If Baltimore wants to get back into minor league hockey, there is a perfectly good team that could soon call Charm City home.
The Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League will be looking for a new arena following the 2008-09 season. Peter Luukko, president and chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Philadelphia Flyers and its top farm club, the Phantoms, has confirmed that the Wachovia Spectrum, the Phantoms’ home in Philadelphia, will be torn down and that the team will be relocated.
Baltimore could serve as a possible destination for the Phantoms as the team could play at the 1st Mariner Arena, which has previously served as the home to such minor league hockey teams as the Clippers Skipjacks and Bandits.
Among the other possible destinations for the Phantoms is Atlantic City, N.J. and Lehigh Valley, Pa. But if Baltimore is serious about brining quality sports to the area, then it is time to embrace reality and give Mr. Luuko a call at Comcast-Spectacor.
No one can accuse Baltimore of not being a major league city. The Orioles and the Ravens have proved that to be true. However, even if the city built a state-of-the-art 21,000-seat arena, it would not change the fact that the NHL or NBA is not coming here anytime soon ? if ever.
This is not about fan support as much as it is corporate support and this area is tapped out when you figure in the Ravens, Orioles, Redskins, Nationals, Capitals, Wizards, D.C. United and the University of Maryland. That is way too much competition for the regional corporate dollar that has been stretched way too thin in these trying economic times.
Don?t get excited about the recent move of the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma City. The NBA has been working on that one for a couple of years and had it not been the Sonics it would have been New Orleans or Memphis.
The NBA will relocate another team to Seattle soon. The Nets ownership is building an entertainment and sports complex in Brooklyn and moving the team to the new arena because they will be only two subway stops away from Wall Street. As for the NHL with Canada?s dollar being strong, Hamilton is a leader for relocation with Las Vegas at the top of the U.S. list.
But again, do not look for muchmovement as everyone waits to see what happens with the economy.
