ECHL approves expansion / FHL to Johnstown?
Posted: August 14th, 2010, 5:02 pm
Got some news and notes for you hockey fans.
As you know, Wheeling is playing 10 home games at the Johnstown Bore Memorial this season. Please, for the sake of being a Good Samaritan, go to one of them. I'll be there December 11th, I believe. "Supposedly", there are three investors who want to bring the ECHL back to Johnstown. I am guessing that all 3 are thinking of buying the Nailers (Wheeling) and moving them eastward. A lot of the problems (again, "supposedly") with Wheeling's messes are because of the distance between opponents. In a minor league like the ECHL, travel expenses are a real issue. 4 of the 10 teams Wheeling is playing in J-town are the Trenton Devils. Pretty good haul from Wheeling to Trenton. And Reading.
Which brings me to another reason the ECHL will never come back.
The league recently approved expansion into Chicago. The ECHL, in case you havent been paying attention, has been moving into much bigger markets. The problem w/ Chicago is that it is getting pretty crowded. You have the Hawks, and the AHL Wolves already. Is there really enough hockey support for a third professional team, that needs to sell season tickets? I guess they are striking that market while the iron is hot, but I am a little on the fence.
There is another hockey league in the northeast starting play this fall, the Federal Hockey League. The FHL is playing in venues comparable to the War Memorial. There are 6 teams right now, and they are looking at Johnstown for a future expansion. To be honest, some of the FHL logos are pretty dang nice. The Broome County Barons logo is one of the best logos I have seen in ALL of pro sports. The Danbury Whalers have taken on a Hartford Whalers appearance, and look good. The Brooklyn team, the New York Aviators, is a hockey club that has been around a very long time, floating from league to league kinda like the Alaska Aces have done.
Keep an eye on this league. If they can sustain a season or two, I am betting they make a play for the Johnstown area. Can't be any worse than this upcoming indorr football league, which is going to last about 9 seconds.
As you know, Wheeling is playing 10 home games at the Johnstown Bore Memorial this season. Please, for the sake of being a Good Samaritan, go to one of them. I'll be there December 11th, I believe. "Supposedly", there are three investors who want to bring the ECHL back to Johnstown. I am guessing that all 3 are thinking of buying the Nailers (Wheeling) and moving them eastward. A lot of the problems (again, "supposedly") with Wheeling's messes are because of the distance between opponents. In a minor league like the ECHL, travel expenses are a real issue. 4 of the 10 teams Wheeling is playing in J-town are the Trenton Devils. Pretty good haul from Wheeling to Trenton. And Reading.
Which brings me to another reason the ECHL will never come back.
The league recently approved expansion into Chicago. The ECHL, in case you havent been paying attention, has been moving into much bigger markets. The problem w/ Chicago is that it is getting pretty crowded. You have the Hawks, and the AHL Wolves already. Is there really enough hockey support for a third professional team, that needs to sell season tickets? I guess they are striking that market while the iron is hot, but I am a little on the fence.
There is another hockey league in the northeast starting play this fall, the Federal Hockey League. The FHL is playing in venues comparable to the War Memorial. There are 6 teams right now, and they are looking at Johnstown for a future expansion. To be honest, some of the FHL logos are pretty dang nice. The Broome County Barons logo is one of the best logos I have seen in ALL of pro sports. The Danbury Whalers have taken on a Hartford Whalers appearance, and look good. The Brooklyn team, the New York Aviators, is a hockey club that has been around a very long time, floating from league to league kinda like the Alaska Aces have done.
Keep an eye on this league. If they can sustain a season or two, I am betting they make a play for the Johnstown area. Can't be any worse than this upcoming indorr football league, which is going to last about 9 seconds.
