My original intent for this blog was to focus solely on the past and future of the NHL in Kansas City. But the more I’ve thought about it since starting this blog, the more I think that the AHL would be a fantastic fit for Kansas City, and the more confused I get about why the AHL in KC is never even brought up as a possibility.
PucKChaser has already covered this, but it was announced that Oklahoma City is leaving the CHL, apparently to clear the way for the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate to begin play there in 2010.
Why does Kansas City not even gett a sniff from the Oilers, or other teams that have relocated recently? Like PucKChaser, I’m left to guess that AEG has no interest in putting AHL hockey in the Sprint Center. Which baffles me. I can certainly understand if their top priority is to go for the best, and get an NHL or NBA team. But I don’t think that goal is mutually exclusive with a secondary goal of landing an AHL team in the meantime. In fact, I would think an AHL team would help the cause.
KC has what would surely be one of the nicest arenas in the AHL, and a populace dying for sporting events to attend in it. And while KC would rank near the bottom in population as an NHL team, we would be the fourth largest US market in the A.
Here’s a look at AHL markets in the US, with Oklahoma City and KC thrown in (metropolitan populations have been used where possible):
PucKChaser has already covered this, but it was announced that Oklahoma City is leaving the CHL, apparently to clear the way for the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate to begin play there in 2010.
Why does Kansas City not even gett a sniff from the Oilers, or other teams that have relocated recently? Like PucKChaser, I’m left to guess that AEG has no interest in putting AHL hockey in the Sprint Center. Which baffles me. I can certainly understand if their top priority is to go for the best, and get an NHL or NBA team. But I don’t think that goal is mutually exclusive with a secondary goal of landing an AHL team in the meantime. In fact, I would think an AHL team would help the cause.
KC has what would surely be one of the nicest arenas in the AHL, and a populace dying for sporting events to attend in it. And while KC would rank near the bottom in population as an NHL team, we would be the fourth largest US market in the A.
Here’s a look at AHL markets in the US, with Oklahoma City and KC thrown in (metropolitan populations have been used where possible):
2 comments:
The Wolves play in Rosemont, IL, not Glenview.
Right you are. (They list their mailing address in Glenview so that threw me off.) Chicago metro population still applies though.
Post a Comment