Milwaukee showed an incredible interest in the USA vs. Canada gold medal game in the Vancouver Olympics. Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Minneapolis were the only cities with higher ratings during the gold medal game.
You'll notice those top four cities currently have NHL teams.
In 1990 Milwaukee withdrew a bid for an NHL team. Can Milwaukee host an NHL team today? Several factors contribute to the decision.
The Bradley Center:
One of the main issues with the Bradley Center is its age.Opened in 1988, it is currently the 4th oldest NBA stadium in use today, behind Madison Square Gardens (renovating this year), the Oracle Arena (recently renovated), and the Izod Center (soon to be replaced).
With this old age comes problems, including outdated video boards, sound/light systems, and heating/cooling/ventilation systems. The Bradley Center also lacks club seating and has poor parking availability.
When set for hockey the Bradley Center can hold almost 18,000 fans, which is similar to other NHL franchises. The lack of club seating, however, differs from the majority of stadiums in use today.
Last year Governor Doyle included a provision in the capitol budget that sought $5 million to renovate the Bradley Center. The BC's board of directors estimated a need of $23 million, and agreed to raise the remaining $18 million on their own.
The Bradley Center is currently home to The Milwaukee Bucks, The Marquette Golden Eagles, and the Milwaukee Admirals. Adding another team could cause many more scheduling issues, especially with the addition of a second hockey team.
The Milwaukee Admirals:
The Admirals (the AHL affiliate team of the Nashville Predators) currently calls Milwaukee home. Should an NHL team be added, the Admirals would likely need to move. As I said before, scheduling conflicts could become an issue.Personally, I think an NHL team would easily be as successful in Milwaukee as in a city such as Tampa Bay, which currently is home to the Lightning.
Yes but the failures of the Admirals I think show that hockey doesn't make sense in Milwaukee. It is not a big enough market to have 3 professional teams. The Bradley Center does need a facelift or a new building but I think adding another professional sports team because of good olympic ratings doesn't make sense. Also Milwaukee had the best Olympic ratings overall which I think is largely due to the amount of Wisconsin athletes. With the number of speed skaters that participate at the Petit the number of local favorites in the Olympics is high compared to most cities. I just can't see NHL working in Milwaukee
ReplyDeleteAs much as I want to say that an NHL team wouldnt work in Milwaukee, I think this city has proved over the last couple years, that if a team is good, they will support them to the fullest and pack that stadium, but if the team is bad they will not go to the games. If the NHL team in Milwaukee would find a lot of the same success that the Admirals have had, then I think it would work really well, but if its just gonna be another average team like the Bucks and Brewers over the last 20 years, I don't see it working out too well.
ReplyDeleteNot to knock the Admirals but the AHL is not comparable to the NHL. While it wouldn't be an instant success I think an NHL team would be way more successful in a big midwestern city. Teams fail in places like Tampa Bay (look at the Rays and the Lightning). The possibilities for borderbattle rivalries with the Wild and the Blackhawks are there as well.
ReplyDeleteI would agree the Olympic ratings are no reason to suggest that the NHL would do well in Milwaukee. Need a hook somehow! haha
Tough for an expansion team to be good right off the bat, you need fans that will go through thick and thin or it will not make sense. If you know a team will win stanley cup every year hell you could move the team to Fond Du Lac and they would attract people. For a franchise to work you need the city to feel terrible if it left. I think with a team like Bucks it shows Milwaukee fans are not dedicated to terrible teams.
ReplyDeleteI don't think an expansion team would work too well either. If an NHL team were to come to Milwaukee it would have to be a change in location for a pre-existing team.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the only ways that we would all truly get excited about an expansion team would be to get an entirely new arena built. The Bradley Center just doesn't cut it anymore, even for the Bucks. The Bucks would obviously benefit from a new venue, though this is very very unlikely in the near future.
ReplyDeleteI just can't see it happening, the NHL is a failing product not going to be a money maker in Milwaukee
ReplyDeleteSorry to rain on the parade, but Milwaukee has been extremely close to bringing an NHL franchise a few times in the past, but these efforts have been put down by Rocky Wirtz (owner of the Blackhawks). Wirtz seems to have some type of monopoly over NHL franchises in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas. I don't know the concrete deals of the contractual agreements, but Wirtz basically owns the rights to an NHL team in Milwaukee. As a businessman, he probably feels that an NHL franchise in Milwaukee would only attract fans (like me) and money away from his historic Blackhawks franchise. Personally, I really don't think Milwaukee could support an NHL franchise anyway. I don't think Milwaukee is a hot enough market to support a team that would be in the bottom half of the league for its infant years.
ReplyDeleteBut that's just my 2 cents from the nosebleeds.