Shoalts: Ice Edge talking about bringing (minor) hockey to the Job should Yotes leave

[Bucky_Hoyt]

From a facilities management POV, how many event dates does Jobing.com arena host outside of Coyotes games? Also, how does that compare to USAirways arena?

IIRC, during the lockout, Jobing.com arena was turning a profit with the number of events increased.

Reason I ask is if events are increased, perhaps not having an anchor tennant may not be the end of the world.

[aqib]

Originally Posted by Bucky_Hoyt

From a facilities management POV, how many event dates does Jobing.com arena host outside of Coyotes games? Also, how does that compare to USAirways arena?

IIRC, during the lockout, Jobing.com arena was turning a profit with the number of events increased.

Reason I ask is if events are increased, perhaps not having an anchor tennant may not be the end of the world.

IIRC from the times I was on the AZ Central boards they only have a handful of non-Coyotes events every year. My guess is the NHL hasn't made other events a huge priority. A lot of the Arizonans on that forum pointed out that with the number of venues in the valley (the Suns current arena, the suns old arena, ASU arena, and Jobbing) there is too much competition for concert/events

[HansH]

Originally Posted by Killion

Are there even any ECHL teams up for grabs?.

There have been a couple of ECHL teams that have changed ownership in the last couple of weeks, but those have all been to keep teams in their current locations (Wheeling, Greenville, Trenton).

However, the ECHL has shown great willingness to grant expansion teams, as there are two coming in this next season (Orlando and San Francisco).

Now, the ECHL _has_ shown that they seen to prefer nearly a full season of lead time between announcing a team and them taking the ice when it comes to expansion teams (as compared to relocation), so I'd be slightly skeptical that an expansion Phoenix ECHL team would be accepted by the league for a 2012-13 season. 2013-14, perhaps.

Then again, they've also shown a willingness to throw caution to the wind when it suits them (I personally am a little scared about the long-term viability of ECHL Chicago and ECHL San Francisco, for example). So, I could be wrong.

I still keep hoping for a major AHL re-alignment seeing several franchises shift out of struggling Eastern markets out West, to support the Western NHL Teams. Abbotsford was a one-off, and only continues to exist because of the contract between the team and the city, where the city is responsible for covering the team's losses for a ten-year period. But I still maintain that San Diego, Ontario, Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, and Las Vegas would make a great selection of cities for a Western division of the AHL, and that Phoenix _could_ fit into that footprint... unfortunately, the costs of the lease at the Job would tend to make it even harder for an AHL-level team to exist there. Most places where an AHL and NBA team coexist in a market seem to be where the NBA team actually owns the AHL team, and uses it to fill dates in the same arena (e.g. San Antonio, Cleveland/Lake Erie). The Suns already tried that with an incarnation of the ECHL Roadrunners... but I would make the argument that you can't really "count" most of the minor-league failures in Phoenix over the last couple of decades simply because they've overlapped with the NHL experiment.

I'm rambling here, but I hope I helped add to the minor-league perspective.

[kdb209]

Originally Posted by Bucky_Hoyt

From a facilities management POV, how many event dates does Jobing.com arena host outside of Coyotes games? Also, how does that compare to USAirways arena?

IIRC, during the lockout, Jobing.com arena was turning a profit with the number of events increased.

Reason I ask is if events are increased, perhaps not having an anchor tennant may not be the end of the world.

I haven't seen a comprehensive Pollstar list since 2009.

In 2009 Glendale came in at #58 with ~209K tickets sold to non-sporting events. The US Airways Arena did not make the list (which bottomed out @ ~136K). IIRC, in previous years, the Job usually came in ahead of USAirways/America West Arena.

[Killion]

Originally Posted by HansH

.
.. unfortunately, the costs of the lease at the Job would tend to make it even harder for an AHL-level team to exist there...

Yes I agree. Way too much building for an AHL let alone ECHL franchise. The Arizona Vets Memorial would be my choice however, if the market does lose the Coyotes, Id not be in any rush to be trying to fill the void with a minor league team at any level. Would definitely need a time out from hockey.

...and thanks for the info Hans.

[HansH]

Originally Posted by Killion

Yes I agree. Way too much building for an AHL let alone ECHL franchise. The Arizona Vets Memorial would be my choice however, if the market does lose the Coyotes, Id not be in any rush to be trying to fill the void with a minor league team at any level. Would definitely need a time out from hockey.

...and thanks for the info Hans.

AVMC is even more of a ****hole than the San Diego Sports Arena - I learned to hate it well while the Mustangs were in the WCHL and I would go on road trips to see the Gulls play the Mustangs, including a 2OT playoff game... And that was ten-plus years ago. They may even have pulled the ice plant out of that building, IIRC.

No, the way to make minor-pro hockey work in Phoenix if and when the 'Yotes leave is for the Suns to put an AHL team into the downtown arena, and actually TRY to make them successful, instead of the half-hearted effort they put behind the ECHL RoadRunners. And that only works if it's part of that massive Westward move I mentioned previously.

[Killion]

Originally Posted by HansH

AVMC is even more of a ****hole than the San Diego Sports Arena - I learned to hate it well while the Mustangs were in the WCHL...

Well, there ya go Hans, off on another one of your now classic tirades at me...

look, Ive told you time & time again those old "Our Lady of Spain Arenas" are superior to these new homogenuous cookie cutter jobbies that all look the same.

Sure they reek of blood, sweat & far worse but c'mon, thats real olde tyme hockey. People love it.

No rink board or on ice ads, pull the safety glass & netting, the players names from the backs of their jerseys....