OVG's plans for FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario could include an AHL team.

[gstommylee]

Utah's AHL affiliation is only for one-year with Tucson.

That doesn't mean its changing...

 

[TheLegend]

Then how come they had trouble filling a 5k seat barn?

Because they were limited to just over 4700??

You're awfully generous when it comes to Phoenix but " no Hamilton cause the Leafs" is your chorus

It's not the Leafs.

 

[dj4aces]

Then how come they had trouble filling a 5k seat barn?

While the city of Phoenix itself has a population of roughly 1.6 million, the population of the Phoenix metro area is closer to 4.8 million, making it the 10th most populous market in the US, and larger than every Canadian market except Toronto. Phoenix is not alone in this, as there are other metro areas with a low city population but a much larger metro population.

Another, more important thing to consider: Mullett only has a seating capacity of 4600 for NHL hockey (5000 is NCAA capacity), and possibly a little more if you factor in standing room capacity. They didn't have trouble filling it either, it was sold out consistently.

 

[WeaponOfChoice]

Because they were limited to just over 4700??

I'd say that's around 5k, no?

While the city of Phoenix itself has a population of roughly 1.6 million, the population of the Phoenix metro area is closer to 4.8 million, making it the 10th most populous market in the US, and larger than every Canadian market except Toronto. Phoenix is not alone in this, as there are other metro areas with a low city population but a much larger metro population.

Another, more important thing to consider: Mullett only has a seating capacity of 4600 for NHL hockey (5000 is NCAA capacity), and possibly a little more if you factor in standing room capacity. They didn't have trouble filling it either, it was sold out consistently.

At what prices? You'd have to sell out at about 400 bucks a pop to make it worth it.

 

[TheLegend]

I'd say that's around 5k, no?

Of which they were all officially sellouts. Even so it’s still not a good measurement of comparison.

 

[aqib]

Not exclusive to Hamilton but history shows that minor league teams don't draw better than CHL teams in the same market. The Bellville Senators don't draft better than the Bulls did before them. The Victoria WHL team draws better than the ECHL team that was there before.

 

[barriers]

Not exclusive to Hamilton but history shows that minor league teams don't draw better than CHL teams in the same market. The Bellville Senators don't draft better than the Bulls did before them. The Victoria WHL team draws better than the ECHL team that was there before.

I was going to dispute this mostly by my memories of the AHL Bulldogs drawing 15,000+ for their playoff games at their peak (2003 & 2006-08) while the OHL Bulldogs never got the crowd to justify opening the top bowl of Copps Coliseum when they were winning championships. However the regular season attendance average didn't quite have the difference I was expecting OHL Bulldogs averaged 4000ish while AHL Bulldogs closer to 4750

Hamilton Bulldogs [OHL] yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

A historical graph of the yearly attendance for the Hamilton Bulldogs [OHL] of the Ontario Hockey League.

www.hockeydb.com

Hamilton Bulldogs [AHL] yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

A historical graph of the yearly attendance for the Hamilton Bulldogs [AHL] of the American Hockey League.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[GindyDraws]

That doesn't mean its changing...

Yeah, Utah is suddenly going to go to Hamilton. Make that make sense.

 

[voyageur]

This seems like an indication that Andlauer would move his farm team from Belleville to Hamilton, which makes a lot of sense, and more dollars, and can maybe even result in a neutral site game there, down the road. Andlauer is heavily invested in Hamilton, he had to move his OHL team out of there to Brantford for the renovations to be completed.

 

[edog37]

I’m going by the Moyes court filings. Neither Balsillie nor the NHL disputed filings claiming the NHL was prepared to make him the Penguins owner with the no relocation agreement included. The vote itself never happened because Balsillie backed out after being presented with a purchase agreement containing the NHL mandated clause. The tenor of the filings and affidavits from Balsillie and Bettman cause me to believe the BoG vote would have been a formality.

It would’ve been had he agreed to the no relocation clause. He didn’t & the rest is history.

 

[edog37]

I've accepted that. The NHL would rather play in 200 k cities where no one cares about hockey. That's fine. NLL gets my money and attention then.

Which cities are those?

 

[GindyDraws]

I've accepted that. The NHL would rather play in 200 k cities where no one cares about hockey. That's fine. NLL gets my money and attention then.

Ah, yes, the NLL that saw New York fail a third time and Panther City fold weeks before the season began.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

Ah, yes, the NLL that saw New York fail a third time and Panther City fold weeks before the season began.

Again, it's so funny to me that the NLL likes to pump its tires on social media of being 'the next major league' when the actual reality is that it is still operating under the feast or famine nature that has defined sports leagues in niche sports like them, they just think they can finance bro their way to success.

For as much as some people on this section like to believe themselves as thinking they are smarter for believing that the NHL bumbles their way through their business decisions, they should really look at how the sausage is made at the niche sport level, or at the true minor league level before they throw stones.