Utica Fan Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Hello, and greetings from Utica, NY. This is my 1st post, so be kind....lol. It's been 20 years since we had the AHL here in Utica, and now, finally, we are getting another chance. In less than 24 hours, the Comets take to the ice for the 1st time this regular season, at Rochester. I can't begin to tell all of you, how excited and proud we are as a community, to have your AHL affiliate here in Utica. In less than 3 months, the Comets have taken this over this city by storm. They have sold almost 1700 season tickets. This, for a building that can only hold 4000!. To put that in comparison, when the Devils AHL team was here last in 92-93, we had just under 800 season ticket holders. This community knows what its like to lose something special. Ever since it was announced that your AHL team was coming here, people couldn't get enough news and information. Social media pages here have just been buzzing, promoting this team. This is one of the biggest, and most positive things that has happened here in a long, long time. I know we are a few time zones away, but with the internet and this forum, it seems like you are right next door. I just wanted to let all of you know that you have a whole community down here that is very grateful to the Canucks organization. Grateful for believing in us and our strong, central NY hockey tradition. We will be behind this team 100%. Am I a Canucks fan? I always was, twice a year, when you played the Rangers. LOL. I've been a Devil's fan ever since their club was her 20 years ago. it was great to see Marty Brodeur play his 1st pro season here in Utica. Can't wait to learn more about the Canuck's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magician Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 How are people enjoying Vigneault down there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunCanuck Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Your enthusiasm is great to hear, congratulations and welcome! Keep us posted on how our rookies are looking out there will ya? Go Comets go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecoldstevebernier Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 It's always great to hear how excited people in Utica are for the Comets! We're just as interested up here to see our prospects play, and it's nice they'll get to do so in a community that seems to be pretty passionate about hockey. Keep us updated if you can, I hope the Aud is loud on opening night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Hey a second Utica fan on here! I can't wait for the 23rd to get here. The home opener is sold out and an outdoor big screen TV viewing party is planned for those that couldn't get tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utica Fan Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share Posted October 11, 2013 City and team officials say they "are estimating about 10,000 people to attend" pregame festivities. I will be more than happy to post some stories, pictures and videos of that day. I am trying to get the "tailgate party" started at noon. So looking forward to this! Gordie Howe, the Hanson Brothers, Night Ranger and Fireworks! Gonna be 1 heck of a home opener! Question for Canuck fans: What's will the reception be like for the Comets when they come up your way to Abbotsford? I'd like to know. Attached is a picture of us in line for opening day tix. I'm #1, 1st in line, with the Canucks Jersey on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecoldstevebernier Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 City and team officials say they "are estimating about 10,000 people to attend" pregame festivities. I will be more than happy to post some stories, pictures and videos of that day. I am trying to get the "tailgate party" started at noon. So looking forward to this! Gordie Howe, the Hanson Brothers, Night Ranger and Fireworks! Gonna be 1 heck of a home opener! Question for Canuck fans: What's will the reception be like for the Comets when they come up your way to Abbotsford? I'd like to know. Attached is a picture of us in line for opening day tix. I'm #1, 1st in line, with the Canucks Jersey on. Hey, I totally saw this picture on the Comets' twitter page! That's crazy, I heard you guys were lined up at 3 in the morning or somewhere around there. There's usually a good contingent of Canucks fans that have made it out to Abbotsford whenever the Wolves used to come to town, I expect it'll be much the same with the Comets. Abbotsford's even offering a Comets ticket package - they visit here 6 times this year so you can get tickets to all six games. I know a lot of people will probably be interested to see Nicklas Jensen play in person (when he gets healthy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rink on Renfrew Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 This is a great read. Good on you guys! I hope the team plays well for you on opening night. To answer your question. When the Comets come to Abbotsford about %60-70 of the crowd will be cheering on the Comets. It should be like a second home rink for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 City and team officials say they "are estimating about 10,000 people to attend" pregame festivities. I will be more than happy to post some stories, pictures and videos of that day. I am trying to get the "tailgate party" started at noon. So looking forward to this! Gordie Howe, the Hanson Brothers, Night Ranger and Fireworks! Gonna be 1 heck of a home opener! Question for Canuck fans: What's will the reception be like for the Comets when they come up your way to Abbotsford? I'd like to know. Attached is a picture of us in line for opening day tix. I'm #1, 1st in line, with the Canucks Jersey on. Nice opening post! Glad to see that the Comets will have great support. My cousin Jamie Huscroft played in Utica way back when he was drafted by the Devils so I did follow the club a bit. The Devils had some great talent back then. I believe one of them is now coaching the Ottawa Sens. Very excited that Vancouver actually owns their own AHL team now. It should help player development big time. The depth in the org is growing. I see some Utica contracts being given to players which the big club cannot handle due to the 50 contract limit and for CAP reasons. Players will be interested because of the development advantage which could lead to a NHL contract. I believe Alex Burrows original contract was with the Moose not the Canucks. The real Utica advantage will probably be with signing college players. All the major programs are in the east and within easy distance of Utica. Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 City and team officials say they "are estimating about 10,000 people to attend" pregame festivities. I will be more than happy to post some stories, pictures and videos of that day. I am trying to get the "tailgate party" started at noon. So looking forward to this! Gordie Howe, the Hanson Brothers, Night Ranger and Fireworks! Gonna be 1 heck of a home opener! Question for Canuck fans: What's will the reception be like for the Comets when they come up your way to Abbotsford? I'd like to know. Attached is a picture of us in line for opening day tix. I'm #1, 1st in line, with the Canucks Jersey on. do you have a... sundin.... jersey? with the C on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Nice opening post! Glad to see that the Comets will have great support. My cousin Jamie Huscroft played in Utica way back when he was drafted by the Devils so I did follow the club a bit. The Devils had some great talent back then. I believe one of them is now coaching the Ottawa Sens. Very excited that Vancouver actually owns their own AHL team now. It should help player development big time. The depth in the org is growing. I see some Utica contracts being given to players which the big club cannot handle due to the 50 contract limit and for CAP reasons. Players will be interested because of the development advantage which could lead to a NHL contract. I believe Alex Burrows original contract was with the Moose not the Canucks. The real Utica advantage will probably be with signing college players. All the major programs are in the east and within easy distance of Utica. Love it! I remember watching Jamie Huscroft very well back in the Utica Devils days. He was one tough SOB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Welcome on board Utican's! It'll be nice having some local fans reporting in on our prospects, I look forward to reading your posts and love the positive and excited attitude of you/your city Word of warning... Avoid the main "Canucks Talk" section and/or read with a grain of salt. A good portion of that forum is seemingly bipolar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utica Fan Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share Posted October 11, 2013 Sorry, It's not a Sundin jersey, with the "C". Here's the scoop on the #13 jersey. About a month ago, I was hospitalized with a serious medical condition. My brother and sister, who both live out of town, wanted to get me a "get well soon" gift. They knew how excited I've been about the Comets playing here so they tried to get me a Comets jersey. Problem was, they were not available yet, so they went and got me a personalized Canucks jersey instead. Why? they are the parent team and, they had the colors. The #13 represents the uniform number I wore throughout my baseball playing days. It wasn't meant to represent any Canuck player. The "C" stands for Comets, not captain. Again, sorry. Under the circumstances, it was a great gesture, and I'll wear that, with pride, for the games. It's priceless.....thanks Ron and Sherri! Less than 8 hrs to the puck drop. let's go Comets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 thanks for the clarification on the jersey, your mandated shunning can now cease. Also, glad you are feeling better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higgyfan Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Looking forward to hearing about the Comets this year. With the Canucks involvement, I can see the team being a great place for the prospect development. The enthusiasm is great as well. Never saw much of that in Chicago. I don't know how they'll do this year, but next year I can see some good prospects coming up from Jrs. Go Comets Go!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 I remember watching Jamie Huscroft very well back in the Utica Devils days. He was one tough SOB! Living close to Seattle now. Involved in youth hockey programs. Haven't talked to him for a while. If you thought Jamie was tough his older brother was way tougher. Johnny Bucyk lives here in the summer and commented that Jamie's Dad, Bill, could have made the show if he had had the chance. I played rec hockey against him and he gave no quarter until the beer flowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Hard Truth Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Good to hear ! and yes a headsup on these boards half the posters are trolls from other teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utica Fan Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 Jamie Hushcroft was a tough SOB indeed, but, I can remember some other ones as well. Back then, we loved having the Newmarket Saints (Toronto's affiliate), come to town just to see Ty (sp.) Domi go against the likes of Jeff Madill and Troy Crowder. Always entertaining to say the least. Domi was a real instigater..loved to hate him but wished he was on your side. Ahhhhh. that was good hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utica Fan Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 Looking forward to hearing about the Comets this year. With the Canucks involvement, I can see the team being a great place for the prospect development. The enthusiasm is great as well. Never saw much of that in Chicago. I don't know how they'll do this year, but next year I can see some good prospects coming up from Jrs. Go Comets Go!!!! Why Utica is a good fit for hockey. When the news about Vancouver assigning their AHL affiliate to Utica broke, I wanted to read up on all the news. It disturbed me to read some "negative" comments about our city. I understand that everyone has their opinions, and some were upset that their city wasn't chosen. Negative news being spread from "non-informed sources", is always "bad news". Utica has been referred to as "a dump", "Sh$&hole"...etc. Let me set the record straight: 1st, Utica does have some "run down" sections. Can anyone name me 1 city that doesn't? 2nd, Utica is in a economic depression. True, but can anyone name me one part of the U.S. that hasn't had a economic setback? 3rd, Utica has a "high rate of crime". I think that "high rate" is much exaggerated. There is crime, yes, but where isn't there crime? Our building is "too old, and "too small". I've always said...it's not the size of the building, it's the fans in it, that count. Here are my "opinions" (rebuttal), on why Utica is a good fit for AHL hockey: First, and foremost: Location, location, location. Because of our location, any team playing here will instantly save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on travel costs. Bus rides, love them or hate them, are still way cheaper than flying. Utica sits within 300 miles (482 km) of 11 AHL teams. That means more time at home for practice instead of "hotel time". It also means your players are better rested. Being so close to these other teams (in New York especially), creates some great rivalries. Our fans can travel to away games to support our Comets. Other teams as well, can travel here to Utica to support their team. (if they can get a ticket ) Our "barn" may be small (4000 capacity), but it will be full every game. Is it better to play in a building that seats 10,000 and only draw 4'000? I think it's more intimidating to have every seat full. It may be small, but, it's loud! Just ask the Utica College Pioneers hockey team. They sell out every home game, and they are a Division 3! Other D3 play their "home games" here just to play in front of a large crowd.The city has pumped almost $4 million in upgrades into our building. New video scoreboards, locker rooms, training rooms, interior paint (Canuck colors throughout the entire inside of the building). And, new for next season, they are putting in luxury boxes. These boxes have ALREADY BEEN SOLD! I think the one thing we cant control is "call ups". How are we going to get a player to and from their parent team when they are 3 time zones away? Good question. The good news here is that the Canucks, and the Comets, will be on the road 50% of the time. Hopefully, it won't be a hardship. We are trying to prove that we, as a city, are thankful for getting another shot at the AHL. We are doing all we can to keep the AHL here for the long term. We are trying to "play catch up" for all the years we have missed. These are just "opinions" shared from "a fan" that lives here. I am grateful that we are getting AHL hockey again. To me, it just makes sense to re-locate here. In today's economy, the more ways you can save money, the better product you can provide. Besides, WE ARE ALL CANUCKS now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sestito Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Can you show us a pic what it looks like renovated from the interior? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.