How new hockey venture hopes to avoid pitfalls of its predecessor

When a new hockey team comes to the Sears Centre next year, fans will be the ones who give it a name.

And it's not likely Hoffman Estates Trustee Cary Collins' tongue-in-cheek suggestion the Slush Puppies will win.

"Puppies" is a reference to the Hounds, the United Hockey League team that folded in 2007 after just one season in Hoffman Estates. "Slush" is a reminder of the Hounds' inauspicious debut, which was canceled because of melted ice in November 2006. Fans inside the arena threw debris and the Hounds never managed to shed that first impression.

Collins is always ready with a quip, but his joke didn't sit too well with Craig Drecktrah, who owns the new team that will be an ECHL franchise.

He's asked fans to select a name for the team at nameyourhockeyteam.com. Needless to say, Collins' suggestion won't be the one sewn on to the hockey sweaters.

"That doesn't sound like a very good name for the hard-hitting hockey team we're looking for," Drecktrah said.

Erasing memories of melting ice is one of the challenges for the Sears Centre, despite a new management group, Comcast's Global Spectrum.

Sears Centre Director of Operations Michael Carosielli said the rink has received rave reviews about its ice from players and coaches who have participated in Notre Dame University's Shillelagh Hockey Tournament, held each January.

And while Drecktrah once owned the Hounds, he wasn't involved in the ice-melting escapade, buying into the team a few months later in February 2007, and then folding it in June 2007 because of its poor prospects.

Before the ECHL governing board unanimously approved a new franchise, Drecktrah had to make some attendance promises. For one, the team has to build a season-ticket base of 1,500. In contrast, Drecktrah said the Hounds season-ticket base was 300 before the team folded. The new team will use the coming year to hone in on marketing plans and to bulk up its fan base.

ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said he's excited to enter the Chicago market, something that the league first had conversations about three years ago. The team would be the league's 20th, unless the ECHL votes to expand further.

McKenna says he knows there's intense competition for Chicago sports fans. The Chicago Wolves play at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, about 20 miles away from the Sears Centre.

"Obviously the Chicago area is a huge market," McKenna said. "There is no question this is a terrific facility and we know there are hockey fans. Chicago fits very well in out current geography."

While pricing varies in different markets, the average ECHL franchise ticket costs $13, McKenna said, and most of the fans come from a 15-mile radius of the arena.

Sears Centre General Manager Ben Gibbs said the population density around the Sears Centre is higher than of any other ECHL franchise. The provides the potential for a larger fan base.

ECHL is a feeder league to the American Hockey League, where the Wolves play. Each ECHL team is affiliated with an AHL team and each AHL franchise has an NHL affiliate. Drecktrah's dream would be for an affiliation with the Rockford Ice Hogs, which are affiliated with the Blackhawks.

Rockford's current ECHL affiliate is the Toledo team, and that relationship is a good one.

"At this point it's not available," McKenna said of Drecktrah's dream. "A year from now that could change," he said, adding that would be up to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The ECHL features young players wanting to prove themselves and earn promotion. The caliber of play is seen as being higher than what the Hounds offered.

The new team also could benefit from television exposure. While there are no plans now to show games on television, but Gibbs hopes to change that with Comcast's corporate support. Wolves games are shown on Comcast Network 100, something that could also work for the new team. The ECHL offers games by streaming them on the Web on a pay-per-view basis.

Sears Centre has a lot riding on the team's success, as sports franchises can provide a reliable revenue stream, unlike one-time events. Landing the team creates another 38 dates when the arena is open, generating income that brings the village-owned building closer to making a profit, something it hasn't done since opening in 2006.

Drecktrah said the new team will get more weekend dates, something the former management group from Minnesota-based Ryan Companies was reluctant to offer the Hounds.

"I'm now guaranteed Friday and Saturday dates." Drecktrah said.

Sears Centre officials are concentrating on the money from potential concessions sales and not focused on the lease. They predict 4,200 fans at a game could bring in $20,000 in profit per game. The team is shooting for 3,000 fans per game, which is under the current league-average attendance of 3,425. The season goes from October to April.

The AHL's Wolves, who practice at the Hoffman Estates Park District's ice rink, aren't in direct competition with the new team, Gibbs said.

"I think there's enough money to go around," he said.

Two teams playing the same sports can coexist nearby, Gibbs said, citing the Chicago Slaughter, who play indoor football at the Sears Centre, and the Chicago Rush Arena Football Team based at the Allstate Arena as one example.

Hoffman Estates officials believe landing a hockey franchise could open the door for another sports team. The Chicago Shamrox lacrosse team was successful at the Sears Centre before management problems led it to fold after two seasons in 2008.

The National Lacrosse League remains stable and the league's Philadelphia Wings play home games at the Wachovia Center, which is owned by Comcast.

"That's one thing I've heard a lot - that the lacrosse team did well," Gibbs hinted.