New banner at Sears Centre announces ECHL hockey team
Fans will have a chance to vote via the Internet for a name for the new hockey team playing at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
The brand new expansion franchise, a member of the ECHL, begins play in 2011.
Officials Thursday morning unveiled a massive banner hanging from outside the Sears Centre visible to motorists off the Addams Tollway. The banner urges fans to log on to nameyourhockeyteam.com to participate in a naming contest for the new team. On July 21, the field will be narrowed to four names and the contest will end on Aug. 6. The name, team colors and logo will be unveiled at a future date.
Owner Craig Drecktrah said he wants to hire a new coach in the next two weeks.
"We're going to offer great family fun," he said.
Hoffman Estates Mayor William McLeod wore an ECHL baseball cap as he addressed the crowd, which included youth hockey players. The team's success will be a boost for the arena, having at least 38 home games to sell beer and hot dogs.
As for as the team name, Drecktrah said he wants fans to select a location point as well. Fans can decided if they want the hockey team to be associated with the immediate area the team is, like baseball's Schaumburg Flyers. They could opt for have "Hoffman Estates" in the name or something like "Windy City."
ECHL is a feeder league for the American Hockey League, of which the Chicago Wolves are a member. The AHL is a feeder league for the NHL. Drecktrah is hopeful his team can link with the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs, the farm team for the Blackhawks. They would have to wrestle that from the ECHL's Toledo franchise.
"It's got its benefits," Drecktrah said of such a link, mindful of the renaissance the Blackhawks have enjoyed.
Trustee Raymond Kincaid said the Blackhawks' success was instrumental in showing the ECHL that hockey could flourish in the Chicago market. Kincaid, a member of the village's ad hoc arena committee, said the new team will help the village attract more attention to the arena.
"This is the anchor we were looking for," Kincaid said.
Drecktrah owned the Chicago Hounds hockey team, which played one season at the Sears Centre before folding in 2007. Drecktrah took control of the Hounds in February 2007 in the middle of the season. Despite increasing the season ticket base and attendance, he decided to put the team on hiatus. The Hounds played in the United Hockey League and the ECHL's play is considered stronger.
Drecktrah said the mistake with the Hounds was not having enough weekend games.
"That's one of the reasons I ceased the Hounds," he said.
The ECHL, formerly the East Coast Hockey League, has expanded west. The league has 19 teams going into the 2010-11 season and the new Hoffman Estates squad would give them 20.
Sears Centre General Manager Ben Gibbs said there was no plan to rush the team out this year to capitalize on the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run. Instead, they want to build a fan base and corporate sponsorships before launching. The Sears Centre has struggled since opening in 2006 failing to make a profit, but with Comcast's Global Spectrum now managing the arena, it's experiencing a turnaround.
"This building deserves it," Gibbs said.