Louisville, Ky. Any News?

[btincher38]

Has anyone heard whether or not Louisville has been mentioned as a possible home for a team in any league? We have been without a team since the Panthers (AHL) left on 2001. Thanks for any info.

[mfosterftw]

We can come back to this question if/when The Cordish Group (4th Street Live) gets around to renovating the Gardens... Until then, I think the city will be a dead zone for hockey.

[Primis]

Has anyone heard whether or not Louisville has been mentioned as a possible home for a team in any league? We have been without a team since the Panthers (AHL) left on 2001. Thanks for any info.

In this absolutely insane time of year when pretty much EVERYTHING has some rumor to it or is rumored to be possible... the fact that Louisville has not come up anywhere (not even once) tells me they're not even on anyone's radar.

[bingdusters]

Louisville is opening a new arena in November. However, the arena is being built to serve as the new home of the University of Louisville mens and womens basketball teams. It's also going to be quite large (22,000 seats for basketball).

[fangers]

Louisville is opening a new arena in November. However, the arena is being built to serve as the new home of the University of Louisville mens and womens basketball teams. It's also going to be quite large (22,000 seats for basketball).

I heard they are not including the capability to make ice, correct?

[Primis]

I heard they are not including the capability to make ice, correct?

I'm really not sure.

One of the things listed on the Arena Fact Sheet for the site's... well, site.... is that it would seat 16,000 for "ice shows", which would infer the ability to then make ice. That seating config is the same as the seating for arena football (which would use the same surface size), indoor soccer, and "circus".

And that document was current as of last September.

However I don't see anything else mentioning ice, or hockey.

[mfosterftw]

I'm really not sure.

One of the things listed on the Arena Fact Sheet for the site's... well, site.... is that it would seat 16,000 for "ice shows", which would infer the ability to then make ice. That seating config is the same as the seating for arena football (which would use the same surface size), indoor soccer, and "circus".


Ice shows often have their own portable systems (they need crummy soft ice anyway for their tricks) the same way the circus has it's own rigging...

[Pete]

Has anyone heard whether or not Louisville has been mentioned as a possible home for a team in any league? We have been without a team since the Panthers (AHL) left on 2001. Thanks for any info.

Louisville is mentioned as possible AAHL team in this blog:

http://thehockeycraze.blogspot.com/2010/01/some-interesting-notes-on-minors.html

No idea on credibility of info....

[btincher38]

I can add some backstory and info to be helpful. Since the Panthers left the only mention of hockey has been The Cordish Group including a renovation of the old Louisville Gardens specifically for hockey. This project hasn't even started and The Cordish Group has made more enemies than friends. The MWHL claimed to have the Louisville Chill set to play at Alpine Ice arena but that was obviously a lie and as soon as the AAHA was formed Louisville wasn't mentioned anymore. We have 2 rec-rinks only 1 of which would work for single-A (Iceland). Broadbent Arena would work for IHL/ECHL/AHL (6,600). Freedom Hall and the new arena are too big for Louisville's fan base. Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

[Bob Rotruck]

I don't know why a given arena would be considered "too big" for a league or a given fan base.

Most of the crowds at Cincinnati's building are 3k or less...in a 14k seat building. Obviously they get the capability to draw 10k when a big promo comes around.

Utah and Charlotte in the ECHL play in the same buildings as NBA teams and frequently draw 4k or less.

IF it could somehow work in a big building I don't think "too big" is necessarily accurate. Although I also think that place at the Fairgrounds is okay too.

Would love to see a team get back into LVL somehow. Too good a market and a city to have gone this long without.

[hockey]

Utah and Charlotte in the ECHL play in the same buildings as NBA teams and frequently draw 4k or less.

When did the Utah Jazz move to West Valley, UT and start playing in E Center?

[Bob Rotruck]

Oops. Sorry. Charlotte plays in same building as an NBA team and I thought Utah played in an NBA/NHL size building as well but I now see that even that is incorrect and that E-center only holds 10k-12k. Thought it was bigger.