# Professional Hockey returning to Indy (ECHL in 2014-15)



## Gibbie42

Professional hockey returning to Indy



> Pro hockey is coming back.
> 
> After a decade of annual rumors and fans asking if professional minor league hockey would ever return, a local ownership group led by Carmel businessman Jim Hallett has agreed to terms with the State Fairgrounds Commission to bring an East Coast Hockey League expansion franchise to the renovated Coliseum in 2014.



 
Press conference Tuesday at 11 at the fairgrounds.

This article doesn't announce the name but early in the week a trademark was filed for the Indy Fuel by the Indiana Hockey Club LLC. 

This will be great for the Evansville IceMen and the Ft. Wayne Komets. A new team an easy drive away. This also probable explains why there was no reconfiguration of conferences this season in the ECHL. They'll be readjustment next year to work in Indy and anyone that successfully comes over from the C.


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## HansH

Color me somewhat surprised -- and wondering how splitting the market between the USHL junior team at the Fieldhouse and the ECHL team at the fairgrounds will affect the chances of success for either team. This will be interesting to watch how it unfolds.


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## No Fun Shogun

On one hand, great news. Always viewed Indy as a fantastic minor league market.

On the other hand, shame for the USHL. At least when I went to college in that state, I always felt like the Ice did a poor job marketing themselves in that region. Not anticipating Indy being big enough for both an ECHL team and a USHL team.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

*Which NHL team will the new [ECHL] Indy team affiliate with?*

The Blawkhawks or Penguins would be a great fit.


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## CrazyEddie20

Let's take it down a notch until the announcement is official.

And considering that the Penguins AHL affiliate is 600-odd miles from Indianapolis, while their current ECHL affiliate is about half that distance, I don't think Pittsburgh would be a good fit.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

The Indianapolis Fuel team in the ECHL is a done deal. The Pirates AAA affiliate is in Indy and the relationship has worked very well for both sides. Distance is not an issue in this day and age.


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## No Fun Shogun

It'd be cool if it were the Blackhawks, but they and the Wings have a solid and proven relationship with Toledo, so I doubt it.


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## CrazyEddie20

IndyHockeyFreak said:


> The Indianapolis Fuel team in the ECHL is a done deal. The Pirates AAA affiliate is in Indy and the relationship has worked very well for both sides. Distance is not an issue in this day and age.




Actually, yes it is. Unlike a Major League Baseball player development contract, the NHL or AHL affiliate isn't always paying for player travel costs. For example, when Johnstown was affiliated with Saint John, the Chiefs had to pay for prospects' travel in and out. If you have an active affiliate that is frequently moving players up and down, those costs can escalate quickly and eat into the ECHL club's budget if the ECHL club is on the hook for them, as they frequently are. 

Also, nothing in the minor leagues is a done deal until it's actually happening. Just ask fans, players, and staff of the Tucson Gila Monsters.


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## HansH

CrazyEddie20 said:


> Also, nothing in the minor leagues is a done deal until it's actually happening. Just ask fans, players, and staff of the Tucson Gila Monsters.




The WCHL Gila Monsters played a complete season and part of another before folding mid-season.

I think you're trying to refer to the WPHL Tucson Scorch, who folded one day after the season began, having played zero games. This was a couple years after the Gila Monsters' implosion.


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## CrazyEddie20

HansH said:


> The WCHL Gila Monsters played a complete season and part of another before folding mid-season.
> 
> I think you're trying to refer to the WPHL Tucson Scorch, who folded one day after the season began, having played zero games. This was a couple years after the Gila Monsters' implosion.




You're correct - I had the two confused. The Scorch famously folded while the team was on the bus to their season opener.


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## cwalk

No Fun Shogun said:


> On one hand, great news. Always viewed Indy as a fantastic minor league market.
> 
> On the other hand, shame for the USHL. At least when I went to college in that state, I always felt like the Ice did a poor job marketing themselves in that region. Not anticipating Indy being big enough for both an ECHL team and a USHL team.




The Indiana ICE are going to be playing the majority of their games at Bankers Life now.

http://www.ibj.com/pro-hockey-returning-to-fairgrounds-coliseum-in-2014/PARAMS/article/44762

So we'll have two teams in town. Unless the Ice fold or move elsewhere.

The Star also has an interesting article in it as well. They even managed to talk to the owner of the Ice. 

http://www.indystar.com/article/20131124/SPORTS/311240018/Indianapolis-will-2-hockey-teams


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## IndyHockeyFreak

The Indiana Ice will not be much of a factor for very long. They have had good attendance because some hard core fans want to see live hockey even though it is junior amateur. Of course, the Simon-Skodt family could always one up the Fuel by buying a struggling NHL team and moving it to Indy (wishful thinking perhaps).


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## mk80

My bet is the Ice will either end up folding or moving. Quad Cities perhaps? Since it is always brought up as a possible USHL location when the CHL finally crashes. But I'm just naming that possibility.


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## JungleJON

mk80 said:


> My bet is the Ice will either end up folding or moving. Quad Cities perhaps? Since it is always brought up as a possible USHL location when the CHL finally crashes. But I'm just naming that possibility.




For me it seems like the ECHL is losing steam in the Northeast, where it once was strong. You have Elmira, Reading and Wheeling. Even with winning the Kelly Cup last year, the Royals have not been drawing too well. Elmira and Wheeling are both down and could see one of those teams moving to Indy.
As far as Quad Cities, if the new owner they have would be willing to move to the ECHL and Peoria comes back to the ECHL - you would have a nice little group of team there in the mid-central. Don't know how many more teams you are going to get in the South and to me it would be smart for Greenville and S. Carolina to drop down to the SPHL.
Looking forward to the start of 2014 and see who will be moving and who will be losing teams for the 2014-15 season.


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## CrazyEddie20

SenorChifles said:


> As far as Quad Cities, if the new owner they have would be willing to move to the ECHL and Peoria comes back to the ECHL - you would have a nice little group of team there in the mid-central.




Almost like a... MIDWEST BUS LEAGUE!

Sorry, had to.


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## bhigo59

SenorChifles said:


> For me it seems like the ECHL is losing steam in the Northeast, where it once was strong. You have Elmira, Reading and Wheeling. Even with winning the Kelly Cup last year, the Royals have not been drawing too well. Elmira and Wheeling are both down and could see one of those teams moving to Indy.
> As far as Quad Cities, if the new owner they have would be willing to move to the ECHL and Peoria comes back to the ECHL - you would have a nice little group of team there in the mid-central. Don't know how many more teams you are going to get in the South and to me it would be smart for Greenville and S. Carolina to drop down to the SPHL.
> Looking forward to the start of 2014 and see who will be moving and who will be losing teams for the 2014-15 season.




Perhaps the ECHL will absorb Adirondack when the Phantoms leave for the Lehigh Valley next year. Also Baltimore and Wilmington would make great additions to the Northeast. Over the next few years I can see the AHL spreading to the west coast and leaving some cities in the northeast, thus those cities get picked up by the ECHL. Time will tell, a 30-30-30 affiliation between the NHL, AHL and ECHL could happen at that time. Just speculating though.


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## Gibbie42

Social media and web page have come online:

Indy Fuel Hockey
Facebook
Twitter


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## BluesOne31

It's great to get an ECHL team in Indy but I'm with those that say it's the beginning of the end for the Ice. 

I've only made the trip up to Indy this year for the USHL Fall Classic and a Sunday afternoon game against Des Moines (in Bankers Life). The Fall Classic attendance was decent but for the Sunday afternoon game, with the Colts on a bye, the attendance was awful.


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## tommy20

If this does impact the Indiana Ice, and it probably will, it's the doing of their own organization. The pepsi coliseum went under a $53 million renovation and although it was understandable that the Ice would use Banker's Life Fieldhouse in the meantime, they eventually would not guarantee that they would return to the coliseum. Then, Pan Am Sports Inc, a group affiliated with the Ice, signed an interim management agreement for Pan Am plaza (downtown Indy), which has a rink and is close to the Fieldhouse. Pan Am is now being used as the Ice's training facility.

The Coliseum had no other choice but to seek out a team for it's facility.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

As Toledo has the ECHL affiliation for the Redwings and Blackhawks, how about Toledo going with Detroit only and Indy with the Blackhawks. Indy was affiliated with the Blawkhawks in the CHL and IHL from 1989-1988 and is considered part of the Blawkhawks "home" market for black-out purposes on NHL Center Ice (much to my disappointment to learn after I subscribed). St. Louis would also be a good possibility as it doesn't currently have a ECHL affiliate. As an historical aside, Indy was the Redwings top affiliate in the 40's.


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## JungleJON

bhigo59 said:


> Perhaps the ECHL will absorb Adirondack when the Phantoms leave for the Lehigh Valley next year. Also Baltimore and Wilmington would make great additions to the Northeast. Over the next few years I can see the AHL spreading to the west coast and leaving some cities in the northeast, thus those cities get picked up by the ECHL. Time will tell, a 30-30-30 affiliation between the NHL, AHL and ECHL could happen at that time. Just speculating though.




The people in Glens Falls want AHL hockey, don't think they would drop down again to a lower level, Baltimore if they get a new arena and it is not put downtown. Wilmington do they have an arena or the population to suffice having a team? The East Coast has been beat down economically and you need to have a solid base of fans to start off with. Every year they say about the AHL moving West, but turn out to be rumors only. There will probably be a lot of shifting in some of the leagues and after the first of the year - hockey fans will know if their team is going to be around for the 2014-15 season.


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## crimsonace

Going to ask a serious question ... 

Are ECHL affiliations more than just window dressing? The NHL team has 23 players, the AHL team has at least 20, that leaves only about 5 players from an NHL franchise for the ECHL team, and those are the bottom 5 in the organization. But I'm not very familiar with the ECHL.


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## mk80

To answer that question...
*Short Answer:* Yes the ECHL is a far better league than the CHL and does send many players to higher levels.

*Long Answer:*
â€¢ 522 players have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including 22 in 2012-13. 

â€¢ 10 ECHL players have made their NHL debuts in 2013-14: former Reading Royals Will Acton (Edmonton on Oct. 1), former Kalamazoo Wings left wing Darren Archibald (Vancouver on Oct. 25), former Colorado Eagles defensemen Ben Chiarot (Winnipeg on Nov. 2) former San Francisco Bulls left wing Jamie Devane (Toronto on Oct. 5), former Idaho Steelheads left wing Luke Gazdic (Edmonton on Oct. 1), former Toledo Walleye center Luke Glendening (Detroit on Oct. 12), former Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Magnus Hellberg (Nashville on Oct. 26), former Wheeling Nailers center Zach Sill (Pittsburgh on Nov. 16), former Greenville Road Warriors goaltender Cam Talbot (New York Rangers on Oct. 24) and former Ontario Reign goaltender Jeff Zatkoff (Pittsburgh on Oct. 11). 

â€¢ The ECHL has had 330 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL. The ECHL had 97 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215 in the first 15 years. 

â€¢ 266 ECHL players have played their first game in the last nine seasons for an average of more than 29 per year. 

â€¢ ECHL had a record 93 players on NHL opening-day rosters in 2013-14, surpassing the 87 from 2012-13 and marking the 11th year in a row that there have been over 50 former ECHL players on opening-day rosters.

â€¢ 30 coaches with an ECHL background are working behind the benches of teams in the NHL including Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano, Florida Panthers interim head coach Peter Horachek and Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel. It is the ninth consecutive season that there have been 11 or more coaches with an ECHL background working in the NHL. 


â€¢ 27 former ECHL officials are scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2013-14 with referees Darcy Burchell, Francis Charron, Tom Chmielewski, Ghislain Hebert, Jean Hebert, Marc Joannette, Trent Knorr, Mike Leggo, Dave Lewis, T.J. Luxmore, Wes McCauley, Jon McIsaac, Dean Morton, Dan Oâ€™Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Graham Skilliter, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh, and linesmen Steve Barton, Matt MacPherson, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak, Bryan Pancich and Jay Sharrers.


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## crimsonace

So, essentially, there's an average of 29 per year who get called up.


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## BluesOne31

IndyHockeyFreak said:


> As Toledo has the ECHL affiliation for the Redwings and Blackhawks, how about Toledo going with Detroit only and Indy with the Blackhawks. Indy was affiliated with the Blawkhawks in the CHL and IHL from 1989-1988 and *is considered part of the Blawkhawks "home" market for black-out purposes on NHL Center Ice (much to my disappointment to learn after I subscribed)*. St. Louis would also be a good possibility as it doesn't currently have a ECHL affiliate. As an historical aside, Indy was the Redwings top affiliate in the 40's.




Random question but are the Blues blacked out up there? In Bloomington the Hawks have always been blacked out and then randomly a month ago they started blacking out the Blues.


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## tommy20

BluesOne31 said:


> Random question but are the Blues blacked out up there? In Bloomington the Hawks have always been blacked out and then randomly a month ago they started blacking out the Blues.




Blues tend to be blacked out as well because some of the cable providers here have fox sports Midwest which carries the blues games. Hawks are considered in market since some providers, AT&T and directv, carry Comcast Chicago. Unfortunately, Comcast in Indy does not.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

Blues tend to be blacked out as well because some of the cable providers here have fox sports Midwest which carries the blues games. Hawks are considered in market since some providers, AT&T and directv, carry Comcast Chicago. Unfortunately, Comcast in Indy does not.

Brighthouse in Indy doesn't carry SNC Chicago either. Blues games are shown on FoxSports Midwest unless the Pacers are playing and are then blacked out on NHL Center Ice. It makes no sense to black-out the Blawkhawks when neither cable provider has CSN Chicago.


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## BluesOne31

tommy20 said:


> Blues tend to be blacked out as well because some of the cable providers here have fox sports Midwest which carries the blues games. Hawks are considered in market since some providers, AT&T and directv, carry Comcast Chicago. Unfortunately, Comcast in Indy does not.






IndyHockeyFreak said:


> Brighthouse in Indy doesn't carry SNC Chicago either. Blues games are shown on FoxSports Midwest unless the Pacers are playing and are then blacked out on NHL Center Ice. It makes no sense to black-out the Blawkhawks when neither cable provider has CSN Chicago.




Yeah, Comcast is what I have and they don't offer an alternate FSN channel like Uverse does. Until this season Blues were blacked out on GameCenter Live but not Center Ice.


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## tommy20

BluesOne31 said:


> Yeah, Comcast is what I have and they don't offer an alternate FSN channel like Uverse does. Until this season Blues were blacked out on GameCenter Live but not Center Ice.




I have gamecenter and I "live" somewhere in Europe during hawks games


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## JungleJON

I thought this thread was about hockey returning to Indianapolis next year?


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## IndyHockeyFreak

I can't wait for professional hockey to be back in Indy, however, I wish theybwould have picked a better name, logo and colors (too close to the Fever of the WNBA). I could have come up with 4-5 better names in a couple of hours.


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## mk80

I like the name and all, but it would have been nice if they brought back/ updated the old Indianapolis Racers identity


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## IndyHockeyFreak

PHP:







mk80 said:


> I like the name and all, but it would have been nice if they brought back/ updated the old Indianapolis Racers identity




Yes, that would have been nice if theree wasn't any copyright issues. The Indy Speed would also work if you want a racing theme.


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## Killion

^^^ Im not following you guys. Whats wrong with the above? Pretty close to the original.


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## LippinOff

Killion said:


> ^^^ Im not following you guys. Whats wrong with the above? Pretty close to the original.




What's wrong is they'd need to change that skate to a 21st century skate. Looks more like a figure skate in today's world.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

The Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds where the Fuel will play is the oldest professional hockey stadium in the United States. The inside will be practically brand new. Very cool place!


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## Killion

LippinOff said:


> What's wrong is they'd need to change that skate to a 21st century skate. Looks more like a figure skate in today's world.




...  ah, ok, ya, I see. That should be modified. For sure.


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## mk80

Well someone said they weren't happy with the name and logo of the team: Indianapolis Fuel. So I said I have no complaints about it but would have been happy to see them revive the Racers identity for the team Indy used to have, and posted the old logo.


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## Prussian_Blue

St. Louis has an affiliation with Kalamazoo in the ECHL, and they have been pretty active already this season with shuffling players between there and the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. 

Jordan Binnington, one of the Blues' best goaltending prospects, is basically locked into The Zoo for the full year unless Jake Allen is called up full-time to St. Louis, or unless Allen or Matt Climie gets hurt.

Cody Beach, Cade Fairchild, Yannick Veilleux, Brett Ponich and Sebastian WÃ¤nnstrÃ¶m have been up and down between The Zoo and Chicago already, and both Veilleux and Ponich are there now because of roster constraints with the Wolves.

As long as the Wolves sign many of their own players, as they have done in the past and are doing again this year, there will be opportunities for Blues' prospects to play for the ECHL affiliate. Even when/if some of the prospects currently playing on qualifying offers (_Fairchild, Ponich, Tyler Shattock, etc._) do not return next year, there are prospects waiting in the wings for next season -- Max Tardy, Nick Walters, Francois Tremblay, Ryan Tesink, Niklas LundstrÃ¶m, Petteri Lindbohm -- who will need to find a home _someplace_ in the North American pro ranks. 

I would not be opposed to the Blues affiliating with the Fuel, but considering that the Blues have had a different ECHL affiliate in each of the last three seasons (_Alaska, then Evansville, now Kalamazoo_), it would be in their best interests to settle on someplace for a while and establish some stability and a solid working relationship.


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## mk80

As a Blues fan I'd love to get our own afiliate set up somewhere and build a good relationship with a team. To my knowledge they had that with Alaska but the travel was the big issue with them.

However my feelings is that the Blues are biding time until the Missouri Mavericks move into the league. The Mavericks have already had an affiliation with the Chicago Wolves for 3-4 seasons now and have sent many players up and down with that. I would personally love to see the Blues affiliate with them too. KC- Chicago- St. Louis makes a pretty good developement triangle and the having been to about 8 Mavericks games myself the past two seasons, they have a really well managed and run franchise over there, and are unfortunately stuck to the CHL for now.


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## Gibbie42

The Blues were affiliated with ECHL Evansville IceMen last season. It was a good fit geographically but the IceMen opted not to renew the affiliation this year. The Blues didn't work out to be a good partner. The NHL club obviously has to look out for its own best interest but the ECHL club has to look out for things on their end too. I don't know all the ins and outs but I do know that no one in Evansville's management was happy with the arrangement. They wound up keeping the Blue Jackets affiliation and letting the Blues go.

Alaska had been affiliated with them but I think the last couple of years both clubs pretty much ignored each other. Alaska fans thought they were independent.


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## crimsonace

With regards to the Fuel name/logo, trademarks might be an issue. 

I believe Ice owner Paul Skjodt owned the Racers/Checkers marks before, since the youth teams he owned used those names prior to them being re-branded the Junior Ice. My memory might be a bit fuzzy, but if he does own those trademarks, I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to release them to a competitor.


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## CHRDANHUTCH

SenorChifles said:


> For me it seems like the ECHL is losing steam in the Northeast, where it once was strong. You have Elmira, Reading and Wheeling. Even with winning the Kelly Cup last year, the Royals have not been drawing too well. Elmira and Wheeling are both down and could see one of those teams moving to Indy.
> As far as Quad Cities, if the new owner they have would be willing to move to the ECHL and Peoria comes back to the ECHL - you would have a nice little group of team there in the mid-central. Don't know how many more teams you are going to get in the South and to me it would be smart for Greenville and S. Carolina to drop down to the SPHL.
> Looking forward to the start of 2014 and see who will be moving and who will be losing teams for the 2014-15 season.




OF THE 3 ECHL East cities you mentioned, Senor:

Reading is exploring and is up for sale, Elmira and Wheeling are going absolutely nowhere, after the Afr's were finally ejected from that market in Elmira, Peoria lost its chance when the AHL Rivermen were sold, hence their move to the SPHL.


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## HamiltonOHL

On pg 1 do u guys mean Evansville and Komets will be rivals to Indy Fuel... ( i think it was within the first couple of posts)

secondly looking at the Fuel colors it looks like Calgary flames colors...


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## Gibbie42

Indeed HamiltonOHL. Evansville is a little more than 2 1/2 hours away from Indy, Ft. Wayne about an hour and a half. It makes two close instate rivals. Of course the rivalry between Indy and Ft. Wayne is long standing from when they were both in the (real) IHL.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

*Cincy too*

Don't forget that Cincy is just 2 hours from Indy!


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## adsfan

IndyHockeyFreak said:


> The Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds where the Fuel will play is the oldest professional hockey stadium in the United States. The inside will be practically brand new. Very cool place!




Try Matthews Arena in Boston, which opened in 1910 and hosted pro hockey in 1911 with the Montreal Wanderers and the Ottawa Senators. It is the place where the Bruins played in 1924 *before* moving into the old Boston Garden in 1928. It was the Boston Arena back in the day.

Welcome. Indy Fuel!


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## Outkast

Glad to find some Indy hockey fans on here. I've missed watching decent live hockey since moving from Ft. Wayne in the late 90's. I just hope the city embraces them so they're able to stick around for a few years.


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## Cyclones Rock

Here's a nice video which celebrates the history of the Fairgrounds Coliseum and offers some artistic renditions of what the new facility will look like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2s-3A_bAs8

It's remarkable that in the current, very challenging environment for AA hockey, that there will be 6 teams (Indy, Cincy, Ft Wayne, Toledo, Evansville and Kzoo) within 6 hours of one another which are mostly very stable ECHL franchises. I'm looking forward to going back to the Fairgrounds for pro hockey. I liked the old dump, but its sightlines other than the upper center ice area, were atrocious.


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## Abbeycam

*Congrats Indy = Jealous*

I am hearing rumors about hockey coming back here to Richmond could it be a ECHL fit again?


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## No Fun Shogun

Abbeycam said:


> I am hearing rumors about hockey coming back here to Richmond could it be a ECHL fit again?




Anybody's guess. It's a market that gets rumored about fairly often, but at this point I've got a wait and see mentality for Richmond.


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## Gearhead82

I wonder if Peoria will stay in SPHL or go back to ECHL.


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## Abbeycam

No Fun Shogun said:


> Anybody's guess. It's a market that gets rumored about fairly often, but at this point I've got a wait and see mentality for Richmond.



As I posted in the AHL threads, without a Norfolk (Hampton Roads) rival I don't know if we could keep a team going.
That rivalry drew 8,000-10,000 per game.


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## JungleJON

Anyone with news on how season ticket sales are going with the Fuel?


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## crimsonace

SenorChifles said:


> Anyone with news on how season ticket sales are going with the Fuel?




The USHL Ice are selling season tix for 2014-15. Have heard very little from the Fuel.


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## Gibbie42

The Fuel has been very active on social media. Renovations are going well. They installed some of the original seats yesterday to create a historical section. Season ticket sales are going well apparently, although someone in on their facebook page claiming they've taken enough season ticket deposits to fill the coliseum so their wont be single tickets. I'm quite positive they haven't gone *that* well.


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## JDogindy

I finally heard the first ad talking about season tickets on the radio this morning, so now they're discussing the Fuel.

Though I'd hope that news releases call them "Indianapolis Fuel" more often.


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## Sports Enthusiast

I'm not sure the ECHL really knows what they are doing. Seems like if they get these few CHL teams and now this they are jut expanding way too much. It also seems like they are gunning for bigger markets/arenas which long term can be dangerous. You see in many markets novelty kicks in but then often it goes away and then a lot of teams struggle at the gate. It seems like a dangerous route to go. I thought the oh great McKenna said a couple years ago they wouldn't go commando on expansion? Then the San Francisco fiasco lol. It seems like they should work on the shaky markets they do already have. The league is quickly losing its roots. It also seems like they are venturing more out West. I'm not sure why they want to keep this a one bi-coastal league when the two coasts hardly ever play in season.


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## JDogindy

It is a dangerous thing, especially if the CHL folds and they take in a few teams, including those with shaky foundations. The reason why Indy was brought in was due to the original owner of the IHL Indianapolis Ice wanting another professional team. While I am glad to see "pro" hockey returning, the problem is that we won't know about how sound the foundation is. The ECHL is becoming a generic continental league, which stinks because I liked the fact that everybody was so close-knit until the WCHL was absorbed.

Frankly, I would have preferred an AHL team, particularly because that league, despite sticking to its roots, needs to branch out more (at least 18 of the 30 franchises are in the Northeast area).


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## Sports Enthusiast

JDogindy said:


> It is a dangerous thing, especially if the CHL folds and they take in a few teams, including those with shaky foundations. The reason why Indy was brought in was due to the original owner of the IHL Indianapolis Ice wanting another professional team. While I am glad to see "pro" hockey returning, the problem is that we won't know about how sound the foundation is. The ECHL is becoming a generic continental league, which stinks because I liked the fact that everybody was so close-knit until the WCHL was absorbed.
> 
> Frankly, I would have preferred an AHL team, particularly because that league, despite sticking to its roots, needs to branch out more (at least 18 of the 30 franchises are in the Northeast area).




I hear you on the AHL, I never got why they called it that name...or haven't changed it. The farthest South they have a team is in Charlotte. They have no real teams out West. It's really in two parts of the country. Seems like theres a few markets in the AHL that might be better served in the AHL(like Albany) but the problem is teams now are owned by NHL teams and they don't mind sucking down cash. I would love to see a place like Glens Falls get some ECHL interest post Pjantoms. We could really use another team out this way. The AHL has 6 teams in NY State alone. Really not sure how Binghamton keeps surviving. They are barely bigger than Elmira and Ottawa doesn't own them. The Devils exist because New Jersey owns them. The Phantoms won't last as they are Lehigh bound. Havent followed Utica's progress but I cant imagine that t's a permanent matter. Teams like Elmira or Reading could just eventually run out of luck and have no place to go. I also miss the rivalries. Just don't feel that anymore. Teams play often but with all the inseason roster shuffling from game to game it makes it hard to keep up the intensity.


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## OKHoosier41218

Per the Fuel's Facebook page, judging from some of the comments the administrator has been posting, there could be news on the NHL affiliate soon, possibly before the end of the season.


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## IndyHockeyFreak

*INDY inks deal with Blackhawks!*

Press conference today to announce 5 year affiliation deal with Chicago Blackhawks! Awesome news!!!


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## No Fun Shogun

IndyHockeyFreak said:


> Press conference today to announce 5 year affiliation deal with Chicago Blackhawks! Awesome news!!!




Wow! Honestly thought that this was an April Fool's joke due to the Hawks' history with Toledo.

http://www.indystar.com/story/sport...-affiliation-deal-chicago-blackhawks/7151767/

That should work well for both teams, especially as Chicago's all about expanding their market footprint, too.


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## OKHoosier41218

http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/indy-fuel-nhl-affiliation/


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## Sports Enthusiast

IndyHockeyFreak said:


> Press conference today to announce 5 year affiliation deal with Chicago Blackhawks! Awesome news!!!




Lmfao. 5 years? In this league?? Seems a little scary.


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## LippinOff

SFTC Addict said:


> Lmfao. 5 years? In this league?? Seems a little scary.




I personally think (and especially hope) the Fuel will do great. If they can establish that nasty rivalry with Fort Wayne, it will be huge for both clubs. And now there's Evansville in the equation. Three interstate rivalries will be significant given the amount of games the three clubs will most likely play each other.

I've been a Komets fan for years and haven't seen a good rivalry like that for a long time. I wish they would resurrect that with Toledo and Kzoo but it's been pretty docile so far.


----------



## No Fun Shogun

I do agree that the five years is room for some slight pause, but the Hawks tend to have made excellent business decisions under the Rocky regime. Gotta think they know something not available to us. Or, at the very least, figure that it's worth the risk to try to do a semi-power grab to cement their market footprint in Indiana.


----------



## IndyHockeyFreak

*Not sure what the big deal is*

Chicago's last deal with Toledo was five years. Indy has a newly remodeled arena and is a major league city. I'm sure there is an out clause if Indy gets a chance to move up to the AHL or NHL during the term of the agreement.


----------



## No Fun Shogun

Heh.... optimistic, but I don't think that the concern is from folks thinking that Indianapolis is going to make a jump up to a higher league. More concern that they could pull an Express or a Bulls.

Hope everything goes well for the team, as I've got a major soft spot for Indianapolis. Try to visit once a year, and certainly wouldn't mind trying to pull an Indians/Fuel doubleheader late in the hockey season/early in the baseball season if that's at all possible.


----------



## IndyHockeyFreak

*Take it to the bank .....*

No chance Indy jelly rolls. None!


----------



## OKHoosier41218

I'm very optimistic to see how the Fuel will fare. I love the fact that they will be playing the Komets, Wings, and Cyclones again and then have teams in Evansville and Toledo coming to town. It'll be good to hate the Fort Wayne Komets again.

I am so thrilled with the news that they have an affiliation with the Blackhawks now, though I will have to admit to being skeptical at first because of the date.


----------



## JDogindy

No Fun Shogun said:


> Heh.... optimistic, but I don't think that the concern is from folks thinking that Indianapolis is going to make a jump up to a higher league. More concern that they could pull an Express or a Bulls.
> 
> Hope everything goes well for the team, as I've got a major soft spot for Indianapolis. Try to visit once a year, and certainly wouldn't mind trying to pull an Indians/Fuel doubleheader late in the hockey season/early in the baseball season if that's at all possible.




Indianapolis has a better chance due to the fact that there are people who do like pro hockey here, and although the Indiana Ice have done well here, not everybody embraced them since they are an amatuer club.

The Chicago Express failed because the owners didn't know what they were doing, particularly in a market where you already had an NHL team, two AHL teams (Rockford can be viewed as a Chi-town suburb), and even a USHL team. The San Francisco Bulls failed because they hemorrhaged money right from the gate with a bad deal to play in the Cow Palace, which is over 60 years old.

Considering that the Fuel have a ten-year lease with the Coliseum, and that they signed a five-year affiliation with the Blackhawks, they have the intention to hang around for a long time.


----------



## CrazyEddie20

JDogindy said:


> Indianapolis has a better chance due to the fact that there are people who do like pro hockey here, and although the Indiana Ice have done well here, not everybody embraced them since they are an amatuer club.
> 
> The Chicago Express failed because the owners didn't know what they were doing, particularly in a market where you already had an NHL team, two AHL teams (Rockford can be viewed as a Chi-town suburb), and even a USHL team. The San Francisco Bulls failed because they hemorrhaged money right from the gate with a bad deal to play in the Cow Palace, which is over 60 years old.
> 
> Considering that the Fuel have a ten-year lease with the Coliseum, and that they signed a five-year affiliation with the Blackhawks, they have the intention to hang around for a long time.




True about the Express and the Bulls - but regarding the 10-year lease and 5-year affiliation agreement, does anyone go into business with the intention of going out of business? I'm sure the Bulls and the Express had the same intention, though maybe their contracts weren't quite of the same duration.


----------



## Off da post and in

JDogindy said:


> The Chicago Express failed because the owners didn't know what they were doing, particularly in a market where you already had an NHL team, two AHL teams (Rockford can be viewed as a Chi-town suburb), and even a USHL team.




The Express also failed because they played at the Sears Center, which is in the far western suburbs, miles away from the 2 largest hockey fan inhabited areas.

Their competition, at that time, also included one NCAA D3 team, 6 ACHA college club teams, a Tier II junior team,a Tier III junior team, a junior B team, 4 AAA club teams Mite- Midget Major, 27 AA club teams Mite- Midget Major, 72 high school varsity teams, several High school JV teams, and an unknown number of house league teams. That's a lot of hockey for the Chicagoland hockey community to support.


----------



## JDogindy

CrazyEddie20 said:


> True about the Express and the Bulls - but regarding the 10-year lease and 5-year affiliation agreement, does anyone go into business with the intention of going out of business? I'm sure the Bulls and the Express had the same intention, though maybe their contracts weren't quite of the same duration.




Oh, absolutely not, but one also needs to go in understanding cost, market, the venue you will be using, and how you can spread your word. The Express clearly didn't have a clue, and the Bulls were victims of rotten luck.

The people who are creating the Fuel were those who had experience with minor league hockey, and although the lease (with options for four 5-year extentions) and affiliation are lengthy, that might be a sign that they know how to remain financially stable. But, we shall see.


----------



## No Fun Shogun

Well, I wouldn't say that the Express didn't have a clue. Know for a fact that they had quality staff, as I had several conversations with 'em as I had a mini ticket plan for the team. They did advertise and they did have some word of mouth, but for various reasons they just never really got off the ground. 

That being said, I would say that they underestimated the number of folks that didn't want to miss Hawks games on TV and didn't fully expect the Wolves fanbase in the area to continue to prefer driving over to Rosemont for games rather than staying in the Hoffman Estates area for live hockey. Couple that with being saddled with the municipality's need to make money on the white elephant that was the Sears Centre by charging ten bucks for parking when there was always excess spaces even on the few busy nights and the venue's cavernously empty atmosphere even on opening night, and it was obviously a franchise with issues from the get-go.

Also didn't help that their merchandise booth had just a single cash register, so there were times when folks just gave up and walked away from long lines rather than buying a jersey or a hat. Saw plenty do just that in their first several games, and especially opening night when the line was easily a solid 20+ minutes long.


----------



## Sports Enthusiast

LippinOff said:


> I personally think (and especially hope) the Fuel will do great. If they can establish that nasty rivalry with Fort Wayne, it will be huge for both clubs. And now there's Evansville in the equation. Three interstate rivalries will be significant given the amount of games the three clubs will most likely play each other.
> 
> I've been a Komets fan for years and haven't seen a good rivalry like that for a long time. I wish they would resurrect that with Toledo and Kzoo but it's been pretty docile so far.




You may be right. I know I have heard grumbling that Fort Wayne isn't totally in love with the league. Not that I have heard anything per se from anyone specific but judging by comments I've read and an article or two they underestimated the league a bit. A rivalry would be good but I feel those are almost non existent in this league. The roster movement has a lot to do with this. For awhile it seemed like Reading and Elmira had a rivalry for example. I think it was more fan driven personally. But the rosters change so much. You might see a decent core around for 2 years sometimes but for the most part the faces change and then because of AHL proximity both teams get decimated by callus that midway through the season its a bunch of guys who weren't in earlier in the year. The UHL owns this league when it comes to rivalries. I miss that big time.


----------



## JDogindy

SFTC Addict said:


> You may be right. I know I have heard grumbling that Fort Wayne isn't totally in love with the league. Not that I have heard anything per se from anyone specific but judging by comments I've read and an article or two they underestimated the league a bit. A rivalry would be good but I feel those are almost non existent in this league. The roster movement has a lot to do with this. For awhile it seemed like Reading and Elmira had a rivalry for example. I think it was more fan driven personally. But the rosters change so much. You might see a decent core around for 2 years sometimes but for the most part the faces change and then because of AHL proximity both teams get decimated by callus that midway through the season its a bunch of guys who weren't in earlier in the year. The UHL owns this league when it comes to rivalries. I miss that big time.




Fort Wayne is one of three teams (along with Las Vegas and Coloardo) that aren't affiliated, and I think that might be one of those issues.

I am hoping that, with the return of Indianapolis, they'll finally have a reliable rival, although like you said, the players make it even bigger.


----------



## change on the fly

I feel one of the reasons Ft Wayne may not be in love with this league is they are used to seeing their team have most of the best players, win championship every year, and owners who finance half the league as to make sure they get home games with 9,000 fans. Nothing wrong with that, it's always fun to win it all. 

Now they are on the same level, sometimes lower than same level as the other ECHL teams, without an affiliate giving them at least some of their younger NHL draft picks and a staff that doesn't seem to have much in the way of College or Jr connections to get players that do not have their rights owned by an NHL team already maybe the reason they are struggling to be near the top of the league.


----------



## LippinOff

change on the fly said:


> I feel one of the reasons Ft Wayne may not be in love with this league is they are used to seeing their team have most of the best players, win championship every year, and owners who finance half the league as to make sure they get home games with 9,000 fans. Nothing wrong with that, it's always fun to win it all.
> 
> Now they are on the same level, sometimes lower than same level as the other ECHL teams, without an affiliate giving them at least some of their younger NHL draft picks and a staff that doesn't seem to have much in the way of College or Jr connections to get players that do not have their rights owned by an NHL team already maybe the reason they are struggling to be near the top of the league.




I'm not sure if they're talking about the ownership not being in love or the fans themselves. Speaking for a lot of fans, I know no one that has a problem with the ECHL. Everyone I talk to is glad we're out of the CHL and love the ECHL (hoping some of those teams from the CHL eventually join the ECHL). As for being used to winning in the IHL2, I have to disagree. Most people I talked to were tired of the IHL2 and having only 5 opponents. Even winning regularly, it got real old real fast and many were eager for something different. The CHL fit that bill at the time.

I won't argue that many fans are spoiled by the success; especially the younger ones. But I don't know anyone that wants anything remotely resembling the IHL2 back.

I can also tell you most I talk to are clamoring for the AHL, but that's a whole other issue that simply won't happen anytime soon barring an ownership change, IMHO.


----------



## go comets

SFTC Addict said:


> I hear you on the AHL, I never got why they called it that name...or haven't changed it. The farthest South they have a team is in Charlotte. They have no real teams out West. It's really in two parts of the country. Seems like theres a few markets in the AHL that might be better served in the AHL(like Albany) but the problem is teams now are owned by NHL teams and they don't mind sucking down cash. I would love to see a place like Glens Falls get some ECHL interest post Pjantoms. We could really use another team out this way. The AHL has 6 teams in NY State alone. Really not sure how Binghamton keeps surviving. They are barely bigger than Elmira and Ottawa doesn't own them. The Devils exist because New Jersey owns them. The Phantoms won't last as they are Lehigh bound. Havent followed Utica's progress but I cant imagine that t's a permanent matter. Teams like Elmira or Reading could just eventually run out of luck and have no place to go. I also miss the rivalries. Just don't feel that anymore. Teams play often but with all the inseason roster shuffling from game to game it makes it hard to keep up the intensity.



actually the ahl has teams in oklahoma city, san antonio, outside dallas, and one outside vancouver. the league is based in the north east because of low travel costs,and smaller arenas which are cheaper to rent than larger ones. utica has had 15 sellout this season and is around 90% capacity. i aways wondered why indianapolis didnt have a ahl team.


----------



## change on the fly

Some of the problem of Indy was the arena. Bankers Life is expensive and couldn't supply the dates needed to pull it off with the Pacers as the primary tenant. Pepsi would be great though now that it's about to be finished for next season. I think Ft. Wayne would need new ownership for it to happen there. Big drawback is the 4.5 million budget (est) to run an AHL team when you can get an ECHL team in at around 2.5 M


----------



## go comets

change on the fly said:


> Some of the problem of Indy was the arena. Bankers Life is expensive and couldn't supply the dates needed to pull it off with the Pacers as the primary tenant. Pepsi would be great though now that it's about to be finished for next season. I think Ft. Wayne would need new ownership for it to happen there. Big drawback is the 4.5 million budget (est) to run an AHL team when you can get an ECHL team in at around 2.5 M



there have been ahl in larger cities, Las Vegas, Louisville, are two that come to mind. But the travel expenses and costs of renting a 15000 seat arena and averaging 5-7000 fans just dont work. That is why the move is back east and in NY . short trips, home almost every night. Utica I believe is within a 3 hour bus ride to 7-8 teams. And a 6 hour ride to over half the league teams. all buildings in the 4-6000 seat range is cheap to rent. Oklahoma is rumored to be looking east. Hartford contract is up this year.so there may be some movements.


----------



## Sports Enthusiast

LippinOff said:


> I'm not sure if they're talking about the ownership not being in love or the fans themselves. Speaking for a lot of fans, I know no one that has a problem with the ECHL. Everyone I talk to is glad we're out of the CHL and love the ECHL (hoping some of those teams from the CHL eventually join the ECHL). As for being used to winning in the IHL2, I have to disagree. Most people I talked to were tired of the IHL2 and having only 5 opponents. Even winning regularly, it got real old real fast and many were eager for something different. The CHL fit that bill at the time.
> 
> I won't argue that many fans are spoiled by the success; especially the younger ones. But I don't know anyone that wants anything remotely resembling the IHL2 back.
> 
> I can also tell you most I talk to are clamoring for the AHL, but that's a whole other issue that simply won't happen anytime soon barring an ownership change, IMHO.




After 7 years of this I want the UHL back or would love to get a taste of something like the IHL2. I miss real rivalries and passion. This league lacks both quite frankly. The only thing I hated about the IHL2 is the league wasn't equal. A league like that might be solid if all the teams could compete on an equal footing ground. Lack of opponents sucks but even so in the ECHL the majority of your home games are divisional anyway. The difference doesn't appear major. Theres a lot of teams you don't get to see. Neither scenario is perfect unfortunately.


----------



## JDogindy

Fuel announce Scott Hillman as their coach.

http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/indy-fuel-names-head-coach/

Considering Hillman couldn't get the Missouri Mavericks past the first round, I don't expect a whole lot from him, but if he gets the Fuel to win games, I'll be happy.


----------



## GareFan18

JDogindy said:


> Fuel announce Scott Hillman as their coach.
> 
> http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/indy-fuel-names-head-coach/
> 
> Considering Hillman couldn't get the Missouri Mavericks past the first round, I don't expect a whole lot from him, but if he gets the Fuel to win games, I'll be happy.




You'll be happy. Give him a chance. Meet him if you have the opportunity. Hillman is a good coach and an even better guy.


----------



## MoMav110

GareFan18 said:


> You'll be happy. Give him a chance. Meet him if you have the opportunity. Hillman is a good coach and an even better guy.




He will get ya some regular season wins, and into the playoffs. Much like Marty Schottenheimer of the NFL. Into the playoffs and ya..... He plays a soft, less than aggressive style of play. Uses the prevent defense, and he can't stand having the same guys on one line, no matter how well they play together. Good luck in the E and congrats on getting out of the CHL. Oh yes, he's a really nice guy.


----------



## JDogindy

I'll be looking forward to it, even though the Star is once again ignoring hockey as it always does.

In a week or two, they should announce what the jerseys will look like, and since the Indiana Ice suspended operations, I hope to see them fill in the Pack the House Night duty.


----------



## No Fun Shogun

I'll probably head on down there to my old stomping grounds to try to catch an Indians/Ice doubleheader if their schedules align at the beginning of the International League's season and the end of the ECHL's. Been too long since I visited Indy, and catching some low-tier Hawks prospects would be a nice incentive to rectify that.


----------



## JungleJON

Don't you mean Fuel?


----------



## JDogindy

SenorChifles said:


> Don't you mean Fuel?




That's what he meant, but you do have to understand that we've had three decades of hockey teams with "Ice" as the nickname, so having to adapt to "Fuel" will take a while.


----------



## No Fun Shogun

Ah, Indy..... where bad hockey team names congregate....


----------



## mongolman

The Indy Fuel have officially unveiled their uniforms.

http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-introduces-mascot-unveils-jersey


----------



## JDogindy

mongolman said:


> The Indy Fuel have officially unveiled their uniforms.
> 
> http://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-introduces-mascot-unveils-jersey




They did it on opening day of the Indiana State Fair, to boot.

I was scared that the jerseys would look pretty bad from a palette perspective, but they look alright.

Also, the Fuel have a deal with RTV6 (the Indianapolis ABC affiliate) to have all home games on local TV (HTSN, to be exact). They do it with Indianapolis Indians baseball, IUPUI and Ball State athletics, Horizon League meets, and local pro wrestling. I was hoping they'd get something like this, which would help allow people to get a taste of the product if they can't make it to the Coliseum.


----------



## mongolman

JDogindy said:


> They did it on opening day of the Indiana State Fair, to boot.
> 
> I was scared that the jerseys would look pretty bad from a palette perspective, but they look alright.
> 
> *Also, the Fuel have a deal with RTV6 (the Indianapolis ABC affiliate) to have all home games on local TV (HTSN, to be exact). * They do it with Indianapolis Indians baseball, IUPUI and Ball State athletics, Horizon League meets, and local pro wrestling. I was hoping they'd get something like this, which would help allow people to get a taste of the product if they can't make it to the Coliseum.




Really!?! That's awesome! I had no idea. Yeah the sweaters do look pretty good. Not sure what's going on with the collar though. I can't wait to see them. It's nice having the Ice here and all (and I'll continue to support them), but it's nice to have a professional team here. Also, it's amazing there's another Hockey fan here in Indy.


----------



## No Fun Shogun

Aside from the WTF-worthy collar, an average jersey.


----------



## mongolman

No Fun Shogun said:


> Aside from the WTF-worthy collar, an average jersey.




Yeah, I really want to know what the heck is going on with the collar.


----------



## ForsbergForever

mongolman said:


> Yeah, I really want to know what the heck is going on with the collar.




I think the logo is the bigger issue... if anything deserves to be called terribad, its that.


----------



## mongolman

ForsbergForever said:


> I think the logo is the bigger issue... if anything deserves to be called terribad, its that.




It's not that bad. But, whatever. To each their own, I guess.


----------



## JDogindy

Fuel now have a radio affiliate in 1430 AM.

I am still disappointed that the USHL Ice never had a radio affiliation, but so did the CHL Ice, so this is a big step.


----------



## jabberoski

mongolman said:


> It's nice having the Ice here and all (and I'll continue to support them), but it's nice to have a professional team here. Also, it's amazing there's another Hockey fan here in Indy.




The Ice will not be playing in 2014-15 (http://web.ushl.com/news.php?news_id=2471) and it sounds like they need to find a new venue to play in if they are to return in the future.


----------



## mongolman

JDogindy said:


> Fuel now have a radio affiliate in 1430 AM.
> 
> I am still disappointed that the USHL Ice never had a radio affiliation, but so did the CHL Ice, so this is a big step.




That's awesome! I listen to 1430 all the time. HTSN and radio. Getting a lot of support, that's great news.


----------



## mongolman

jabberoski said:


> The Ice will not be playing in 2014-15 (http://web.ushl.com/news.php?news_id=2471) and it sounds like they need to find a new venue to play in if they are to return in the future.




That sucks. I thought maybe they'd continue playing at Pan Am Plaza downtown, but I can see how finically that wouldn't be feasible over the long run (it's extremely small). Plus Indy (not being a hockey town) isn't big enough to support two teams.


----------



## FloridaCat

Pan Am rinks are gone. Ice may be back if they can find or build a suitable arena. 

News Article. http://www.wthr.com/story/25935038/2014/07/03/skating-rinks-dismantled-at-pan-am-plaza


----------



## IndyHockeyFreak

*Calling All Fuel Fans*

Help me get the word out that we need more extensive coverage of the Fuel in the Indianapolis Star and the various television stations. Let's get all area hockey fans coming to the Coliseum on a regular basis. Go Indy Fuel!


----------



## JDogindy

IndyHockeyFreak said:


> Help me get the word out that we need more extensive coverage of the Fuel in the Indianapolis Star and the various television stations. Let's get all area hockey fans coming to the Coliseum on a regular basis. Go Indy Fuel!




Thankfully, we've finally succeeded in getting press releases and ECHL standings. I know because I complained after the Fuel's opener against Fort Wayne on the Star's Facebook page.

Anyhow, this is easily the worst team in the league, and we'll probably run the risk of having the worst record in ECHL history. But... I still support them and the problems the team faces is more or less due to inexperienced players constantly losing heart because of adversaty and not because the team is cheap. Robert Czarnik is a good talent.


----------



## Andre Poodle Lussier

JDogindy said:


> Thankfully, we've finally succeeded in getting press releases and ECHL standings. I know because I complained after the Fuel's opener against Fort Wayne on the Star's Facebook page.
> 
> Anyhow, this is easily the worst team in the league, and we'll probably run the risk of having the worst record in ECHL history. But... I still support them and the problems the team faces is more or less due to inexperienced players constantly losing heart because of adversaty and not because the team is cheap. Robert Czarnik is a good talent.




33 points in 72 games is the worst on a 72 game schedule (I think) - Greenville in '03-'04.


----------



## Paul Bunyan

You actually have solid goaltending too. Shame there is no team in front of it, it was like Toledo for many years.


----------



## JDogindy

The Fuel won their first road game ever at Wheeling last week.

Unfortunately, Robert Czarnik was traded to Ontario. What sucks is that it's for "future considerations", meaning we most likely traded him for absolutely nothing. I don't think they are gonna announce who Ontario had to give up later.


----------



## JDogindy

Even with the Czarnik-for-Nothing trade, the Fuel won last night. If they beat South Carolina tonight, they will have had a 3-2-1-0 record during this road trip.

Impressive considering that, before this, the team only had 6 wins.


----------



## Paul Bunyan

Your team is pretty 'orrible, so future considerations trades are going to be happening until the end of your season (like they do for most teams at the bottom). 

However, look at the bounce back of Toledo for instance this year. 

Future considerations are confounding and piss most off because it can be like a Turkish 5th division soccer trade where a player goes for 10 bags of concrete to finish a stadium, or you actually get players back in return. 

If you want to bounce back next year, since this one is over that's what they'll end up doing.


----------



## JDogindy

Paul Bunyan said:


> Your team is pretty 'orrible, so future considerations trades are going to be happening until the end of your season (like they do for most teams at the bottom).
> 
> However, look at the bounce back of Toledo for instance this year.
> 
> Future considerations are confounding and piss most off because it can be like a Turkish 5th division soccer trade where a player goes for 10 bags of concrete to finish a stadium, or you actually get players back in return.
> 
> If you want to bounce back next year, since this one is over that's what they'll end up doing.




Yeah, I should have expected it, but the thing that irritates me about "future considerations" is that you are basically trading away somebody for what's in some box.

That being said, even if the Fuel aren't playoff contenders, at least they've gotten good lately. I thought the six-game road trip would be a disaster, but they actually finished 4-1-1-0 with a victory yesterday over Gwinnett. Considering that they started the trip with only 6 victories... this is an accomplishment. But, I look forward to watching them again this week as they play Allen.


----------



## My Cozen Dylan

Good news for you guys is that most ECHL guys move around from year to year so you have a shot at being almost a completely different team next season.

Visiting players have now had the chance to see the building and experience the fan base. You'll get better talent next year.


----------



## Paul Bunyan

JDogindy said:


> Yeah, I should have expected it, but the thing that irritates me about "future considerations" is that you are basically trading away somebody for what's in some box.
> 
> That being said, even if the Fuel aren't playoff contenders, at least they've gotten good lately. I thought the six-game road trip would be a disaster, but they actually finished 4-1-1-0 with a victory yesterday over Gwinnett. Considering that they started the trip with only 6 victories... this is an accomplishment. But, I look forward to watching them again this week as they play Allen.




It only SEEMS like what's in some box. Believe me, it's likely players that will benefit you next year. Like I say it's frustrating because it's not now, but you'll get a lot of picks to benefit the team next year. 

You can turn things around in a season, the Walleye are doing it right now from a franchise worst (and they don't play you guys 80 times like Fort Wayne! ). 

I hear your pain though. I remember an 0-10-1 stretch going to games with my mate where that's what we saw as the team only won on the road and we were out of state for their two home wins (of course right?). 

Still, in many ways, this will see how sustainable your franchise is, it'll give you a group of "hardcore fans" so you can see what the number of those people are and hopefully...they lower ticket prices because from what I saw they were kind of outrageous when first put out.


----------



## toledo storm

11-1-1 in the last 13 games.... Uh oh, only 2 points out of playoff spot.. Vey nice in season turn around by Indy .... They have also beaten some pretty decent teams on this run... Nice job....


----------



## JDogindy

toledo storm said:


> 11-1-1 in the last 13 games.... Uh oh, only 2 points out of playoff spot.. Vey nice in season turn around by Indy .... They have also beaten some pretty decent teams on this run... Nice job....




Pretty impressive, huh?

I was worried this team wouldn't win 10 games, and now I'm curious if they'll have a 10-game win streak. Sports is about experiencing the highs and lows but once your team finally feels it's first high, it's a huge relief to the system.


----------



## JungleJON

Hopefully this will puts some more butts in the seats. I love the pictures I have seen of the arena, looks like a good place to watch hockey. 
Does the team get good coverage from local newspapers and TV stations?


----------



## No Fun Shogun

Wow.... had no clue that the Fuel had gone on such a tear. Good to hear.


----------



## toledo storm

I am very impressed... The usual at 6-21 would be "To hell with it" but this team has made some trades and turned their season around in a big way.. I enjoy seeing it because this team could spoil some seasons down the stretch.. They are far from the worst team in the league now.. I am impressed..

I say this all assuming they don't lose the next 10


----------



## JDogindy

SenorChifles said:


> Hopefully this will puts some more butts in the seats. I love the pictures I have seen of the arena, looks like a good place to watch hockey.
> Does the team get good coverage from local newspapers and TV stations?




As far as news reporting goes? Considering it's hockey in Indy, not much. The USHL Ice only got passing mention, even on slow news days, and it took a few weeks for the Star to finally post results of Fuel games after the season opener. But, like I've said, we do have every home game on TV, and ever since the Southern road trip, interest has increased dramatically to where I can see more filled seats in attendance.


----------



## Cyclones Rock

The Fuel have come from nowhere to the brink of a playoff berth. Wow.

My Cyclones are awful this year. It's just a matter of time before they drop out of the top 4 of their division. We have a home-and-home vs. the Fuel this weekend and a Sunday matinee at home vs. Toledo. Should the Fuel sweep and Toledo win, then the Fuel will surpass us in the standings.

The Cyclones are 11-21 vs. everyone but Evansville and Indy this year. Now that the Fuel has improved so dramatically, it's curtains for us.

Love the new Fairgrounds! They did a great job with the rehab. The upper bowl seating in the middle is awesome. Keeping the one lower section with the original chairs was a nice touch.


----------



## Off da post and in

Cyclones Rock said:


> The Fuel have come from nowhere to the brink of a playoff berth. Wow.
> 
> *My Cyclones are awful this year. It's just a matter of time before they drop out of the top 4 of their division.* We have a home-and-home vs. the Fuel this weekend and a Sunday matinee at home vs. Toledo. Should the Fuel sweep and Toledo win, then the Fuel will surpass us in the standings.
> 
> The Cyclones are 11-21 vs. everyone but Evansville and Indy this year. Now that the Fuel has improved so dramatically, it's curtains for us.
> 
> Love the new Fairgrounds! They did a great job with the rehab. The upper bowl seating in the middle is awesome. Keeping the one lower section with the original chairs was a nice touch.




The 'Clones have 2 basic problems; 1) They have a first year head coach, and a first year assistant coach, 2) having 2 AHL affiliates means no team chemistry due to constant call-ups and send-downs. They're further hampered by having a small core of FAs, 5 forwards and 3 defensemen, to lend stability to their roster.


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## Sports Enthusiast

Not a fan of this top 4 stuff. The South Division has 6 decent teams and 2 of them are going to be penalized for bring in the top 8 because outside of Fort Wayne and Toledo the other division stinks.


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## Cyclones Rock

Off da post and in said:


> The 'Clones have 2 basic problems; 1) They have a first year head coach, and a first year assistant coach, 2) having 2 AHL affiliates means no team chemistry due to constant call-ups and send-downs. They're further hampered by having a small core of FAs, 5 forwards and 3 defensemen, to lend stability to their roster.




The two affiliate model has been in place for some time. 2 Kelly Cups, 3 Finals appearances and 5 Conference Finals appearances over the past 8 seasons suggests that it has been very beneficial.

The talent level of affiliated players and free agents isn't very good and the goaltending has been poor all year. 

I agree with the inexperience of the coaching staff being an issue. The last coach, Ben Simon, left the position in August to go to the AHL, so the pool of coaches at that time was very slim.


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## Sports Enthusiast

Really depends where you're located. No offense but teams are coming to Cincinnati to callup players when they're in a pinch. Both Reading and Elmira have done it and have had a mixed bag results because of their proximity to many other AHL teams they on top of losing guys to affiliates lose guys to non affiliated teams and sometimes they lose players just to rot in the stands for AHL teams.


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## Who is Link

JDogindy said:


> Pretty impressive, huh?
> 
> I was worried this team wouldn't win 10 games, and now I'm curious if they'll have a 10-game win streak. Sports is about experiencing the highs and lows but once your team finally feels it's first high, it's a huge relief to the system.




I went to the opening night game against Fort Wayne. Really jacked up crowd of about 6,500 and it was nice that they have pulled out all the stops as far as making the atmosphere like that of a mini-Blackhawks game with the same goal celebration music. Any seat in the building is great, but I was hoping the venue would hold closer to 10k. Probably would've been overkill though seeing how empty the stands are for the Tuesday evening games I catch on TV. 

The trades they made back in January seem to be paying off. They definitely needed to shake things up because the team just wasn't gelling. I just wish the local news outlets would give throw them a bone with some coverage. They always send the sports guy out to Victory Field to cover the Indianapolis Indians, why not send him to the Fairgrounds when they're having a promotional event, like when they had the guys from the movie "Slap Shot" there? 

It's too bad that their jerseys are more similar to the Calgary Flames'--why not be more like Rockford's? I don't know what else they could do to generate a more sustainable buzz that translates into higher attendance numbers, on average. I think the location hurts a bit--the Fairgrounds Coliseum isn't really close to any of the suburbs and that area is always on the news for the wrong reasons. Also, that area is one of the most congested in the city around the time most games start. It's a hard sell for someone in Greenwood, Carmel, or Plainfield compared to if the team played downtown.


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## toledo storm

Still winning.... Closing in on Playoff spot....


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## JDogindy

And last night, Indy put an end to South Carolina's 23 game winning streak with a 3-2 performance.


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## Paul Bunyan

Toledo might have had them if it weren't for typical ECHL stuff, but glad Indy was able to grab a signature win. Good for their franchise moving forward.


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