirates

Providence Bruins

Springfield Falcons

Worcester Ice Cats

Mid-Atlantic Division

Albany River Rats

Binghamton Senators

Hershey Bears

Norfolk Admirals

Philadelphia Phantoms

Rochester Americans

Syracuse Crunch

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

Chicago Wolves

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks

Cleveland Barons

Grand Rapids Griffins

Hamilton Bulldogs

Milwaukee Admirals

Toronto Minor Leafs

West Division

Edmonton Roadrunners

Houston Aeros

Iowa Stars

Manitoba Moose

Peoria Rivermen

San Antonio Rampage

Utah Grizzlies

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"Hey, St. John's is currently in the WESTERN Conference. Edmonton's there because they want it in the same division as the other Canadian teams."

Amen, brother quadival to that. Why'd you think I made the divisions up? To foster regional rivalries, although what Portland, Maine is to Canada sometimes makes geography unusual.

Of course, this set up would be subject to other franchise moves or bug-eyed dreaming.

"I better go take a long walk off a short pier or something."

Some people on this bolard have told me to do just that.

My "Ron Mexico" alias is "Jon Tobago".

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I tried to put this post through last night, but somehow the connection elves were at it again...

There used to be an Empire Division in the AHL, most of the teams in it were in New York state...Adirondack Red Wings, Rochester Americans, Albany River Rats (or Utica Devils), Binghamton Rangers, Syracuse Crunch. Might have been a few more teams in there as well.

Portland wouldn't be in a division with all Canadian teams. It's one thing to have all the Canadian teams in one division, since there are only 5 or 6 of them. But Portland's main and closest rivals are in the other New England states.

As beneficial as this move is for St. Louis (having an affiliate closer to them), I'm afraid it might set a precedent for other New England teams to move out. Lowell has been near bottom in attendance, along with one of its parents. Springfield isn't too far away from Lowell. The trend lately has been to expand to larger cities, like Toronto/Edmonton, San Antonio, Cleveland. There are still many cities larger than the average AHL host that don't have major league hockey, or at least AAA.

Some cities are even supporting 2 teams...Edmonton, Chicago, Philadelphia. The smaller cities that have helped grow the AHL to almost 30 teams will get pushed aside in favor of even larger cities, which will leave the ECHL or other AA-level minor league teams to come into the area. I don't think this level will draw that large a crowd, at least not in New England.

Here in this area, the "heirarchy" or hockey goes like this...NHL, NCAA, AHL. I think the Providence Bruins get a much larger crowd than Providence College, but PC plays in a 2,500 seat arena, where the Bruins play in the 13,500 seat Dunkin Donuts Center.

Hockey doesn't generate the same fans as baseball. Baseball brings in the numbers, especially with a Red Sox affiliate. The short season A Lowell Spinners sell out their 5,000 seat stadium every game. The LockMonsters average 3,000 at best. I'm one of the 3,000. If the AHL moves away and the ECHL or UHL moves in, I might still go once in a while, but I'd rather see closer to NHL prospects and quality players. Talking to other fans, that feeling is commonplace.

If you go by arena size, Lowell again is near the bottom at 6,400. Portland is about 6,000; Springfield the same. Across the league, the only other teams I know of around the same capacity areas are St. John's, Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Bridgeport and Syracuse. St. John's is moving out after this season.

I worry about the state of pro hockey in New England after this move out of Worcester. Good news for Peoria, not good for Worcester.

Back-to-Back Fatal Forty Champion 2015 & 2016

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