There is so much to read these days, I missed this from a few days ago. From The Denver Post:
The Avalanche organization is continuing negotiations that could lead to Colorado supplying talent for a new American Hockey League franchise in Cleveland.
Cleveland. Whoopie.
Quicken Loans chairman Dan Gilbert, who also owns downtown Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena and the Cleveland Cavaliers, also will own the hockey AHL franchise.
As far as I can tell, that's pretty much the only way it's going to work in Cleveland. A major reason the San Jose Sharks moved the Cleveland Barons to Worcester was because they had an unfavorable lease deal (high rent). If the guy who owns the arena owns the team, there is no such thing. The question will be about attracting fans, which was the other problem for the Barons. They weren't doing so well in that regard of late. But there's nothing like taking hockey away to make fans come back, right lockout sufferers?
Still, Cleveland. I would rather see the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL be moved to an AHL level team, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the Cyclones.
3 comments:
The Cleveland AHL team is going to be named the Fighting Walleye. I kid you not.
Come on, that's just a rumor.
Please let it be a rumor.
With prices like they are now offering, don't expect Cleveland to last long. Management is definitely deluded here. Glass seats for $60. $9 seats now $20. Its unfortunate because marketed correctly, even in a major league city, AHL hockey could be successful in Cleveland again. They really missed the boat here though. Do you think Joe Average is gonna regularly pluck down $30 for a decent seat to a minor league hockey game? I'm sure opening night will be packed, but by the middle of the season, it's gonna be a sea of empty seats as usual. In the poorest big city in America, they definitely have no idea who their true market is. Looks like they are more concerned with recouping their money from the purchase of their franchise as fast as they can, rather than building up a fanbase and ensuring hockey can ultimately last in the city. Very unfortunate indeed.
http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?p=7342821#post7342821
http://www.pollpub.com/with-the-current-pricing-structure-and-the-increased-price-of-tickets-if-you-have-bought-ticket.aspx
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