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Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire
D_J is dead on. I'd also like to add that the Heat's home record isn't good enough to attract people and keep them coming. Their home record is 5-4-1.
Also, they blew their best chance to appeal to a large amount of people. On opening day against Rockford, they lost 5-0 and 5700 people showed up. That was their chance to win that game and have people say, "wow, that was really great hockey!"
It's a very circular situation in sports where people don't come out games because the team is losing, but the team could be losing because people don't come out to games and cheer them on. I believe that's the biggest issue here in Abby.
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Being a hockey fans and a Flames fan in general it is kinda depressing seeing this happen with a Flames AHL team once again.
When they came to QC I was full of excitement to see the best hockey that our area was ever going to see. But our local fan base has shrunk with the economy, or the fans just weren't that excited for hockey anymore.
But Growing up in Ft. Myers, Florida I got to see ECHL Everblades hockey and I have always had hockey. When our owners decided that they weren't going to be able to make it another season I decided that I wasn't going to watch (IHL or CHL) hockey. I was going to get Season tickets to the USHL Cedar Rapids Roughriders. I have already been to almost half the games even when the Flames were in town and even though the Flames were 20 minuets closer to me.
Bottom line is, That people don't realize what they really have. I know that they are fighting with some Junior teams and in the middle of Nuck territory. But this is a great product, No matter if they are winning or losing. When I saw my first NHL (live) last year I really noticed a small difference between the AHL and NHL.
I don't know what the hell Calgary has to do to keep a AHL team viable. They actually use the farm to groom players unlike some teams in the AHL... I know it's tough seeing loss after loss but it's still great to see future NHLers on the ice in you back yard. Hell when I was at the Atlanta vs Chicago game almost half the players on both teams were in our division when we were in the NHL. I got to see these guys before they won the stanley cup.
The biggest issue I have with the heat is that the local government is paying for travel. I honestly believe that government should stay out of this. But I think that Calgary is looking for another arena to put the team. But I hope this time that King and Sutter do their best to invest and make sure that the area is ready for AHL.
I really wish I had hockey here in Alabama, I played twice in the last 2 years. It sucks, I feel so weird here in winter time watching it on tv and not playing it. But some people will never know what they have until its no longer there.