Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hope Milwaukee, with support for the Bucks fading and possibly not getting a new arena the Bucks could move out of town, something I would hate but I understand the business of sports. I think Milwaukee could support a Hockey team I think we could do better attendance wise than say the bottom 5 of attendance in the NHL. PHX, NYI, Winnipeg, Columbus and Anaheim.
I hope Milwaukee, with support for the Bucks fading and possibly not getting a new arena the Bucks could move out of town, something I would hate but I understand the business of sports. I think Milwaukee could support a Hockey team I think we could do better attendance wise than say the bottom 5 of attendance in the NHL. PHX, NYI, Winnipeg, Columbus and Anaheim.
If the Bucks cannot get an arena how is a hockey team going to get one? If an ownership group were serious about bringing the NHL to Milwaukee they should fund a dual basketball/hockey arena. Not sure how successful it would be. Milwaukee is a small market and they'd have to convince a franchise to move there. Plus it would kill the Admirals.
If the Bucks cannot get an arena how is a hockey team going to get one? If an ownership group were serious about bringing the NHL to Milwaukee they should fund a dual basketball/hockey arena. Not sure how successful it would be. Milwaukee is a small market and they'd have to convince a franchise to move there. Plus it would kill the Admirals.
Good questions all around. The Bradley Center was built for hockey and is already setup for it and some in our local media and local sports gurus say you don't need a new arena for a hockey team here but for the NBA you would with the financials being very different between the two leagues. Basically it's cheaper to own and maintain a hockey team than a NBA team and still compete. The Bradley Center is already a dual arena but is out dated for NBA but not for hockey, the sight lines and seats and suits are perfect for Hockey but not the NBA. Yes with only 2.1 million people in the 7 county area it would be more difficult than Dallas having it's team.
The thinking behind it is there is a large fan base here that is and has always been clamoring for a NHL team. Basically a lot of fans that don't go to NBA games say, they don't like the NBA but would support a hockey instead of a NBA where you have to be a 1-3 seed to even compete. Wisconsin has a great hockey base from junior hockey all the way up to the Badgers hockey program. I think a NHL team would do better than the Bucks but I just don't know how much better. The Bucks are averaging 14,000 this year those are the official numbers but it doesn't look like 14K in the stands.
Milwaukee was close to having a NHL twice, once with the Lloyd Pettit deal and then when the former owner of the Nashville Preds owner Craig Leipold who was from Milwaukee and still lived in Milwaukee he was thinking of moving the team to Milwaukee but decided to just sell the team and he bought the Minnesota Wild instead.
Milwaukee was close to having a NHL twice.........and then when the former owner of the Nashville Preds owner Craig Leipold who was from Milwaukee and still lived in Milwaukee he was thinking of moving the team to Milwaukee but decided to just sell the team and he bought the Minnesota Wild instead.
The Preds were never seriously considering a move to Milwaukee.
Good questions all around. The Bradley Center was built for hockey and is already setup for it and some in our local media and local sports gurus say you don't need a new arena for a hockey team here but for the NBA you would with the financials being very different between the two leagues. Basically it's cheaper to own and maintain a hockey team than a NBA team and still compete. The Bradley Center is already a dual arena but is out dated for NBA but not for hockey, the sight lines and seats and suits are perfect for Hockey but not the NBA. Yes with only 2.1 million people in the 7 county area it would be more difficult than Dallas having it's team.
The thinking behind it is there is a large fan base here that is and has always been clamoring for a NHL team. Basically a lot of fans that don't go to NBA games say, they don't like the NBA but would support a hockey instead of a NBA where you have to be a 1-3 seed to even compete. Wisconsin has a great hockey base from junior hockey all the way up to the Badgers hockey program. I think a NHL team would do better than the Bucks but I just don't know how much better. The Bucks are averaging 14,000 this year those are the official numbers but it doesn't look like 14K in the stands.
Milwaukee was close to having a NHL twice, once with the Lloyd Pettit deal and then when the former owner of the Nashville Preds owner Craig Leipold who was from Milwaukee and still lived in Milwaukee he was thinking of moving the team to Milwaukee but decided to just sell the team and he bought the Minnesota Wild instead.
Hockey is a better sell in the Midwest all around, I think. I'm from Michigan and could count on one hand the number of Pistons fans I know. Red Wings fans? How much time do you have?
The Bucks drawing 14k is not too bad. NBA is struggling and market size must be factored in as well. Who knows? This lockout could cripple some of the already struggling NHL clubs and there could be a franchise or two ready to move in a few years.
I would relish in the Admirals right now. As a kid I went to a number of Kalamazoo Wings games and they were always a great time. The old IHL was a fun league and tickets were cheap.
I hope Milwaukee, with support for the Bucks fading and possibly not getting a new arena the Bucks could move out of town, something I would hate but I understand the business of sports. I think Milwaukee could support a Hockey team I think we could do better attendance wise than say the bottom 5 of attendance in the NHL. PHX, NYI, Winnipeg, Columbus and Anaheim.
I think hockey would do OK in Milwaukee IF they weren't competing with the Bucks (Milwaukee isn't big enough for 3 major pro teams).
But for one, the NHL isn't looking for a team that can compete with the bottom 5 in attendance. Attendance fluctuates. Winnipeg will always be close to the bottom due to their arena's size (but they charge more for the seats). But the others (including Dallas, which you left out) will probably rise out of the basement when their situations change. Phoenix, with stable ownership, will give the fans a reason to invest their money in the team. Anaheim can do better. The Isles need a new arena and some playoff success. Columbus...well...poor Columbus needs to move to the Eastern Conference and out of the Central Division.
So why shoot for bottom 5 sub 15,000 attendance? Aim for 95%+ and around 17,000 (based on what the Bradley Center holds).
But one big problem I see for Milwaukee IS the Bradley Center. It's not an ancient facility, but old (since probably 2/3 of NHL arenas were constructed since the mid 90s). It is not designed for hockey, though it can accommodate the Ads. I doubt the NHL would let it slide without either plans for a new facility, or a major, major renovation to bring it up to standard with most of the rest of the NHL.
It is also not really on the radar for a new market for the NHL. I think Quebec City would be a likely first target, followed by a larger US market such as Seattle or Houston, and then there's always the possibility for Hamilton or somewhere close to Toronto.
Sorry, but I just don't see the NHL in Milwaukee's foreseeable future. Who knows, with teams relocating and whatnot. But nothing as of now makes me think it's a possibility.
Phoenix, with stable ownership, will give the fans a reason to invest their money in the team.
This is a fickle city. The Coyotes just had their two best seasons and still had abysmal attendance. Jobing.com Arena is in a horrible location. The lockout will only make things worse, I think. It's an uphill battle for sure.
This is a fickle city. The Coyotes just had their two best seasons and still had abysmal attendance. Jobing.com Arena is in a horrible location. The lockout will only make things worse, I think. It's an uphill battle for sure.
I agree that the arena location could be better, but I think the deal with not knowing the team's future was also a factor at keeping fans away. Why drop a few grand on season tickets if the NHL could yank your team away at the end of the season? Same goes for wearing gear, etc. They watched what happened to Atlanta, and how helpless the fans were in that situation. They probably figured they had the same fate (completely, totally different situations...but from an average fan's perspective, I can see it).
It is an uphill battle...and I'm not sure why the city of Glendale was so adamant about keeping the team (and paying the NHL a massive fee to keep them there).
I think you'll see attendance improve with the new owner. Nashville had some of those same issues with our last owner (who was a cheap b*stard). Our attendance rose from 87% to 97% once the situation fully stabilized. A lot of that had to do with marketing, too.
I'd like to see Hartford get another shot at the NHL.
Also, I know that Baltimore has been seriously studying the construction of a professional sports arena with an upscale hotel above it for several years. See below.
A proposed $500 million arena and hotel project in downtown Baltimore may take some public money to build, potentially changing course from a previously floated financing model for the development.
...
Donald C. Fry, CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, said his group still hopes to secure the necessary funds to privately finance both the arena and the hotel at the corner of Charles and Conway streets. But Fry, whose group is leading the fundraising efforts for the project, acknowledged public dollars may be needed.
...
But, Fry said, public financing could be necessary to pay for at least part of the construction of the 18,500-seat arena.
...
During the 2012 Maryland General Assembly, lawmakers approved $2.5 million in design money for the project. The city, state and Hackerman must agree to a memorandum of understanding on how the arena would be financed and who would operate the new arena before the Maryland Stadium Authority could use that money for design plans.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
