This is my first story- and one of three about sports. Enjoy......
USHL & NAHL Face-off
Ice, snow, and blustering winds don’t keep these fans away from a hockey game. SUVs, trucks, and mini-vans of all sorts fill the parking lot. A line of 50 people stretches from the ticket window out to the sidewalk. It’s game time at the Coliseum, for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. But the Force is coming into town, and plans to heat things up.
Hockey isn’t something new to the Fargo-Moorhead area. From little mites to hockey elites, this town is filled with hockey. Currently, Fargo is the host to the North American Hockey League team known as the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. With the new Urban Plains facility planning to open its doors for the 2008 season, many people worry the Jets are going to be grounded.
The Urban Plains Facility will be the home to the Force, a United States Hockey team elite tier 1 team, will likely blockade the hopes of the Jets continuing next season. The shiny new arena will not only be the center of attention of “ooh’s” and “awws,” but the talent will be much higher than what the Jets currently have. The USHL is imposing in on the Jet stream.
The Jets are part of the NAHL, which ranked in the Tier 2, whereas the USHL Force are part of the Tier 1. The biggest difference between the two leagues is the talent of players. Tier 1 players are likely to be picked up by a Division 1 college over a player who is playing in the NAHL or Tier 2.
The Jets are in their fifth season in Fargo. However, this is not the only team Fargo has supported in the past 30 years. Fargo has been a host to multiple hockey teams since 1973, when the Sugar Kings, part of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League, played for two seasons. Fargo was without a minor league hockey team for about 20 years, when finally the Express made a stop in Fargo. The Express was part of the American Hockey League and existed for only one season, from 1992-93. Following the dissolve of the Express, the first semi-professional hockey team tore its way into the Fargo Moorhead area. The Bears were a short lived team, only having one season from 1995-96. The Bears were the first United States Hockey League team in Fargo-Moorhead.
Fargo Ice Sharks were formed in 1996 right after the Bears folded that same year. The Sharks lasted a whole four seasons before the team was bought in 2000 and is now known as the Chicago Steel. Steve Strasheim, general manager for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets has seen the pit falls of previous organizations.
“The Ice Sharks weren’t a winning team,” he said. “You need to have a winning team to be supported in this community.”
It is hard to find a community who will cheer on a team with a history of losing, and the Jets have a proven track record of making it to playoffs every season of existence, he said.
“The Force will need to win, to keep the attention,” Strasheim.
Strasheim says for a minor league team to survive in the Fargo Moorhead area there are three critical things the team needs to have.
“You need to have community support, money, and you need to have an edge.”
Fargo has struggled to maintain a minor or professional hockey organization for more than four years, and not much has changed since the 1970s. Strasheim says no, to the possibility of Fargo being able to support two minor teams. He saw the Ice Sharks fail, and has done his best to keep things going, but knows that time is running out.
“Fargo isn’t a hockey town,” he said. “It struggles to support one team.”
Aaron Kinslow, assistant coach for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets for the past four seasons, has a similar view.
“It will be interesting to see what happens,” he said. “The novelty of a new arena will eventually wear off.”
Finding an edge is one of the hardest things to do with so many competitors in the same region. The North Dakota State University Bison have established a name for themselves, and their athletic program has been around for years. The Jets are also competing with high school athletics, and other entertainment venues.
In comparison to a Concordia hockey game, where average attendance is about 200 fans, the Jets can draw in a much larger crowd. However, attendance at a Jets game compared to a Bison basketball game, the Jets are pushed off the map, by a whopping 6,000 fans.
“We average about 1,000 diehard fans each game,” Strasheim said. “We have seen the support of new fans, due to the motives that the Urban Plains group has shown the community.”
With the threat of the USHL coming into town and taking over the Jets domain, being an established team has its benefits. The Jets have developed a name for themselves, Strasheim said. The team has produced four winning seasons, and one national championship. The Coliseum has an atmosphere that everyone has grown to love. It has character, and there is no other rink like it, said Strasheim.
There is still the underlying question: why the big hype about the USHL? According to Jets general manager, the USHL is the top tier of minor league hockey. The USHL draws big names and higher-end players who are likely to be picked up by top collegiate teams and possible NHL draft picks.
With the new team forcing its way into Fargo, the new arena also has its benefits to drawing a crowd.
The news of the USHL team moving in isn’t new to the fans of the Jets. Regardless of the threat it has imposed on this organization the Jets intend to stay for as long as they can.
Frizzy hair, side ponies, wild colored leg warmers and wide-cut sweatshirts scatter the rink on 80’s night. Fans get into the event for a fun night to dress up, but also so support the Jets. Management has come up with a few creative promotions this year including, Ice Fishing Night, Wild Night, and Urban Cowboy Night.
“The owners could have pulled the plug at the first sight of things getting rough, but they’ve stuck it out,” he said. “This shows dedication for the love of the game. We aren’t here just to make money, but for the love of hockey.”
Johnson said that the new building will provide a facility that Fargo has never seen before. The Urban Plains Center greets a new visitor with large windows and a covered entrance for those nights of blustering wind, rain, and snow.
“I think that our building will be something that really sets us apart,” Johnson said.
The new Urban Plains Center will have five sheets of ice. Whereas the Coliseum has one main sheet of ice, and adjoining the Coliseum is the Teamsters rink which adds another sheet. The Urban Plains Center will have 37 locker rooms. Compared to six at the Coliseum. A palace verses a warehouse to some.
The John E. Carlson Coliseum “has character,” Strasheim said. The Coliseum seats 4,200 people, and was built in 1968. Retro colored seats covered in turquoise and aqua blue paint designate the reserved section in the arena. The color scheme still indicates the remnants of the Ice Sharks. These seats came from the Mets Center to add more permanent seating for the Ice Shark games. Bleacher stairs are worn and discolored. Cement walls are in dire need of a fresh coat of paint, and a facelift. The faucets don’t sparkle like new. Black scuffs line the corner of the boards, and it will be a good night, if a bolt doesn’t fly loose after a hard hit into the boards.
The new arena, fresh and brand new, doesn’t just pose a threat to the Jets organization, but to the overall player selection for a future team.
“The process for recruiting stays the same,” Kinslow said. “You always plan a year in advance.”
Kinslow sees the USHL team as an opportunity to recruit a stronger set of talent.
“It’s a great opportunity to play in a city with both a NAHL team and have the opportunity to get looked at by a USHL team,” he said. It gives players the chance to move up in ranks, which is the intent of playing juniors.
Lance Johnson, general manager of the Urban Plains Center and Tournament Facility, says the Fargo Force has already made their draft picks for this upcoming season.
“Coach Blais has recruited eight players in the futures draft, and he has signed three of his four tenders that the new team is allowed,” Johnson said.
However, the Force has some of its own strengths.
“I think the Force’s strongest benefits are strong ownership, a veteran coach, and a new building to play in,” he said.
Blais will be the head coach of the Fargo Force. Blais coached at the University of North Dakota for ten years, and during his career obtained two national championships, a runner up in 2001, and has the highest percentage of wins, during his coaching career.
Change is inevitable, but the effects of the new USHL team are undetermined as of yet. There will be a season for the Jets next year Strasheim said.
The organization that is most prepared to survive and fight is what it’s going to come down to. Community support, facilities, talent and money. The new Urban Plains facility is going to be a new fad, where everyone wants to come and check it out, Kinslow said.
But the Jets are still in town, playing strong, and doing the best they can.
It’s the third period with 13 seconds remaining. The fans are on their feet, clapping and shouting, “J-E-T-S…jets, jets, jets.” The clock ticks down. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,….1! Jets win 3-2. The Jets may have won tonight, but winning the appeal of the Fargo-Moorhead community is really what matters at this point in time.
Fans bundle up in puffy winter jackets, wool mittens, hats and gloves, and exit the Coliseum after another night out with the Jets, but, will they return.
The Jet fuel is running low, but the Force is ready for takeoff.
“We hope to have our opening night on October 31st,” Johnson said.
**Prices for individual tickets were not available at the time for print (4/28/08)
USHL & NAHL Face-off
Ice, snow, and blustering winds don’t keep these fans away from a hockey game. SUVs, trucks, and mini-vans of all sorts fill the parking lot. A line of 50 people stretches from the ticket window out to the sidewalk. It’s game time at the Coliseum, for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. But the Force is coming into town, and plans to heat things up.
Hockey isn’t something new to the Fargo-Moorhead area. From little mites to hockey elites, this town is filled with hockey. Currently, Fargo is the host to the North American Hockey League team known as the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. With the new Urban Plains facility planning to open its doors for the 2008 season, many people worry the Jets are going to be grounded.
The Urban Plains Facility will be the home to the Force, a United States Hockey team elite tier 1 team, will likely blockade the hopes of the Jets continuing next season. The shiny new arena will not only be the center of attention of “ooh’s” and “awws,” but the talent will be much higher than what the Jets currently have. The USHL is imposing in on the Jet stream.
The Jets are part of the NAHL, which ranked in the Tier 2, whereas the USHL Force are part of the Tier 1. The biggest difference between the two leagues is the talent of players. Tier 1 players are likely to be picked up by a Division 1 college over a player who is playing in the NAHL or Tier 2.
The Jets are in their fifth season in Fargo. However, this is not the only team Fargo has supported in the past 30 years. Fargo has been a host to multiple hockey teams since 1973, when the Sugar Kings, part of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League, played for two seasons. Fargo was without a minor league hockey team for about 20 years, when finally the Express made a stop in Fargo. The Express was part of the American Hockey League and existed for only one season, from 1992-93. Following the dissolve of the Express, the first semi-professional hockey team tore its way into the Fargo Moorhead area. The Bears were a short lived team, only having one season from 1995-96. The Bears were the first United States Hockey League team in Fargo-Moorhead.
Fargo Ice Sharks were formed in 1996 right after the Bears folded that same year. The Sharks lasted a whole four seasons before the team was bought in 2000 and is now known as the Chicago Steel. Steve Strasheim, general manager for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets has seen the pit falls of previous organizations.
“The Ice Sharks weren’t a winning team,” he said. “You need to have a winning team to be supported in this community.”
It is hard to find a community who will cheer on a team with a history of losing, and the Jets have a proven track record of making it to playoffs every season of existence, he said.
“The Force will need to win, to keep the attention,” Strasheim.
Strasheim says for a minor league team to survive in the Fargo Moorhead area there are three critical things the team needs to have.
“You need to have community support, money, and you need to have an edge.”
Fargo has struggled to maintain a minor or professional hockey organization for more than four years, and not much has changed since the 1970s. Strasheim says no, to the possibility of Fargo being able to support two minor teams. He saw the Ice Sharks fail, and has done his best to keep things going, but knows that time is running out.
“Fargo isn’t a hockey town,” he said. “It struggles to support one team.”
Aaron Kinslow, assistant coach for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets for the past four seasons, has a similar view.
“It will be interesting to see what happens,” he said. “The novelty of a new arena will eventually wear off.”
Finding an edge is one of the hardest things to do with so many competitors in the same region. The North Dakota State University Bison have established a name for themselves, and their athletic program has been around for years. The Jets are also competing with high school athletics, and other entertainment venues.
In comparison to a Concordia hockey game, where average attendance is about 200 fans, the Jets can draw in a much larger crowd. However, attendance at a Jets game compared to a Bison basketball game, the Jets are pushed off the map, by a whopping 6,000 fans.
“We average about 1,000 diehard fans each game,” Strasheim said. “We have seen the support of new fans, due to the motives that the Urban Plains group has shown the community.”
With the threat of the USHL coming into town and taking over the Jets domain, being an established team has its benefits. The Jets have developed a name for themselves, Strasheim said. The team has produced four winning seasons, and one national championship. The Coliseum has an atmosphere that everyone has grown to love. It has character, and there is no other rink like it, said Strasheim.
There is still the underlying question: why the big hype about the USHL? According to Jets general manager, the USHL is the top tier of minor league hockey. The USHL draws big names and higher-end players who are likely to be picked up by top collegiate teams and possible NHL draft picks.
With the new team forcing its way into Fargo, the new arena also has its benefits to drawing a crowd.
The news of the USHL team moving in isn’t new to the fans of the Jets. Regardless of the threat it has imposed on this organization the Jets intend to stay for as long as they can.
Frizzy hair, side ponies, wild colored leg warmers and wide-cut sweatshirts scatter the rink on 80’s night. Fans get into the event for a fun night to dress up, but also so support the Jets. Management has come up with a few creative promotions this year including, Ice Fishing Night, Wild Night, and Urban Cowboy Night.
“The owners could have pulled the plug at the first sight of things getting rough, but they’ve stuck it out,” he said. “This shows dedication for the love of the game. We aren’t here just to make money, but for the love of hockey.”
Johnson said that the new building will provide a facility that Fargo has never seen before. The Urban Plains Center greets a new visitor with large windows and a covered entrance for those nights of blustering wind, rain, and snow.
“I think that our building will be something that really sets us apart,” Johnson said.
The new Urban Plains Center will have five sheets of ice. Whereas the Coliseum has one main sheet of ice, and adjoining the Coliseum is the Teamsters rink which adds another sheet. The Urban Plains Center will have 37 locker rooms. Compared to six at the Coliseum. A palace verses a warehouse to some.
The John E. Carlson Coliseum “has character,” Strasheim said. The Coliseum seats 4,200 people, and was built in 1968. Retro colored seats covered in turquoise and aqua blue paint designate the reserved section in the arena. The color scheme still indicates the remnants of the Ice Sharks. These seats came from the Mets Center to add more permanent seating for the Ice Shark games. Bleacher stairs are worn and discolored. Cement walls are in dire need of a fresh coat of paint, and a facelift. The faucets don’t sparkle like new. Black scuffs line the corner of the boards, and it will be a good night, if a bolt doesn’t fly loose after a hard hit into the boards.
The new arena, fresh and brand new, doesn’t just pose a threat to the Jets organization, but to the overall player selection for a future team.
“The process for recruiting stays the same,” Kinslow said. “You always plan a year in advance.”
Kinslow sees the USHL team as an opportunity to recruit a stronger set of talent.
“It’s a great opportunity to play in a city with both a NAHL team and have the opportunity to get looked at by a USHL team,” he said. It gives players the chance to move up in ranks, which is the intent of playing juniors.
Lance Johnson, general manager of the Urban Plains Center and Tournament Facility, says the Fargo Force has already made their draft picks for this upcoming season.
“Coach Blais has recruited eight players in the futures draft, and he has signed three of his four tenders that the new team is allowed,” Johnson said.
However, the Force has some of its own strengths.
“I think the Force’s strongest benefits are strong ownership, a veteran coach, and a new building to play in,” he said.
Blais will be the head coach of the Fargo Force. Blais coached at the University of North Dakota for ten years, and during his career obtained two national championships, a runner up in 2001, and has the highest percentage of wins, during his coaching career.
Change is inevitable, but the effects of the new USHL team are undetermined as of yet. There will be a season for the Jets next year Strasheim said.
The organization that is most prepared to survive and fight is what it’s going to come down to. Community support, facilities, talent and money. The new Urban Plains facility is going to be a new fad, where everyone wants to come and check it out, Kinslow said.
But the Jets are still in town, playing strong, and doing the best they can.
It’s the third period with 13 seconds remaining. The fans are on their feet, clapping and shouting, “J-E-T-S…jets, jets, jets.” The clock ticks down. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,….1! Jets win 3-2. The Jets may have won tonight, but winning the appeal of the Fargo-Moorhead community is really what matters at this point in time.
Fans bundle up in puffy winter jackets, wool mittens, hats and gloves, and exit the Coliseum after another night out with the Jets, but, will they return.
The Jet fuel is running low, but the Force is ready for takeoff.
“We hope to have our opening night on October 31st,” Johnson said.
**Prices for individual tickets were not available at the time for print (4/28/08)
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