Would the ECHL ever consider going back to Roanoke?

[BK Triple Threat]

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jan/1...12-ar-1601926/

This is for some team in that new NPHL they are gunna start up in the fall. But it made me wonder because they have had AA twice before. I don't know enough as to why both franchises left town. The UHL was on its death bed though the season they joined.

[BobbyNystromOwnsYou*]

Stupid of them not to try for the SPHL.

[BK Triple Threat]

Originally Posted by BobbyNystromOwnsYou

Stupid of them not to try for the SPHL.

Don't know the league that well but might it be just a bit too North for it's Geographic footprint?

[BobbyNystromOwnsYou*]

Originally Posted by Green Men Rule

Don't know the league that well but might it be just a bit too North for it's Geographic footprint?

They had Richmond from 06-09. The league is pretty steady and budgeted for the minors. You usually only need a couple thousand people a night to survive. Good steady league, would be better than another new league that has about a 90 percent chance of failing, imo.

[BK Triple Threat]

Originally Posted by BobbyNystromOwnsYou

They had Richmond from 06-09. The league is pretty steady and budgeted for the minors. You usually only need a couple thousand people a night to survive. Good steady league, would be better than another new league that has about a 90 percent chance of failing, imo.

Thinking more along the lines of travel costs. True on attendance, unless your the Ontario Reign. led the ECHL in attendance last year and still lost money.

[HansH]

The league would consider it, as soon as there was a well-enough-capitalized owner or ownership group with a lease to a facility that applied to the league for membership. They're not going to go beating the bushes trying to push an owner into that market, however. That's my read.

[BobbyNystromOwnsYou*]

Originally Posted by Green Men Rule

Thinking more along the lines of travel costs. True on attendance, unless your the Ontario Reign. led the ECHL in attendance last year and still lost money.

Two different things. the ECHL and SPHL have was different costs, and Roanoke isn't as far from the other cities as Ontario is.

[CanadianSolarBear]

Anyone have any links to this new NPHL?

[Gibbie42]

Northern Professional Hockey League Lots of big ideas and wants, short on details on to how it's going to happen. AFAIK there are no actual teams in place yet, just a lot of places they want to go. Plus they want a two tiered league, an A and a AA. Not sure how they're going to pull all that off.

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Burned too many times and the operators elected to not want pro hockey at any level.... GMR, you know better than that, considering the Afr issues in Elmira, Port Huron, and Louisville, which is why legal issues and corruption in pro ownership have ended for all intensive purposes the sport in certain markets....

the Flags ended up in Roanoke as the Vipers, but if you cannot sustain a franchise financially, regardless of whether it's pro or junior, it's done....

even Richmond couldn't survive the Renegades success in the ECHL.

[BK Triple Threat]

How do you know none of those owners were corrupt. I can tell you afr here does make money, he just takes a nice chunk of change from the franchise every month.

[AceFace905]

Originally Posted by Gibbie42

Northern Professional Hockey League Lots of big ideas and wants, short on details on to how it's going to happen. AFAIK there are no actual teams in place yet, just a lot of places they want to go. Plus they want a two tiered league, an A and a AA. Not sure how they're going to pull all that off.

The A league was supposed to be the AAHL. As for the NPHL, some good ideas going on there, but a lot's gotta go right for it to get off the ground for the fall.

[Gibbie42]

Well I'd heard that, but the NPHL website is calling the A league "NPHL2" and the AAHL site is just a splash page linking to e-mail. So who the heck knows what's going on.

Interesting tidbit though, Rod Davidson, the one time (still?) commissioner of the AAHL attended an Evansville IceMen game last weekend. Sat in the press box and took notes all night.

eta: edited for language. I'm amused that the board censored my already censored word. Apparently it knows what the *s means and doesn't want them in there either.

[BK Triple Threat]

I heard an announcement of the AAHL expecting to return next year, I can't find it tho. i'll believe it when I see it becaquse the last season wasnt even finished.