With the CHL in rough shape and the Fort Wayne Komets looking to move to the ECHL, owner Michael Franke says more structure is needed in minor-league hockey — with the NHL’s involvement. His solution is simple: there needs to be a more organized structure to minor-league hockey, mimicking the tiered structure used in Minor […]
Tag Archives | chl
New for 2011: Ford Center
The new downtown Evansville arena officially has a name — Ford Center — and a lead pro-sports tenant after the Evansville IceMen (CHL) come to terms on a new lease after some amazingly contentious negotiations. The naming-rights deal, announced today by arena manager VenuWorks, is a 10-year deal worth $4.2 million. In additional to the […]
Mudbugs on fence as CHL preps for 2011-2012
It’s been a tumultuous offseason for the Central Hockey League, and as officials prep for this weekend’s league meetings, the lineup for the 2011-2012 season remains in flux, as Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs ownership decides whether to return. The issue for the Bossier-Shreveport owners: money. The team’s been running at a loss — approximately $1.5 million over […]
Colorado to ECHL; Victoria to WHL
The Colorado Eagles are jumping from the Central Hockey League to the ECHL for the 2011-2012 season, dealing another blow to the beleaguered circuit; meanwhile, the owners of the Victoria Salmon Kings bought the assets of the Chilliwack Bruins and will field a Victoria team in that league. The Eagles were perennially one of the […]
RGV Bees miss payroll, close office
Another potential change in the Central Hockey League next season: the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees missed their final payroll of the season and closed their State Farm Arena office. Team GM Dan Belisle says the move is temporary and was done to save money. Still, with the CHL franchise showing every sign of shutting […]
What will CHL look like next season?
With the Quad City Mallards and Odessa Jackalopes already gone from next year’s Central Hockey League lineup, the speculation now centers on who will be back, and who might not. The Quad City Mallards may have reported decent numbers at the gate — some 2,870 fans a game — but it wasn’t enough to keep […]
Wichita arena turns million-dollar profit in first year
Any city looking for a template for building a new community-based arena could do worst than emulate what Sedgwick County accomplished with a new Wichita arena, as the county was presented yesterday with a $1.1 million check covering taxpayers’ share of net building income. Overall, Intrust Bank Arena had a net building income of slightly […]
Move to NAHL pays off for IceRays
Attendance at Corpus Christi IceRays games is down ever so slightly this season — only 130 fans a game — but with the drastically lowered operating costs engendered by the move from the pro CHL to the amateur NAHL, the team is on a much more solid financial footing. The team cut a slew of […]
Three leagues pitch Evansville for new-arena lease
Three hockey leagues — the ECHL, the CHL and the USHL — have responded to a call from the city of Evansville for proposals to lease a new downtown arena slated to open in 2011. All three submitted detailed information about their leagues, teams and potential leases. All three are on solid financial footing. The […]
CHL announces conference alignments, opening dates
The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today the conference alignment for the 18 participating teams for the 2010-11 season as well as the dates of each team’s home openers this fall. The new conference alignment will split the teams into two conferences of nine teams with the conference reflecting the geography of the North and […]
Quad City Mallards sold
Yet another owner will come into downtown Moline and try to make a go of the Quad City Mallards, but this outfit — owner Eric Karls and CEO Bill Davidson — has the pedigree to make it work. Tape2Tape Sports and Entertainment LLC is buying the Mallards franchise from QCHT, LLC, who owned the IHL […]
Gratz takes reins in Dayton
Brian Gratz faces the challenge of transitioning the Dayton Gems to the new CHL, as he was named coach and general manager of the team last week. Gratz signed a two-year deal to run the team. He most recently was head coach/GM of the Jersey Rockhoppers of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) in 2008-2009. […]
