I asked a former AHL journeyman why such a successful team like the Adirondack Red Wings closed shop and he said the travel to get there was a bitch.
Said it was quickest to fly to Montreal and then drive south 2-3 hours. Albany is a faster drive but way less direct flights to there.
Maybe there are better flights to service the area since 1999.
You'd think it would be a bus trip for most teams or they would play closer teams like Albany/Utica during the weekend trip.
Looks like it was a money saver for the Red Wings as they went without a farm team for a bit after they left Glen Falls (shared Cincinnati with Anaheim for a few years). The Flames did something similar after leaving Saint John a few years later.
I asked a former AHL journeyman why such a successful team like the Adirondack Red Wings closed shop and he said the travel to get there was a bitch.
Said it was quickest to fly to Montreal and then drive south 2-3 hours. Albany is a faster drive but way less direct flights to there.
Maybe there are better flights to service the area since 1999.
Probably easier that Abbotsford still as it's a 6 hour flight to anywhere in the AHL plus from Abbotsford. Also Glen Falls said they are expanding the airport so hopefully that makes a difference
“@BoomerAndRhett: Treliving says the relocation to Glens Falls, NY will cut the #AHL team's number of overnight stays on the road from 80 to 11. #Flames”
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I asked a former AHL journeyman why such a successful team like the Adirondack Red Wings closed shop and he said the travel to get there was a bitch.
Said it was quickest to fly to Montreal and then drive south 2-3 hours. Albany is a faster drive but way less direct flights to there.
Maybe there are better flights to service the area since 1999.
Yeah, that is one of the things that I was thinking about. It's not close to any major air traffic hubs. It's sort of in the middle of nowhere.
At first I was kind of excited at the possibility to see a Buffalo and Adirondack double-header next winter, but then I realized that Glens Falls was like 4 hours from Buffalo. Then I considered Ottawa and Montreal, and they weren't much better.
Does the local airport there accommodate anything bigger than puddle jumpers?
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“@BoomerAndRhett: Treliving says the relocation to Glens Falls, NY will cut the #AHL team's number of overnight stays on the road from 80 to 11. #Flames”
That's big. A lot more time to practice.
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Just looking at the map - the midwest teams would bus to Chicago and fly to Albany (1 hour bus to Glens Falls).
The Texas teams would have a tougher trip since there is no way to get to Albany from there... have to go through Hartford or Syracuse which is a big haul.
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You'd think it would be a bus trip for most teams or they would play closer teams like Albany/Utica during the weekend trip.
Looks like it was a money saver for the Red Wings as they went without a farm team for a bit after they left Glen Falls (shared Cincinnati with Anaheim for a few years). The Flames did something similar after leaving Saint John a few years later.
The travel isn't the issue for the team itself, it's for call-ups and executives wanting to fly to/from the area to see their team.
The other issue is the weather. It snows a lot in that area. Couple that with no airports nearby and I can almost guarantee you the Flames will have to play at least a few games this season with 17 skaters.
^ With 23-man rosters, that should only happen if they suffered several injuries in extremely quick succession. i.e.: in the same game with a game the next night. They certainly would not be able to do Burke's strategy of creating fake emergencies after the deadline by deliberately holding only 20 players on the active roster.
“@BoomerAndRhett: Treliving says the relocation to Glens Falls, NY will cut the #AHL team's number of overnight stays on the road from 80 to 11. #Flames”
I listened to the interview and that quote is slightly off. He first mentioned the Heat stayed overnight 83 nights and that the AHL team for Phoenix, Portland Maine, stayed 11. So although it could be 11 nights next season for the Heat, it could be 15, 20, 8.........who knows. There's no guarantee it will be 11, but it will be much better than what they had to endure with Abbotsford.
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Asked earlier but wonder how many times our new team will play the lehigh valley phantoms. This move is exciting for me too.
Anyone know when the ahl schedule comes out?
Not until much later in the summer. I believe August sometime.
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The travel isn't the issue for the team itself, it's for call-ups and executives wanting to fly to/from the area to see their team.
The other issue is the weather. It snows a lot in that area. Couple that with no airports nearby and I can almost guarantee you the Flames will have to play at least a few games this season with 17 skaters.
Very unlikely. As someone already mentioned, they have a 23 man roster.
Simple question: when was the last time - or how many times did it happen last year - that a player was called on an emergency basis and played the same evening?
It simply doesn't happen that often. The reduced travel time for the team is an elephant compared to the mouse that is the increased travel to get a player to Calgary.
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I've been getting bombarded with texts about this from my family and friends back in Saratoga Springs, NY since the rumors started flying. My dad is a Calgary boy who lives there now, and I grew up between Fernie, BC and Saratoga Springs. Awesome to see it's moving forward!
I've been to tons of ADK Red Wings and Ice Hawks games over the years, and it's very true that all the surrounding communities come out in force for the Glens Falls teams. Those Southern Adirondack folks love their hockey, they're mostly Rangers fans, but there's a deep appreciation for the game that is closely tied to the US team's Miracle on Ice that happened right there in the 'daks. These are fans that know the game well.
The Albany River Rats (used to be the Devils team) and ADK Red Wings had an amazing rivalry back in the late 90's. Awesome games to watch, especially when Osgood was in net for ADK, and always packed to the rafters.
I might have to plan some trips back home to see the family now!
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80+ days on the road compared to like 10-20 days on the road.
Gonna be a LOT more practice time for abby, on top of a stacked roster.
I'f we're not leading the league next year I'll be shocked.
