AHL Season Cancellation Costly for Binghamton Devils
The American Hockey League (AHL) announced on Monday morning that the remainder of the 2019-20 season is cancelled. Play was suspended on March 12 due to the Coronavirus and never started again. The parent NHL continues to search for a plan to resume its season but there has not been anything specific finalized.
The cancellation of remaining AHL games is a costly one. The Binghamton Devils had 14 games left on their schedule with six of those set for the Floyd L Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. According to Binghamton Vice-President of Operations Tom Mitchell the cancellation of those six home dates cost the hockey club approximately $400,000 or close to an average of $67,000 per home game. That is income that directly affects the Binghamton Devils. It does not include the monetary effects on local restaurants bars, hotels and stores. Nor does it show losses to Broome County for use of the Floyd L Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, income losses to Arena workers, security and concession workers. And these are all pertaining to the regular season.
At the March 12 stoppage in the AHL Binghamton was the hottest team in the League. The Devils were riding a seven-game winning streak and had won nine of their last ten games. Binghamton was fourth in the North Division and on the way to securing a playoff spot. That could increase the loss figures even more should the Devils have secured a playoff spot and gone deep into the postseason.
In the release from the AHL on Monday it states that the league's operational focus has turned toward actively preparing for the 2020-21 season. Binghamton Devils' fans can hear more about the decision to shelve the season and the impact that it has on the players, team and operation when Roger Neel speaks with Tom Mitchell at 640 and 740 AM on Tuesday morning on News Radio 1290 WNBF.
Best Uniforms In Each NFL Team's History