Last week, The Washington Capitals front office announced that a preseason game, known as the Baltimore Hockey Classic, will take place. The event will put the defending NHL Southeast Division Capitals against the playoff-bound Nashville Predators at the 1st Mariner Arena on September 20, 2011. While it would be the first time the Caps played in Baltimore since 1992—and pro hockey had been played in Charm City since 1997—Baltimoreans are psyched with the idea that hockey could jumpstart more city revenue, gather bigger interest of a 19,000-seat arena and see the return of minor league hockey. A previous article suggested why Baltimore deserves a hockey team. While all this seems like a pipe dream, even to the American Hockey League and the ECHL, here are the five reasons that prove…that Baltimore is a true blue hockey market.
5. Hall of Fame Players and Alumni
From the early-1960s to mid-1990s, Baltimore’s minor league hockey teams (Clippers, Skipjacks and Bandits), spawned several NHL mainstays such as Keith Jones, Byron Defoe, and Olaf Kolzig. However, the Clippers included future Hall of Famer goaltender Jacques Plante, playing for the squad for less than a season. The most interesting alumni have gained the most success at in the present, by helming playoff-caliber teams. Terry Murray was a player/coach for the Clippers in from the late 60s to the early 70s; today, he’s the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. Another example is Claude Julien. Julien cut his teeth with the Baltimore Skipjacks as a defenseman during the late 1980s; Julien now calls the shots for the Boston Bruins. But perhaps, the two big names that stand out in the class are Bruce Boudreau and Barry Trotz. Both spent time during Skipjacks’ latter days with Boudreau as the center in the late 80s, while Trotz was the teams’ final head coach before their relocation to Portland. Now, Bruce Boudreau coaches the Capitals and come late summer they’ll will go head-to-head, in the Baltimore Hockey Classic, against the Predators…headed by Barry Trotz.
4. “They’ve got us surrounded”
Baltimore seems to be caught up in the hockey storm, though there has been a hockey drought in the city for nearly a score. As matter of fact, there are six pro hockey teams within a 150-mile radius of Mobtown. In the NHL, there are the Capitals and the Flyers. About 85% of all Baltimore hockey fans swear allegiance to the red-rocking Capitals, while another 10% follow the other east coast, orange-and-black clad Flyers. Despite the hatred that Red Rockin' Caps have for the Broad Street Bullies (and vice versa), both teams loathe the Penguins, bringing in a mutual loathing with Baltimore and the city of Pittsburgh. Speaking of which, the AHL, where a great deal of the Baltimore teams played, hold a couple of Keystone State squads nearby, the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins and Baltimore’s former archrivals, the Hershey Bears. Finally, within the 150 mile mark, the ECHL’s Reading Royals and Trenton Devils are close by (with an open spot in their league’s Atlantic Division).
3. Baltimore hates everything about D.C…except the Capitals
Despite the fact that Caps moved their affiliation the Skipjacks in 1993, Baltimore still admire them. As a matter of fact, the Capitals are the only D.C. team that Baltimore cares about, mostly because of little wrongdoing. Oriole fans hate the Nationals for stepping in Orioles territory; the Redskins only batted an eye to Baltimore, when Art Modell had an idea to bring in the Ravens. But, the biggest slap in the face came when Abe Pollin moved the Bullets, Baltimore’s NBA team in the mid-1970s to Landover, Maryland where they won an NBA title. Then, he cut all ties completely in 1997 when the Bullets moved inside D.C. and changed their named to the Wizards. The Capitals still have a knack for coming up to Baltimore for press conferences, charity drives and autograph signings. If something comes to Baltimore, with good intentions, the residents will appreciate it.
2. “Well, ex ’Cuse Me!”
Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena, built in 1962, takes pride in being one of the oldest continually active arenas in the United States. However, the 14,000 seat capacity with cramped seating and a permanent stage have been known to force the Bullets to flee and prevent an NHL team from coming to town. Even today, with a few renovations, AHL and ECHL officials believe that the arena is very old and obsolete. But a few facts do make their observations screwy. First, two AHL teams, the Syracuse Crunch and the Rochester Americans, play in arenas that are at least 10 years older than 1st Mariner Arena. Also, they both have a smaller arena capacities. As a matter of fact, Syracuse’s War Memorial, the Crunch’s home arena, has a permanent stage, just like 1st Mariner Arena. This opinion of the minor hockey leagues saying 1st Mariner Arena is too rickety for minor-league hockey sounds a bit hypocritical.
1. “Big Balmer is watching you”
Going back to the Capitals, there’s a lot of love in Baltimore. Every season, WNST radio host and station owner Nestor Aparicio plans bus trips to Capitals games; bars and restaurants along downtown Baltimore and the neighborhood of Canton hold Capitals viewing parties; and, about 15% of all Capitals season ticket holders hail from the Baltimore area. Since the 2007-08 season, when Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and the Capitals began their run of consecutive division titles, the Capitals TV ratings leapt 125% in the Baltimore market. Actually, there were a few times that Charm City gained more viewers than their District brethren. The biggest example of hockey loyalty occurred with the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. In a matchup of the greatest NHL rivalry in recent memory, Ovechkin and the Capitals surged to a 3-1 victory over Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Baltimore grabbed the 3rd highest household rating for that broadcast (DC was in 2nd place; the host city, Pittsburgh was at the top).
Bottom Line: The offer of hosting a pro hockey game, notable names from the city’s hockey history, onslaught of hockey teams (and possible rivals) nearby, great support for and of the Capitals, AHL and ECHL hypocrisy and the high TV ratings stand to reason why Baltimore is a hockey hotbed.
