Happy Friday, everyone. The work week has come to a close and the hockey off-season keeps inching closer and closer to its end as well. For example, the AHL’s schedule is due out in the near future thanks to the NBA officially unveiling their league schedule for the 2016-17 season last evening. While the Milwaukee Admirals are no longer tenants to an NBA arena there are still a few teams caught in that mix which forces the wait. That being said, both last season and the season prior both had the AHL schedule get released on the 27th of August. So, we’re almost in the good.
~Aww Shucks, There Go The Bucks~
While the wait for the AHL schedule to drop has been a lengthy one most fans have had their calendars circled for the home opener for a good while. The Milwaukee Admirals return to the ol’ MECCA, now known as the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, is on Saturday October 29th. What became known last night was that across the street at the BMO Harris Bradley Center is that it wouldn’t be the only professional sporting event taking place that date. The Milwaukee Bucks are set to play the Brooklyn Nets on the -exact same night- with the -exact same time- tag not attached to it because the Admirals will be playing an hour earlier on the evening.
While the AHL schedule isn’t out yet I have to imagine this will be the first of a few crossover moments between the Admirals and Bucks for the year’s to come. I’d also have to take a shot in the dark guess that this might be the first instance of the two teams playing at the same time in the same city since the Admirals’ Wilson Park days of the franchise.
The long story short here is that this little head-to-head between the Admirals and Bucks is the present and future of downtown Milwaukee. What’s ironic here in terms of actual business practices is that both would love to lean on casual fans to sweep on by and attend games – but now one will likely detract from the other in that respect. It would be in both organization’s best interests to minimize these head-to-head dates – especially for the Admirals once the allure of attending a new arena becomes a reality. Whether this means the Admirals shifting towards afternoon games on the weekend during conflict dates or not will remain to be seen. But, it’s either that or directly going head-to-head and seeing which fans cross West State Street to their respective homes. Uniquely that is a story behind the on-ice product that will be fascinating to see unfold if there are a solid number of conflict dates between the two teams.
~Cleveland Cavaliers On-Ice~
If that little NBA/AHL crossover discussion wasn’t enough there was the news this week that the 2015-16 AHL Calder Cup Champions will no longer be known as the Lake Erie Monsters but as the Cleveland Monsters.
On the surface, I’m a fan of that switch because that is where they play and it provides a better professional identity for the team to utilize the name of their city. What I am not sold on having Dan Gilbert’s ownership of the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as the Monsters mean having the exact same look. Because, at a certain point, why not rename last year’s Calder Cup winners the Cavaliers as well if their uniform update is meant to copy them anyways.
I suppose a throwback to the Cleveland Barons was simply out of the question. That’s a shame for purely nostalgic reasons. If anything this rebranding and new look is uniquely their own identity. I will give the Cleveland Monsters that. It’s not a very good one -but- it is all their’s now. They aren’t exactly the first team to really embrace the look or identity of their local NBA team. True. It’s just an odd mishmash. I do however look forward to the potential Cavaliers/Spurs and Monsters/Rampage crossover game that will need to take place twice this season – once in Cleveland and once in San Antonio. For a laugh. You can read more about the the updated look of the Monsters on Icethetics.
~Pre-Season~
I did some due diligence in sharing the news on social media but, for those that missed out, the pre-season dates for the Milwaukee Admirals are officially set.
Friday, Oct. 7 vs. Rockford: 7:00 pm CST (MSOE Kern Center)
Saturday, Oct. 8 @ Chicago: 7:00 pm CST (Triphahn Center Ice Arena at Hoffman Estates)
This is becoming a tale as old as time. The Rockford IceHogs at the Kern Center followed by a road game against the Chicago Wolves the next evening. The pre-season really picks up in Nashville with the Nashville Predators Rookie Camp on September 15th with a Rookie Tournament taking place September 17-20. The official Predators training camp begins on September 22nd and their official pre-season schedule is locked and loaded with the final pre-season game taking place the same night as the Admirals meeting with the Wolves.
How do you feel head-to-head competition between the Milwaukee Admirals and Milwaukee Bucks will impact both organization’s business?
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As to the schedule conflicts with the Bucks and Admirals playing on the same night, I have to wonder how many people are really fans of both teams. I am not a big basketball fan so it doesn’t affect me. I think hockey fans are a pretty unique group. They are not going to go across the street when both teams play on the same night. The only bad thing will be parking.
Dan, I actually think this works in the admirals favor and let me tell you why. First thing I think the Admirals have going for them is little to no crossover to see the Bucks play. I can tell you that as an Ex-season ticket holder of the Bucks, the pricing is the real turn off. I will never be a sheep in the new building. this is because nothing below the upper deck in the new arena will be much under 75 dollars per seat. This is insane. The product is not good enough to justify what the NBA charges. This is not the NHL where all the players actually put forth an effort. When my $35 tickets went to $45 I bit the bullet. when they went to $55 I laughed. And that was up by the boxes on the baseline! If you want to sit in the lower along the court up by the boxes it will run you $124. Courtside? child please. Better have $500. FOR EACH TICKET. Half season? Those $124 tickets are $145. Upperdeck courtside? Hope you have $38. Wanna get into the first 7 rows upper courtside? how bout 50 each.
People say NHL tickets are expensive, but not that expensive. How bout a family of four walks up and buys nose bleed seats, upper level tops 6 rows baseline for 25/each. Better bring tissue to stop the bleeding and binoculars so you can see something.
Not sure you see where I am going here, but the Admirals will benefit from walk up sales when people get sticker shock. I know where prices at the new arena are going. I have been quoted. I believe my response was I don’t know if you know this, but New York Pricing is not going to go over well outside the first season or two. You won’t be getting in the door for under $35.00. And food pricies are going to skyrocket at the new building. They are working their way up as we speak. A 16 oz MGD for $12? A hotdog for $8. A slice of pizza for $12. A bottle of water for $6 You see where I am going with this. People will not want to afford it other than to say they have seen it once.
Oh God it hadn’t occurred to me that we’d run into that kind of scheduling conflict, but in retrospect it should have. I guess I’ll be cross-checking the Bucks schedule when I pick my games. I don’t want to deal with the added traffic/parking hassles.
I was not expecting the home opener to be so late and long ago scheduled a trip over that weekend, so I was upset when the date was announced and I realized I couldn’t go. Now I guess it’s a blessing in disguise!
I’m still basically clueless as to where a good place to park is by the UWMPA even without Bucks and Ads games at the same time.
I highly agree that there is little crossover between hockey and basketball fans in the Milwaukee area. You can definitely tell more casual fans show up after football season ends (which I don’t totally understand as football is one day per week for each team and in GB, not Milwaukee for “Da Pack”). Bucks fans, though, that’s a totally different crowd.
I don’t know if I agree with you Ads Fan about ticket prices for the NHL versus NBA. NHL games are ridiculously expensive too, but it does depend (to a point) on what city you are watching a game in. I’ve been to games in Nashville, Tampa and Sunrise, all upper deck. Tampa was actually the most reasonable overall. I was shocked at how reasonable their food prices were and the arena, atmosphere and fans were great. I hope you’re not planning on ever going to see a game at the United Center in Chicago. If you do, I hope you are bringing your bank account with you.
Dee, Don’t want to deal with traffic? Go to Sazs have supper and let them drive you door to door. There are plenty of restaurants who do. Steve’s on Bluemound, Who’s on first, any of the local downtown hotels. Don’t let parking scare you. Give your money to a local restaurant instead of the parking people. Go for an appetizer and a beer. They will still drive you! if you are coming from the west park and carpool with another ticket holder. We have a minivan and it’s just me my wife and daughter, so we can fit four more so maybe we split parking. Just an idea and we can all get together and talk about ways to avoid the dreaded Bucks. I have also been saying for years they should start on Saturdays at 6 pm. Could even start at 5 pm those head to head nights. Our crowds would arrive around 3:30 to 4 pm. It’s nice to still have a little night left to do other things when the game is over.
The only downside is going to be the price of parking in the surface lots or garages. They’ll be jacked up an extra $5 or $10 for the Bucks crowd. Depending on how many games overlap with the Bucks, it may be a deal to buy any parking pass option the Admirals give out this year. I know there was talk of doing parking passes for the surface lot directly across from the UWMPA on Kilbourn Ave. I think they mentioned that the passes wouldn’t guarantee you a spot though as other places use that lot as well. :( This year will definitely be an adventure for the first month or so of the season!
I have been to a few places and always buy on the secondary market until this year. I decided to buy 6 games for the Arizona Coyotes. I paid for my tickets via selling the two blackhawks games and a detroit red wings game. Club level for the three games I attended were $89.50 each. The games I sold were $125 each. I sold those for $250 each. Previously I paid $80 to see a Minnesota Wild game club level vs columbus, $95 to see a Colorado Avalanche game club level vs nashville, and $25 to see tampa bay vs boston in the upper level. I have also paid $45 dollars to sit club level for an orlando solar bears game, far and away the best arena ever. The only way that I would go to chicago is through business connections.
I believe one of the purposes of moving back to the arena was so they can get better dates so crossovers are going to happen. We can expect to pay more for parking when the Bucks are playing. Nothing against the Admirals but if it is expensive to go, there is good high school hockey in the area.
This is just one more reason for me to not like the Bucks and their three stooges (owners).
Get there early and take up all of the less expensive places to park. If people are paying $100 for a Bucks ticket, they can pay $20 or $25 to park. Screw them!
I have been to one Bucks game since Sidney Moncrief retired. I got 2 seats for donating blood. I am never going back. My high school team could have defeated the Bucks that night. If I get free Bucks tickets again, I will sell or give them to somebody, probably to somebody that I don’t like!
There is tons of places to park where you don’t have to pay at all. There is that parking lot on 4th street across from Boston Store that is $5 to $10 bucks. It’s only a six minute walk.
Bucks have 11 Friday’s and only 6 Saturday nights games. Marquette and the Admirals haven’t released schedules. Let’s not worry about parking.
I used to park at the Brewery. Sometimes at places on the street, sometimes in the garage for 75 cents an hour. A typical Admirals game was $3.