Confirmed with Link: New York Rangers Hire John Davidson as President

[East Coast Bias]

It's too bad that they didn't take a shot on Utica. Since the Canucks moved the farm in, the place has been completely revitalized. Tons of development, awesome sold out crowds, cleaning up the community a lot. It's really been all positive. Would've been awesome to have the baby Rangers in Utica considering there are a ****ton of Rangers fans in Central NY as well.

Second that.

My sister in law moved to Utica a couple years ago for a job. I’ve been to a couple games when Visiting. It’s an awesome scene. Utica college draws wild crowds as well.

 

[MrEctions]

Second that.

My sister in law moved to Utica a couple years ago for a job. I’ve been to a couple games when Visiting. It’s an awesome scene. Utica college draws wild crowds as well.

When the Canucks came in, Utica was starving for a hockey team. Utica College has always drawn well, but ahl hockey, the Devils, had been sustained for a long while before the Aud sat empty. The community up here loves their hockey, and even though it's the Canucks, everyone has embraced the team and supported the efforts. I would say that as far as support and hockey atmosphere, Utica is higher on the list than the Syracuse Crunch, the baby Lightning. Rob Esche settled in the area as well and has played a big part in the revitilization efforts. It's just awesome to see.

I personally am from Clinton, which won the Kraft hockeyville challenge last year, and was just a fantastic scene as well. Having the Rangers in this area would've been a massive win all around. Proximity to MSG, fan support, etc etc.

 

[Levitate]

I don’t think Ola is that wrong about Hartford...they never seemed to want an AHL team and pine away for a bad NHL franchise and it can’t be fun playing to tiny crowds every night.

It’s pretty close to NYC but that’s literally the only decent thing it seems to have going for it. And we wonder why some guys struggle there and play better in the big stage

 

[n8]

Watched some old videos of JD today. Very happy he's back in the fold. He's always been a fan favorite because of his play and his work in the booth with Sam but he's a very very bright guy. Only positives will come of this

these are amazing. thanks for sharing

 

[Ola]

I don’t think Ola is that wrong about Hartford...they never seemed to want an AHL team and pine away for a bad NHL franchise and it can’t be fun playing to tiny crowds every night.

It’s pretty close to NYC but that’s literally the only decent thing it seems to have going for it. And we wonder why some guys struggle there and play better in the big stage

Yeah, and there have been countless reports over the years on how the crowd also is a lot smaller than what is reported, and those numbers are horrible to start with.

I can understand people not being around prior to the move in 97' and remembering the high flying plans that was in place then -- aren't as upset about the state of that franchise now. But it really is a totally stranded whale, and the outcome we have today would have been seen as totally unacceptable back then. Was Checkett the architect behind the relocation (@RangerBoy)? I remember the comments, it was supposed to be a state of the art AHL affiliate. Sometimes things don't work out. There have been plenty of attempts by Sather early on to get it going, they failed. Then everyone just lost the energy to fix it.

Should be at the top of Davidsson's agenda. Move it to a better location, with an existing Rangers fan base, hockey people in Hartford don't even like the Rangers. Its much better to run a nice and tidy shop that support the players and is state of the art in terms of training facilities etc.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

I don’t think Ola is that wrong about Hartford...they never seemed to want an AHL team and pine away for a bad NHL franchise and it can’t be fun playing to tiny crowds every night.

It’s pretty close to NYC but that’s literally the only decent thing it seems to have going for it. And we wonder why some guys struggle there and play better in the big stage

That's not really fair to the Whalers fans. WHA---> early 90s when the economic scale of the league was a dwarf compared to what it is today, the Whalers were a good team that wasn't a good enough, but the fans were loyal. Up until the tail end when management was really messing up the team, the Whaler fans were more loyal and louder than the f***ing Islander fans, and they never had a dynasty to say the least.

 

[Jaromir Jagr]

So you mean you can’t live within commuting distance of Tarrytown the way AHL players live (3-4 players sharing an apartment)? Lol if this is satire it’s the best I’ve ever seen...

It wasn’t long ago not even the Ranger players lived on Manhattan.

HFD is a disaster. The only reason the franchise is still there is because nobody have had the energy to fix it.

I mean, you can really tell that you don't have any experience in the area. Considering mostly everyone who has experience living there disagrees with you, that should say something.

I've also been to Tarrytown multiple times and it is itself not a cheap area to live. Moreover, if you are proposing them building an arena nearby, I can almost guarantee it will attract less fans than Hartford. It is not an easy place to get to.

There is a reason teams setup in smaller cities like Hartford. It makes sense to have an AHL team there. The poor condition of the team has to do with management, not fans showing up.

 

[Ola]

I mean, you can really tell that you don't have any experience in the area. Considering mostly everyone who has experience living there disagrees with you, that should say something.

I've also been to Tarrytown multiple times and it is itself not a cheap area to live. Moreover, if you are proposing them building an arena nearby, I can almost guarantee it will attract less fans than Hartford. It is not an easy place to get to.

There is a reason teams setup in smaller cities like Hartford. It makes sense to have an AHL team there. The poor condition of the team has to do with management, not fans showing up.

Nonsense.

(a) Hank has one hour and 2 minutes to Tarrytown right now. You can live in Kingston or Poughkeepsie and get there faster.

(b) I am not proposing that they build an arena there. The Chelsea Pier comment was more for the sake of the argument.

What I am proposing is that -- to get an upgrade -- they do not have to find a perfect state of the art AHL facility and draw a 6-7k crowd. It can't get any worse than the situation in HFD right now. The hockey community there just don't really like the team, they aren't Ranger fans and they are bitter about losing the Whalers and don't want act like they are compensated with an AHL team. If they by any chance stumble into the arena, there is absolutely no atmosphere what-so-ever. What is a hockey game without a crowd?

The Wolf Pack draws a 3k crowd to the games according to the records, and that is at the bottom of the league. I have several times seen remarks from people going to the games that the real attendance must be much lower. When you see games from XL Center the crowd just looks totally lost and seldom seem to constitute of more than 1,000-1,500 at the most. Its the old trick of giving tickets away and count the receivers as people attending the game.

Just find a place located in an area with a ranger fan base. They had hybris when they moved to HFD, thought they would draw a 10-15k crowd, instead they are persona non grata. I've played in several smaller rinks with crowds of 2-3k, the atmosphere can be awesome, and with a packed arena the noise level is always higher the smaller the arena is. In a 15-20k house you cannot quite get the same atmosphere, the building is just too big.

Start from scratch and start small. The state of the art AHL facility should apply to coaching and training facilities. The arena and team should somewhat be on hometurf, where you get some kind of support form the home crowd. If that crowd is 1,500 die hard ranger fans cramped into a small building to watch our prospects -- I would certainly prefer it over 3k lost souls in HFD.

(c) The poor conditions can and will certainly affect the poor performance. Players can't wait to get out of there. You need a home crowd to play infront of every now and then. These guys are only human.

 

[Jaromir Jagr]

Nonsense.

(a) Hank has one hour and 2 minutes to Tarrytown right now. You can live in Kingston or Poughkeepsie and get there faster.

(b) I am not proposing that they build an arena there. The Chelsea Pier comment was more for the sake of the argument.

What I am proposing is that -- to get an upgrade -- they do not have to find a perfect state of the art AHL facility and draw a 6-7k crowd. It can't get any worse than the situation in HFD right now. The hockey community there just don't really like the team, they aren't Ranger fans and they are bitter about losing the Whalers and don't want act like they are compensated with an AHL team. The Wolf Pack draws a 3k crowd to the games according to the records, and that is at the bottom of the league. I have several times seen remarks from people going to the games that the real attendance must be much lower. When you see games from XL Center the crowd just looks totally lost and seldom seem to constitute of more than 1,000-1,500 at the most. Its the old trick of giving tickets away and count the receivers as people attending the game.

Just find a place located in an area with a ranger fan base. They had hybris when they moved to HFD, thought they would draw a 10-15k crowd, instead they are persona non grata. I've played in several smaller rinks with crowds of 2-3k, the atmosphere can be awesome, and with a packed arena the noise level is always higher the smaller the arena is. In a 15-20k house you cannot quite get the same atmosphere, the building is just too big.

Start from scratch and start small. The state of the art AHL facility should apply to coaching and training facilities. The arena and team should somewhat be on hometurf, where you get some kind of support form the home crowd. If that crowd is 1,500 die hard ranger fans cramped into a small building to watch our prospects -- I would certainly prefer it over 3k lost souls in HFD.

(c) The poor conditions can and will certainly affect the poor performance. Players can't wait to get out of there. You need a home crowd to play infront of every now and then. These guys are only human.

Henrik makes 9 million dollars a year. You are talking about AHL players who make less than 100K per year. I don't think you understand just how hard it is to survive in NYC / Tri-State area on less than 100K per year.

 

[Ola]

Henrik makes 9 million dollars a year. You are talking about AHL players who make less than 100K per year. I don't think you understand just how hard it is to survive in NYC / Tri-State area on less than 100K per year.

Is Kingston or Poughkeepsie that much more expensive for a single no-kids house-hold that is out travelling 50% of his time? Rent+food (when you are on the road the food is free). Answer no: Apartments for Rent in Poughkeepsie NY | Apartments.com

 

[East Coast Bias]

Is Kingston or Poughkeepsie that much more expensive for a single no-kids house-hold that is out travelling 50% of his time? Rent+food (when you are on the road the food is free). Answer no: Apartments for Rent in Poughkeepsie NY | Apartments.com

Have you ever visited Poughkeepsie?

I'm going to guess no

 

[Ola]

Have you ever visited Poughkeepsie?

I'm going to guess no

I've heard the name mentioned a lot in some TV-series, was it Allly McBeal?

What have I missed?

Seriously though, are you guys really saying that its so expensive for young single household males making 65k per year to live in an area of 1.5 hour drive in either direction from Tarrytown that you cannot have an AHL team practice there? If so, I am wrong, sorry, forget all I wrote. But it isn't. You could easily get by in like Norwalk, I have an aunt who lives there.

 

[Irishguy42]

I was literally in the Poughkeepsie area for a weekend about a month ago. That place could not host an AHL arena.

 

[Leetch3]

we badly need to fix the situation in hartford in terms of developing players...and a nice new building would be nice as a fan going to games, but thats the least of my concerns right now

 

[True Blue]

It's too bad that they didn't take a shot on Utica. Since the Canucks moved the farm in, the place has been completely revitalized. Tons of development, awesome sold out crowds, cleaning up the community a lot. It's really been all positive. Would've been awesome to have the baby Rangers in Utica considering there are a ****ton of Rangers fans in Central NY as well.

Oh....days of drinking along Genesse street.

 

[Ola]

I was literally in the Poughkeepsie area for a weekend about a month ago. That place could not host an AHL arena.

The question is if its possible for AHL players to practice in Tarrytown. But these guys are saying that its so expensive to live within commuting distance of Tarrytown that no AHLer could ever afford it. It just sound absurd to me.

Its not that uncommon for NHL teams to ride the bus to home games. The arena you play games in don't have to be located close to Tarrytown. Its not like time is a big issue for a hockey player. You don't have to set the clock in the middle of the night to get to work in time every day.

 

[Tawnos]

The question is if its possible for AHL players to practice in Tarrytown. But these guys are saying that its so expensive to live within commuting distance of Tarrytown that no AHLer could ever afford it. It just sound absurd to me.

Its not that uncommon for NHL teams to ride the bus to home games. The arena you play games in don't have to be located close to Tarrytown. Its not like time is a big issue for a hockey player. You don't have to set the clock in the middle of the night to get to work in time every day.

It's wrong to think that someone making $70k per year (ELC AHL salary) can't afford to live in the Hudson Valley, particularly if he's sharing sharing living space and getting per diem much of the time. You don't even need Kingston/Poughkeepsie. Northern Westchester and Rockland counties are doable. Hell I've had friends who lived in Tarrytown, with roommates, and made far less than that.

The bigger problem is whether or not there's a available, viable (at least 5k capacity, preferably at least 7k), quality AHL arena close enough to allow the players to take advantage of the training facility in Tarrytown. So far, the answer to the question is definitely no. The closest to that is the Meadowlands, but I'm not so sure they'd want to book out 41 weekend dates for AHL hockey there.

 

[MrEctions]

There's also the Glen's falls civic center which has played host to ahl teams before. I believe it is now being used by the Echl, but I know previously the Red Wings farm was there. Hell I remember back in the late 80's/early 90's the Rangers held training camps there. I have pictures with Kelly Kisio, Turcotte, Bernie Nichols and more from that venue. According to Wiki it holds almost 5k people in the venue.

 

[Tawnos]

There's also the Glen's falls civic center which has played host to ahl teams before. I believe it is now being used by the Echl, but I know previously the Red Wings farm was there. Hell I remember back in the early 90's the Rangers held training camps there. I have pictures with Kelly Kisio, Turcotte, Bernie Nichols and more from that venue. According to Wiki it holds almost 5k people in the venue.

Yeah, but that's almost 3 hours away from Tarrytown. I believe Albany is vacant right now, but neither are an improvement on that score.

 

[Ola]

Yeah, but that's almost 3 hours away from Tarrytown. I believe Albany is vacant right now, but neither are an improvement on that score.

Yeah, that sounds a little long unfortunately.

 

[MrEctions]

Yeah, but that's almost 3 hours away from Tarrytown. I believe Albany is vacant right now, but neither are an improvement on that score.

True, I'm not up to speed on the Albany situation or support. I know the Devils were there but never made the trek to see many games out there. Ideally Binghamton would be perfect as far as proximity.

 

[Tawnos]

True, I'm not up to speed on the Albany situation or support. I know the Devils were there but never made the trek to see many games out there. Ideally Binghamton would be perfect as far as proximity.

Binghamton is farther than Hartford or Albany.

 

[Ola]

You meant Springfield?

 

[MrEctions]

Binghamton is farther than Hartford or Albany.

Huh, you learn something new everyday. I didn't map it out, just always figured binghamton was within a couple hours.

 

[Ola]

In Europe we have licenses for each tier/league. You cannot be promoted unless you fulfill certain conditions. At first it’s more or less a clock and locker rooms and a sheet of ice painted the same way. Then the requirements get harder. I’ve several times seen organizations scrambling to meet the requirements at higher level, getting enough seatings, a TV booth etc. Of course it’s necessary to have something to start with for AHL team. But it don’t have to be that fancy.