What
will happen with Worcester?
That would
seem to be the big "$6000 a night" question hovering above
minor league hockey's ever changing landscape.
The Central
Massachusetts burgh has been the stuff of scuttlebutt, ever since
it was announced that the AHL's Worcester IceCats had been sold
to interests in Peoria, Ill., and will relocate to their beginning
with the 2005-06 season.
Left behind
is a vacant 11,000-seat facility --the DCU Center-- and a once vibrant
market smack in the middle of hockey rich New England.
The market
could be an inviting target for other minor professional leagues
such as the ECHL and the United Hockey League, wishing to extend
its footprint into the region, or perhaps a bargaining chip for
a current American Hockey League team that might want to pull up
stakes.
Any of those
scenarios could make sense, and would, if the per game rent at the
DCU Center (that $6,000 thing) wasn't so darned pricey.
One thing seems
certain, Worcester will not be without hockey for long; there are
too many parties wanting to jump in.
Among them
is the UHL, which has one team in New England, the Danbury Trashers,
and would love to have Worcester as a regional rival.
"We definitely
are looking at that," said UHL Commissioner Richard Brosal.
"We are very, very anxious. We would love to have a team in
Worcester."
In fact, according
to Brosal, anxious enough to have already begun lining up investors.
"We not
only have an interest, we have an ownership group ready to go in,"
he said.
Brosal named current IceCats Vice-President Kevin Cummings as a
point man for a prospective UHL franchise. Cummings once worked
for the UHL's Rockford Ice Hogs.
"We would
love to have Kevin back in our league," he said, "and
we would love to have Worcester."
The idea sits
well with the Trashers, who are vying for the East Division title
in their first season in the league.
"I'd love
to see more New England teams," said A.J. Galante, Danbury's
19-year-old team President. "I've just been hearing rumors.
Richard Brosal hasn't brought it up to me. A team in Worcester would
give us a rivalry, and that would be a lot of fun. Plus it would
help us with travel. If they decide to go to Worcester, that would
be fine by us."
So why hasn't
the UHL moved in while the turf is still warm?
For one thing,
the fear of stepping on the toes of the AHL, which currently has
seven other New England teams, and as the only Triple-A level league,
is minor pro hockey's top dog.
"We're
very respectful of the AHL," said Brosal. "Until we get
word 100 percent that they are not going to put a team in there
for next season, we're not going to be involved. But should the
American Hockey League not put a team in there, we'll cross that
bridge when we get to it. And if not, we'll look at other New England
markets."
Brosal is not
the only one casting a covetous, but wary eye on Central Massachusetts.
The ECHL, which
has plans to go into Burlington, Vt. in 2006-07, has also taken
notice.
"We still
have an interest, there's no question about it," said ECHL
President Brian McKenna. "But the market, both the building
and the city father's are still focused on the American League.
They've entertained a couple of groups from existing AHL markets,
trying to persuade another team to relocate there. If that happens,
fine. If it doesn't, that would be a market we would be interested
in."
McKenna said
that his league would not get into a footrace with the UHL or any
other league, to stake a claim on Worcester.
"Not at
all," he said. "We've been very clear with the building
that things would have to be done on our terms, as far as the scheduling
goes. We're not going to hold up our league to wait to find out
what might happen with other leagues. Otherwise, it would be an
'06-07 proposition for us."
Of course,
that leaves the AHL itself, which would like to return to Worcester,
although to do so in time for next season would be a remote possibility.
"We'd
love to go back," said AHL President Dave Andrews. "But
it would have to be in the right situation with the right group."
However, unlike
the lower leagues, the AHL, which unlike the other leagues will
not field independent franchise, is locked into a numbers game.
All AHL teams
already have a current NHL affiliate, and with the Calgary Flames
relocating their AAA franchise to Omaha, Neb., next year, the AHL
will have a full compliment of 30 squads.
In short, it
is apparent that anyone wanting to go to Worcester will have to
abandon another AHL town.
For months,
Portland, Maine appeared to be the front-runner in that shell game.
However, the Portland Pirates and the Cumberland County Civic Center
recently announced a new, long-term five-year lease effective with
the 2005-2006 AHL season.
The new lease
will add state of the art scoreboard and video board technology
to the venue, renovations to the team’s locker room, and provides
the team with aggressive rent rebate incentives on a per game and
season long basis tied to actual turnstile attendance.
"I am
very pleased that the Pirates and the Cumberland County Civic Center
have reached this agreement," said Andrews. "The fans
and the city of Portland are a storied part of AHL history, and
we look forward to being able to continue that tradition for years
to come."
Dating back
to the days of the Maine Mariners, the American Hockey League has
now played hockey in Portland for over 27 years.
The new agreement
between the Pirates and the Cumberland County Civic Center guarantees
professional hockey in the city of Portland through 2010.
