Rivermen Staying In Peoria

Not that there was ever any reason to think they were coming to Kansas City, but the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, are officially remaining in Peoria for the next five seasons. There is no evidence I’m aware of that AEG/Sprint Center made any attempts to lure the Rivermen to Kansas City. Blues blogger Andy Strickland claims “Kansas City and the Sprint Center were very hopeful the Rivermen would have eventually landed in K.C.,” but I have no idea where he’s getting that. Peoria Journal Star reporter Dave Eminian says, “They envy you, Peoria, in places like Des Moines, Iowa, Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City.” Eminian also writes that the Blues “check(ed) around for other options” before agreeing to extend their time in Peoria, but gives no specifics. In an email to me, Eminian wrote: “Kansas City’s venue is too new, too big and too costly to operate a minor-league team in. Sprint Center wants an NHL team.” If there was any lingering hope that AEG might pursue the AHL for Kansas City, the apparent lack of interest in the Blues affiliate puts that to rest. Are we too big for the AHL and too small for the NHL?

Oilers’ AHL Affiliate Reportedly To Oklahoma City...Where Is KC?

According to NewsOK.com, Oklahoma City is close to officially becoming the home of the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate next season. I have to ask again: Why is Kansas City seemingly not even in the conversation for an AHL team? Oklahoma City is roughly 61% of the size of Kansas City. As I’ve written here before, (according to my rudimentary research) only three current AHL markets are bigger than Kansas City. And unlike the NHL, there seems to actually be teams for the taking—if only AEG were interested.

Most notably, the St. Louis Blues affiliate could be available, with the Peoria Rivermen’s current lease set to expire after the current season. On October 1st, the Peoria Journal Star even claimed that there are “rumblings” about the Rivermen moving to Kansas City in 2010. But a November 9th column said negotiations are ongoing to keep the Rivermen in Peoria, and that “a multi-year deal is expected.” Kansas City may not be a hockey hotbed, but something tells me we could do better than Peoria’s 4,000 fans a game. I’m not sure there could be a better fit for hockey in Kansas City than the Blues top farm team.

It is possible that AEG and the Sprint Center are looking into the AHL for Kansas City. But it’s hard to imagine that they are...surely the press would catch wind of it, and aside from the vague “rumblings” mentioned above, there seems to be zero evidence of it, and plenty of statements that they are specifically targeting the NHL.

Perhaps they would view an AHL team in the Sprint Center as a failure, given that the goal has always been the NHL. But isn’t a complete lack of a sports tenant the real failure? Do they think an AHL team would block the way for an NHL team? Seems to me the AHL could actually help the cause by growing the base of hockey fans. Doesn’t Kansas City deserve to at least be in the conversation?

The AHL Not In Kansas City

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):