MANCHESTER, N.H. (CelebrityAccess) New Hampshire’s longtime professional minor league team, the Manchester Monarchs, which plays at Manchester’s SNHU Arena, has folded after 18 seasons.
The affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings spent 15 years in the American Hockey League before shifting to the lower-level ECHL in 2015.
“Over the past three years, we enjoyed three deep playoff runs, improved the affordability and quality of the family experience, and have made significant investment in the local community,” Monarchs CEO Brian Cheek said in a news release. “But ultimately, after discussing it with the city, state, arena, and the L.A. Kings and seeking investment from other potential buyers, it became clear that ECHL hockey was no longer viable in Manchester.
“When we took over the team, our hope was that reinvestment in a winning hockey team and investment in the Manchester community would reinvigorate Manchester’s enthusiasm for minor league hockey,” Cheek added.
When the Monarchs launched in 2001, the team ranked third in the AHL in attendance with 8,199 fans per game, according to hockeydb.com, and led the AHL in crowd size three times in its first season.
The Kings’ owner, AEG, sold the team in 2016 and the current owners announced plans to sell the team last January. A lack of a buyer led to the recent announcement.
h/t Valley News
