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cyclonehole
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
985 Posts |
 Posted - 10/02/2006 : 6:04:48 PM
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"SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League’s Board of Governors today granted conditional approval of the sale and relocation of the inactive AHL franchise owned by Gardens Hockey Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, to Ice Track Corporation of Windsor, Ont.
Project Ice Track is a proposed multi-purpose entertainment complex to be built in the Windsor area, to include a 6,500-seat arena and an adjacent practice facility. The arena is scheduled to open in time for the 2008-09 AHL season.
In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 80 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the fifth year in a row, more than 6.3 million fans attended AHL games across North America in 2005-06. The AHL’s 71st regular season begins on Wed., Oct. 4."
Looks like all hope for the "vacant" AHL team (possibility for future RailRaiders) is gone. Time to move on and watch hockey where it will be played ... US Bank Arena. |
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hockeydawg
(Rookie)
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2006 : 3:37:48 PM
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| If only something could be worked out to get the 'Clones back to the Gardens. We could get back to the glory days of hockey in Cincinnati: Cyclones hockey at the Gardens. |
hockeydawg |
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cyclonehole
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2006 : 3:54:52 PM
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| Welcome to the board hockeydawg ... personally, I enjoy the Cyclones were they are now in the arena downtown, and am fine with the Gardens homing the Jr Clones. |
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hockeydawg
(Rookie)
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2006 : 9:54:38 PM
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| When Anaheim moved their AHL affiliation, the Robinsons should have resurrected the Cyclones in the ECHL and essentially started over. They would ahve had to do some work and obviously pay some $$$ to do so, but I guarantee they would have repeated the success enjoyed by the 'Clones and the Gardens in the early 90s. The Gardens is simply a better hockey venue and it has the advantage of not being downtown, including easier and cheaper parking. It will be interesting to see how the 'Clones make out at the Arena being the only game in town, but I still fear that they won't draw as well as they would at the Gardens. I do realize that it will never happen, but I dare to dream I guess. |
hockeydawg |
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the bear
(Finally Got A Star!)
USA
77 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2006 : 8:00:38 PM
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| I am curious to the future of the Gardens. With Xavier long gone and hockey gone, what will happen to that building? Will Robinson be selling it? Could it be destroyed to make way for new houseing? |
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cyclonehole
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2006 : 8:31:59 PM
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| Keep in mind that the Jr Cyclones are currently playing their home games at the Gardens, the bear. |
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hockeydawg
(Rookie)
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 1:55:37 PM
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| Recall that before Xavier made the Gardens their home and the Cyclones came to town the Robinsons were going to convert the Gardens into a warehouse. Their sale of the AHL rights is interesting as it suggests that they are getting out of the hockey ownership business. I'm sure that they would like to have more events there than the Junior Cyclones games. That can't generate much revenue. That being said, Robinson owns the building outright so it's not like he has mortgage payments to make on it. He does, however, have expenses to keep it open. Maybe the Robinsons buy the Cyclones and move them back to the Gardens? There I go dreaming again. |
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cyclonehole
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 4:04:44 PM
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| I'm afraid that's terribly unlikely at this point, but who knows what its future holds ... just like the rumors all of the USBA generated when the Cyclones first went vacant, about it being coverted to a parking lot and what not. |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 5:45:36 PM
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I tried to keep my mouth shut but LEAVE THE CYCLONES AT THE ARENA!!!!!The Robinson's
were part of the reason the Cyclones left in the first place.I kind of enjoy using
a bathroom where the floors are dry,the toilets work and toilet paper is available.
I also like the air conditioning so I'm not looking through a FOG BANK ON THE ICE if
the weather is warm. I also remember the butt pinching seats, the slick floors to
walk on and everything else the worn out Gardens had to offer.Yes we had a better
spirit at the Gardens, but that spirit can be generated here.The Cyclones and Xavier
gave the Robinsons 10,000 strong crowds and they laughed all the way to the bank.The
only time improvements were made was when they owned the team.
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cyclonehole
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 6:27:10 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by bags
I tried to keep my mouth shut but LEAVE THE CYCLONES AT THE ARENA!!!!!The Robinson's
were part of the reason the Cyclones left in the first place.I kind of enjoy using
a bathroom where the floors are dry,the toilets work and toilet paper is available.
I also like the air conditioning so I'm not looking through a FOG BANK ON THE ICE if
the weather is warm. I also remember the butt pinching seats, the slick floors to
walk on and everything else the worn out Gardens had to offer.Yes we had a better
spirit at the Gardens, but that spirit can be generated here.The Cyclones and Xavier
gave the Robinsons 10,000 strong crowds and they laughed all the way to the bank.The
only time improvements were made was when they owned the team.
I agree ... I don't see the point in bellyaching over the actual facility of The Gardens ... I love the newer/spacious feel of USBA and have a great time utilizing it at hockey games. |
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hockeydawg
(Rookie)
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 11:25:45 PM
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| USBA is a very nice arena, but there's no question that the Gardens is a hockey arena. The fact of the matter is that the Cyclones will never draw as well at USBA as they did at the Gardens. There are many reasons for that. You say that the spirit at the Gardens can be generated at USBA. If so, why hasn't it yet? It's been a number of years now. Believe me, I would love to see it. |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 6:00:12 PM
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I can remember some pretty wild nights after they moved to USBA. If the Gardens
was such a great place,why couldn't the "higher ranked" Ducks keep the team
going and even when we weren't even playing? What made the original Cyclones
work was the hard work of Doug Kirchoffer and the hard nose coaching of Dennis
Desrosiers. If Florida wouldn't have forced out Dennis D. ,who knows how strong
the team could have been. The Arena is rehabbed, the team is there so lets get
behind it.By the way, the Marshals had some pretty wild crowds so this can be
achieved here. |
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cyclonehole
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 11:45:49 PM
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quote:
USBA is a very nice arena, but there's no question that the Gardens is a hockey arena.
There's also "no question" that USBA isn't a "hockey arena." Yes, the Gardens is what Cincinnati hockey historians might recall as the main venue and launched the Mohawks, but don't forget that the Coliseum was BUILT for the puck to be dropped in. I don't see the need in having to strive on an arena more than a team. USBA is a top of the line venue for minor league hockey. Just take a roadtrip to the Nutter Center, then you'll know what I mean. 
quote:
The fact of the matter is that the Cyclones will never draw as well at USBA as they did at the Gardens. There are many reasons for that. You say that the spirit at the Gardens can be generated at USBA. If so, why hasn't it yet?
I think you need to realize that the Cyclones played at the Gardens several several years ago at this point, and the ECHL seasons being in 1990 and 1992. Times change, and I think you can understand what I mean by that. Also remember that up until now (this upcoming 06-07 season), the Gardens have been OCCUPIED with higher level hockey with the Mighty Ducks. That could have accounted for something dealing with the "spirit" of the Gardens being generated ...
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the bear
(Finally Got A Star!)
USA
77 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 11:59:40 PM
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The problem was not the arena, the problem with the move is the fact that the Cyclones were not in the best financial shape when they moved, then they sank so much money into rehabing the building. Yes, the improvments were nice, but with such a big debt, the team started to make big cut backs, including ticket sales (a former front office employee told me that they needed 8,000 per game to break even, they never reached that level). It didn't help either that the IHL was so spread out, travel expenses were through the roof. With fewer people selling season and group tickets, the arena became more and more empty, and thus games became boring. The buzz had wore off. And post-Kirschoff owners didn't seem to do much to bring people in. The games were still empty and boring. It is easy to pin it on a bad location, expensive parking, the construction, but the fact of the matter is that the team, for various reasons, was not doing anything to keep the fans excited (and in minor league sports, you need to do a lot more than just have a winning team).
The higher rated Ducks may have had better hockey on the ice, but the fact that the always were sold as a family event never really seemed to catch on. I have never seen a sports team that caters towards families and kids do well (can anybody give me an example). The arena had little to do with it, the Ducks couldn't keep a team because they were going after the wrong crowd.
There have been some wild nights at the USBA. I think it is possible to bring back the buzz of the old days (the early 90's are the old days, boy do I feel old now). Only one team in town helps, the new team doesn't seem to be making hockey a family event, and a long list of promotions, makes me optimistic about this revitalization. |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2006 : 08:20:19 AM
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Thanks "BEAR" for some great points. The early Cyclones were geared for the
"college" age crowd. The music was loud and rocking, the team was hard hitting
and the mood was lively with Terry Ficorelli both at the mike and head of
promotions. We started the slide when the old Red's man was brought in and the
promotions were cut back. Then the team slid into a "defense" team that could be
boring to the non hard-core hockey fans.The debt of the Arena tied the hands of
Doug K. and the construction on the river was the kiss of death because the drive
up crowd stayed home.Now is a new era. The Gardens appear to be gone for hockey,
the team is new with solid major league ties,and the team being put together seems
to be young goal scorers and management is doing their part with promotions and
billboards.Wednesday may be pre season but if I'm the only one down there I still
will have a great time hollering my head for the team,at the team, and in general
enjoying hockey again CYCLONE STYLE!!!!! |
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hockeydawg
(Rookie)
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2006 : 11:33:02 AM
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| The Ducks left because the parent club pulled its affiliation. I'm glad the 'Clones are now the only game in town again and am looking forward to going down to the Arena to watch them. It will be interesting to see the interest level of the fans. |
hockeydawg |
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