JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
The "Help Find the Rink" contest will start right after the "Help Name the Team" contest wraps up.
New Western Pro Hockey League trying to launch
- Thread starter SemireliableSource
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CrazyEddie20
Registered User
Come on, you know that you don't actually need a rink. You just need a team! Then people will fall all over themselves to come out and a rink will happen, because Class-A HOCKEY!!!!!
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
Send a franchise to St. Charles, MO. Guaranteed sellouts at the Family Arena, because the St. Louis area supports ALL levels of HOCKEY!!!!!
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Hi, everyone! A little new here…anyway I thought I’d share this tidbit of info in reference to the new league. I already know some of this regional footprint news has been stated in the forum already, but I was mainly leaning towards the information regarding Las Vegas franchise, the Millionaires. The question is why is the team listed on the so-called website the league has if on this article says one of league’s founders state that the Millionaires aren’t playing until 2023-24 and NOT 2022-23, the inaugural season.
Says this is on, “Santelli said teams will also be located in Wyoming, Texas, New Mexico and potentially Kansas. A Las Vegas franchise could join the league for the 2023-24 season, Santelli said.”
The Icemen Cometh: New Billings pro hockey team announced; will begin play in 2022 | Hockey | 406mtsports.com
Also, Billings isn’t a bad start for the league, BUT both the team and the league need to figure out the arena situation for this team and for any future club in this proposed season. What other markets you guys think will this league expand to?
Says this is on, “Santelli said teams will also be located in Wyoming, Texas, New Mexico and potentially Kansas. A Las Vegas franchise could join the league for the 2023-24 season, Santelli said.”
The Icemen Cometh: New Billings pro hockey team announced; will begin play in 2022 | Hockey | 406mtsports.com
Also, Billings isn’t a bad start for the league, BUT both the team and the league need to figure out the arena situation for this team and for any future club in this proposed season. What other markets you guys think will this league expand to?
This being Single-A hockey, you missed the obvious answer: a bus which no DOT in the country would certify as roadworthy with one driver and hope they don't get caught.
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
Welcome to HFBoards. Take us with a grain of salt ... or maybe an antacid tablet ...
On the possibility of a Kansas-based New WPHL franchise, there are very few ice rinks in the state to choose from & not many medium sized towns to consider for a new facility which would have sufficient surrounding population to make a hockey market. The only semi-credible options that leaped to my mind are: (1) the Landon Arena of the Stormont Vail Events Center (formerly Kansas Expocentre) in Topeka, which seems too large for WPHL purposes/budgets/dreams but Shawnee County may be just that desperate for a hockey tenant; and (2) the smaller KC Ice Center in the city of Shawnee, the rink where Lamar Hunt, Jr. was going to temporarily ice his NAHL franchise before he decided to sell it to the Amarillo, TX group instead (though I would think Lamar would stand in the way of any pro-like hockey league encroaching on his ECHL territory).
Barclay Donaldson
Registered User
Billings isn't a bad start for the league? Billings couldn't support their NA3HL team...
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
Based on some personal experience with seeing how independent pro baseball and (higher quality) summer college ball fared in the same market, I think the fact that the league is professional (players are paid) might actually draw some more interest, especially when the hockey may actually be better than Tier III pay-to-play juniors.
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
Welcome to HFBoards. Take us with a grain of salt ... or maybe an antacid tablet ...
On the possibility of a Kansas-based New WPHL franchise, there are very few ice rinks in the state to choose from & not many medium sized towns to consider for a new facility which would have sufficient surrounding population to make a hockey market. The only semi-credible options that leaped to my mind are: (1) the Landon Arena of the Stormont Vail Events Center (formerly Kansas Expocentre) in Topeka, which seems too large for WPHL purposes/budgets/dreams but Shawnee County may be just that desperate for a hockey tenant; and (2) the smaller KC Ice Center in the city of Shawnee, the rink where Lamar Hunt, Jr. was going to temporarily ice his NAHL franchise before he decided to sell it to the Amarillo, TX group instead (though I would think Lamar would stand in the way of any pro-like hockey league encroaching on his ECHL territory).
There's also United Wireless Center in Dodge City which does seem to still have an ice plant installed. The NAHL kicked the tires on the joint with some neutral site games shortly after it opened about a decade ago.
And there's just something fitting for a DOA team to end up next to those Boot Hill tombstones.
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
Thanks for chiming in, I was hoping someone could find a possible Kansas option further west.
CrazyEddie20
Registered User
Don't you understand that the underlying unmet demand for a professional hockey league in fourth-rate cities spread over thousands of miles featuring players who were stars on ACHA D2 club programs that drew dozens of fans will solve all the problems with the business model?
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PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
If I lost a drunken bet and had to put myself out there to form a professional hockey league from absolutely nothing out "west", I'd also start with a vaporware team in Las Vegas.
The reason: that's the cheapest travel hub. As it turns out, Allegiant has become big enough business with cheap flights from all these 4th and 5th-tier cities that they're sponsoring the big Vegas stadium.
Now the league won't last without that hub, but if I got 6 owners in on this, that's their problem.
The reason: that's the cheapest travel hub. As it turns out, Allegiant has become big enough business with cheap flights from all these 4th and 5th-tier cities that they're sponsoring the big Vegas stadium.
Now the league won't last without that hub, but if I got 6 owners in on this, that's their problem.
Atlantian
Registered User
Still waiting on that article
Barclay Donaldson
Registered User
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
Checkers Hockey
Veni, vidi, vici
Your last team (St. Charles Chill) averaged 2,585 fans during the one and only season they existed. I wouldn't exactly call that a sellout.
I am pretty sure that JMC's post was sarcastic based on the tenor of this thread and the new league.
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
What he said. ^^^ I was a first-party witness to the Chill debacle. Just one example of the narrow-mindedness of "hockey fans" in my home region ... and one of countless examples of piss-poor minor pro hockey business practices.
Checkers Hockey
Veni, vidi, vici
Yeah, it's kinda hard to sense sarcasm through text. Just saying.
Atlantian
Registered User
JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
"Momentarily", but still down as of 9:45 ET Monday morning. Maybe it will be back up by the 18th? What say you @NJdangles99?
