http://www.firstcoastnews.com/sports/reports-minor-league-hockey-team-sold-to-jacksonville-group/392344699
QuoteMultiple 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.
Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.
Quote from: Adam White on January 25, 2017, 10:54:16 AM
Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.
We need old-time-hockey. You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...
Quote from: TimmyB on January 25, 2017, 11:01:53 AM
Quote from: Adam White on January 25, 2017, 10:54:16 AM
Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.
We need old-time-hockey. You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...
Settle down, Gramps. I'm a dilettante :P
Quote from: Adam White on January 25, 2017, 11:04:00 AM
Quote from: TimmyB on January 25, 2017, 11:01:53 AM
Quote from: Adam White on January 25, 2017, 10:54:16 AM
Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.
We need old-time-hockey. You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...
Settle down, Gramps. I'm a dilettante :P
Wow, at my age and I STILL learned a new word, today!!! :D
I would be SO HAPPY if this happened.
Live hockey is one thing that Jacksonville is sorely missing.
Quote from: KenFSU on January 25, 2017, 11:39:16 AM
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!
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on January 25, 2017, 11:56:19 AM
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.
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.
Quote from: copperfiend on January 25, 2017, 12:33:55 PM
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.
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.
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
Now we just need a name... I'll start... Frozen Shrimp?... Skates?... Huguenots?... ;D
Quote from: TimmyB on January 25, 2017, 11:37:45 AM
Quote from: Adam White on January 25, 2017, 11:04:00 AM
Quote from: TimmyB on January 25, 2017, 11:01:53 AM
Quote from: Adam White on January 25, 2017, 10:54:16 AM
Great news! I loved the 'Cudas.
We need old-time-hockey. You know: Toe Blake, Eddie Shore...
Settle down, Gramps. I'm a dilettante :P
Wow, at my age and I STILL learned a new word, today!!! :D
I never watched hockey growing up. But I ended up going to a few Barracudas games and had an amazing time.
Quote from: BridgeTroll on January 25, 2017, 01:23:34 PM
Now we just need a name... I'll start... Frozen Shrimp?... Skates?... Huguenots?... ;D
BRING BACK THE LIZARD KINGS!!!!
Yes. Bring back the Lizard Kings.
They had some good commercials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAmuw449JE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAmuw449JE)
Quote from: BridgeTroll on January 25, 2017, 01:23:34 PM
Now we just need a name... I'll start... Frozen Shrimp?... Skates?... Huguenots?... ;D
First thing I thought - Frozen Jumbo Shrimp.
Quote from: Kerry on January 25, 2017, 02:55:02 PM
Quote from: BridgeTroll on January 25, 2017, 01:23:34 PM
Now we just need a name... I'll start... Frozen Shrimp?... Skates?... Huguenots?... ;D
First thing I thought - Frozen Jumbo Shrimp.
Ice Prawns, perhaps?
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on January 25, 2017, 11:56:19 AM
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.
I thought they had their won ice rink, Wasn't it the Colosseum? Or did they actually have to put up the rink each time?!?! Yikes! How is that even possible!
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
Thanks for sharing Bill, this is really encouraging to hear.
I grew up with an ECHL team down in Fort Myers (The Florida Everblades), and the quality of play was incredible.
I really do believe that hockey in Jacksonville will work this time. The city's a different place than it was the last few times around, a lot of momentum is building around the sports complex, and in my opinion, hockey is different enough from our other minor league field sports (baseball, soccer, arena football, etc.) that it could potentially do really well. Plus, the late October through April season is absolutely perfect. Starts up well into the Jags season, and ends before the Jumbo Shrimp start to ramp up in the spring.
I do agree with a previous poster that a 15,000 seat arena isn't preferable (league average attendance is ~4,500), but if you curtain off the upper levels and squeeze everyone into the lower bowl surrounding the ice, you'd have a pretty good environment.
Quote from: urbaknight on January 25, 2017, 03:21:15 PM
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on January 25, 2017, 11:56:19 AM
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.
I thought they had their won ice rink, Wasn't it the Colosseum? Or did they actually have to put up the rink each time?!?! Yikes! How is that even possible!
They put ice up in the Arena. It's quite expensive to do, especially in a space like that, which has a lot of events that require the ice to be removed between many or most games. They did later move to Jax Ice of Phillips when Arena rent went up, but it's not big enough to make it last.
Quote from: KenFSU on January 25, 2017, 03:39:46 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
Thanks for sharing Bill, this is really encouraging to hear.
I grew up with an ECHL team down in Fort Myers (The Florida Everblades), and the quality of play was incredible.
I really do believe that hockey in Jacksonville will work this time. The city's a different place than it was the last few times around, a lot of momentum is building around the sports complex, and in my opinion, hockey is different enough from our other minor league field sports (baseball, soccer, arena football, etc.) that it could potentially do really well. Plus, the late October through April season is absolutely perfect. Starts up well into the Jags season, and ends before the Jumbo Shrimp start to ramp up in the spring.
I do agree with a previous poster that a 15,000 seat arena isn't preferable (league average attendance is ~4,500), but if you curtain off the upper levels and squeeze everyone into the lower bowl surrounding the ice, you'd have a pretty good environment.
I was just going to ask if that was possible, Ken. I've never been in the Coliseum, so I didn't know. The Breslin Center at MSU was built with that in mind, so they can simply drop the curtains on the upper bowl and have a crowd of 7 or 8K look like "capacity". Hope this all works out!
Quote from: TimmyB on January 25, 2017, 03:44:30 PM
Quote from: KenFSU on January 25, 2017, 03:39:46 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
Thanks for sharing Bill, this is really encouraging to hear.
I grew up with an ECHL team down in Fort Myers (The Florida Everblades), and the quality of play was incredible.
I really do believe that hockey in Jacksonville will work this time. The city's a different place than it was the last few times around, a lot of momentum is building around the sports complex, and in my opinion, hockey is different enough from our other minor league field sports (baseball, soccer, arena football, etc.) that it could potentially do really well. Plus, the late October through April season is absolutely perfect. Starts up well into the Jags season, and ends before the Jumbo Shrimp start to ramp up in the spring.
I do agree with a previous poster that a 15,000 seat arena isn't preferable (league average attendance is ~4,500), but if you curtain off the upper levels and squeeze everyone into the lower bowl surrounding the ice, you'd have a pretty good environment.
I was just going to ask if that was possible, Ken. I've never been in the Coliseum, so I didn't know. The Breslin Center at MSU was built with that in mind, so they can simply drop the curtains on the upper bowl and have a crowd of 7 or 8K look like "capacity". Hope this all works out!
Yeah, it's designed so that the upper floors can be curtained off. It works pretty well.
Quote from: KenFSU on January 25, 2017, 03:39:46 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
Thanks for sharing Bill, this is really encouraging to hear.
I grew up with an ECHL team down in Fort Myers (The Florida Everblades), and the quality of play was incredible.
I really do believe that hockey in Jacksonville will work this time. The city's a different place than it was the last few times around, a lot of momentum is building around the sports complex, and in my opinion, hockey is different enough from our other minor league field sports (baseball, soccer, arena football, etc.) that it could potentially do really well. Plus, the late October through April season is absolutely perfect. Starts up well into the Jags season, and ends before the Jumbo Shrimp start to ramp up in the spring.
I do agree with a previous poster that a 15,000 seat arena isn't preferable (league average attendance is ~4,500), but if you curtain off the upper levels and squeeze everyone into the lower bowl surrounding the ice, you'd have a pretty good environment.
Yeah, there's a lot in their favor. One thing that has doomed hockey in the past is lack of venues for the level of the game (this is the same problem with soccer right now, incidentally). The Lizard Kings were hamstrung by the Coliseum, which was expensive to maintain and at the end of its useful life. Then the 'Cudas had a hard time making a profit over the Arena rent at their level (though they made a good go at it). I really think ECHL hockey, in the Arena, can be a success.
Yes, I think the ECHL is a much higher and respected league. I believe if team is well run and level of play good, it can work better this time around. A lot more people here today than 2006. Also I believe many times the ice is just covered for other events. I know this is true at larger arenas with NHL and NBA. They remove insulated cover, install boards and resurface the ice.
Quote from: urbaknight on January 25, 2017, 03:21:15 PM
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on January 25, 2017, 11:56:19 AM
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.
I thought they had their won ice rink, Wasn't it the Colosseum? Or did they actually have to put up the rink each time?!?! Yikes! How is that even possible!
At the Arena, the Hockey boards don't typically move during things like concerts, etc. In addition, I think they have a way where if let's say you have a Saturday night concert and hockey on Friday and Sunday, they can put a thermal layer over the ice where the floor seats are. I'm sure it wouldn't work for the weight of the stage, but the stage is normally at the end where the removal seats are.
https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/blog/2017/2/7/pro-hockey-comes-to-jacksonville-1 (https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/blog/2017/2/7/pro-hockey-comes-to-jacksonville-1)
QuoteJacksonville, FL – City of Jacksonville officials joined ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna to welcome the Jacksonville IceMen to the City and League. Joined by IceMen ownership, including CEO Ron Geary; Team President Bob Ohrablo and Jacksonville based Frank Ruperto, the group announced that this fall, the Jacksonville IceMen will begin play at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
The team will play a 36-game regular season home schedule against South Division teams from Atlanta, Cincinnati, Naples/Fort Myers, Orlando, and Greenville and Charleston, SC, as well as the rest of the 28-team ECHL, which extends from Jacksonville to Anchorage, Alaska.
"The City of Jacksonville is thrilled to welcome the Jacksonville IceMen to our sports and entertainment landscape," said Mayor Lenny Curry. "Jacksonville is a great sports city and we are excited about the opportunity to bring professional hockey to our Veterans Memorial Arena."
The ECHL serves as a development league for the National Hockey League.
"On behalf of the ECHL Board of Governors, we are pleased to welcome the Jacksonville IceMen to the ECHL," proclaimed Brian McKenna, the ECHL's Commissioner. "The continuing growth of Jacksonville, along with the experienced and enthusiastic ownership group, the wonderful venue and support of the city officials, creates a very positive outlook for the future of pro hockey in Jacksonville."
"Jacksonville is a natural fit for professional hockey," said Ron Geary, who has owned the IceMen team for the past eight years in Evansville, Indiana. "We looked at the enthusiastic support current teams receive here and are excited to join them in providing Jacksonville fans with solid family-priced sports entertainment."
"We are honored to bring professional hockey back to Jacksonville," added Bob Ohrablo. "We are committed to insuring that everyone who attends IceMen games will enjoy a competitive team and plenty of entertainment surrounding our games – all at family affordable prices. In addition we will insure that the IceMen organization becomes a solid corporate citizen in Jacksonville."
The IceMen are supported by a Jacksonville IceMen Advisory Group that includes community leaders such as:
John Delaney (former Mayor, President-UNF)
Toney Sleiman (Principle, Sleiman Enterprises)
Frank Ruperto (Jacksonville IceMen partner and CFO/SVP Rayonier Advanced Materials)
Mike Moses (Michaelson Group Real Estate)
Tony Mahfoud (Eisman & Russo)
Gilles Richard (Jax Ice and Sportsplex)
Dr. Ted Wetzork (Kernan Chiropratic Centre)
Bill Adams (Gunster)
Elaine Brown (Mayor, City of Neptune)
Eric Andeer (Morgan and Morgan)
"There are many people that have helped make this happen," added Ohrablo. "They include our owner/members, special advisors to the organization Terry Delahunty and Gerald Higgins and we are very fortunate to have former Barracuda defensemen and general manager, Gilles Richard ."
The IceMen will shortly unveil its Faceoff Jacksonville which will be a series of exciting events leading up to Opening Night in October 2017. More information on season memberships is available at www.jacksonvilleicemen.com.
Glad to see this move along quickly. The Jacksonville Icemen are official. Pretty generic name but at least its not crustacean related.
Quote from: RatTownRyan on February 08, 2017, 11:22:39 AM
Glad to see this move along quickly. The Jacksonville Icemen are official. Pretty generic name but at least its not crustacean related.
They totally missed out on this "marketing opportunity"! ;) "Hey, fans, stop by our gift store, The Prawn Shop, to purchase all of your ChilledShrimp merchandise!"
Quote from: RatTownRyan on February 08, 2017, 11:22:39 AM
Glad to see this move along quickly. The Jacksonville Icemen are official. Pretty generic name but at least its not crustacean related.
Yes. Very generic but they are just keeping the name from the prior city.
They are not currently aligned to an NHL team. But hopeful they will be.
Mascot??
(http://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.Mb30b9fdef3cfdbaa443ac4619860337eH2&w=299&h=158&c=7&qlt=90&o=4&pid=1.7)
No way. Iceman from the X-Men.
Quote from: Spitfire on February 08, 2017, 12:58:32 PM
No way. Iceman from the X-Men.
Try again...
(https://media.giphy.com/media/WLmVO7dRuNaCI/giphy.gif)
There is also Otzi the Iceman... 8)
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/11/iceman-autopsy/hall-text
Ice Climbers ftw:
(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16472916_10102066424715352_8542254827222279222_n.jpg?oh=d59293f346ace8a6c1919e2c3c086b69&oe=5902D551)
^Love me those Ice Climbers, and I anxiously await their return.
I was there for the press conference; the groups lawyer is an old family friend. They have a good team together who seem to understand the challenges and advantages of pulling together hockey in this market. They are very confident that it will work and have a good track record in Orlando. I'm really looking forward to it.
Just poking around the league, it looks like ticket prices tend to average around $12 to $14 for cheap seats, up to around $35 for premium seats (plus fees). Seems reasonable.
The one big worry I have is the geography of the league. The IHL was a midwest-based league with four or five Michigan teams, a few in Indiana and Ohio, and occasionally even Ontario. It went on for decades, but then some geniuses decided it needed bigger markets in places such as Las Vegas! Well, that lasted a few years and then, kaput! It was very sad for us, who grew up with the traditions, the Turner Cup playoffs, the rivalries between small cities like Muskegon and Saginaw, to see it all die an ugly death. I worry that a team with a great regional base has to pay through the nose once or twice a year to play in Anchorage.
Jerry Butler and George Gervin ought to be enlisted for a promotion.
Will be fun to see Jacksonville play in Anchorage. I know who I will be cheering for in that game.
Quote from: fsujax on February 08, 2017, 02:58:51 PM
Will be fun to see Jacksonville play in Anchorage. I know who I will be cheering for in that game.
Who?
I think the Lightning's one year deal with Kalamazoo is up in May. http://kwings.com/News/Article/176/K-Wings-strike-deal-to-become-Tampa-Bay-Light
They have a great farm system usually (even through their rough season this year) and it could make sense for the Lightning franchise to get more of a foothold in this area for marketing and other purposes.
Likewise, I imagine the league is more focused on playing their own divisions so we have Ft. Myers, Orlando, Charleston, Atlanta, and Norfolk all within a nice range. The AHL, on the other hand, has no one in the South except Charlotte.
Quote from: fsujax on February 08, 2017, 02:58:51 PM
Will be fun to see Jacksonville play in Anchorage. I know who I will be cheering for in that game.
Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing Jacksonville play the Fort Myers Everblades. I had so much fun at those Blades games growing up. Even in an 8,000 seat arena, the games were almost always a sell out, and we were often able to get twice the face value for our extra tickets outside the gates. Unless quality of play has decreased greatly in the last 15 years, people are going to be really surprised to see just how good ECHL hockey is.
The Lightning are truly the premier team in town for the Tampa area. People down here love hockey overall.
Quote from: FlaBoy on February 08, 2017, 03:45:38 PM
I think the Lightning's one year deal with Kalamazoo is up in May. http://kwings.com/News/Article/176/K-Wings-strike-deal-to-become-Tampa-Bay-Light
They have a great farm system usually (even through their rough season this year) and it could make sense for the Lightning franchise to get more of a foothold in this area for marketing and other purposes.
Likewise, I imagine the league is more focused on playing their own divisions so we have Ft. Myers, Orlando, Charleston, Atlanta, and Norfolk all within a nice range. The AHL, on the other hand, has no one in the South except Charlotte.
The K-Wings got their name because they originally (1974) were a farm team of Detroit, only 120 miles away. Why in the world they stopped with that never made any sense, unless Detroit feels their market presence was already good enough that it didn't matter.
Couldn't agree more about the nice cluster of teams within a relatively short distance. That will make the rivalries much more natural.
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
I see the large problem for a minor league, niche sport in a city of Jacksonville's size if using Orlando as a measure of 'could-be.' While the Orlando metro is larger it also has 30 Million visitors annually many determined to blow through the entire life savings in a week. That comes to something like a half million extra citizens each week, not working and wanting to play. I don't think this should effect us in going after the NBA or MLS or keeping the NFL happy, it might not play well with Polo, Hockey, Rugby etc...
Quote from: Ocklawaha on February 08, 2017, 05:38:17 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on January 25, 2017, 01:08:44 PM
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.
I see the large problem for a minor league, niche sport in a city of Jacksonville's size if using Orlando as a measure of 'could-be.' While the Orlando metro is larger it also has 30 Million visitors annually many determined to blow through the entire life savings in a week. That comes to something like a half million extra citizens each week, not working and wanting to play. I don't think this should effect us in going after the NBA or MLS or keeping the NFL happy, it might not play well with Polo, Hockey, Rugby etc...
Orlando's a bigger market with a lot more visitors, but it also has a lot more competition. I don't know how many tourists are going to Solar Bears games.
Quote from: Adam White on February 08, 2017, 03:13:32 PM
Quote from: fsujax on February 08, 2017, 02:58:51 PM
Will be fun to see Jacksonville play in Anchorage. I know who I will be cheering for in that game.
Who?
Jacksonville of course! I cheer for the Aces for every other game. I live in Alaska.
I'm glad that hockey has come back to Jax. The name 'Icemen' leaves much to be desired though; It's like a comical oxymoron, like the Flint Tropics.
Quote from: fsujax on February 08, 2017, 06:14:07 PM
Quote from: Adam White on February 08, 2017, 03:13:32 PM
Quote from: fsujax on February 08, 2017, 02:58:51 PM
Will be fun to see Jacksonville play in Anchorage. I know who I will be cheering for in that game.
Who?
Jacksonville of course! I cheer for the Aces for every other game. I live in Alaska.
I thought you likely meant Jax - but I also remembered you mentioning you live in Alaska, so I wasn't sure.
Jax's new team president hopes to revitalize The Landing through hockey.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2017/02/08/one-on-one-with-team-presidenticemen-have-hopes-to.html
Can someone summarizes for me?
Winnipeg Jets are now the official NHL affiliate of the Jacksonville Icemen.
https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/blog/nhlpartners
Can't wait for opening day.
I am looking forward to going to some games this year. And it's nice to see them have an affiliation with an NHL franchise.
But I do not understand why they still do not have any merchandise available for purchase. Anytime I look at their Twitter account, they get plenty of questions about it. The team was announced in February and you still cannot buy a shirt or hat.
Quote from: pierre on July 10, 2017, 09:08:21 AM
I am looking forward to going to some games this year. And it's nice to see them have an affiliation with an NHL franchise.
But I do not understand why they still do not have any merchandise available for purchase. Anytime I look at their Twitter account, they get plenty of questions about it. The team was announced in February and you still cannot buy a shirt or hat.
Probably because they either havent hired a marketing director OR they dont have the money to front it.
Probably both.
Anybody going to the first game tomorrow?
^I heard it's sold out.
Good for them.
^I'm supposed to go but have a wedding in Orlando earlier that day so I may not make it. If anybody does go, take pictures and share them! Could be a good article.
13,000 in attendance for this morning's game.
Great promotion and partnerships by the team.
https://www.jacksonville.com/sports/20191114/icemen-draw-jacksonville-record-hockey-crowd-in-loss-to-atlanta
Quote from: Ken_FSU on November 14, 2019, 04:04:38 PM
13,000 in attendance for this morning's game.
Great promotion and partnerships by the team.
https://www.jacksonville.com/sports/20191114/icemen-draw-jacksonville-record-hockey-crowd-in-loss-to-atlanta
Really cool!
I think the Icemen have done a much better job in terms of marketing and game day productions than other minor league teams in town other than the Suns/Shrimp.
They also now have a local owner, who has holdings in other minor league franchises.
I have been to several games each year and the attendance is encouraging.