CBJ & CAVS

[Govbarney]

Michael Arace of the Dispatch proposes a marriage between the Cavs & the CBJ, an idea many Cleveland area hockey fans, and CBUS area Bball fans have been floating around for years finally put into ink.

Unfortunately this makes way to much sense... so I doubt it will ever happen.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories ... boost.html

[Spin]

I'd rather trade franchises. Even a 50/50 mix would be nice.

But I would be at every Jackets game if they played a handful in Cleveland. I'd even make them my favorite team over the Guins, who use to play in Cleveland every year during the Coliseum era...

You're right, it makes too much sense.

[Govbarney]

I often wonder if the roles reversed back in the 70's and it was the Cav's that failed and not the NHL Barons, would Cleveland currently be a better hockey town , then it is a NBA town. Maybe I am wrong , but growing up it felt like NEO supported High School Hockey a lot more then Columbus ever did in the pre-CBJ days. People I know who lived in CBUS their whole lives tell me that pre-CBJ ,the only 2 ice rinks in Franklin county where at OSU, and the State fare grounds.

[motherscratcher]

Sounds like a good and reasonable plan.

But I think it distracts from the most important part of that article, which is the hilariously large, Allen & Gintery portrait of Arace right next to the text. And the hilarity is taken to a whole 'nother level when you realize that you can actually click to enlarge the already enormous portrait.

High high comedy. Well done Dispatch.

[Govbarney]

Sounds like a good and reasonable plan.

But I think it distracts from the most important part of that article, which is the hilariously large, Allen & Gintery portrait of Arace right next to the text. And the hilarity is taken to a whole 'nother level when you realize that you can actually click to enlarge the already enormous portrait.

High high comedy. Well done Dispatch.

His big brown eyes stare deep into the readers soul.

Try to remember that the Dispatch is only a small step up from the Creston, Iowa - Farm and Feed report.

[Spin]

Looking at the remarks by the Columbus people, the team is in danger of moving, but they don't want DG to own part of it because he might move it to Cleveland. Another mentions "another Ohio city". So I guess they would rather Seattle got it?

And season ticket owners don't want to go to Cleveland a couple times a year? Even if it means saving their team? How many OSU season ticket holders live in metro Cleveland? iT's the same drive either way...

Would an NHL team have done better in Cleveland than the Cavs have done? I think so. I think there are more potential hard core hockey fans in NE Ohio (who would go to games even when the team sucks) than there are hard core pro basketball fans. Myself included.

[motherscratcher]

Would an NHL team have done better in Cleveland than the Cavs have done? I think so. I think there are more potential hard core hockey fans in NE Ohio (who would go to games even when the team sucks) than there are hard core pro basketball fans. Myself included.

Based on what?

Putting another team of any kind in Cleveland right now would be insane.

A contending Indians team can't fill half of their stadium during a late august pennant drive.

The Cavs attendence is about to take a giant shit (if they even play the season)

The Browns don't count because we are all insane.

I see no reason to think that the NHL could thrive here once the initial excitement wore off.

[Govbarney]

I find those rumors of a potential CBJ move are exaggerated, and only slightly less popular in Columbus then the "Urban Myer just bought a house in Upper Arlington" Rumors. The team has invested too much in the area and arena, and the city leaders never want to go back to the days when Columbus was just thought of as a college town, and minor league.

If anyone should push for a partnership between the CBJ & Cavs it should be FSN. They would have the most to gain, as far as expanding TV interests in the state goes.

[Spin]

Would an NHL team have done better in Cleveland than the Cavs have done? I think so. I think there are more potential hard core hockey fans in NE Ohio (who would go to games even when the team sucks) than there are hard core pro basketball fans. Myself included.

Based on what?

I think hockey is more popular than NBA basketball in NE Ohio, and would do better in bad times than the Cavs have done (and are about to do). That's my opinion.

It couldn't do much worse attendance-wise than the Cavs in the Stepien era, or in the post-PriceDaughertyNance/pre-LBJ era...

And if you put an iconic player of Lemieux/Gretsky caliber like the Cavs had for 7 years, the hockey team would have sold out the joint just like the Cavs did.

Putting another team of any kind in Cleveland right now would be insane.

We're not talking about ADDING a team, we're talking about what would have happened if the NHL team stayed and the NBA team moved.

[swerb]

All things being equal (quality of team, alpha dog star player, facility, etc) hockey would not draw as well as the NBA up here. No way, no how. The NBA has a 40 year history in Cleveland. Hockey has no history anyone alive here remembers. Also, Cleveland is 53% African-American. Columbus is 26%. That's a huge difference, and African-Americans make up a big part of the Cavs fan base, and generally are not hockey fans.

I like the idea from Arace, and God would I love to be able to go to 4-5 NHL games a year in Cleveland. I don't think it can realistically happen though given the fact Gilbert owns the Monsters, who are an affiliate of the Avalanche.

That said, with the casino coming to town, filling that arena as many nights a year as he can is going to be a lot more important to Gilbert.

[Govbarney]

I believe you are right Swerb; a hypothetical 1 for 1 swap of the CBJ & CAVs would not work for all the reasons you mentioned, if that swap happened today, and adding a 4th Major league team to the North Coast is ludicrous.

However the question was, if the roles where reversed and The Barons stuck around back in the 70s, and the Cavs moved, would the Greater Cleveland area have been a better NHL town then it currently is a NBA town. Part of me says no, simply because the NBA is more popular then the NHL (though that historically fluctuates). Part of me says yes because I look at the success of hockey in places like Pittsburgh, and Buffalo both cities demographically smiler to the Cleveland area in Race and income.

[swerb]

I believe you are right Swerb; a hypothetical 1 for 1 swap of the CBJ & CAVs would not work for all the reasons you mentioned, if that swap happened today, and adding a 4th Major league team to the North Coast is ludicrous.

However the question was, if the roles where reversed and The Barons stuck around back in the 70s, and the Cavs moved, would the Greater Cleveland area have been a better NHL town then it currently is a NBA town. Part of me says no, simply because the NBA is more popular then the NHL (though that historically fluctuates). Part of me says yes because I look at the success of hockey in places like Pittsburgh, and Buffalo both cities demographically smiler to the Cleveland area in Race and income.

Again, with all things being equal, it's possible. Cleveland does have a pretty strong high school hockey community. It is a blue collar town (like Pitt and Buff) that could embrace a blue collar sport like hockey. And remember, this hasn't been a great NBA town. Outside of a couple of the Miracle of Richfield-era years, the late 80's, and the LeQuitter Era ... the Cavs haven't drawn for shit. And the Monsters have drawn OK, even though those attendance #'s Gilbert produces are the most fabricated and inflated attendance #'s I've ever seen in my life as a sports fan.

Now - I think things are so much different here than back then. The city of Cleveland has gone from like the 10th most populus in America to like the 70th. White flight and poor leadership in the city has gutted it, with more people in the burbs, making it tougher to get to games. And Browns aside ... the fan base right now simply will not support non-winning teams at the box office. It's a total "show-me" professional sports city right now.

[Govbarney]

Now - I think things are so much different here than back then. The city of Cleveland has gone from like the 10th most populus in America to like the 70th. White flight and poor leadership in the city has gutted it, with more people in the burbs, making it tougher to get to games. And Browns aside ... the fan base right now simply will not support non-winning teams at the box office. It's a total "show-me" professional sports city right now.

I cant argue with your view that Cleveland has "Show me" sports fans when it comes to gate attendance at non-Browns related events, and yea Cleveland proper is hurting and has dropped in the population rankings steadily since 1960, but the eight-county North East Ohio metro area is still the largest metro area in Ohio, and the 16th largest nationally (according to the 2010 Census). That's where the majority of your sports following disposable income resides, not Cleveland proper, and I think it's that population that would perhaps have done a better job at filling a 22,000 seat hockey arena then Columbus has or ever will do.

[Spin]

All things being equal (quality of team, alpha dog star player, facility, etc) hockey would not draw as well as the NBA up here. No way, no how. The NBA has a 40 year history in Cleveland. Hockey has no history anyone alive here remembers.

The Barons would have had a 35 year history by now.

I think hockey would be an easier sell because it's more of a blue collar sport and this whole market is a rust belt region.

The Monsters are in the top six in AHL attendance out of 30 teams. They (a minor league team in an NBA arket) draw better than the Stepien Cavs did!!! I attended both and can attest to that.

It doesn't matter though, we'll never know. It's fun to think about though...

[peeker643]

All things being equal (quality of team, alpha dog star player, facility, etc) hockey would not draw as well as the NBA up here. No way, no how. The NBA has a 40 year history in Cleveland. Hockey has no history anyone alive here remembers.

The Barons would have had a 35 year history by now.

Or they could have been gone in 5-10 years. I don't think we can count the years and assume they'd have remained.

Personally, I think the area could support an NHL team as well as (if not better now) than the Cavs. The demographics Swerb noted are important. It's extremely expensive for anyone to go down to the Q and take a family to a Cavs game. Especially if they don't want a sherpa and oxygen bottles to help them find their seats. And while hockey isn't huge on the east side there are tons of wes t side teams that dominate the high school hockey scene in Cleveland. The east side teams that exist are all located in money areas too where the game is growing. There's a large core of hockey fans in Toledo who would shave an hour so off their commute coming to Cleveland.

I worked Lumberjack games for Thor Tolo's rag when they came here and Ken Mather and others did a great job getting people out to te Coliseum for that.

I think NHL would work here. But like others I don't think oth NHL and NBA can survive together here.

You can also talk about blue collar this and that but Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Detroit all have that PLUS tradition and in a couple cases more people to draw from.

Like Spin says, interesting to discuss. But I can't ever see it happening. Been talked about like this for almost 40 years. And despite the popularity in the high school game the economics in the city just don't seem to allow for it.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

It's not a bad idea. Saves fans of both teams money on travel. I've been saying for long time that they every few years there should be a Browns/Bengals game at The Shoe. A lot of fans down here of both teams + the best stadium in sports= a easy sellout. It's also a nice reward for all the loyal fans here. I've spent a lot of money on that shitty franchise, they should give back.

[Govbarney]

It's not a bad idea. Saves fans of both teams money on travel. I've been saying for long time that they every few years there should be a Browns/Bengals game at The Shoe. A lot of fans down here of both teams + the best stadium in sports= a easy sellout. It's also a nice reward for all the loyal fans here. I've spent a lot of money on that shitty franchise, they should give back.

They vaguely remember hearing that the Browns used to play pre-season games at the Shoe, but that's it.

As far as what Michael Arce suggested:
Cavs already play one pre-season game a year in Columbus, and last year the CBJ played not one , but two regular season games in Europe, so its not as if both franchises are opposed to shaking things up a bit. Only potential road block I see is what Swerb mentioned before in relation to Gilbert owning the Monsters, a Colorado affiliate. That being said its not as if the Avalanche have any claim over the Cleveland Market just because the Monsters play here.

OSU V. M*ch*g*n hockey at The Jake this January could go along way in opening peoples eyes to the validity of hosting a few NHL games in Cleveland every year. I just hope if it ever did happen the opponent is not the Penguins. I am tired of seeing the inbreeds flock to Cleveland for sporting events.

[Spin]

I have great memories of going to the Coliseum and watching Gretzky and Lemieux playing preseason games. It made me a hockey lover.

And then teams played "alternative site" games in the regular season, and Detroit and Pittsburgh played at the Coliseum. It was a big hit. It didn't catch on anywhere else but in Ctown it was a success.

Bringing in NHL hockey could be a big boost to the Monsters, just as bringing in the NHL teams got me hooked on the sport. This would be the year to do it, although it's too late to change anything now. Imagine a city with no (lousy) basketball for months, maybe all year. And the Browns aren't anybody's pick to contend for the Northern yet. Perfect time to make a big splash.

And it would help the surrounding businesses and arena employees during the lockout.

The Jackets expands their fan base, FSO expands their viewer base of Jacket games. And we see Nash play in our back yard. Everybody wins.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

For those of you who don't know, Tom Reed, who's been covering the Jackets in the Dispatch for the past few years, has been picked up by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer to cover the Cavs starting this year. Personally, I like Tom the most out of the Columbus hockey reporters as he seems to be much more objective and in tune with the rest of the hockey world outside of Columbus.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

Personally, I think the area could support an NHL team as well as (if not better now) than the Cavs. The demographics Swerb noted are important. It's extremely expensive for anyone to go down to the Q and take a family to a Cavs game. Especially if they don't want a sherpa and oxygen bottles to help them find their seats. And while hockey isn't huge on the east side there are tons of wes t side teams that dominate the high school hockey scene in Cleveland. The east side teams that exist are all located in money areas too where the game is growing. There's a large core of hockey fans in Toledo who would shave an hour so off their commute coming to Cleveland.

Hockey seems to be growing more on the east side in terms of interests, the problem is funding and costs. Getting ice time is still a huge issue on this side of town with Gilmore being the only real location to play pickup games for young kids, and even then its more of a free skate with varying age groups. Mentor Civic Center is the only other close rink and its impossible to get significant time there. Mentor hockey is getting very popular, and a huge draw to parents with young kids looking to get into sports. There is still hope, but with the lack of funding for east side public schools not name Mentor, it will be a very slow growth.

[motherscratcher]

For those of you who don't know, Tom Reed, who's been covering the Jackets in the Dispatch for the past few years, has been picked up by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer to cover the Cavs starting this year. Personally, I like Tom the most out of the Columbus hockey reporters as he seems to be much more objective and in tune with the rest of the hockey world outside of Columbus.

But...but...what about Mary Schmitt Boyer?

[RickNashEquilibrium]

But...but...what about Mary Schmitt Boyer?

I would rarely ever use this, but eat a bag of dicks.

[Govbarney]

Hockey seems to be growing more on the east side in terms of interests, the problem is funding and costs. Getting ice time is still a huge issue on this side of town with Gilmore being the only real location to play pickup games for young kids, and even then its more of a free skate with varying age groups. Mentor Civic Center is the only other close rink and its impossible to get significant time there. Mentor hockey is getting very popular, and a huge draw to parents with young kids looking to get into sports. There is still hope, but with the lack of funding for east side public schools not name Mentor, it will be a very slow growth.

Orr Ice Arena in Euclid is still good for hockey, last year I watched a USA Hockey sponsored youth tourney at Orr with teams from all around the East Coast participating in it. I also used to play in one of Euclid's Pee-wee leagues there as a child. I know Euclid has demographically shifted considerably in the last decade, but when I grew up in the 90s youth and high school hockey where still very popular in that city.

[skatingtripods]

Hockey tickets are extremely expensive and would never be as attractive to corporate buyers as the NBA ones are. The Q would lose quite a few of its corporate partners who buy tickets. This isn't to say that hockey advertising isn't profitable, but basketball is that big time sport that seems to be attended as a status symbol more than anything else.

The demographics of a Monsters game are drastically different from Cavs games. Monsters games are attended by lots of people using their parents' disposable income rather than their own. Basketball games are not the same way. To put NHL ticket prices on that would drastically decrease attendance.

NHL hockey would never make it. The AHL can because the team's owner has plenty of alternative methods of making money. He makes very little, if any, on the Monsters. The rink conditions suck too much to attract any other games in here except for the occasional college game and Disney on Ice type things.

I didn't read the article and skimmed through the posts in this thread, but I have no doubt in my mind that hockey wouldn't be as profitable here as some might think.

[Spin]

NHL hockey would never make it. The AHL can because the team's owner has plenty of alternative methods of making money. He makes very little, if any, on the Monsters.

Therein lies the key to the Q...

In order to get the Gunds to move the Cavs from the Coliseum (which they owned) to the Gateway arena, they had to give the Gunds everything they had in their own building.

Parking $$$. Concession $$$. Rental $$$ from all of the concerts and shows and other teams that use it. Including the 3rd rising of the Cleveland Barons. The Coliseum was paid off, every concert and ice capades and Force game and THunderbolts game put $$$ in the Gund's pocket.

That's why the Barons couldn't make any money here with just the gate. They got a similar deal in Worchester Mass. and they were gone. The Monsters sell parking spaces for Gilbert, and watered down Pepsi's and lousy hamburgers on nights the Cavs aren't playing. Plus the gate.

Unless Gilbert owned the NHL team, they couldn't make it.

[skatingtripods]

Unless Gilbert owned the NHL team, they couldn't make it.

Even if he did, it's an unnecessary risk for a savvy businessman. Plenty of overhead cost, no major cable network TV deal, market dollar spread entirely too thin, next to no appeal to the casual sports fan. Basketball's a simple game. Put the orange ball inside the orange rim.

Hockey, on the other hand, offsides, line changes, icing. My fiance, to this day, hates the dump-in to change lines. Once I explained it to her, she got it, but didn't understand giving up possession at first. Casual observers won't get it either. They just want to see fights.

Too many intricacies for people who generally want to go to a sporting event and not have to think at all.


Columbus has an ever-growing population, a beautiful arena district, and yet still struggles to draw. Why would Cleveland be any better? Solely because we have good high school hockey? Absolutely not.

[Govbarney]

The article from Michael Arce just proposes the CBJ playing a game or two every year in Cleveland, and the Cavs playing a game or two every year in Columbus.

The Cavs draw pretty well for the one pre-season game they play every year in Columbus, and I cant see how it would hurt for the CBJ to get a little extra exposure in Cleveland , by playing a few games up here. one CBJ games a year might would at least double the attendance of a Monsters game purely on the "its something different" factor.
If the CBJ can afford to play games in Sweden, why not play a game in Cleveland?

[skatingtripods]

Could be beneficial, but the ice conditions at the Q would have to be vastly improved first. Quite frankly, a 2 hr drive down 71 isn't all that bad and there are plenty of ticket deals at the box office. I'd go to a game here, but I'd much rather just take the trip to Columbus, be jealous of how nice the whole area is, and then come back home after the game.

Does Nationwide even have a court to put down? Seems like a meaningless expenditure for a team already hemorrhaging money.

[Govbarney]

Could be beneficial, but the ice conditions at the Q would have to be vastly improved first. Quite frankly, a 2 hr drive down 71 isn't all that bad and there are plenty of ticket deals at the box office. I'd go to a game here, but I'd much rather just take the trip to Columbus, be jealous of how nice the whole area is, and then come back home after the game.

Does Nationwide even have a court to put down? Seems like a meaningless expenditure for a team already hemorrhaging money.

Nationwide has done both NCAA Men's and woman's Bball games, and Cavs Pre-Season games, so the courts not the issue.

[skatingtripods]

Nationwide has done both NCAA Men's and woman's Bball games, and Cavs Pre-Season games, so the courts not the issue.

Fair enough.

[Triple-S]

Just read the piece on the front page, and found it pretty interesting to relate to this piece.

I don't think Columbus really needs a Pro-team honestly (Crew may prove an exception). The Bucks, pretty much dominate the landscape there, and with good reason. Also, when you're two hours away from Cincy, and two hours away from Cleveland, both who have a very much well established tradition in Pro sports (Reds, Tribe, Cavs, Browns, f-the Bengals, but them too), it kind of is pointless to have a team that goes "We're Columbus's team, and only Columbus's team", much like I've seen the Jackets marketing strategy go.

The aforementioned teams have all done a great job reaching down to the area and keeping a presence within C-Bus. The Cavs? To me, don't need to play games down in C-Bus to prove they've got fans down there. The Jackets? Seem like they would to bring fans down there. Because they've failed to really bring fans from the NEOhio region to support them.

May I pose this thought to you. If, lets say, in 2000, Cleveland was given a franchise instead of the State Capital, and, again, they were not pushed out of the city during the LeQuit era. Would we have seen a similar amount of support that the Reds, Tribe, etc receive from CBus?

[skatingtripods]

I don't think Columbus really needs a Pro-team honestly (Crew may prove an exception). The Bucks, pretty much dominate the landscape there, and with good reason. Also, when you're two hours away from Cincy, and two hours away from Cleveland, both who have a very much well established tradition in Pro sports (Reds, Tribe, Cavs, Browns, f-the Bengals, but them too), it kind of is pointless to have a team that goes "We're Columbus's team, and only Columbus's team", much like I've seen the Jackets marketing strategy go.

The Blue Jackets need to market the Columbus area and only that. Cleveland has a minor league team that draws well enough and people aren't filling up to drive down 71 to go to a Jackets game. There's no hockey between Canton and northern Columbus, and on 71, there's no hockey from Wooster to Columbus. Cincinnati has cycled through a handful of minor league teams. Everybody an hour east/northeast of Columbus is a Penguins fan, if they care at all. Dayton has a minor league team, but no overall concern for hockey.

Why wouldn't CBJ have a centralized marketing campaign?

The aforementioned teams have all done a great job reaching down to the area and keeping a presence within C-Bus. The Cavs? To me, don't need to play games down in C-Bus to prove they've got fans down there. The Jackets? Seem like they would to bring fans down there. Because they've failed to really bring fans from the NEOhio region to support them.

May I pose this thought to you. If, lets say, in 2000, Cleveland was given a franchise instead of the State Capital, and, again, they were not pushed out of the city during the LeQuit era. Would we have seen a similar amount of support that the Reds, Tribe, etc receive from CBus?

A pro hockey franchise won't make it in Cleveland. Everybody's allegiance is already with another team and hockey tickets are astronomically expensive. Somewhere around 35% of the Monsters attendance is on freebies and/or buy one get one free tickets.

Not many people are going to travel for hockey. The weather sucks. There are a lot of games on school nights.

One problem with CBJ and exposure in Cleveland is that the Cavs take precedence on FSN Ohio when both are on. Time Warner has a FSN CBJ channel (or they did when I had it), but, still, not many people around here care about the Jackets.

Furthermore, the youth program out of Columbus has to play as a member of the Cleveland Suburban Hockey League. That's why they have their own problems down there. There aren't enough kids interested in hockey.

[Triple-S]

A pro hockey franchise won't make it in Cleveland. Everybody's allegiance is already with another team and hockey tickets are astronomically expensive. Somewhere around 35% of the Monsters attendance is on freebies and/or buy one get one free tickets.

Not many people are going to travel for hockey. The weather sucks. There are a lot of games on school nights.

Sadly, I had heard from someone within the Monsters organization that the reason that so many games are on School nights was due to the fact that the Hershey Bears and several of the older AHL teams get first dibs on the prim-o home games, thus leaving the younger teams like the Monsters with the typical lower attended games.

Despite that, I had heard that yes, they do draw well.

Are we so sure that everyone could keep their allegiances with say the Penguins, if they had a hockey team of their own? I know that the very least, I'd drop being an Oilers/Jets fan at a moments notice, if we did finally get a team at the Q.

[Govbarney]

A pro hockey franchise won't make it in Cleveland. Everybody's allegiance is already with another team and hockey tickets are astronomically expensive. Somewhere around 35% of the Monsters attendance is on freebies and/or buy one get one free tickets.

Not many people are going to travel for hockey. The weather sucks. There are a lot of games on school nights.

One problem with CBJ and exposure in Cleveland is that the Cavs take precedence on FSN Ohio when both are on. Time Warner has a FSN CBJ channel (or they did when I had it), but, still, not many people around here care about the Jackets.

Furthermore, the youth program out of Columbus has to play as a member of the Cleveland Suburban Hockey League. That's why they have their own problems down there. There aren't enough kids interested in hockey.

I think it comes down to winning and that's it. If the CBJ spent the majority of the 2000's winning w/ a superstar like Nash, and the Cavs sucked the whole decade I think you would see many more Cleveanders (the majority of which probably don't have any Hockey allegiance) be Jacket supporters , and FSN would follow the money and show more CBJ games up north.

As it stands every Cable network in Cbus has CBJ Alternate network when the Cavs are on (Cavs actually get the original FSN channel in Cbus).

For reasons stated many times already on this board I can see why it may not make sense for the CBJ to ever play anything other then exhibitions up in Cleveland. There isn't a lot of CBJ support in Ctown, its not a hockey town, and there is no good ice to play on. I am willing to concede that.

However I still believe that if @cavsdan took his show on the road to Cbus once or twice a yr it would be a success. There are a ton of Cleveland X-Pats living down here, and on top of that the next closest NBA team is Indiana, coupled with the fact I think the Cavs are on a upswing. Even if it where the Cavs vs. a bottom dweller, I think nationwide would rock that shit.

[Govbarney]

I also just took a look at the cover page of TheClevelandFan.com , and its headlined by two CBJ articles, must be a first....

Thats got to mean something right?

[skatingtripods]

Sadly, I had heard from someone within the Monsters organization that the reason that so many games are on School nights was due to the fact that the Hershey Bears and several of the older AHL teams get first dibs on the prim-o home games, thus leaving the younger teams like the Monsters with the typical lower attended games.

Despite that, I had heard that yes, they do draw well.

Are we so sure that everyone could keep their allegiances with say the Penguins, if they had a hockey team of their own? I know that the very least, I'd drop being an Oilers/Jets fan at a moments notice, if we did finally get a team at the Q.

Never heard anything of the sort. Scheduling isn't easy at the Q and the Monsters have long road trips to British Columbia, Texas, Oklahoma City, and then each bus trip is close to six hours. Scheduling minor league hockey is a nightmare. They play whenever they can.

Sure, people would change their allegiance, but it's irrelevant because it'll never happen.