Players on the Madison Ice Muskies might not be a step away from the NHL, but the team hopes that won't stop local hockey fans from coming out to support them.
The Ice Muskies play in the All-American Hockey League, a collection of Midwestern professional hockey teams that feeds players to the International Hockey League. The AAHL was born in 2008 and recently expanded to six franchises with the addition of Madison's team for the 2009-'10 season, which starts Friday at the Hartmeyer Ice Arena on Madison's East Side.
Many team members have played college hockey, but head coach Rod Davidson said the single-A-level program is a way for young players to build experience and move up to higher leagues.
They may be a low-level program, but the Ice Muskies will be the first professional team in Madison since the Madison Kodiaks, a minor-league team that fed the Milwaukee Admirals until they left Madison in 2000. Organizers are hoping the return of professional hockey will bring fans out to their games, despite previous teams that have failed to crack the Madison sports market.
Team owner and general manager John Rudolph said he hopes the memory of those other franchises will not affect the Ice Muskies this year.
""Where the other different teams left off, that reputation is still in the community,"" Rudolph said. ""So even though you're new, that still is kind of attached to your organization.""
One of the biggest hurdles other teams faced was building a fan base in a market like Madison, which is already dominated by Wisconsin athletics. Although he said the team would like to see UW students in the stands, Rudolph admits the game will be different from college hockey and that they are not competing with Wisconsin's teams.
Instead, the Ice Muskies are looking to build support among working-class fans on the East Side. Rudolph admitted this is not the best economic climate to start a sports franchise in, but said the team's low operating budget of about $100,000 per year gives them a better chance to survive.
By keeping ticket prices low—$8 for adults and $4 for children—and being involved with youth and high school hockey organizations, Rudolph hopes the Ice Muskies will defy the recession in their debut season.
""With the economy the way it is, it's better to go that route and also to keep the tickets affordable for the fans,"" Rudolph said.
""It will be great for the community on the East Side,"" he added.
Davidson said he hopes the team's fast, high-scoring offense will also be a big draw. In a home preseason game, the Ice Muskies scored six unanswered goals against the Chicago Blaze for a 9-3 victory.
""I'm hoping to have a high-tempo, offensive team that's entertaining for fans,"" Davidson said.
Davidson and Rudolph will face their first regular-season test Friday as the team tries to attract fans for its season opener against the Evansville Ice Men. They hope the Ice Muskies will be able to overcome their lack of notoriety and low-level hockey status to break through and succeed where others have failed in Madison.
