IHL Hockey in Huntington, WV

[sharkattack]

http://huntingtonhockey.blogspot.com/2009/12/note-on-barry-soskin.html

I guess this could be good, it could be a natural rival for dayton (if they survive).

[pioneer98]

Rather than the IHL or FHL or UHL dba IHL - I think this may be the VHL - the Vampire Hockey League, because it simply will not die.

This Soskin character sounds like he would fit right into the IHL recent ownership model. So I hope somebody in Huntington, or perhaps the league office (gee!) does some due diligence here, whether it is this Soskin character or somebody else. Some reading material on Soskin:
http://www.albertleatribune.com/weblogs/mendoza-line/2009/nov/29/soskins-history-preceeds-himself/
http://www.record-eagle.com/sports/local_story_332233542.html
http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/dec/10/thunder-marketing-director-says-owners-debts-will-/

What kind of building does Huntington have?

Huntington is 3 1/2 hours from Dayton...and way, way farther from every other team. It would be a stretch. I doubt that we'd see them much in QC, or vice versa.

[LGKOMETS]

Is there something I'm missing here? Where is the interest by this guy.


Rather than the IHL or FHL or UHL dba IHL - I think this may be the VHL - the Vampire Hockey League, because it simply will not die.

This Soskin character sounds like he would fit right into the IHL recent ownership model. So I hope somebody in Huntington, or perhaps the league office (gee!) does some due diligence here, whether it is this Soskin character or somebody else. Some reading material on Soskin:
http://www.albertleatribune.com/weblogs/mendoza-line/2009/nov/29/soskins-history-preceeds-himself/
http://www.record-eagle.com/sports/local_story_332233542.html
http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/dec/10/thunder-marketing-director-says-owners-debts-will-/

What kind of building does Huntington have?

Huntington is 3 1/2 hours from Dayton...and way, way farther from every other team. It would be a stretch. I doubt that we'd see them much in QC, or vice versa.

[sharkattack]

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=Huntington+WV&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS354&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Huntington,+WV&gl=us&ei=fggxS-m7F4PeNfHWlNgD&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CA0Q8gEwAA

Looks like they have some nice places. now whether they are willing to put a IHL Hockey team in I dont know...
where did they play when they were in the E,

West Virginia is on the IHL map on the "I" website. so does mean they are willing to add a team in that area or not?

[pioneer98]

Is there something I'm missing here? Where is the interest by this guy.

Did you even read the link in the first post?
http://huntingtonhockey.blogspot.com/2009/12/note-on-barry-soskin.html

[Primis]

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=Huntington+WV&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS354&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Huntington,+WV&gl=us&ei=fggxS-m7F4PeNfHWlNgD&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CA0Q8gEwAA

Looks like they have some nice places. now whether they are willing to put a IHL Hockey team in I dont know...
where did they play when they were in the E,

West Virginia is on the IHL map on the "I" website. so does mean they are willing to add a team in that area or not?

Huntington has two arenas that could theoretically host hockey, but the author of that site informed us that one of them is very old and hasn't made ice in 25 or so years.

That leaves the Big Sandy Superstore Arena as the possible venue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sandy_Superstore_Arena

It seats 9,000 for concerts, but apparently only about 6,000 in a hockey configuration. This is where the Blizzard played in the ECHL.

There was a little interest according to the author and article in terms of exploring putting an IHL franchise there, however it appears that Huntington only ever hosted a presentation from the USHL last spring/summer. Doesn't appear anything ever came of it.

Huntington would seem to fit the IHL's geographic footprint just fine. However, it was just a possibility and it doesn't look like anything is happening in Huntington for hockey any time soon.

[Old Jacks]

Seriously. Is this "news"? A Facebook post referenced by a blog?

[Primis]

Seriously. Is this "news"? A Facebook post referenced by a blog?

As the person who originally dug this all up a few days ago, I thought it was newsworthy in that I had never, ever once heard anyone with the IHL (office or fans) say a word about Huntington, WV. It seemed like a market everyone had completely forgotten about, while still remaining on the edge of the league's geographical footprint.

I don't think the league can or will go into Huntington.... but it was an interesting blurb nonetheless and it amazed me that out of all the IHL offseason craziness this last offseason that we never heard the word "Huntington" once. So it was apparently completely off everyone's radar... maybe it won't be now though.

[pioneer98]

Seriously. Is this "news"? A Facebook post referenced by a blog?

Sure it is. If it works for Sarah Palin, it can work for the IHL.

[Old Jacks]

Sure it is. If it works for Sarah Palin, it can work for the IHL.

I thought we had more integrity than politicians though. :unsure:

[Quacky]

What happened to the good ol' geographic footprint??! :wacko:

[AceFace905]

Seriously. Is this "news"? A Facebook post referenced by a blog?
Not just any blog, but my blog :cheer:

I can verify that this was followed up by two phonecalls, but I've not heard that there was any followups made by Mr. Soskin... perhaps this is for the best, given his track-record!

Sharkattack--when they were in the ECHL Dayton was one of their bigger rivals... the city has a history with the old IHL as well, so geographically it would be a good fit. My bigger concern with the IHL would be stability... :wacko:

[Quacky]

Not just any blog, but my blog :cheer:

I can verify that this was followed up by two phonecalls, but I've not heard that there was any followups made by Mr. Soskin... perhaps this is for the best, given his track-record!

Sharkattack--when they were in the ECHL Dayton was one of their bigger rivals... the city has a history with the old IHL as well, so geographically it would be a good fit. My bigger concern with the IHL would be stability... :wacko:

Not trying to be a smart aleck at all, but outside of Dayton (3-4 hours) and Fort Wayne (6.5 hours), how is this a good fit geographically?

Port Huron and Flint are about 450 miles from Huntington, Muskegon and Bloomington are both more than 500 miles away, QC is over 600 miles. Those are some monster bus rides!!

The Mallards left after their game Saturday night for Flint, which is about 6.5 hours away (7.5 if you factor in the hour loss from the time change), and it was after 6 in the morning when they got to the hotel.

Wouldn't Huntington in the mix be a scheduling nightmare?

[Guardian]

I thought we had more integrity than politicians though. :unsure:

Have you been paying attention?
This place is like a room full of kindergarteners with low blood sugar.

A link to a comment about a rumor is more of a source than we get about anything around here in the C&DHL.







(That's Cloak & Dagger Hockey League)

[AceFace905]

Not trying to be a smart aleck at all, but outside of Dayton (3-4 hours) and Fort Wayne (6.5 hours), how is this a good fit geographically?

Port Huron and Flint are about 450 miles from Huntington, Muskegon and Bloomington are both more than 500 miles away, QC is over 600 miles. Those are some monster bus rides!!

The Mallards left after their game Saturday night for Flint, which is about 6.5 hours away (7.5 if you factor in the hour loss from the time change), and it was after 6 in the morning when they got to the hotel.

Wouldn't Huntington in the mix be a scheduling nightmare?
Well I figured with Dayton in the mix it might work a little bit better; of course Soskin also thought that he could cobble together a team THIS year :shock:

I've always seen Huntington as a geographical oddity, and a key reason why no other team had landed there--it's an outlier in every league except the old ECHL North, and at that time there was real doubt as to whether Wheeling and Johnstown would stick around.

Of course since then their situations have solidified, and (now that we're in the rumor section) I think the USHL would be their best bet. With Youngstown in the league Huntington wouldn't be the easternmost team, and I've heard talk off and on about Louisville getting in on the action--a great travel partner/rival for a Huntington team. But we have a ways to go there I reckon...

[tazer19]

[QUOTE=AceFace905;437135]

Of course since then their situations have solidified, and (now that we're in the rumor section) I think the USHL would be their best bet. With Youngstown in the league Huntington wouldn't be the easternmost team, and I've heard talk off and on about Louisville getting in on the action--a great travel partner/rival for a Huntington team. But we have a ways to go there I reckon...[/QUO

Huntington isn't really in a good place for the USHL either. Outside of Youngstown and Indianapolis every other team is at least 5 hours away. Plus, in the USHL schedule every team plays 2 home games and 2 away games vs. every team no matter where they are located geographically. This would make for some long and BORING bus rides through the midwest.

[AceFace905]

Huntington isn't really in a good place for the USHL either. Outside of Youngstown and Indianapolis every other team is at least 5 hours away. Plus, in the USHL schedule every team plays 2 home games and 2 away games vs. every team no matter where they are located geographically. This would make for some long and BORING bus rides through the midwest.
Huntington would work best with some added competition along I-64. There's been decent support for teams in Louisville and Lexington in the past; I know there had been some talk in the past about renovating the Louisville Gardens specifically for the USHL, though I don't know how dead/alive this idea is, and IIRC there was just announced an arena to be built a little north of Lexington that would be a much better fit than Rupp Arena.

Really for Huntington to work in any league the pieces have to fall together just right... pair us up with a team in Kentucky, maybe Roanoke, give Canton some ice finally, hell even poach Wheeling and/or Johnstown from the ECHL (or put Huntington back in! :grin: ), and IMO it becomes a much better proposition.