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AHL Wheels Continue to Spin - San Antonio next out?

by Chris Meiman
June 16, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cincinnati RailRaiders


The McAllen (TX) Monitor reported today on its website that the Central Hockey League will announce by the end of the week whether or not they will place a franchise in San Antonio for next season. An announcement that the CHL will be back in San Antonio would mean the end for the American Hockey League's San Antonio Rampage, who have been plagued by low attendance and high travel costs. The Monitor cited a CHL official who called the expected announcement "just a formality" and that a CHL team will play in the SBC Center next season. The report said that San Antonio would likely be placed in a division with Laredo, Corpus Christi, and Rio Grande Valley. The Monitor's attempts to contact the AHL, the Spurs, and the Rampage were unsuccessful.

This news will again light fires under rumors that AHL hockey will return to Cincinnati next season. If the Rampage leave the AHL, both the Phoenix Coyotes and the Florida Panthers would be without AHL partners and Cincinnati is the only city with a dormant AHL franchise. Both NHL teams have reportedly had negotiations with Cincinnati CEO Pete Robinson in the past and time is running out on all sides with schedules to be put out and rosters to be built. It is possible that both teams will disperse their prospects to various AHL franchises that will play next season, an option that both teams have threatened to use. The Cincinnati franchise will change its name June 23 from the Mighty Ducks to a new name with local connections. Stingers, reflecting the only major league hockey franchise Cincinnati history, and Swords, reflecting Cincinnati's only Calder Cup championship, are the frontrunners. This announcement might coincide with a new affiliation announcement if the right chips fall into place.

The timing of the Monitor report coincides with the approximate deadline the Arizona Republic cited last week in negotiations between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Florida Panthers for the purchase of the Rampage. The Arizona Republic reported last week that if negotiations were not completed by the middle of this week, the Coyotes would spread their players through the rest of the AHL. If the Rampage do leave the AHL, it would bring to six the number of cities that hosted AHL hockey last season that will not next season. San Antonio's move was reportedly prompted by the Rampage's co-owners, the NBA San Antonio Spurs, who are currently playing for the NBA title. The Rampage's other co-owners, the Panthers, say they have two years left on their deal with San Antonio. Reports of a falling out between the Spurs and the Panthers over Florida's decision to send top players to playoff teams seem to prevent any reconciliation. It has been no secret that the Panthers have been trying to move their AHL players to Orlando. That move has always been dependant on the Panthers' ability to leave San Antonio behind. It is unclear what will happen with the AHL franchise once San Antonio moves to the CHL, though the likely scenario is a one year voluntary suspension, similar to the Utah Grizzlies move.

The Coyotes have been in this bind since their AHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies suspended operations. Yesterday, the ECHL officially welcomed Utah into the 27 team league. Utah owner David Elmore is trying to extricate his team from the final year of the development agreement with Phoenix, including helping the Coyotes find a new AHL home. Utah named Jason Christie as head coach. Christie had been displaced by all of the shifting of the AHL. He had been coach of the Peoria Rivermen of the ECHL, but the Rivermen will move up to the AHL this season, replacing the Worcester Ice Cats as the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. The Blues have retained Worcester's coaching staff for the new Peoria AHL team. Worcester seems to be the real loser in the whole scenario as it appears there will be no hockey in that town and no real prospects on the horizon. All five other cities have some other arrangements already made or on the horizon. Utah and San Antonio have moved down leagues, Cincinnati has vowed to return to the AHL no later that 2006-2007, St. Johns, Newfoundland will have a new team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Edmonton will have its NHL Oilers back.

Several contingencies still exist in the whole fiasco. Phoenix managing partner Wayne Gretzky has been called upon to run Team Canada's entry into the next Winter Olympics and has been criss-crossing the country promoting a Prostate Cancer research weekend in Major League Baseball next weekend. To say the Great One's time is divided would be an understatement. Another obstacle is the success of the Spurs, who currently lead the NBA Finals 2-1 over Detroit. Spurs ownership seems more focused, and deservedly so, on the possibility of a third NBA Championship in recent years. No formal announcement from San Antonio may come until well after the Finals have concluded.

Briefly in former Mighty Duck news, two of the most famous former Ducks have signed on to play in their native Russia. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who was stellar in net for the Russian National Team during the 2004 World Cup but failed to hold on to his starting job for the Ducks, signed a two year contract with Avangard of the Russian Super League. Left Winger Stanislav Chistov, who was dazzling in the NHL Ducks' march to the Western Conference Championship in 2003 but failed to catch fire in two seasons with the Cincinnati Ducks, signed a one year deal with Metallurg of the Super League. Both contracts are likely to include clauses to return to the NHL if the CBA is agreed to. The Anaheim Ducks retain NHL rights to Chistov while Bryzgalov is an Unrestricted Free Agent.

Chris Meiman covers Florence Freedom baseball and Cincinnati minor league hockey. He can be reached at chrismeiman@yahoo.com.

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