Reports: 'AHL To Charlotte' To Become A Reality Today
by Cory Lavalette on Feb 10, 2010 9:28 AM EST
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PrintA news conference is scheduled today that will announce that Charlotte Checkers owner Michael Kahn has purchased the Albany Rivers Rats and will relocate the AHL team to the Queen City, several news outlets are reporting. The Rats are currently the Carolina Hurricanes affiliate, and it is assumed that the relationship would continue with the franchise moving into the state.
Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos talked about the prospects of having Carolina's top affiliate in Charlotte during a Raleigh press conference yesterday, saying "one plus one equals more than two." Albany has had an AHL franchise for the past 17 seasons and is reportedly looking for a way to keep a franchise in the city.
We'll have updates as more information becomes available.
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Here’s a collection of stories from Albany – including reports that a car-dealer in Albany hopes to buy the NYI AHL team (Bridgeport) and move them to Albany.
GM and soothsayer of the Unofficial Hurricanes' fishtank.
Up this week: Introducing Sutter-fish.
by Carolyn Christians on Feb 10, 2010 9:35 AM EST reply actions
sounds like
it all be but a one eal huh ?/ well we just has to wait now what 2 hours and something t get the straight poop ! Thanks Hockeymomof2…good effort & the rats are playing tonight too BTW…Go Rats !!
If you think you can't, you won't !
Again, I am very psyched about this move.
Make so much sense, it’s hard to believe it’s actually happening.
In doing a little web research last night, I came up with two interesting tidbits:
1) Checkers (ECHL) actually has better attendance numbers than Albany (AHL) already, so the fan base is obviously there and can probably only grow.
Charlotte = 5292 avg (6th in ECHL);
Albany = 3517 avg (26th in AHL)
Charlotte’s average attendance this season would rank them 8th out of 29 AHL franchises.
2) Not sure which AHL division a Charlotte team would wind up in, I would assume they would just stay in the East. But no matter where they end up, they will definitely have some serious travel. They will be the farthest south on the east coast of any AHL team with their closest competitor being Norfolk. Lots of long bus rides in their future.
-martin
Attendance
Hey thanks for looking into those numbers. I had no idea that was the case in Charlotte. Great news for all I’d say! Hopefully that number will only continue to grow as the AHL moves in, and many of us start making occasional trips to see the young guys!
Sweet….now just move the old Checkers franchise to Greensboro, change them back into the Generals, and move their affiliation to the Canes/Checkers, and I’ll happy as a pig in mud. The whole organization really would be a Carolina team then.
Yes!
I would love to see that…will they announce what will happen to the current checkers team?
are the everblades still our echl team???
why wouldn’t this have been the checkers all along? Maybe they move that franchise sans name and logo to greensboro and have our top three pro teams right here in good ole north carolina???
BTW I’m moving to Charlotte (from the coast) in 3 weeks. I’m stoked about this. I guess it helps lessen the blow of the move.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 10, 2010 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
Karmanos owns the Everblades and the arena they play in, and they are very successful at the gate from what I understand. For that reason alone I don’t see our ECHL affiliate changing.
They are relatively successful, but they’re having difficulty with the travel. When the Everblades started in Florida there were five teams in the ECHL in Flordia. It’s one of the reasons that location was selected as the ECHL affiliate. As of today the Everblades are the only ECHL team in Florida, and the only team south of Duluth County Georgia. Moving to Greensboro would make the team more centrally located, reducing the travel budget.
Also, I thought it was Thewes that owned the Blades and the arena and not PK, but I’m not 1005 on that.
Greensboro was a black hole.
I’m pretty sure you are right Dale. I don’t know why mind slipped on that one. I’m pretty sure he ownes that one and I think an OHL team up in the Detroit area.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 10, 2010 11:54 AM EST up reply actions
The Everblades' owner is Craig Brush, a Compuware crony of PK's.
Karmanos and Thewes were partners and (I would guess) own/ed a piece of the team, but Brush is the driving force behind that club.
http://www.ecachockey.com/men/members/cornell/20072210_BrushFeature
http://www.floridaeverblades.com/team/hockey/index.html?staff_id=9
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.
Hartford loses again?
In the story from the Albany Times Union that Cory linked to above they mention that one of the teams that might be available to be purchased and moved to Albany is the Hartford Wolf Pack. Man, would that not suck for Hartford? First to lose an NHL franchise, then to lose an AHL team as well.
Could you imagine the stink if the Checkers owner had bought the Hartford team and moved them to NC as opposed to Albany?
-martin
if you play connect the dots on that one it would eventually boild down to hartford lossing both their top hockey teams due to the state of NC. I think ill just be from “down south” if anyone ask me where im from in hartford,lol.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 10, 2010 11:18 AM EST up reply actions
just a hunch, but I’d guess Checkers before I guessed Rats
by Cory Lavalette on Feb 10, 2010 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
i would stick with Checkers
already branded.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 10, 2010 11:16 AM EST up reply actions
+1 to this and Cory’s above. Keeping the Checkers name is likely the way to go.
Greensboro was a black hole.
Checkers has been a minor-league hockey name in Charlotte for 50 years.
Silly to throw that kind of brand recognition overboard.
I would expect them to adopt Hurricanes colors and jersey patterns like the Rats did when the affiliation moved from Lowell to Albany, but the current Checkers logo could be repurposed to that pretty easily.
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.
Like this.
Pardon the mild hacktastic-ness of the image.
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.
Im going with a bear
but I dont know. Im guessing the low ears and lack of whiskers points to being a bear.
by CarolinaCanes on Feb 11, 2010 1:25 AM EST up reply actions
Yep, Chubby is a polar bear. He’s a lot like Stormy.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
by Jamie Kellner on Feb 11, 2010 8:48 AM EST up reply actions
Starting a little early today...
Hrmmm… so if Peters is playing in the AHL next year, guess there would be 2 Chubbies on the ice?
lol
Checkers
I would be shocked if they changed the name.
The Rats were the Loch Monsters (Lowell) before the affiliation changed.
You have to consider that the Checkers have been an “established” brand in Charlotte for decades.
No need to tamper with that name recognition, even if its subliminal.
Besides, I think Checkers is a better name for a hockey team by far.
-m
CHARLOTTE CHECKERS TICKETS
ANYONE WHO IS NEAR THE CHARLOTTE AREA OR WOULD LIKE TO COME SEE WHAT THE CHECKERS ARE ALL ABOUT PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL AT 704-940-4082, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU AT ONE OF THE BEST FACILITIES IN THE SOUTHEAST. WE HAVE TEN GAMES IN THE MONTH OF MARCH SO PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME. HERE’S MY INFO AGAIN:
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