Talk about the Chicago Wolves, the AHL, and other hockey in general here. Not hockey? Head outside to The Great Outdoors.
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Vegas had their honeymoon wear off and wanted to have their own AHL affiliation. So they offered San Antonio a couple free buffet vouchers and a permanent seat at any Cirque show they wanted and wooed the Rampage to Henderson.
Meanwhile, a couple NHL teams *cough*Carolina*cough*Chicago*cough* were rumored to be unhappy with their minor league affiliations, but don't actually control them and were window shopping.
Now for today's big news: The St. Louis Blues have agreed to a five year deal with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
This now leaves the Florida Panthers as the prime partner for the Wolves (because honestly, the Blues and Wolves were, to quote Taylor Swift, "never, ever, ever getting back together,") with potential tire kicks from window shopping NHL teams.
Also, if I remember correctly, the Panthers were one of the leading partners for the Wolves back in 2013, but the Blues made a better pitch.
I know it won't happen, but wouldn't it be cool, to be in the Easter Conference? A whole bunch of teams we haven't played in quite some time.
If I was a Charlotte Checker fan, I'd be stoked because I believe they've seen everyone in the league this last decade. Well, except maybe two or three California teams.
I'd love to see some new teams come circling through. It's a shame that Iowa, Milwaukee, and Rockford get some new teams, and yet we see the same teams again and again.
I get getting frustrated about seeing the same 5 teams come into the AA week after week after week within the same season. But AHL teams change so much within seasons, much less from season to season. 2 years later you are looking at essentially a completely different team. The difference between Tuscon coming here three years in a row or Tuscon coming in one year, Providence the next, and Charlotte the third year is literally nothing more than seeing different pretty jerseys.