Which venue is better? The Cajundome or Blackham?

Home Arena 1995-2005

Fans are anxious to see whether the 2010-2011 IceGators season will be played at the Blackham Coliseum or their "home" in the Cajundome. If the Gators were to make the big move, the franchise could possibly be ruined for a second time.

In 1995, the Louisiana IceGators made their debut in Lafayette as an Eastern Coast Hockey League team. Their debut was met with tremendous support from Lafayette and its surrounding cities despite Southeastern Louisiana's warm climate and general lack of familiarity with the sport of hockey. During its first four seasons, the IceGators held the highest attendance records in the ECHL's history. In its inaugural season, the average attendance was 9,776. The following season, the attendance shot to an average attendance level of 11,433. The Gators averaged 11,196 fans per game in the 1997-1998 season and 9,857 in the 1998-1999 season.

Arena for 2009-2010 Season

Interestingly enough, the 1996-97 season which held the astonishing average of 11,433 fans per game (401,185 total attendance) coincided with a season in which the Gators led the league in penalty minutes by nearly 12 hours. As the penalty minutes dropped over the next few years, the attendance levels plummetted as well. Over the next few years, the attendance levels continued to fall and by 2005 the average attendance was 1,432 per game. With a lack of investors, the Gators did not return the following season.

I believe that the IceGators (ECHL) failed due to:

• Poor management,
• Too expensive of an arena (Cajundome),
• decrease in penalty minutes,
• and most importantly,  the newness of the franchise wore out.

In 2009, Danny Smith put new life into the once thriving IceGators by re-opening the franchise, only this time as a team in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). As of the 2009-2010 season, the home arena has been the Blackham Coliseum and there are rumors that the 2010-2011 season will be held in the Cajundome. In my opinion, this move could kill the franchise. I would wait at least five years before changing arenas simply because this newfound interest in the IceGators may wear off as the years go on and if this were to happen, the Gators may find themselves unable to recover due to crippling overhead costs from renting a larger venue. On the otherhand, I am a fan of the Lafayette Wildcatters (formerly the Acadiana Mudbugs) and their recent change in venue (from the Blackham to the Dome) has made a huge difference in the quality of the overall game. I must also admit that as a young child I looked forward to the IceGator games in the Dome and wouldn't mind seeing them return there once again but I'm not sure it's worth the risk of losing them for quite possibly the last time.