Spin, Spin and more Spin

The International Hockey League (UHL) forum
rams80
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Post by rams80 » Wed May 02, 2007 6:04 pm

[quote=""radiodavel""]PrairieThunder ownership transferred
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007 ... 855204.txt[/quote]

Anything to save the UHL!!
Mean Spirited Blogger #24601

Accused of being a Cyber Terrorist by Joe Newman.

This league (NIFL) is like a frickin' cockroach. You could throw a nuclear bomb at it and it would still survive
-tony-o

So I'd rather spend a quarter of an ABA franchise to repair my car, as opposed to spending a franchise and a half to get a new car that might have some planned obsolescence that causes it to break down 5 days after the end of the warranty period.
-Chuck the Writer

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Post by Pounder » Fri May 04, 2007 4:57 pm

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007/05 ... 576389.txt

I tend to think the Bloomington purchase worked... for the moment.

radiodavel
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Quad-Cities still in UHL for now

Post by radiodavel » Fri May 04, 2007 5:46 pm

Quad-Cities still in UHL for now
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007/05 ... 576389.txt
Flags tell league they're returning
Quad City president claims Port Huron team actively pursuing new ownership
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs ... 40334/1006

UHL to return next season

http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 001/SPORTS

Then there were eight
http://www.mlive.com/sports/kzgazette/i ... xml&coll=7
Lisman takes over 2nd UHL franchise
http://www.mlive.com/sports/muchronicle ... xml&coll=8

frog
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mallards

Post by frog » Fri May 04, 2007 6:05 pm

our local newspapers say we are staying in the uhl and there are 8 teams and they are looking at more team options for next season.

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Leave IHL in past for new league name

Post by radiodavel » Tue May 08, 2007 1:42 pm

Leave IHL in past for new league name
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgaz ... 194650.htm

Justin Cohn has a great article!

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Post by qcmallards5 » Wed May 16, 2007 12:26 am

Yet another rumor about Quad City getting an AHL team. I'll believe it when I see it. The latest rumor is that the Omaha team would move here. Here is the article:

Report: AHL hockey team moving from Omaha to the Quad-Cities
Quad-City Mallards president Tim Taylor would not confirm a Tuesday report on the Omaha World Herald Web site that said the American Hockey League’s Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights are relocating to the Quad-Cities.

“That is a speculative report,’’ Taylor said. “We have no comment.”

The Mallards, though, previously expressed interest in moving up a notch or two next season from the shrinking ranks of the United Hockey League, a league that has been their home since the team debuted in 1995.

Furthermore, as recently as two weeks ago, when the UHL announced the Mallards would be among eight teams returning to what had been a 10-team league next season, Taylor would not rule out a change of plans, saying the Mallards would consider an offer to move up.

“I think any business would always look at the options that are presented to them,” he said then.

According to the World-Herald report, that opportunity now is at hand, with the NHL’s Calgary Flames ready to move their AHL operation from Omaha to The Mark of the Quad-Cities.

The newspaper said two sources close to the Omaha team confirmed the Knights would not return after two seasons at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, and the report said the team was “expected” to land in the Quad-Cities.

Adding possible credence to the report was the Tuesday morning sighting of Flames general manager Darryl Sutter at downtown Moline hotel by a pair of Chicago newspaper reporters who knew Sutter when he coached the Chicago Blackhawks from 1992-1995.

Taylor declined comment when asked if Sutter was in the Quad-Cities Tuesday.

The Flames owned 50 percent of the Knights franchise and Calgary executive Michael Holditch told the World that the Knights had suffered “serious operating losses” the last two years.

Despite finishing first in the Western Division with 49-25-5 record, Omaha finished 25th among the AHL’s 27 teams in attendance this season, with an aveage of 3,474 fans.

The Mallards finished sixth in the 10-team UHL with an average of 3,120.

The Mallards and their first-year ownership group, Quad-City Sports Ventures, did apply for admission to the ECHL earlier this year but that application was denied because the closest ECHL team was 8 hours east in Dayton, Ohio.

In the AHL, the Mallards would join nearby teams in Rockford, Chicago and Peoria, Ill., as well as Des Moines, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids, Mich.

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Omaha News Report on AHL Going to Quad Cities

Post by ReverendBrewmeister » Wed May 16, 2007 2:52 am

Omaha thinks it's a done deal..................

Published Tuesday | May 15, 2007
Knights are leaving for the Quad Cities
BY MIKE PATTERSON AND TOM SHATEL
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS

The World-Herald has learned that the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights franchise of the American Hockey League will relocate and is expected to play next season in the Quad-Cities area of eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

Two sources close to the situation confirmed that the Knights, who have struggled in attendance since coming to Omaha in the summer of 2005, will not be back. The top farm team of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames has struggled to carve out its own identity as one of three hockey teams in the Omaha area.

The Knights, who played their home games at the Civic Auditorium, recently completed a successful season that saw them capture the West Division of the AHL. Omaha then was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Iowa Stars.

The potential departure of the Knights would leave the Omaha area with two hockey teams - the NCAA Division I University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.

Knights team President Ren Smith said Tuesday night that Calgary officials had not informed him of any move. He added that his staff was busy selling season ticket packages for next season.

"As far as I know, nothing has been determined," Smith said. "I know we've done everything we possibly can to make this franchise work, so we'd all be very disappointed if it ends this way."

But sources who requested anonymity said the move is a done deal, in large part because of the losses incurred by the Calgary organization.

In a memo obtained by The World-Herald, Calgary team President Ken King outlined several reasons why the Knights would be leaving. Among those reasons:

• Operating losses over the two-year period in excess of $4 million.

• Season ticket renewals falling behind projections.

• Lagging attendance for the second straight year.

• The inability for the Omaha market to sustain three hockey teams.

The Calgary Flames and the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben were 50-50 business partners in the Knights, with Calgary holding controlling interest. In King's memo, he said the Flames would like to proceed with repurchasing the 50 percent interest from the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben.

He concluded in the memo that it was "likely in the best interest for us to leave the Omaha market."

When contacted Tuesday night, King would neither confirm nor deny the move.

"I'd love to help you with it," he said, "but it would be inappropriate of me to say anything at this time. What's most important is the development of our players."

The Knights, who missed the playoffs in their first season of play, bounced back to have a successful second season on the ice under head coach Ryan McGill. Omaha finished the regular season 49-25-5-1 to win its division, but still struggled at the gate.

In their first season of AHL play, the Knights finished last in the league with an average attendance of 3,271. This past season, Omaha was 25th out of 27 teams with an average of 3,543.

But those numbers improved during the playoffs as the Knights averaged 4,621 for their three games, the fourth-highest of the 16 teams in the playoffs.

Several media outlets in the Quad-Cities area contacted The World-Herald on Tuesday to address rumors about the possible move of a team to that area. The only current professional team there is the Quad-Cities Mallards of the United Hockey League, which would be replaced by the AHL franchise if a move is imminent.

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Post by qcmallards5 » Wed May 16, 2007 3:11 am

An AHL team has been a done deal in the Quad Cities 2 or 3 times before. That's why I'm skeptical.

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Post by Pounder » Wed May 16, 2007 2:35 pm

Don't blame you for the skepticism... but on Omaha's side, you could see this coming from New Year's 2006 on. Perhaps another city will get targeted, but don't be surprised if this is it.

More to the point... there's arguably a phenomenon where promising a "higher level" team becomes a trigger for fans to stop buying tickets the longer the promise evolves without fulfillment. It's sort of a way of kissing off the UHL team (in this instance). Once that toothpaste is out of the tube, it's awful hard to put back in. The move has to be made soon if you want any hockey in that building in 2 years.
Last edited by Pounder on Wed May 16, 2007 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

qcmallards5
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Post by qcmallards5 » Wed May 16, 2007 10:12 pm

You're exactly right. I don't think those AHL rumors helped ticket sales the last couple years. It also doesn't help when nearby (and smaller) markets like Peoria and Rockford get AHL teams.

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