Bloomington Bison joining ECHL in 2024-25

[Af77]

Official Site of The ECHL | ECHL approves Expansion Membership for Bloomington, Illinois

The ECHL Board of Governors has approved the expansion application of Bloomington, Illinois for admittance into the League to begin play in October 2024.

echl.com

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[mk80]

That’s a surprise.

 

[ADK34]

Pretty out-of-nowhere

 

[No Fun Shogun]

As a Bloomington-Normal resident, I hope this succeeds, and I'll certainly go to a few games.

That being said, I have my doubts as to the viability of a non-Illinois State Redbirds team here.

Fingers crossed, though. My favorite hat remains my Chicago Express hat.

 

[JMCx4]

I sure do like the idea of an ECHL team less than 3 hours from home. And if anybody can make hockey work there again, The Halletts have the chops to do it. I just hope the Blackhawks have no involvement.

 

[JMCx4]

Pretty out-of-nowhere

And pretty out IN nowhere.

 

[GindyDraws]

And pretty out IN nowhere.

Fuel and this team playing 18 times a year?

 

[JMCx4]

Fuel and this team playing 18 times a year?

ig-least, as my sister used to say.

 

[I am Bettman]

Yeah this is not a good idea. The arena is great, but they will need some really good marketing to get any fans to show up. Bloomington has hardly any hockey fans.

 

[JMCx4]

... Fingers crossed, though. My favorite hat remains my Chicago Express hat.

I had a CHI Express 3rd replica jersey, but it was sacrificed for the logo to be included in the Defunct/Rebranded/Relocated minor pro hockey quilt that Mrs. JMC made for me several years ago. Note the short-lived Bloomington (IL) Blaze also earned a Square of Shame ...

 

[JMCx4]

So when will the FPHL file a lawsuit against the ECHL for stealing this valuable hockey market?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I had a CHI Express 3rd replica jersey, but it was sacrificed for the logo to be included in the Defunct/Rebranded/Relocated minor pro hockey quilt that Mrs. JMC made for me several years ago. Note the short-lived Bloomington (IL) Blaze also earned a Square of Shame ...

View attachment 804621

Nice. I still have a primary sweater tucked away, but probably not wearing it again until an eventual, and hypothetical, road trip to Columbus for a game, on the off chance any Jackets fans recognize a one-off affiliate from ages past.

Still wear this near daily, though.

And that was originally navy blue. I've worn it a lot and won't be happy until it's faded to near white.

 

[GindyDraws]

Yeah this is not a good idea. The arena is great, but they will need some really good marketing to get any fans to show up. Bloomington has hardly any hockey fans.

Well, Indianapolis went a decade without pro hockey, and they're doing okay for a city that has absolutely zero press coverage for the team and is downright pitiful in the postseason. So, if there's an ownership group that may breathe life into a dead market, they may pull it off.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Also, I don't think it's accurate to say that there aren't many hockey fans in town. It's just that most hockey fans care for the Hawks and to a lesser extent the Blues, so they're prone to just watch games on the tube. In the realm of local sports, it's really Illinois State or bust, with the Cornbelters holding on by a thread with bare bones costs.

They will need to advertise their product, and time will tell if hockey fans show up, but if the team fails it won't be because there weren't enough hockey fans in town. B-N is just a pretty stereotypical college town, where the college(s) gets the support.

 

[JMCx4]

Well, Indianapolis went a decade without pro hockey, and they're doing okay for a city that has absolutely zero press coverage for the team and is downright pitiful in the postseason. So, if there's an ownership group that may breathe life into a dead market, they may pull it off.

The new team in Bloomy had better be ready for traditional media attention falling far below high school & college sports of all kinds. Their social media presence is gonna have start early & grow quickly, not relying on anyone over the age of 39 to even care about the gameday product..

 

[crimsonace]

Well, Indianapolis went a decade without pro hockey, and they're doing okay for a city that has absolutely zero press coverage for the team and is downright pitiful in the postseason. So, if there's an ownership group that may breathe life into a dead market, they may pull it off.

Indy went a decade without *pro* hockey, but it's not like the market was dormant. There was a USHL team in town that won two Clark Cups and was pretty well-supported. Indy hasn't been "dark" since the 1987-88 season.

The Halletts have done a great job operating the Fuel. It's a professionally-run operation, and the team's attendance is very good (and growing) - and I expect it will grow substantially with the move to Fishers. There is next to zero media coverage - which is typical for a team in a major league market - but the Fuel do a really good job of promoting themselves on social media and they sell the games as a fun night out and go hard into promotions and group sales.

In Bloomington-Normal, you have the benefit of being the only pro team in town during the winter, with Illinois State the only other competition for eyeballs. With some solid marketing (and some partnerships - especially with State Farm HQ right there), I really believe they can follow the template they used in Indy and grow the game there. In a lot of markets, you just need good ownership and fans who believe the people running the show care.

 

[GindyDraws]

Indy went a decade without *pro* hockey, but it's not like the market was dormant. There was a USHL team in town that won two Clark Cups and was pretty well-supported. Indy hasn't been "dark" since the 1987-88 season.

The Halletts have done a great job operating the Fuel. It's a professionally-run operation, and the team's attendance is very good (and growing) - and I expect it will grow substantially with the move to Fishers. There is next to zero media coverage - which is typical for a team in a major league market - but the Fuel do a really good job of promoting themselves on social media and they sell the games as a fun night out and go hard into promotions and group sales.

In Bloomington-Normal, you have the benefit of being the only pro team in town during the winter, with Illinois State the only other competition for eyeballs. With some solid marketing (and some partnerships - especially with State Farm HQ right there), I really believe they can follow the template they used in Indy and grow the game there. In a lot of markets, you just need good ownership and fans who believe the people running the show care.

I'm fully aware of the USHL Ice, but let's also not kid ourselves about how that club struggled with support in the 2010s, often ranking at the very bottom of USHL attendance. At least the Fuel are a middle of the road team for a club on the wrong side of the record books.

 

[JMCx4]

... In Bloomington-Normal, you have the benefit of being the only pro team in town during the winter, with Illinois State the only other competition for eyeballs. With some solid marketing (and some partnerships - especially with State Farm HQ right there), I really believe they can follow the template they used in Indy and grow the game there. In a lot of markets, you just need good ownership and fans who believe the people running the show care.

The Halletts will need to establish a diverse local sponsorship base that doesn't rely heavily on the State Farm HQ being "like a good neighbor." The U.S. insurance industry is on an economic downhill slide, as previously reflected in State Farm's late-to-the-corporate-game announcement in Dec 2022 of off-shoring their corporate IT services. So significant investment in an expansion minor pro sports team might not be where The Farm's discretionary dollars are best spent. If HS&E have no white dasherboard space left for opening night, I'll be mighty surprised - but pleased nonetheless.

On a related note ... @I am Bettman ... please expand on your "The arena is great" comment re. the Grossinger Motors facility in Downtown Bloomington. My last Bloomy game night was in early 2020, and at that time (and in the CHL & USHL years before that when I visited) the word "great" never occurred to me as appropriate for the literally middle-of-the-road building that was increasingly showing its then-14 year old bones (municipal facilities counting life expectancies with a math similar to dogs). I'd love to think that the arena has been noticeably & functionally upgraded since then for purposes suiting an ECHL team, but I haven't kept up with the city's investments.

 

[I am Bettman]

The Halletts will need to establish a diverse local sponsorship base that doesn't rely heavily on the State Farm HQ being "like a good neighbor." The U.S. insurance industry is on an economic downhill slide, as previously reflected in State Farm's late-to-the-corporate-game announcement in Dec 2022 of off-shoring their corporate IT services. So significant investment in an expansion minor pro sports team might not be where The Farm's discretionary dollars are best spent. If HS&E have no white dasherboard space left for opening night, I'll be mighty surprised - but pleased nonetheless.

On a related note ... @I am Bettman ... please expand on your "The arena is great" comment re. the Grossinger Motors facility in Downtown Bloomington. My last Bloomy game night was in early 2020, and at that time (and in the CHL & USHL years before that when I visited) the word "great" never occurred to me as appropriate for the literally middle-of-the-road building that was increasingly showing its then-14 year old bones (municipal facilities counting life expectancies with a math similar to dogs). I'd love to think that the arena has been noticeably & functionally upgraded since then for purposes suiting an ECHL team, but I haven't kept up with the city's investments.

Maybe I just have a different idea of great than you haha. I meant that the arena was obviously meant for higher levels than ISU’s club team, and that the facilities should not hold back the new team’s success. It’s one of the only rinks in central IL that feels like an actual hockey arena. It may not be great compared to other echl or even high level juniors arenas, but it’s the nicest rink in central IL.

 

[Captain Crash]

Let's all just hope they do the right thing and bring back the Thunder name. It would be a perfect fit for the ECHL.

 

[GindyDraws]

Let's all just hope they do the right thing and bring back the Thunder name. It would be a perfect fit for the ECHL.

But they would never play Adirondack or Wichita.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Ehhhh I'll be happy if they forgo their past Thunder/Blaze/PrairieThunder/Flying Aces monikers entirely.

Start from scratch.

Watch me regret that and they do something stupid like the Bloomin'ton Onions.

 

[JMCx4]

... Watch me regret that and they do something stupid like the Bloomin'ton Onions.

The lawyers from Outback Steakhouse are on the phone.

 

[JMCx4]

Let's all just hope they do the right thing and bring back the Thunder name. It would be a perfect fit for the ECHL.

"Bloomington ThunderSnow" ... They could hire The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore as in-game announcer, and the Zamboni driver could dump the intermission load of ice scrapings on him.

 

[mk80]

Ehhhh I'll be happy if they forgo their past Thunder/Blaze/PrairieThunder/Flying Aces monikers entirely.

Start from scratch.

Watch me regret that and they do something stupid like the Bloomin'ton Onions.

Coincidentally this Twitter/X account can be found as of December 2023...

https://x.com/bisonhockeyECHL?s=20