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AHL owners ponder 72-game schedule

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By Craig DeVrieze | Thursday, January 31, 2008 |

Quad-City Flames owners said they might favor a push to reduce the number of AHL games from 80 to 72 if it meant four fewer home games on hard-to-draw nights.

NHL teams have suggested the reduction as a means of easing scheduling demands on their prospects, particularly stretches of four games in five nights.

The push was discussed at a meeting of AHL owners earlier this week at the All-Star game in Binghamton, N.Y.

“It was a heavy discussion point,’’ said Q-C owner Kevin Murphy, who represented the Flames in Binghamton. “The arenas that are selling out or are almost full don’t want it. Most of us, if we could get rid of some of our lower selling nights, like Sundays, probably would be more interested.”

This year’s Flames schedule includes seven Sunday dates. Through four of those, the Flames have averaged 3,102 fans a game. They also have 10 Wednesday dates. Through six of those, the team has averaged 2,659 fans.

Murphy said the issue probably will be revisited at an owners meeting in May, but couldn’t predict an outcome.

“It was real mixed feelings,’’ he said. “You couldn’t get a handle on which way the owners and GMs would go.”

Whatever happens, Murphy and fellow Flames owners expect a more favorable schedule next year.

They said the abundance of diffucult dates this year, coupled with too many home games in succession followed by long trips on the road, is owed to turning in open arena dates to the AHL in late May, days after Quad-Cities joined the league.

“We have already fixed that problem,” Murphy said. “I think we’re the first one in with our dates for next year.”

Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com.