Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
Resurrecting the Cowboys or Wranglers would be cool, but I would be surprised if they move far away from the "Flame" theme.
Maybe the Calgary Fire?
I still don't think that an AHL team works long term though. Likely just a landing spot until a more suitable and semi-permanent location comes up. Though that could take a few years as well unless there is a Canadian division or NW type division...something along those lines. Travel costs have to be the major consideration.
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I'm sure travel costs matter, but in a holistic view of their total expenses I doubt it will be a huge differential. Accoms are probably a bigger line item than bus travel for most teams...flying costs will probably be similar to accom costs, maybe even slightly less depending on scheduling and number of flights required.
The Abbotsford Heat spent their first 2 years in a division with 6 teams from Manitoba and the Great Lakes.
Then they spent a year with OKC, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston...then back to 4 Great Lakes teams, then back to OKC+2 Texas teams+Charlotte for their final year.
I'm sure CSEC didn't enjoy those costs, especially drawing under 4k a night, but they didn't pull the plug after a year or two like most of their other stops since St John (though I'm not sure about specific ownership details). I'd guess that AHL execs were working towards the California/Pacific division for a while and Abbotsford was part of that plan, but it took a few years longer to actually materialize.