The Vultures of Others Efforts

Railraiders Fall Short, Cyclones Exploit Their Hard Work

The AHL Cincinnati Railraiders fell short in their bid to get a team back in the Cincinnati Gardens. They generated a lot of buzz in the final weeks, and got some people interested in hockey again. Well, as usual, the shady owners of the Cyclones franchise, the Niederlanders, want to exploit others' hard work for their own gain. Less than two weeks after the negative announcement, the Niederlanders, owners of the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, announced they would be bringing bush league hockey back to Cincinnati after a thankful two year absence. The Cyclones (the third or fourth incarnation, which begs the question, how can you be loyal to just the stupid logo?) will rejoin the ECHL, the lowest level of professional hockey in North America. However, the ticket prices will be more expensive than what the Cincinnati Gardens was offering for Triple AAA level hockey, one step below the National Hockey League.

The new Cyclones and their "fans" are nothing more than opportunistic vultures who are preying on Pete Robinson's failure to secure the necessary tickets. They are using his efforts to get free hype, as people who are interested in hockey will now see this joke of a product on the ice instead of a quality product from the AHL.

I, for one, will not go to a game in USBA. It is a cookie cutter, cardboard cutout of the most horrific and bland arenas of the 1970s. No professional team has ever survived more than 4 years there. About five hockey teams have tried it there, all have failed. The parking is a nightmare.

The product on the ice will be worse. The ECHL is for the most part, a league of never will be's and has beens. Most of the players will never even sniff the NHL, much less play in it. The play is sloppy and the teams are a joke.

However, the Cyclone fans who were part of the effort to stymy the birth of the Railraiders will crow about what they have "won", their precious logo back. However, where is the history? Where is the tradition? Here is what you have "won": a lower quality product for a higher price; and a parking situation which is a nightmare, which you will no doubt be charged for; and players who will never go farther. Woohoo! Sign me up! Not!

I am a hockey fan, but I am also a realist. Nothing has ever, ever survived downtown. The arena is bland and lifeless. The ticket prices are not comparable to the quality of the product. Of course, all that matters to the cyclone bots is their precious "victory" and their little logo being back. Whoopdedoo, enjoy your crap! Me, I would rather go to columbus or watch it on TV. Especially in knowing we had the chance for the highest quality of hockey outside the majors, the NHL, and we settled for garbage. Thanks for nothing, Niederlanders.