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BP2011
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
531 Posts |
 Posted - 04/02/2012 : 10:07:52 AM
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| With the addition of the Orlando Solar Bears for 12-13, there is real good speculation that Fort Wayne is coming to the ECHL. On there website they have no 12-13 season tickets on sale for CHL games, as most people know teams start selling season tickets for the next year almost when the new year starts. Evansville Icemen and there new arena have 36 game packs available to buy, unless the CHL is moving to 72 games it looks like the Cyclones could have an easy travel schedule for a lot of games next year. ratsncats had this on another thread but it is looking really good for the ECHL to grow in its silver season. Fort Wayne Komets, Kalamazoo Wings, Orlando Solar Bears and in the west with the Utah Grizzlies, it feels like the mid 1990s early 2000-2001. |
08, 10 Kelly Cup Champions
08, 10, 14 American Conference Champions
08, 09, 13 North Division Champions
08 Brabham Cup Champions |
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tjpavlik
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 10:47:07 AM
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While we are speculating I heard from a few people that Chicago will not be back next year. I can't believe the ECHL would allow a team in on a one year plan. (although they let teams fold mid-season, so who knows) Their attendance was dismal (as is usually the case the first year) and no mention of next years season tickets. Has anyone heard anything?
BTW, congrats to Steve Martinson on another goon team that can't make the post season. |
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Cyclonesdiehard
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 11:03:47 AM
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| I have heard that they are trying to find another owner, and are re-negotiating the lease with the Sears Centre. I wonder if the Sears is cursed? I hope the Express don't fold. They became immediately hated, and a rival for the north division teams. Always a nasty game when they came to town. |
http://cyclonesopinionpage.blogspot.com/ |
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n/a
deleted
149 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 1:03:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by tjpavlik
While we are speculating I heard from a few people that Chicago will not be back next year. I can't believe the ECHL would allow a team in on a one year plan. (although they let teams fold mid-season, so who knows) Their attendance was dismal (as is usually the case the first year) and no mention of next years season tickets. Has anyone heard anything?
BTW, congrats to Steve Martinson on another goon team that can't make the post season.
Believe it or not, Martinson's last minute choking dog Express team was the first team in his 16 year coaching career which didn't make the playoffs.
The Express are facing a hopelessly uphill battle to survive. They are 5 (maybe 6) exits down the highway from the well established AHL Wolves and then there's that NHL team in town who won the Stanley Cup 2 years ago. The Chicago media market is so expensive that there's no way an ECHL budget can get the word out on the team and they'll never get any meaningful media coverage.
It seems to be a classic "tail wags dog" deal. Nice arena has no primary tenant so let's put something there. This is the second AA team which has attempted to make a go of it at Sears Centre. The Chicago Hounds of the UHL (Fort Wayne was in that league along with Elmira) played in 2006-07. The same guy (Craig Drektrah) owned the team as well. I guess the cliche "once bitten twice shy" doesn't apply to him. The Hounds had abysmal attendance as well.
If the team is losing as much money as I suspect it is, walking away from any agreement with the ECHL regardless of its terms might be the smartest thing for the ownership to do if they sense that their prospects for success are as grim as I see them.
Fort Wayne and Evansville will announce their respective ECHL plans after the conclusion of the CHL playoffs. It's a terribly kept secret in each town from what I've been told. |
Edited by - n/a on 04/02/2012 1:06:41 PM |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 2:09:55 PM
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Talk Indy into moving back to the ECHL and give them the
Chicago franchise ! Perfect for Evansville, Fort Wayne,
Cincinnati and Toledo. |
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AwesomeSauce
(The Next Level!)
159 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 5:01:12 PM
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[/quote]
The Express are facing a hopelessly uphill battle to survive. They are 5 (maybe 6) exits down the highway from the well established AHL Wolves and then there's that NHL team in town who won the Stanley Cup 2 years ago. The Chicago media market is so expensive that there's no way an ECHL budget can get the word out on the team and they'll never get any meaningful media coverage.
That all makes sense, though with Chicago being as big as it is the Express should still be able to pull in higher attendence than the small ECHL markets. It seems like they could atleast be in the 3500-4000 attendence average range simply by drawing in people who live near the arena or folks who cant afford Blackhawks tickets. Although in big cities like Chicago it's not necessarily "cool" to support a minor league team. Hopefully they'll give it a few years and see if it develops into something. |
Edited by - AwesomeSauce on 04/02/2012 5:03:32 PM |
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AwesomeSauce
(The Next Level!)
159 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 5:05:16 PM
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| It's going to be nice with Ft. Wayne and Evansville in the league next year. It gets old seeing the same 3-4 teams 8 times a year. |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 5:38:00 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by AwesomeSauce
It's going to be nice with Ft. Wayne and Evansville in the league next year. It gets old seeing the same 3-4 teams 8 times a year.
Let's see if you feel that way with THREE more teams that you have to
get by in order to make the playoffs. Oh well, we won't need to worry
about playoffs if our current coach stays on. |
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fangers
(The Next Level!)
USA
262 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 7:18:24 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by bags
Talk Indy into moving back to the ECHL and give them the
Chicago franchise ! Perfect for Evansville, Fort Wayne,
Cincinnati and Toledo.
That won't happen the next two seasons, minimum - Pepsi Col is undergoing rennovations, won't be available next two seasons. The USHL team is looking for a temporary home as it is. |
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Reggie Dunlop
(The Next Level!)
USA
399 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2012 : 4:22:24 PM
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| These regional teams would be fun to have for nearby rivalries, but the ECHL can't put them all in the Eastern Conference. If more teams east of the Mississippi come into the league, the ECHL will have to somehow realign. Stacking one conference and leaving the other one with "gimme" playoff positions will create a huge competitive imbalance and disadvantage. At a certain point the PHPA will intervene to rectify the playoff disadvantage because, ultimately, it costs some players extra pay. The precedent was set this year when the NHLPA rejected realignment. Their claim was that the inequitable number of teams in divisions created competitive imbalance and an unfair advantage for teams and players in the divisions with fewer teams. |
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cMan2KellyCup
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
540 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2012 : 7:24:00 PM
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| well San Francisco and Las Vegas I believe had IHL franchises at one time too, but under different names, so it is fixing to be a partial IHL reunion... now to throw open the East-West barriers and let them all duke it out... and while were at it lets just do away with the ECHL name... name it something else |
KELLY CUP CHAMPIONS- 2008, 2010
AMERICAN/EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS- 2008, 2010, 2014
DIVISION CHAMPIONS- 1996, 2008, 2009, 2013
2008 BRABHAM CUP CHAMPIONS
Boards + visitors = broken bones! |
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Cyclonesdiehard
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 9:34:20 PM
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The ECHL name has 20 plus years of history behind it. It is respected in many hockey circles. Changing the name would be one of the most idiotic things in hockey history.
Yes San Franciso had an IHL team. The Spiders lasted one season before folding. The Las Vegas Thunder lasted 7 seasons before folding due to arena problems. |
http://cyclonesopinionpage.blogspot.com/ |
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Obie
(Rookie)
USA
43 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 3:03:40 PM
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| What do you think about a possible North, South, West alignment, where each conference has it's own regular season champion, and they, along with a host team hold a round robin series, vis a vi, the Memorial Cup? |
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