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The future of Ohio
Topic Started: Oct 8 2006, 06:27 PM (315 Views)
sftravis
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Will Ohio be in the USHL next year?

Their opening weekend attendance figures suggest they won't.

Opening night 1,632 people, tonight 635.

I can't imagine how empty that arena must of looked tonight.
 
Ryan
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I'm surprised they are only getting that many people. In a city that big, I would have thought they could have gotten 2,000-2,200. Maybe everyone is in the mode that if it's not NHL, then they don't want it.
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bunnibasher27
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If they are putting up 635 and less than a thousand a game, they won't be around much longer. Tier 1 has that attendance rule so if they keep it up, they won't be here. Although, it is their 1st year as with the Omaha Knights of the AHL, they didn't get much people last season. For the Knights exhibition game against the Iowa Stars, there were a couple more thousand from last season.

Hopefully, Ohio will win a few games and they get some more in the stands. 635 for a Sunday game is sad, really sad.

I guess if you think of it this way, at least the Steel get more fans.....I think. :P
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Ryan: "Team Basher is my girlfriend, I don't think she's ever done a fantasy hockey league. So, she will probably win"
 
Wild-Puck
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Although, it is their 1st year as with the Omaha Knights of the AHL, they didn't get much people last season.

This is an AHL team we're talking about...affiliated with who?
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Ryan
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GopherIce
Oct 8 2006, 09:24 PM
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Although, it is their 1st year as with the Omaha Knights of the AHL, they didn't get much people last season.

This is an AHL team we're talking about...affiliated with who?


Calgary Flames...not the best prospects in the world.
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Wild-Puck
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So is there a USHL and AHL team in Ohio?
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Ryan
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GopherIce
Oct 9 2006, 07:16 AM
So is there a USHL and AHL team in Ohio?

in Columbus, they have USHL (Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets), NCAA (Ohio State Buckeyes), and NHL (Columbus Blue Jackets). So you can see how USHL would get lost in this.
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goofygirlinva
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in Columbus, they have USHL (Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets), NCAA (Ohio State Buckeyes), and NHL (Columbus Blue Jackets). So you can see how USHL would get lost in this.

Not too surprising on the attendance figures - Columbus isn't exactly a hotbed of hockey. The Blue Jackets' attendance isn't very good and none of the Ohio State games sell out, not even when Michigan comes to town. I understand tOSU had to resort to making this past weekend's men's hockey exhibition game free to anybody who attended the OSU football game, so that tells you how much of a profile the team has on campus. I'm kind of surprised they put a USHL team in Columbus rather than in another Ohio city, such as Cincinnati. Cincinnati recently lost its AHL team and there are a ton of fans there who would LOVE to have a USHL team in their city.
 
Wild-Puck
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Just so I got this straight...in addition to the NHL Blue Jackets and Ohio State, Columbus also has a USHL and AHL team?
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Ryan
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Columbus has no AHL team. Just NHL, D-I, USHL.
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bunnibasher27
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Maybe the Jr Blue Jackets should move to Cincinatti. From what I have heard, the team lives there anyways.
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Ryan: "Team Basher is my girlfriend, I don't think she's ever done a fantasy hockey league. So, she will probably win"
 
Wild-Puck
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GopherIce
Oct 8 2006, 09:24 PM
Quote:
 
Although, it is their 1st year as with the Omaha Knights of the AHL, they didn't get much people last season.

This is an AHL team we're talking about...affiliated with who?

Quote:
 
Columbus has no AHL team. Just NHL, D-I, USHL.

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Calgary Flames...not the best prospects in the world.

OK, so how did the AHL get mentioned here...sorry, just trying to figure this out. In any case, yeah having three top-level teams for that area seems a bit much to me. Puckster would know better than me of the history, but when we had the USHL here in the Cities I believe they even tried moving the team around before they realized that they would not attract the fans.

Hockey can be a tough draw for any city. The problems they face here are that there is so much of it factoring high school. In other areas it is tough just because there is not a large fan-base.
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goofygirlinva
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Hockey can be a tough draw for any city. The problems they face here are that there is so much of it factoring high school. In other areas it is tough just because there is not a large fan-base.

I agree, when you think of Columbus sports, probably the last thing you think of is hockey. I still wonder why the heck the NHL put a team there - it is probably safe to say that the Columbus area has almost no hockey tradition and there are so many other cities in the US and Canada that would love to have an NHL team and would probably draw better than the Blue Jackets do.
 
Ryan
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the AHL got brought up because bunni mentioned their attendance in Omaha when we were discussing the USHL Ohio attendance numbers.

Are they staying in Cincy? I thought they were in Cleveland. But I do know that they just play their games in Columbus, but do not practice or live there. They have to travel 40 miles I think for their games.

I'd LOVE to get a USHL team in Minnesota. But, with the past teams that have been there and haven't sold well, it might be awhile before that market is tested again.
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bunnibasher27
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Are they staying in Cincy? I thought they were in Cleveland

This will be one of the ONLY times I say this, but you are right. I forgot it was Cleveland, not Cincinatti. :wacko:

And yes, I brought up the AHL because we were discussing the topic of attendance. I was just referring to the Omaha Knights as using them as an example because last season was their 1st year and this season is the Blue Jackets 1st year. I know the AHL is OBVIOUSLY a higher level but like I have said before, you would think with a new team around, people would come check it out.

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Ryan: "Team Basher is my girlfriend, I don't think she's ever done a fantasy hockey league. So, she will probably win"
 
Wild-Puck
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So Columbus has the NHL, AHL, USHL, plus division I...ok, I think I've got it. Yeah, that is too much for that market.

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I agree, when you think of Columbus sports, probably the last thing you think of is hockey. I still wonder why the heck the NHL put a team there - it is probably safe to say that the Columbus area has almost no hockey tradition and there are so many other cities in the US and Canada that would love to have an NHL team and would probably draw better than the Blue Jackets do.

Bettman is the reason they put hockey there. He was bent on expansion and soon it will come back to haunt him. He went too far south and added too many teams. The southern markets are the ones that really puzzled me and could be in real trouble. I have not really looked at the attendance from last season so I can't say much about Columbus in particular, but it will be interested to see the league-wide attendance this season. One to watch IMO is Dallas...they were on a very long honeymoon because of the way the team played and I believe it was last season that they had their very first non-sellout since moving. I know that is not one of the more recent expansion cities, but being located in the south...I just don't think it will work long-term.
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Ryan
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no AHL in Columbus :D
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Wild-Puck
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Are they staying in Cincy? I thought they were in Cleveland. But I do know that they just play their games in Columbus, but do not practice or live there. They have to travel 40 miles I think for their games.

I give up...I thought the above was in reference to an AHL team. Stick with me folks, I'll get this eventually.

Well even minus the phantom AHL team I thought existed in Columbus, they still have too much hockey to support.
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Ryan
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just to be clear...NO AHL in Columbus :D

I was talking about the USHL team in that quote. They have to travel 40 miles for every home game :blink:
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bunnibasher27
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Well even minus the phantom AHL team I thought existed in Columbus, they still have too much hockey to support.


I believe the AHL Phantom team you are referring to is the Philadelphia Phantoms. :D Not to confuse anyone.
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Ryan: "Team Basher is my girlfriend, I don't think she's ever done a fantasy hockey league. So, she will probably win"
 
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