The new owners of the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms held a press conference to express interest in a new publicly financed Lehigh Valley arena, but may shut down operations until it opens.
The new owners of the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms held a press conference to express interest in a new publicly financed Lehigh Valley arena, but may shut down operations until it opens.
Officials with The Brooks Group want to negotiate a new arena and have an agreement drawn up by August 1, with the arena opening in the fall of 2012. With the Spectrum closing at the end of the current AHL season, the team will need to find a new home for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons.
There are two options. One is to put the franchise on ice — something that happens fairly often in the AHL. The second is to find a temporary home for the team. Owner Rob Brooks says he’s heard from 20 or so communities about serving as the temporary home of the team, which isn’t a bad risk for folks from the likes of Glens Falls, which has an open arena and a hunger for a team.
