Lorain: Hockey Town?

Can you imagine an ice hockey arena attached to this building?

Here’s an interesting “What if?” article for local hockey fans (like me).

It appeared in the Lorain Journal back on December 20, 1968 and floated the possibility of an ice hockey arena being incorporated into the new proposed civic center.

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Lorain Arena Plan Draws Skepticism But Some Hope
By TOM McPHEETERS
Staff Writer

AN ARENA for ice hockey? For Lorain?

The first reaction by many City Councilmen to the idea, proposed Wednesday by the former owner of the Cleveland Barons Hockey Team, Paul I. Bright, was skepticism.

BUT INVESTIGATION reveals that council could include an arena in the proposed civic center as long as one condition was met. The city would have to be sure that it was a money-making proposition.

Bright talked with Mayor Woodrow W. Mathna about the possibility of getting a franchise in the International Hockey League for Lorain, and building an arena that could be used for many different types of events. It would be built on the first floor of the civic center building, to save construction costs, and must seat a minimum 5,000 customers.

He estimated that the arena could cost about $4 million. According to Community Development Director Walter Benedict, Lorain could probably get the same 25 percent credit for urban renewal that would apply to the rest of the civic center.

Squires, Sanders and Dempsey, the Cleveland law firm that is Lorain’s legislative and financial adviser, says it is possible to finance the arena portion of a civic center by selling reverse bonds, backed by the city’s credit but paid off from operation revenues.

BUT THERE would have to be a guarantee that the arena would make money, probably backed by a long-term lease to a promoter with a solid reputation.

“It’s not easy to make money, but it certainly is possible. It’s a matter of management, and of having the right equipment when you start,” said Andy Mulligan, general manager of the Sports Arena in Toledo and president of the International Hockey League.

Mulligan confirmed yesterday that Bright has already been in contact with him about the possibility of getting a new franchise in the league.

“GEOGRAPHICALLY Lorain would fit right into the league picture,” he observed. There are teams in Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland and Toledo. But, he said, a hockey team in his league plays 30 to 40 home games a year, and an arena has to be producing revenue all the time.

Mathna and Bright, in their discussion Wednesday, worked on the assumption that the arena would be downtown, and Bright said the site seemed suitable to him. He offered to testify before City Council.

Councilman Michael Bulzomi said he would support the idea, but only if the arena was built at Long’s airport. “For the downtown, it would be a total flop,” he claimed. There is not enough parking or easy enough access, he said.

Most councilmen supported the idea without reservations for one site or another but some were clearly less than enthusiastic. “I think somebody’s pipe dreaming now,” said Councilman John Koscho. He added that he would like to see if it could be done.

“It is quite evident that the only way we’re going to get anything like that is to have some outsider coming in and prompting,” said Councilman Joseph Rulli.

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I don’t blame Lorain City Council for being skeptical.

Mr. Bright had sold the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League at that point. As popular as the Barons had been in the 1950s, it had been a tough go in the 1960s with dwindling attendance. And now he was pitching the idea of an International Hockey League team to Lorain.

I think I would have agreed with Councilman Bulzomi; build it out on the west side where there was plenty of room, and easy access to State Route 2 and the Ohio Turnpike. It just doesn’t seem like there would have been enough space for a full size arena downtown, even if the building had extended all the way to Wickens Place.

But it was a nice idea, and it would have given Lorain a major entertainment venue.