Hockey returning to Jacksonville?

[copperfiend]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/sports/reports-minor-league-hockey-team-sold-to-jacksonville-group/392344699

Multiple reports say Jacksonville may be getting a minor-league hockey team all our own.

14News in Evansville, Ind. is citing sources who claim the Owensboro, Ky. Icemen were sold to a Jacksonville group Tuesday.

[Adam White]

Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.

[TimmyB]

Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.

We need old-time-hockey.  You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...

[Adam White]

Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.

We need old-time-hockey.  You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...

Settle down, Gramps. I'm a dilettante 

[TimmyB]

Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.

We need old-time-hockey.  You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...

Settle down, Gramps. I'm a dilettante 

Wow, at  my age and I STILL learned a new word, today!!! 

[KenFSU]

I would be SO HAPPY if this happened.

Live hockey is one thing that Jacksonville is sorely missing.

[TimmyB]

I would be SO HAPPY if this happened.

Live hockey is one thing that Jacksonville is sorely missing.

Well, that and a real mass-transit rail, but i get your point!

[Downtown Osprey]

A close family member of mine worked for the Barracudas and I have intimate knowledge of their operations.  The one thing she really pointed out is just how incredibly hard it is to turn a profit, because the arena is expensive to rent out and the cost of putting up and taking down the ice every time there's a game are crazy.  The Barracudas consistently needed like over 5,000  people (maybe more) at each game just to break even.

Yep, I hate to be debbie downer but unless something has drastically changed since the Barracudas folded, I don't see much of a demand for Hockey in Jax.

[copperfiend]

Minor league sports are tough.

We have seen that first hand with the Armada and the Sharks.

It's hard to stay in business.

Minor league baseball is an exception because those teams are basically subsidized by their MLB parent clubs.

If someone brings a hockey team here, I'd go to a few games a year. I really enjoyed going to Lizard King games at the old Coliseum. I went to several that appeared to be near sellouts. The Barracudas though never came close to bringing more than a 1,000 or so folks to the new arena.

[TimmyB]

Minor league sports are tough.

We have seen that first hand with the Armada and the Sharks.

It's hard to stay in business.

Minor league baseball is an exception because those teams are basically subsidized by their MLB parent clubs.

If someone brings a hockey team here, I'd go to a few games a year. I really enjoyed going to Lizard King games at the old Coliseum. I went to several that appeared to be near sellouts. The Barracudas though never came close to bringing more than a 1,000 or so folks to the new arena.

One of the worst things any team can face is playing in an arena that is far too big for the audience.  I've done PA work for three decades and it's amazing how loud 1000 people can be in a place that only seats 900, and how dead that same audience can be when it's increased to 2000 but plays in a 5000 seat arena!

I have a feeling this would be the case in the new arena.  You would have to have a pretty good crowd in there to make some serious noise and make it a great atmosphere.

[Tacachale]

Glad the word is out! One of the guys is an old family friend, and a lot the same folks are behind the Solar Bears down in Orlando. If the ECHL is successful in Amway in a region with much competition for entertainment dollars than Jax, they should be able to make it work in a here in a city with a long history of supporting minor league and niche sports. They've got a lot working in their favor.

ECHL is a higher level of play than the Barracudas' league and the teams have higher ceiling for their budgets. Essentially AA compared to A. They also typically have affiliation agreements with the NHL and AHL which allays some of the costs of running the team. They should be able to afford the Arena better than the Barracudas were able to for that reason. The Barracudas (who I loved) would have been more successful if not for the arena costs. The current team appears to know how to avoid a lot of the rookie mistakes that cause a lot of good teams to go under.

[TimmyB]

Glad the word is out! One of the guys is an old family friend, and a lot the same folks are behind the Solar Bears down in Orlando. If the ECHL is successful in Amway in a region with much competition for entertainment dollars than Jax, they should be able to make it work in a here in a city with a long history of supporting minor league and niche sports. They've got a lot working in their favor.

ECHL is a higher level of play than the Barracudas' league and the teams have higher ceiling for their budgets. Essentially AA compared to A. They also typically have affiliation agreements with the NHL and AHL which allays some of the costs of running the team. They should be able to afford the Arena better than the Barracudas were able to for that reason. The Barracudas (who I loved) would have been more successful if not for the arena costs. The current team appears to know how to avoid a lot of the rookie mistakes that cause a lot of good teams to go under.

That's good to hear!  It sounds like they have their stuff together.

[BridgeTroll]

Now we just need a name... I'll start... Frozen Shrimp?... Skates?...  Huguenots?... 

[Adam White]

Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.

We need old-time-hockey.  You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...

Settle down, Gramps. I'm a dilettante 

Wow, at  my age and I STILL learned a new word, today!!! 

I never watched hockey growing up. But I ended up going to a few Barracudas games and had an amazing time.

[Snufflee]

Now we just need a name... I'll start... Frozen Shrimp?... Skates?...  Huguenots?... 

BRING BACK THE LIZARD KINGS!!!!