Friday October 20 marked the return of hockey to Cincinnati in the form of the Cincinnati Cyclones. The Cyclones, who play in the ECHL, took the ice Friday after being out of operation for nearly three years. The crowd on hand, which numbered nearly 5,000, was a mix of young and old hockey fans. There was, however, no lack of old school Cyclone jerseys as the old Cyclone faithful were in attendance and very vocal.
The Cyclones beat the Pensacola Ice Pilots 3-1, but it wasn’t the play on the ice that was the main story. The fans who hadn’t been to a game in three years made U.S. Bank Arena feel smaller than it actually is.
A Cyclones game isn’t always about the hockey being played. It’s more like a Cincinnati pep rally that’s happening around a hockey game.
Cincinnati had lost the Cyclones three years ago due to lack of fan support. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were a big reason for this, as they played their games at the Cincinnati Gardens (a cheaper and more accessible facility). The Ducks lost their franchise last year, and now the Cyclones remain the only franchise for hockey left in Cincinnati.
Cyclones ownership hopes this corner on the market results in high fan support all year. If the Cyclones can keep up a high attendance, there may be options for them to move up a league (to the AHL, one league below the NHL) at season’s end.
After defeating the Ice Pilots Friday night, the Cyclones turned around and beat down cross state rival Toledo, 4-0. The Cyclones have always been a good hockey team during their existence; that’s not really the issue. The issue is whether or not the fans will support this incarnation of the Cyclones and make the trip downtown to watch Cincinnati hockey.