AHL hockey may be returning to Glens Falls, even if on a temporary basis.The new owners of the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) will be deciding whether to move the team temporarily to Glens Falls, N.Y., sometime this week.
The Brooks Group bought the Phantoms and have eight games at the Spectrum before the place is torn down this summer. Instead of lying dormant while a new arena is sought in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, the Phantoms ownership is looking at a temporary home for the team.
Which is where Glens Falls, a former AHL market, comes in. The Adirondack Red Wings never really tore things up playing at the Civic Center; it was a struggle to attract more than a hardcore audience. But Glens Falls fits well into the AHL footprint and is proven.
And for the folks in Glens Falls, hosting the Phantoms for a season or two while a new arena is built is a no-brainer: it’s a way to show the AHL that the market can support pro hockey. And who knows? A new arena in Lehigh Valley is by no means a lock.