South Lake Tahoe resident here. People in Nevada have a lot of Nevada pride. People in northern Nevada will support this team because it is located in Stateline, Nevada. People on the California side (like myself) will support the team because we are big hockey fans here. I personally hate the team name and logo though. All my coworkers were clowning on them for that. As for the fan base in region. The number quoted is only the Lake Tahoe basin. I guarantee you Nevadans that live down the hill (Gardnerville, Minden, Carson City) will be going to these games.
@@davidstone4725 But a question: staff for these teams. Will they even be able to afford Carson City? Outside of coaches and players, those aren’t the best paying positions. Know someone on a hockey message board who was really troubled- down to the murkiest depths of his soul- by awarding a team to that location.
I've got full confidence in this Tahoe team. Their owner group has had great success in other teams they own in the ECHL - the Jacksonville Icemen, the Allen Americans and the Savannah Ghost Pirates - and they're actually preparing to bring their 5th ECHL franchise to my town here in Georgia. They've got a great vision and a plan for the sport and are very active in giving back to the local communities that their teams are located in. I have no doubt that the Tahoe team will be a great success for them.
I attended the nickname reveal at the Tahoe Blue Event Center as well as the jersey and affiliate announcement at Bally’s. Both events were really well ran and both attended by easily more than 1k.
I live in Tahoe and am excited to see how they do! I’m wondering if it’ll be sustainable but we’ll see! The casino is now called Bally’s. There is a (an?) USPHL team currently using the smaller rink in town and I feel like most home games are pretty full, if the team is fun to watch the people will come, but if they’re boring the buzz will die out. Drive will be a pain in winter for those coming from Nevada but like they say “if you build it, they will come”-Michael Scott? I will say they tried building an event center a while ago and ended up with a hole in the ground for years, so this is already a nice start lol Uniforms are pretty sick! If I can make it to games I’ll probably rock my Sharks gear still 😅
The jerseys are alright I guess. I hate the name personally. I really wish they were affiliated with the sharks. So I have to agree with you that I will be wearing my sharks gear to games.
@@davidstone4725 Not a big fan of the name myself either and I wish they were sharks affiliates also, why can’t we keep Tahoe as Sharks territory? Lol but I’m excited for higher level hockey to come to town! Just wish they did parking deals for locals.
I'm rooting for it's success. The fanbase and the required attendance is questionable, but this new building to the Tahoe Strip may increase tourism and conventions. I also found it interesting that Reno didn't already have a minor league team.
I got to tour the new arena last week; it is absolutely superb. I have some Knight Monsters swag and it's not quite the same shade of teal that the Sharks use. I do think the business model will require significant drive-up volume from Reno (about 45 minutes, assuming no weather issues) to succeed. The elephant is the room is the sleazy Alex Merulo's plan to ditch yet another established market and bring his team to a planned arena about a mile from the airport, but I'm skeptical that this ever happens. I'd have to assume that the TKM ownership believes they can be financially viable with a significant number of empty seats, particularly mid-week. The arena itself is owned by Douglas County, NV and can be profitable based on concerts and conventions.
Mérelo couldn’t pay the bills with Arizona. I wouldn’t bet on him keeping his word and moving the Roadrunners here. Where’s the money for the arena coming from?
@@djcaptchaos7674 The dude who lost the Coyotes- and probably didn’t collect the full billion he was “paid” for them because of debt- probably shouldn’t be counted on to build the arena he wanted to build.
Wow another rink! South Tahoe already has one of my favorite ice rinks! Always excited for a new rink. Wonder if they’ll have public skate at this new facility
They had one public skate; however, its a Convention Center and Ice Arena, so doubtful there will be too many. Possibly during the season, but odds are it'll be for Season Ticket Holders.
I may have missed it, but did you do a video about the ECHL's Bison in Bloomington, IL? Already got my season ticket. Also being a Knights fan(San Jose will always be #1), i really like this. I now have an excuse to go check out Reno. "Well, the Monsters are in town, soooo, lets go to Tahoe, too."
And around Christmas we’ll have the outdoor ice rink by the lakeside @edgewood golf resort! And yes they do have entry level rooms there. It’s not all celeb rooms
80-90% of social media posts love the logo, but hate the name. It's confusing. Knights fight monsters. Had they just kept ot simple, either Blue Knights or Lake Monsters, locals would have been satisfied. Kudos to the graphic design team tho!
The outside of the Arena to me looks more like a Ski Lodge or a Hotel instead of a Arena and i like it looks different then a Arena . Brodie watching your videos i almost always learn something new looking and the Eye logo i just notice the the Monster's Eye is on a shield.
They said 2K season tickets sold to date at the affiliation announcement and the suites were sold out 3 days after the team was initially announced without a name, logo, etc
Some other videos you might like: Oakland Coliseum, A's Grounds Crew (Behind the Scenes, 2005) 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cxn7x1ExOp4.html Former Coyotes owner gives $2M to Arizona Youth Hockey 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gwaZ9ushTqo.html Arena Bowl XXXIII... played at a SHOPPING MALL?!? 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F5g1G1ZBfvY.html Oakland A's were "best years of my life" says Khris Davis 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3jN-PuxexHI.html MLB Starting Pitchers becoming... extinct? 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-auf6p7b601s.html Jose Canseco makes final visit to Oakland Coliseum, A's game 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MEX0fOrWswM.html How the San Jose Sharks logo was created (Terry Smith Interview) 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ivQLiCkhgx0.html Inside the Oakland A's Video Room (Behind the Scenes, 2005) 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vjv07cHMWck.html How Mason Miller overcame T1D, became an elite MLB closer 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0hw7Ux456T0.html Every Major Pro League has FAILED cities 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qQVfZLvctes.html Power Slap isn't a sport (isn't great either) 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-knzk3vhg9FA.html Oakland Coliseum: Baseball to Football conversion (2005) 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qvN5Y77nxgc.html How does Mason Miller throw 103 MPH fastballs? 📺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--PwyuTlzDhQ.html
Wow Brodie, this new name inspired me with another name for the Utah Hockey Club . . . The Day Angels! Hahahahaha what is the opposite of a night monster!?!? So there ! . . . Thank you for your fresh take on things brother, Peace, ~DWD~
The players will be living and practicing in Reno. They will have to travel to Lake Tahoe just for the games. Reno has a metro of over 400k. People are going to come from all over western and northern Nevada. In our beer league at Reno Ice people consistently travel from Fernley/Fallon, Truckee, and Minden. I do not think they will have a lack of interest from Reno. The main thing that is stopping people from buying season tickets is just the weather and road condition. The junior team up there had to cancel almost all of their home games in December and January of the 2022-23 season due to the road conditions.
Great video but my favorite part was you correcting folks on how to pronounce Nevada. It drives me nuts when (mostly folks from back east) mispronounce Nevada and Oregon.
@@brodiebrazil Are we gone? (Portland native speaking here) Some off-color versions of that were apparently uttered at Big Ten media day today. That’s going to be an interesting ride this year.
I actually hung up on someone the other night that was asking for opinions from Na-vah-dah residents… told the guy if he can’t even say Nevada right, why would I participate?
Remember there’s a huge population (El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Sacramento) down the hill Hwy 50 and ice hockey fan base dying for a franchise … proud to be a TKM season ticket holder!!!
this is good! That area is a strong Double-A market. Too bad SLC has an NHL team (for now anyway); that place would've been a great AHL market for the VGK.
@brodiebrazil, your population count is waaaaayyyy off for Reno. Washoe County (Reno/Sparks, Incline, Washoe Valley + outlying area) is 575k. Reno metro area + some of the surrounding counties is around 750k, not counting the California side of the lake. Basically, you can call it 800K and be pretty close.
2 years is what was/is my prediction for this team lasting. I've seen too many minor league teams in soccer, indoor soccer and even ECHL fold after 1 season. When the Tucson Roadrunners owned by Alex Meruelo (yes, the former Yotes owner) builds his GSR Arena and moves them to Reno, no one from Reno/Sparks will be going up to the lake for these games. Carson/Minden/Gardnerville and anyone in South Lake is what they will need to pull from. As you pointed out, Promotion will be key; especially since the region seems to have shifted to being VGK fans over Sharks fans.
Hahahaha You are assuming Alex Meruelo can get an arena built in Reno on land he already owns. How did that work out for him in Phoenix??? I would not believe what Meruelo says until I actually see it happen.
@heyukr5298 what land did he own in Phoenix? he didn't. the permits are in and construction on a new parking garage to replace the Valet lot where the Arena is to be built starts after Hot August Nights per my bud that works for GSR saw Alex sign the permits
Now yes, the Arena is still not approved n still planning phase so it could still fall through. I bet he will try to get city n county money for some of it. but he's further here than in PhX
They really should have bought the "Tahoe Tessie" trademark from the one dude that owns it. "Knight Monsters" sounds like something that won a 3rd grade naming contest. I cringe every time I see it, so I'll just have to get merch with only the logo.
While the arena is well located physically (in terms of its proximity to the casinos and the border), it's actually fairly difficult to get to and even harder, in some ways, to get in and out of - the parking entrances and exits are shared with Bally's and were largely only built for traffic in and out of the casino, not for large events where thousands of people are trying to get there (or leave) in a short period of time. The arena itself isn't much better - there is one main entrance and one smaller entrance, so people who are trying to get into the building often find themselves waiting in line outside for 10-15 minutes just to get through security and inside. This might be an operational issue more than a design issue - the time that I was there (for a concert earlier in the year) seemed fairly disorganized, but having several thousand people go through only a couple of building entrances could dissuade people from attending, if they think it's more trouble than it's worth.
@@dougsalmon1563 No. Furthermore, they’re practically affiliations in name only. If there’s anyone on an ECHL club being paid by the parent club, it would be the goalies. There might be an exception or two. I don’t know if parent club staff have input on ECHL roster decisions, but in most cases, it the ECHL team’s money on the line.
They could always pump in a little more oxygen into the indoor arena to match closer to mile high or even mid-elevation cities if they felt like 6280 feet was THAT big of an issue. Or pressurize the arena like the Tokyo Dome does.
I like the idea of a monster hockey team, following in the ice steps of the AHL Lowell (Mass) Lock Monsters (who became a Devils affiliate and move to Albany) and the (Lake Erie) Cleveland Monsters, also in the AHL, named for Bessie, a lake monster in Lake Erie. I do question the ability of people in Carson City, Reno, and other communities to get over the pass to Stateline; hopefully lots of tourists will attend. It’s really ridiculous that Portland and Sacramento aren’t in the AHL. The Kraken could put a team in Portland but I guess they are scared of the Winterhawks’ drawing capacity.
@@brodiebrazil Thank you for answering. It's just Henderson is in the LV metro area and those folks could go the Golden knights games. Reno could capture an audience and turn eyes to the sport/team. It's not that far of a distance and some NHL teams have AHL teams much further away
@@MilesTailsProwe What 10K arena? Lawlor would need a gut/rebuild to accommodate hockey, and I would bet against the Meruelo proposal that hasn’t broken ground yet. I did see a Reno team in the old WCHL that played at the Convention Center… 4,000 capacity at best and never got the best dates. Speaking of best dates, the Reno Events Center (7,000 capacity) prefers concerts on the best game days, so no dice there.
Officially, nobody has worn wool hockey sweaters since the late 1960s. They're all made of jersey material and have been for a long time. Call them sweaters if you want, but jerseys is accurate.
Reno would be more practical from a logistics/fan support basis however if the team stays at Lake Tahoe, the players will be getting in some fine and dandy high altitude training throughout the regular season. 😮
I’m a bit skeptical about the population support, logistics, etc. But, living in Mammoth Lakes, CA, I will be making the trek for many games! Woot woot!
This will be good for a few years, until Meruelo destroys two franchises by taking the Roadrunners out of Tucson and putting them in Reno. I think the Knight Monsters are going to have to rely on Reno's residents to survive.
YES! that would help the geography of the league a bit more and the THUNDER did way better ECHL attendance than HEAT for AHL there. As long as the community is involved with the team, Stockton would be completely Teal
@@JonDoe-ln6nl The Stockton Thunder were successful. The Heat were run by Calgary… and Calgary has a history of burning EVERY AHL market they’ve touched. Calgary HAD to move their AHL team to Calgary because no sane city will deal with them. Don’t get this confused with the New Jersey Devils burning through markets. Their track record isn’t as deadly.
I’d be surprised to see them more than a few years. Reno which is much bigger has minor league hockey, basketball and soccer all failed. Considering the really bad weather Tahoe gets I feel like it’s only local people will go. As a Reno resident I’d love to go see them but when bad weather comes around I’m staying home.I wonder what happens in a few when the AHL Arizona Roadrunners move to Reno.
State line is in rough shape. Really need to build back that former favorite destination of Bay Area residents. Those state line hotels are in *rough* shape. And the embassy just got turned into jimmy buffet margaritaville resort. They painted everything white. White white white. As if it’s a beach resort.
@@jlo2o199 Chuckles. That’s exactly the motif that chain is seeking. And somehow I got my wife interested in the “Compass by Margaritaville” resort located in Southern Oregon. At least they mixed in a couple more colors there.
VGK did one on the Sharks with this. The Sharks can’t even figure out how to expand their market by putting their AHL team in the North/East Bay or Sac, and now the GKs have closed the border East of there.
Tahoe Bronze Knights anyone? Am I the only one who sees the blown opportunity here? And their logo looks like a dragon, plain & simple. Good luck to them regardless. Oh and tomato tah-mato, Brodie.😂😂
@@PCSPounder 🤷🏼♂️ because whoever designed it wasn’t thinking. They could have designed it easily to at least accept ice in the future. There’s one real rink in the sac area and it’s packed with hockey. So much so there’s not enough room for all the people that want to play.
@@Ragnarok2414 Or… they were thinking and didn’t want to give the NHL any ideas. Or… having basketball-specific seating maximizes the value of season tickets for the Kings. Or any tickets. Is there a popular outdoor amphitheater in or around Sacramento?
I for one, absolutely love this. I hate Las Vegas as much as anybody (and more than most, to be honest). But I love Tahoe already. I go up there for concerts typically once per winter already. I'll absolutely take a trip or two up from Sacramento for a hockey game. May even buy one of those white jerseys. (I will never buy the gold one, of course, because fuck Las Vegas). My only concern is that, in my imagined best possible future, the Las Vegas Golden Knights have destroyed their team by overpaying for aging talent and trading away prospects and draft picks the same way Doug Wilson did to the Sharks. If that comes to fruition, the ECHL team may not be good hockey.
Excited for this. I hope they lose. Tahoe needs a team, and glad they got hockey there. But can’t cheer for a knights team. Sharks shoulda jumped on this since they’re closer to the Bay than Vegas, Nevada or not. Was going to buy a jersey, but until they drop that affiliation, don’t need one lol.
So, if they can get a pro team, why can't little rock, Arkansas!?!? Yea yea i know what everyone will say. But i believe minor league hockey could work in little rock. Save your replies.
