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NAHL Warriors close to new deal - Junior Hockey
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NAHL Warriors close to new deal The owner of Firland Management and the president of the Michigan Warriors were seen sitting together at the North American Hockey League team's home game at Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint on Wednesday night. Jim Cain of ... Read More...
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Randy: Way to be on top of this story you certanly do not fool around! This is "Good News" with regarads to the Warriors staying in Flint as far as I am concernd. Flint hockey fans need only to be educated a bit about Junior Hockey and that is up to Mr. McEachrn & his Staff although having said that fans need to forget about the Generals and the Minor Pro days and get in tune with the Warriors because as 1 person who is an "oldtimer" like myself and who has watched a number of games the NAHL brand of Jnior Hockey is defanitly a good brand of hockey in my opinion.
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Randy : by the way are you Canadian or American Sault St. Marie I am just curious. You give excallant coverage to the "Soo Eagles".
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Jack, thanks for your nice comments. I am Canadian and I work on both sides of the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
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Randy is the original frostback...
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Heisler the hustler, is my main man.
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As an avid hockey fan, and a life long Flint resident, I have very strong feelings on this issue. First of all, let me say that if the Warriors do come back, I will just be glad to have a team at Perani, because without the Warriors, odds are the arena would be empty next season. With that being said, the hockey fans in this area will never get past the era of the Generals because of the history and successful past. If it were up to me personally, I would rather have a minor pro team, but I will settle for the junior team as long as hockey stays alive at Perani. The fact of the matter is, the Flint community will never fully accept the Warriors, regardless of the quality of hockey in the NAHL, which I agree is a good brand of hockey. With the whole "lease ordeal" in the summer of 2010, many fans felt slighted by the way the arena handled the whole situation, so they never made the conversion to become Warriors fans. If two years of crowds filling less than 25% of the arena doesn't make them realize that the Flint area isn't interested in junior hockey, then nothing will. The Generals had attendance problems in their later years, but still averaged around 2,000 a game. The Warriors have never even had an actual crowd of 2,000... Not for a single game.
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I wonder if the community would support it if they were re-branded as the Generals...and if the team made a substantial marketing commitment to the top local radio group.
Something like a cash + deal where radio pushes the heck out of the team in exchange for a percentage of the gate that is above and beyond where they are this season.
So anything over 1,000 a game, the radio group gets a portion of gate revenues.
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Sorry, didn't mean to post that comment twice. Stephen, that is an interesting idea if they re-branded the team as the Flint Generals. That alone would open their fan base a bit. One of the biggest reasons people don't support the Warriors is that fact that Flint is not part of their team name.
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hi Brandon,
Very interesting points you have made on this. To me, though, if I'm a hockey fan and there is no longer a minor pro team in town, I take the available option, particularly if it is an atractive alternative like the NAHL and the Michigan Warriors. Having the team called the Flint Generals or the Flint "something" also holds merit. But again, if I am a hockey fan in Flint and the Generals are no more, I support the Warriors if I deem them and the NAHL to be good hockey. I would never stay away from a night of hockey entertainment just because a team was called the Michigan Warriors and not the Flint Warriors or Flint Generals. Just my thoughts. And I certainly respect yours.
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I agree with Randy that if you are a hockey fan then you are a hockey fan & if your excuse for not going to games is that this Team is called the "Michigan Warriors" not the "Flint Generals" then you can not be that much of a hockey fan.
I hear the deal is done and the Warriors will be back in Flint as Randy says thank you!
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I get where you guys are coming from, and as a fan, I do go to Warriors games when I get the chance. I don't follow them as closely as I did the Generals, but I grew up with the Generals. The NAHL is quality hockey, but apparently that's not the public opinion around here. I know those reasons aren't normally something that would keep you from enjoying a game, but that's just what most people in this area think of the Warriors and the league. I'm just happy there's still going to be a team in town.
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Jack,
About 100 years ago, the El Paso Buzzards did a stunt and changed the name to the El Paso Cow Patties. They got national publicity but the town was pissed.
I believe that was ther last season in El Paso as well.
I am sure the good folks in Oakland would frown upon a name change from the Raiders to the Seals. Boston would be pissed if they were bought and name changed to the Whalers.
There is something special about a name, especially when the name is associated with the community and its history.
Johnstown is going to be the Chiefs simply because it is the right thing to do.
Stephen
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Stephen,
Boston Patriots became the New England Patriots and it has since been one of the NFL's most-successful teams.
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FYI,
Signs are pointing to Michigan Warriors returning to Flint for 2012-13 season and beyond. As soon as I get the word -- whatever it may be -- story will be posted here on www.juniorhockey.com.
Regards,
Randy
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Thanks for the inside info, appreciate it. True, some teams have made successful name changes, but there is some merit to what a franchise name means to a community. Regardless, I'm happy the Warriors will stay. Minor-pro or junior; either way is better than an empty barn.
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