Sunday, January 20, 2008

Wausau, WI Expansion?

Thanks to Sieveman for finding this article first.


There is a new proposal to build a 4,000 seat arena in Wausau and the USHL is rumored to be interested. This would be an excellent place, as it would give Green Bay a close rival and should be within a reasonable distance to most East teams.


Story here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cedar Creek is the name of the development. The area is Wausau, Wisconsin.

Anonymous said...

Great move for the USHL if this is true.

Anonymous said...

I would love to see another USHL team in Wisconsin, but I have a hard time believing that they could draw 3000 per night for a whole season. That being said, it makes a lot more sense than trying to expand to the east towards Columbus. This is a natural rival for Green Bay and a short trip (by comparison)for Chicago.

Anonymous said...

Don't count out Wausau as a draw. Some of the same folks who have turned the Northern League baseball team into a 3,000 nightly draw are in on this. They've got some staff and marketing contacts in place. It would be a nice rival, as noted.

-gbpuckfan

Scottage Cheese said...

This is a great idea for USHL. Building off of what someone mentioned earlier...The Northwoods League is a great success story in Wausau. They draw great crowds. Granted, that is baseball and it has been in Wausau for decades (single-A ball).
"If you build it....they will come"
Couldn't be farther from the truth. Wausau is a winter haven:
-Biggest downhill ski hill in the region.
-Hosts the Badger State Winter games every year.
-Has a metro population of close to 100,000.
-10 minutes away from Stevens Point (UW), a huge hockey school for D-III NCAA.
-Plenty of hotels and restaurants in the immediate area and shopping mall.
-Crossroads of I-39 & Hwy 29 (which lings Green Bay to the Twin Cities w/ I-94).
-Great high school hockey programs in the city (West, East, Everest, & Point) to draw crowds and players from.
-Wausau also has Greenheck Arena which is connected to DC Everest HS. Olympic-size rink and the future site of Olympic Speed Skating tryouts.

So these are just some reasons why this is a good idea, and great for the league! Give us a chance guys.