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Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:04 am**

I read about this earlier this evening on the NAHL website. Do you think bringing a team to the metro is a good move by the league?

http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=7233

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:09 am**

Zamman, what do you think about this??

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:34 am**

deleted

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 2:11 am**

The owner better have some deep pockets. The Vulcans would have never lasted as long as they did without the Hubbards. Probably need to average about 700/ game and would need beer and concession revenue, which they may not be able to get. I would think they have an uphill battle to be profitable.

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:17 am**

All I can say is that I heard about it a few weeks ago.
The manager at Richfield is a go-getter and feels this is a good move. Is the gamble for Richfield or the team that is coming here. I like the idea and am looking forward to it. When I have information to share I will, but I do not know much as of right now....

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:50 am**

Zamman wrote:All I can say is that I heard about it a few weeks ago.
The manager at Richfield is a go-getter and feels this is a good move. Is the gamble for Richfield or the team that is coming here. I like the idea and am looking forward to it. When I have information to share I will, but I do not know much as of right now....

I give it 2-3 years, max. Are they going to buiild them a nice locker room? It won't draw more than 300 people a game. I hope it does succeed, but don't think it will. I bet a lot of the MIAC coaches are happy that scouting will be in their backyard and not have to travel to SD or Coulee to recruit.

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:04 am**

I bet the legion next door will be happy.

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:46 pm**

BP wrote:
Zamman wrote:All I can say is that I heard about it a few weeks ago.
The manager at Richfield is a go-getter and feels this is a good move. Is the gamble for Richfield or the team that is coming here. I like the idea and am looking forward to it. When I have information to share I will, but I do not know much as of right now....
I give it 2-3 years, max. Are they going to buiild them a nice locker room? It won't draw more than 300 people a game. I hope it does succeed, but don't think it will. I bet a lot of the MIAC coaches are happy that scouting will be in their backyard and not have to travel to SD or Coulee to recruit.

I agree that this is a bad move. I thought Duluth would maybe get a NAHL or USHL team before a cities suburb would get a team from what I was reading online this past summer. A long term junior hockey team will never work in the Cities. It will take a lot of hard work from the ownership group for a cities team to succeed. I feel that there are maybe two or three cities that can field a high level Junior Hockey team in Minnesota. Those would be Duluth, Rochester, and maybe St. Cloud.

Posted: **Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:26 pm**

clutterbuck22 wrote:
BP wrote:
Zamman wrote:All I can say is that I heard about it a few weeks ago.
The manager at Richfield is a go-getter and feels this is a good move. Is the gamble for Richfield or the team that is coming here. I like the idea and am looking forward to it. When I have information to share I will, but I do not know much as of right now....
I give it 2-3 years, max. Are they going to buiild them a nice locker room? It won't draw more than 300 people a game. I hope it does succeed, but don't think it will. I bet a lot of the MIAC coaches are happy that scouting will be in their backyard and not have to travel to SD or Coulee to recruit.
I agree that this is a bad move. I thought Duluth would maybe get a NAHL or USHL team before a cities suburb would get a team from what I was reading online this past summer. A long term junior hockey team will never work in the Cities. It will take a lot of hard work from the ownership group for a cities team to succeed. I feel that there are maybe two or three cities that can field a high level Junior Hockey team in Minnesota. Those would be Duluth, Rochester, and maybe St. Cloud.

Agreed, St. Cloud might be a stretch as they have plenty of high school hockey, Granite City MNJHL, and a D1 team in the area. I've always thought Rochester could field and NAHL team since the Ice Hawks seem to draw good crowds. There is a lot of good hockey to watch within driving distance of the Twin Cities which is why I don't think Richfield can make it long term.

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 5:46 pm**

Austin Minnesota is killing it in the NAHL they are 15 games above .500 and averaging over 1250 fans per game, every friday night people are going to watch the best junior hockey Minnesota has to offer, Remember this is not the Minnesota Junior Hockey League or the NA3HL this is the NAHL, they sent 193 kids to ncaa programs 121 to the D1 Level.

If Austin can make it in the league perfectly in a town that has 24,000 people how could the Twin Cities not make it with more than 3 million people?????

But the Vulcans didnt make it, who cares??? things have changed every legitimite prospect has to play junior hockey now, if you have not been to a game now you will have a chance, Buy some beer and have a great time.

This is a sweet league the kids fight, its a legitimite level of hockey that has players all over the NHL and more than 380 playing at the D1 level.

I am a hockey fan that grew up in Minnesota, I will be there. Why wont you???

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:41 pm**

fourthlinegrinder wrote:Austin Minnesota is killing it in the NAHL they are 15 games above .500 and averaging over 1250 fans per game, every friday night people are going to watch the best junior hockey Minnesota has to offer, Remember this is not the Minnesota Junior Hockey League or the NA3HL this is the NAHL, they sent 193 kids to ncaa programs 121 to the D1 Level.

If Austin can make it in the league perfectly in a town that has 24,000 people how could the Twin Cities not make it with more than 3 million people?????

But the Vulcans didnt make it, who cares??? things have changed every legitimite prospect has to play junior hockey now, if you have not been to a game now you will have a chance, Buy some beer and have a great time.

This is a sweet league the kids fight, its a legitimite level of hockey that has players all over the NHL and more than 380 playing at the D1 level.

I am a hockey fan that grew up in Minnesota, I will be there. Why wont you???

First off, no one is bashing the league. Second, Austin is a poor example to point to why Richfield will succeed. The Bruins, besides high school sports and a few bars, are pretty much the only thing Austin has. Richfield will have to compete with the Gophers, the Wild, the Wolves, and about maybe 30 High school programs in that region alone. NAHL has had many "big" market cities fail with St. Louis and Chicago the most recent casualties. St. Louis was lucky to get 500 people through the gates. Chicago got about 700 maybe 800 a game and that was pushing it in a city of about 3,000,000.

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:22 pm**

fourthlinegrinder wrote:Austin Minnesota is killing it in the NAHL they are 15 games above .500 and averaging over 1250 fans per game, every friday night people are going to watch the best junior hockey Minnesota has to offer, Remember this is not the Minnesota Junior Hockey League or the NA3HL this is the NAHL, they sent 193 kids to ncaa programs 121 to the D1 Level.

If Austin can make it in the league perfectly in a town that has 24,000 people how could the Twin Cities not make it with more than 3 million people?????

But the Vulcans didnt make it, who cares??? things have changed every legitimite prospect has to play junior hockey now, if you have not been to a game now you will have a chance, Buy some beer and have a great time.

This is a sweet league the kids fight, its a legitimite level of hockey that has players all over the NHL and more than 380 playing at the D1 level.

I am a hockey fan that grew up in Minnesota, I will be there. Why wont you???

The only reason the Vulcans stayed were because the Hubbards had deep pockets and weren't terribly concered about turning a profit. Junior teams are a business and and the investers for the most part need to make money or at least break even. To much competition in the cities for the sports dollar and they will have an uphill battle to make it. If they are going to sell beer they probably have to jump through a lot of hoops in the city to allow the sale at the arena and to get a license. I would guess they will need a budget of at least $300,000 to operate. Good luck to them and hope they make it.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:16 am**

Please refer to this team as the metro NAHL team, Richfield is hosting not owning. Do not want to bring down my arena.
People need to give this a chance, I agree that there is a ton of great hockey in the cities. I prefer to go to a HS game than see the NHL. I am excited to see if this will work, gives people another option. Next year people will not be flocking to the X after another lost year for the NHL.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:04 am**

Zamman wrote:People need to give this a chance,

Thoroughly agree.

For those that didn't put their money up to buy the team, what do you care if these three guys did? Now for those three guys....

There have to be some reasons they think it'll work. My guess is they foresee a roster full of area players, the potential to attract kids that may not have played Junior hockey for a different NAHL team, and the possibility the Mall of America may be a big enough draw to get a few hundred visiting fans whenever they have a weekend date against teams like Austin, Brookings, or LaCrosse.

Bring back the North Star name?

Good luck to them.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:35 am**

I think its a great opportunity for possibly more minnesota kids to continue their passion of playing hockey. Remember the North Stars did not work here, were sold and moved, and when the Wild returned they set NHL attendance records. Best of luck to this new Team.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:44 pm**

SimplyPut wrote:I think its a great opportunity for possibly more minnesota kids to continue their passion of playing hockey. Remember the North Stars did not work here, were sold and moved, and when the Wild returned they set NHL attendance records. Best of luck to this new Team.

Tha Noth Stars DID work here! Norm Green's sexual misconduct is what chased the team out of town.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:04 pm**

NAHL MN North Stars would be great. Let's hope this works and we should only try to promote. Can go to a game for maybe $10 a ticket and free parking. If they can get the license, selling beer would be a bonus. The league will get more interest from local players and adults that want to see the league which is very good.

Posted: **Tue Dec 25, 2012 4:39 pm**

I am just very interested to see what their fan base consists of. Will they get a richfield population fan base? Or will the people at the games just be people interested in watching some hockey...

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 1:54 am**

Great for Players - Will never Sell. My Cousin just sold his NAHL team after relocating the year before.. Doesn't even work for most even in areas where there is little competion for entertainment $$.. If you do it, it's typically because you have a few guys who can throw in a $150K each to own a team and who's ego distorts their perception so that it looks like 'this situation is different'..

I think this is great for players who can now live at home and even probably go to their same HS (?) but play 60+ games against excellent competition.. However, as far as fans, it will never work.. While living in Phoenix, I would fly into the cities every year for the Schwann's cup, which I thought was even better HS hockey than the state tourney (though without the stakes), but I would walk into the Excel Center and see what seemed to be maybe a couple hundred fans during the day and not many more at night...and that, with all the HS rivalries and rich program history built up over a century.. You think NAHL hockey is going to have any more appeal than that? Except they allow fighting so you sell beer and have some rumbles and maybe get a coupe hundred fans..

Speaking of the Richfield area, I went to the Bloomington ice gardens a couple of weeks ago to see the revived Jefferson Jaguars play the storied Cloquet Lumberjacks and the number of fans basically equalled a couple family members for each player and maybe 50 kids in the student section..

Anyone hit an Elite League game this fall, which is on par with NAHL talent and with no other Hockey entertainment going on to compete with in the Fall.. Anyone see more than 50 people at a game (95% scouts and family)..

It takes about $350K-400K to buy into the league and an operating budget in the six-figures as well.. The key is if you can get some major sponsors who are more interested in appealing to MN HS players and allow them to get a look at the NAHL - other than just in the annual showcase in Blaine.. Plus work with their offseason camps etc..

Having a relative who is considering going to the USHL instead of playing his senior year next, this may be a great alternative..The disadvantage of locating a JR hockey team in the cities is that it will not draw. The advantage is that you've got a base of kids who may not want to skip their senior year to move to Janesville, WI or Souix Falls to play in the NAHL or USHL but would do it in a heartbeat if they could stay in the cities.. The key is, can you find a way to monetize that.. Maybe if you make it a pay per play type format - since you don't necessarily need host families etc.. Not sure what the league rules allow but still it would be tough to meet operating budget let alone any ROI.

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:31 am**

fourthlinegrinder wrote:Austin Minnesota is killing it in the NAHL they are 15 games above .500 and averaging over 1250 fans per game, every friday night people are going to watch the best junior hockey Minnesota has to offer, Remember this is not the Minnesota Junior Hockey League or the NA3HL this is the NAHL, they sent 193 kids to ncaa programs 121 to the D1 Level.

If Austin can make it in the league perfectly in a town that has 24,000 people how could the Twin Cities not make it with more than 3 million people?????

But the Vulcans didnt make it, who cares??? things have changed every legitimite prospect has to play junior hockey now, if you have not been to a game now you will have a chance, Buy some beer and have a great time.

This is a sweet league the kids fight, its a legitimite level of hockey that has players all over the NHL and more than 380 playing at the D1 level.

I am a hockey fan that grew up in Minnesota, I will be there. Why wont you???

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:43 am**

@Grantten

honestly, the Jablonski comment you made was pathetic and you should be banned from the board. Re-read what you wrote...ridiculous.

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:43 am**

[quote="Tenoverpar"]@Grantten

.

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 10:24 am**

It always amazes me how posts start on 1 subject and drift to something completely irrelevant to the topic. I have seen roughly 30 junior games this year - just prefer the junior game more than HS ( although I have also watched roughly 15 HS games as well). I am interested to see how it turns out and plan to see a number of the new teams games.

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 10:38 am**

Edgy wrote:It always amazes me how posts start on 1 subject and drift to something completely irrelevant to the topic. I have seen roughly 30 junior games this year - just prefer the junior game more than HS ( although I have also watched roughly 15 HS games as well). I am interested to see how it turns out and plan to see a number of the new teams games.

Me too Edgy anxious to see the metro get an NAHL team, think it is great for the league. Hopefully the "hockey snobs" up at 'Euphoria U' get out to some games and find out that this league has some players

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