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Hockey Could Be Gone For Long Time. |
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Cincinnati Post by John Lachmann |
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04-06-2006 |
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After less than six months
of the Cincinnati
RailRaiders
' existence, it turns out the American Hockey
League team will not even be leaving the
station.
Now
Cincinnati could be without hockey for a long
time.
The
RailRaiders
announced Wednesday they will not affiliate with
an NHL team in 2006-07 after their season-ticket
campaign fell short, leaving the AHL franchise
in dormant status.
The team
launched its season-ticket campaign in October
and stated it needed 2,000 full-season ticket
holders to move forward and lure an NHL
affiliate here. The
RailRaiders
only secured 80 percent of that goal, or about
1,600 tickets.
"We are
grateful for the support we received from fans,
media, and the American Hockey League during the
ticket campaign," franchise CEO and president
Pete Robinson in a press release.
"Unfortunately, the numbers, while strong, were
not where they needed to be."
Robinson had said
throughout the campaign that the 2,000 figure
was necessary for the
RailRaiders
just to break even financially, and also to lure
an NHL affiliate to Cincinnati.
Timing was
as much of a factor as the support. Most AHL and
NHL teams work out agreements well before this
time of the year, which is why the
RailRaiders
could no longer continue trying to build their
season-ticket foundation.
"NHL clubs
begin making their affiliation plans in February
and March, and we just did not have the numbers
to secure an arrangement," Robinson said. "We
had talks with two NHL clubs as late as
yesterday."
Robinson would not
say which teams he talked to. Columbus, an ideal
potential NHL suitor, dropped out of the running
about two months ago because of the lag in
Cincinnati's ticket sales.
The Robinson family
owns the Cincinnati Gardens, and Pete Robinson
probably will not make another attempt to bring
a team here. The only other viable rink for
professional hockey in the area is U.S. Bank
Arena. The Cyclones' International Hockey League
franchise was drawing poorly there when that
league folded, and the ECHL version drew even
worse before going dormant.
The Cincinnati
Gardens has now gone nearly a full year without
a full-time tenant. If Robinson does not intend
to bring hockey back to Cincinnati, it would
make sense to sell his now-dormant AHL
franchise.
"We haven't really
spent any time talking about what other options
we may have," Robinson said. "I'm sure that
after today we will take some time -- and we'll
evaluate every opportunity."
The Gardens still
holds concerts and other events, and also had
hockey this past season, albeit at the high
school and youth levels. Robinson would not say
whether the Cincinnati Gardens would continue
hosting hockey games next season.
"I don't know, I
can't answer, 'what's going to happen?'"
Robinson said.
Robinson also is
unsure why the ticket drive failed. The team
hired an advertising agency and ran a commercial
spot for months to attract potential fans. The
push seemed to work, since most of the 1,600
season-ticket deposits were from new business.
A few possible
reasons for the shortage:
* Too few hockey
fans in Cincinnati. Worcester, Mass., ran a
similar campaign, and it went so well the owners
ended it months early because it achieved a
sufficient base.
* Lack of clarity
in marketing. Some fans believed the team was
already set to hit the ice this fall, and were
oblivious to the team's urgent need to build a
season-ticket base.
* Ducks' lack of
success. Cincinnati won just one playoff series
in eight seasons, and the Ducks' attendance
lagged well below that of the Cyclones when they
made deep playoff runs while playing in the
Gardens in the early 1990s. If the Ducks had a
better resume, that success probably would have
carried over to the
RailRaiders
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"I don't
point my finger at anything," Robinson said.
"Maybe from our perspective it's just not there.
Maybe to be in the second-best league in the
world isn't as big of a thing as we certainly
feel it is." |
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Farewell To Pro Hockey A Look At the
Last Year Of Events For Cincinnati's AHL
Franchise. |
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Cincinnati Post |
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04-06-2006 |
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May 1, 2005 -- The
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks win their first-ever
playoff series, rallying from a 3-games-to-1
deficit to beat the Milwaukee Admirals, 4-3 in
Game 7 at the Bradley Center with 13 seconds
remaining.
May 11, 2005 -- The Ducks' last game in the
Cincinnati Gardens, a 3-2 win over Chicago in
Game 4 of a division final to fend off
elimination.
May 13, 2005 -- The Ducks are eliminated from
the playoffs by the Chicago Wolves,
4-games-to-1, with a 4-1 loss at Allstate Arena
in the last pro game played by a Cincinnati
team.
May 16, 2005 -- The Anaheim Mighty Ducks
announce they are moving their affiliate from
Cincinnati to Portland, Maine.
Oct. 5, 2005 -- The AHL and NHL seasons begin,
and Cincinnati enters its first pro season
without hockey since 1989.
Oct. 20, 2005 -- In a press conference headed by
AHL president David Andrews, the Ducks announce
they are changing their name to the Cincinnati
RailRaiders
and launch a season-ticket campaign.
March 31, 2006 -- The
RailRaiders
' season-ticket drive ends.
April 5, 2006 -- The
RailRaiders
announce their season-ticket campaign has failed
and hockey will not return this fall. |
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