Double-A to Triple-A , Is It Worth It?

Peoria, Illinois - Plans are moving forward for Rockfords IceHogs to become a Triple-A hockey team. As a member of the American Hockey League, they`d join several other teams in the region like the Chicago Wolves and the Peoria Rivermen. Hockey has been a staple in Peoria for nearly a quarter of a century. During that time the Peoria Rivermen have made several transitions both in ownership and in leagues, but one thing that has always remained true is that a Triple-A team is leagues ahead of a Double-A team. President and CEO of the Peoria Rivermen Hockey Club, Bart Rogers said, "The players are bigger, they`re faster, and theyre more skilled. Most of our players are drafted right out of the NHL." When the Rivermen were picked up as the minor league team for the St. Louis Blues two years ago, everyone thought it would boost ticket sales, but that hasn`t been the case just yet. They`re still averaging about 5,000 fans a game. "They thought that people would attend more because it was Triple-A hockey which is not really the case," said Marc Burnett, Director of Marketing and Sales of the Peoria Civic Center. "You still have to go out and market it as strongly as you did or you do in any level of hockey." Much like the IceHogs, one key marketing tool for the Rivermen is their name. "When we were in negotiations three years ago with the Blues the number one thing they wanted to do was change our name to the Blues," said Rogers. "And again this is our 25th year of hockey in Peoria. The Rivermen is a name people know from 60 miles away which is something we had to fight hard to keep." To make sure the move to the AHL wouldn`t mean the team would lose money, the organization decided to keep the ticket prices the same; something Rockford is also committed to doing. And its been working. Becoming a NHL minor league team has saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rogers said, "To make the move to the AHL we pay a one time affiliation fee and they handle 100% of everything on the hockey side, so injuries, paying the players, equipment, salaries and insurance all that is a one time fee." The city and the MetroCentre Authority still have a lot of work to do before they get an AHL team. They have to complete negotiations with the team`s current owners to get the IceHogs name and still have to purchase a team; which won`t be that easy to do. Only three AHL teams are currently dormant and two have already struck deals with other teams.