Wolfpack Extend Agreement to Stay in Hartford | The Boneyard

Wolfpack Extend Agreement to Stay in Hartford

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Would be more interesting to see where they stand on the scheduling totem pole relative to UConn Hockey.
 
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Probably not a coincidence that the latest stories have the Nassau Coliseum renovations carrying over into 2017. Then the game of franchise musical chairs can begin.
 
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Probably not a coincidence that the latest stories have the Nassau Coliseum renovations carrying over into 2017. Then the game of franchise musical chairs can begin.
I know that the NCC renovation/development plan is that Ratner needs to provide a minor league hockey team there as a tenant.
 
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Once Nassau County chose Ratner to renovate the Coliseum moving the Sound Tigers became a formality (it was actually in the term of the renovation that a minor league hockey team become the tenant ). I don't blame the Rangers for wanting to move closer to their fan base....now the question becomes this...with the AHL relocation a lot of teams moved out west. Getting a team to come to Hartford is going to be tough. It will be interesting to see how this plays out that's for sure.
 
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Once Nassau County chose Ratner to renovate the Coliseum moving the Sound Tigers became a formality (it was actually in the term of the renovation that a minor league hockey team become the tenant ). I don't blame the Rangers for wanting to move closer to their fan base....now the question becomes this...with the AHL relocation a lot of teams moved out west. Getting a team to come to Hartford is going to be tough. It will be interesting to see how this plays out that's for sure.

what's left after AHL? Is there a lesser leauge?
 
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realistically, is it even worth bothering at that point?
I don't know....I don't know how many ECHL teams play in a arena that has been upgraded to NHL standards for $200+ million. This may become a serious issue.
 
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No surprise. One question for the Rangers to address is if they would draw better in Hartford or Bridgeport? There are more Rangers fans in Fairfield County; but, they may not draw well because they too close to the MSG. Don't know. The issue of calling-up players should not be an issue as Hartford is only 50 miles further away than Bridgeport from MSG and is closer to an airport (for call-ups while on the road). Thus, I suspect maybe which arena offers the best financial deal.

If the Wolfpack leave, its doubtful that Hartford can get another AHL team as the league has made serious efforts to put franchises close to their parent team as seen by the migration out west. I think the ECHL would also be worried about Hartford due to the size of the XL.
 
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Hartford will probably get the New Jersey Devils AHL affiliate currently in Albany. I think they also have a short lease due to the shuffling going on in the AHL the past yr or two.

I know a lot of ranger fans on hfboards would love the affiliate to be Albany.
The ownership group may have changed, but I've heard bad things about Devils affiliate hockey. That ownership group single handily ruined 12 yrs of AHL hockey in Lowell, MA and moved them Albany.

Not a fan. Would rather have the sound tigers up here and the wolfpack down @ NVMC or in Albany. You know, actually in New York...
 
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We need the Wolf Pack in Bridgeport. But change the name to Sound Tigers. It certainly should attract Rangers fans, at the very least, and obviously, there's way more than Islanders fans. I say this being an ex-Whalers fan who couldn't even get himself to be a fan of the Rangers.
 
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Until an updated rink is on campus, aren't we supposed to want the AHL to leave so that we can have Fri/Sat HE games all the time...or at least most of the time?
 

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Until an updated rink is on campus, aren't we supposed to want the AHL to leave so that we can have Fri/Sat HE games all the time...or at least most of the time?
Not me, I love going to Wolfpack games. I'm going tonight.
 
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Not me, I love going to Wolfpack games. I'm going tonight.

more power to ya, but I find attending Wolfpack games to be a depressing affair.
 
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more power to ya, but I find attending Wolfpack games to be a depressing affair.
So long as they're above UConn on the scheduling totem pole, it's a drag on the hockey program as well.
 
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The ownership group may have changed, but I've heard bad things about Devils affiliate hockey. That ownership group single handily ruined 12 yrs of AHL hockey in Lowell, MA and moved them Albany.

On program that was not hurt by the departure of the Lowell AHL team was the Hockey East UMass-Lowell hockey team, which became the primary tenant of the Tsongas Center. In 2015/16, they averaged a tad under 5,600 per game (93% capacity), which was good for 8th best in NCAA D1 hockey behind schools like North Dakota, and Minnesota; but, ahead of Michigan State, Notre Dame, BC and BU, all of whom has equal or larger hockey arenas.

http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2015-2016/

An average of 5,600 per game hypothetically puts UMass-Lowell in 17th place (of 30 teams) in attendance in comparison to current AHL statistics.

In Lowell's last AHL season, 2009/10, Lowell was dead last (29 teams) with an average attendance of a hair under 2,500 per team.

http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance&season_id=30

If the Rangers' franchise does move to Bridgeport and Hartford does not get a replacement team, would UConn hockey get a boost in attendance (average of 5,100 in 2015/6, #12th best) because of such a move? If the AHL does leave Hartford, how does that impact UConn's effort to get a hockey barn that meeting Hockey East standard on-campus?
 
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On program that was not hurt by the departure of the Lowell AHL team was the Hockey East UMass-Lowell hockey team, which became the primary tenant of the Tsongas Center. In 2015/16, they averaged a tad under 5,600 per game (93% capacity), which was good for 8th best in NCAA D1 hockey behind schools like North Dakota, and Minnesota; but, ahead of Michigan State, Notre Dame, BC and BU, all of whom has equal or larger hockey arenas.

http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2015-2016/

An average of 5,600 per game hypothetically puts UMass-Lowell in 17th place (of 30 teams) in attendance in comparison to current AHL statistics.

In Lowell's last AHL season, 2009/10, Lowell was dead last (29 teams) with an average attendance of a hair under 2,500 per team.

http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance&season_id=30

If the Rangers' franchise does move to Bridgeport and Hartford does not get a replacement team, would UConn hockey get a boost in attendance (average of 5,100 in 2015/6, #12th best) because of such a move? If the AHL does leave Hartford, how does that impact UConn's effort to get a hockey barn that meeting Hockey East standard on-campus?
The barn on campus is going to be paid for like the hoops and football facilities were. I think you have already seen the impact on that project...if anything over 4500 seat capacity is built I'd be shocked.
 
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An important tidbit with the Lowell comparison - which is a good one - is that the university actually bought the facility from the city and renovated it. What once was a dull and boring typical AHL rink is now a much improved facility. I'm still not a fan of the sightlines, but the fan amenities there are excellent. That said, UML has fudged their attendance numbers a wee bit in recent years. They do draw very well within the community, especially among families and youth teams. The problem with that though is that going to a game there is like going to Chuck E. Cheese. It's little kid central and after a while it becomes incredibly annoying with how out of control some of them are. Also makes for a very unintimidating crowd.
 
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An important tidbit with the Lowell comparison - which is a good one - is that the university actually bought the facility from the city and renovated it. What once was a dull and boring typical AHL rink is now a much improved facility. I'm still not a fan of the sight-lines, but the fan amenities there are excellent. That said, UML has fudged their attendance numbers a wee bit in recent years. They do draw very well within the community, especially among families and youth teams. The problem with that though is that going to a game there is like going to Chuck E. Cheese. It's little kid central and after a while it becomes incredibly annoying with how out of control some of them are. Also makes for a very intimidating crowd.

Good point. I have been to a Lowell AHL game and several Manchester AHL games (the AHL royally screwed-up taking that franchise away). Manchester was a lot better. Never did catch the River Hawks (UConn made the jump after I moved to Jersey). That said, I would not be worried about kids at a hockey game in Boston. Now, their parents, I would be nervous about...

http://www.whdh.com/story/24687349/somerville-dad-arrested-after-fight-at-hs-hockey-game

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96568&page=1

I could continue as it happens at least once a season...
 
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I know you live in NY, so excuse my ignorance if this doesn't make complete sense, but Dolan does own newsday right? He's been trying to promote the rangers on LI and squash the isles for years correct? I know it would piss LI off, but i could really see the Wolfpack move down to the renovated NVMC and BST stays in Bridgeport. Just a guess...
Or like the article suggests, no AHL, and just Long Island nets while maybe Devils move to Hartford and pack to Albany. (Finally went to times Union in Albany for regionals. not a bad place, plus it had a dinosaur BBQ stand
 
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