Wild AHL Affiliate to Des Moines?

[jflattery]

Put me in the group who the the "Chops" name and logo was pretty bad ***, but naming them the "Iowa Wild", for example, would probably be a better fit. Regardless of your opinion of hockey, this would be a great thing for Des Moines.

I am against naming them the Iowa Wild.

Do you remember why they changed their name from Iowa Stars to the Iowa Chops? They lost their affiliation with the Dallas Stars and changed their name to the Iowa Chops, just in case their affiliation with Anaheim was to change. Plus being affiliated with the Ducks and being named the Stars wasn't going to work out.

I would prefer they come up with a name for themselves that in no way ties them to their affiliated NHL team.

 

[junckerl]

I was at one of the last Iowa Chops games and if I remember correctly they were seating people in the upper sections of Wells Fargo Arena. So I think the fan base was getting bigger as they went but then someone thought paying their bills was a bad idea and the team vanished. I really hope an AHL team gets back to Des Moines, I loved those games.

 

[Bobby45]

Put me in the group who the the "Chops" name and logo was pretty bad ***, but naming them the "Iowa Wild", for example, would probably be a better fit. Regardless of your opinion of hockey, this would be a great thing for Des Moines.

The "Iowa Wild" sounds real good to me, a lot better than that ignorant "Iowa Chops" name....

 

[loki8838]

Iowa bound?
Expect an announcement in the next couple of weeks that the Wild’s long relationship with the Houston Aeros is ending. The Wild has not been able to come to terms on a new lease at the Toyota Center.
The Wild is expected to relocate its American Hockey League affiliate to Des Moines, where it will play at Wells Fargo Arena.
The above quote came from Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild beat writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, in his daily column today. He is an exceptional hockey writer and very tuned in to all things Minnesota Wild related. He wouldn't have published it if he wasn't fairly sure it was going to happen.

This makes a lot of sense for the Wild, especially with realignment happening next season. With their AHL team based in Des Moines, they could call up a guy after morning skate, and he could be in St Paul with time to spare (even if he had to drive).

For those that don't follow hockey, the Wild are an up and coming team in the NHL. They signed the top 2 free agents in all of the NHL last summer in Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. They also have arguably the best young prospects in the NHL, many of which will be playing in Des Moines next season. The next few years should be very exciting to be a fan of the Wild.

 

[j4state]

Best sports news I've heard in awhile if it goes through. Absolute win-win for DM and the Wild.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/ar...hockey-s-return-to-Des-Moines-real-?Frontpage

 

[MNCyGuy]

Have to think that Minnesota will be a lot more committed to making a go of it in Des Moines than the previous NHL affiliates were. Kind of cool that Des Moines now has top-level minor league team for all of the big 4 sports. The only realistic step-up I could see would be what? An MLS franchise? I can't really see Iowa supporting that enough to be profitable.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Des Moines has a good history of supporting hockey teams

 

[KnappShack]

Would this mean no more Buccaneers?

This is a marketing hurdle the AHL will need to clear

Watching the AHL vs a Bucs game is something like watching a Des Moines Lincoln baseball game as opposed to the I-Cubs

The AHL is a much better product....which I expect Iowa to show a complete lack of support

 

[mj4cy]

Def. a fringe/casual Wild fan here. Would make me pay attention to them much more.

 

[Chizit]

Sounds like this is likely to happen. Awesome news.

 

[ISUKyro]

Rumors resurface that Aeros are leaving Houston - Houston Chronicle

BOOOO! Ok, I'm happy for you guys, but sucks for me. I'm not a big hockey fan but I must admit that the 10 games or so that I did see the Aeros play here in Houston over the years were a blast! They always had great crowds so y'all better show up and support these guys if they are headed your way.

 

[capitalcityguy]

Des Moines has a good history of supporting hockey teams

It could be argued that had more to do with past ownership groups more than anything else.

 

[capitalcityguy]

These guys make is sound like a done deal:

Houston Aeros No More, Minnesota Wild to Move Affiliate to Des Moines - Hockey Wilderness

 

[CyCrazy]

It could be argued that had more to do with past ownership groups more than anything else.

It could be but DM just doesn't really support hockey. Hockey is a very fringe sport in this market. The Bucs make it work because of the small venue and beer deals.

 

[Broodwich]

Des Moines has a good history of supporting hockey teams

Ah, the tired and loathesome "support" arguments. Is this an attempt at a self-fulfilling prophecy?

The last incarnation of AHL hockey was brought to the area by Howard Baldwin who owned portions of the Hartford Whalers, Penguins and Minnesota North Stars. Before the first puck dropped in Iowa he sold his interests to an inexperienced ownership group in Texas. There was ONE AHL team in Des Moines. The ownership never changed, the NHL affiliation and the branding changed. If Des Moines has had two AHL clubs, one could surmise then that the Washington Bullets went belly up.

Attendance was in the middle of the pack for AHL clubs in the final season of the club. That's better than Rockford, Peoria, Omaha or Toronto for that matter.

The franchise was hamstrung by a bad lease, and ownership who treated the AHL team more like a hobby. The team was lost because the owner used the franchise as a collateral for a loan. Period.

The Wild has a vertical integration model. The AHL club in Des Moines will be owned and managed by MSE, the owner of the Wild, they also own the Xcel Energy Center. These guys are midwesterners who understand the region and who will bring a highly polished product and market the team well to the people of Iowa. These guys are total pros.

It could be but DM just doesn't really support hockey. Hockey is a very fringe sport in this market. The Bucs make it work because of the small venue and beer deals.

Has hockey been cut from the Olympics? For a "fringe" sport to headline the Winter Olympics is almost miraculous.

 

[capitalcityguy]

It could be but DM just doesn't really support hockey. Hockey is a very fringe sport in this market. The Bucs make it work because of the small venue and beer deals.

Based on what? You have ZERO examples of well-run AHL teams you can point to for examples. Either you don't know or understand the history behind either of the two failed AHL teams, or you're choosing to use some other criteria to measure (which I'd be interested in hearing what that is).

The Iowa Stars had issues almost from day one driven almost exclusively from their ownership group. The Iowa Chops barely had time to get a toehold in the market before they were gone. Even with that, their attendance numbers were respectable campared to other AHL franchises at the time.

 

[WooBadger18]

If they come to Des Moines I'll definitely go to a few games. Plus it will give me a pro hockey team to cheer for.

 

[chuckd4735]

It could be but DM just doesn't really support hockey. Hockey is a very fringe sport in this market. The Bucs make it work because of the small venue and beer deals.

Disagree. I have never met any person who just flat out hates hockey. Give people a good reason to go, and they will. I have always been of the opinion that the media really drives support for teams in a particular market. ISU gets this, and will nearly bend over backwords for the media. Murph and Andy talked about this last week, but when the Stars/Chops came to Des Moines, they reaced out to the ownership and were pretty much given the cold shoulder.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Rumors resurface that Aeros are leaving Houston - Houston Chronicle

BOOOO! Ok, I'm happy for you guys, but sucks for me. I'm not a big hockey fan but I must admit that the 10 games or so that I did see the Aeros play here in Houston over the years were a blast! They always had great crowds so y'all better show up and support these guys if they are headed your way.

I second your boo! I'll miss the Aeros. On the plus side, I guess that makes my Aeros gear "collectors items" so there's that.

 

[VeloClone]

Has hockey been cut from the Olympics? For a "fringe" sport to headline the Winter Olympics is almost miraculous.

Women's Gymnastics is one of the headline sports at the olympics, yet I think you would be correct in saying that it would be fringe in the Des Moines market.

I'm hopeful that they can make it work this time. I agree that they have a better chance with professional management and ties to one of the closest NHL franchises.