Wrangler tickets in hot demand

Victoria Sun

Friday, Oct. 4, 2002 | 10:23 a.m.

In an act of faith, many local hockey fans shelled out money to secure season tickets for the Las Vegas Wranglers' inaugural season even before they had an arena to play in.

Now that the team has announced it will play in the 7,003-seat Orleans Arena on schedule to be completed next May, John Tull, president of the Wranglers and the West Coast Hockey League's Fresno Falcons, said the phones have been ringing off the hook.

"We're very optimistic," Tull said Thursday of generating a large fan base. "I think a lot of people were waiting to find out when and where we were playing.

"In January we're starting up a ticket sales campaign and hoping for 3,000 season ticket sales."

The Wranglers have signed a five-year contract with options to play in the arena starting with the 2003-04 season. The team will play 36 home games as part of the East Coast Hockey League.

Tull, arena vice president Steve Stallworth and Coast Casinos Chairman Michael Gaughan proudly showed off the construction of the Orleans Arena, which has made rapid progress since the ground-breaking ceremony last February.

Originally, the Wranglers planned to play in a purported arena downtown that never materialized.

"Everybody in this community knew that we should be together with the Wranglers," Stallworth said. "It's (the arena) real. This is not some figment of somebody's imagination.

"The Michael Gaughan philosophy is still holding true. That is to provide affordable, quality entertainment for our guests and to get people used to coming to the Orleans. We're still going to do the $3 beer, $2 hot dogs, $1 sodas and free parking."

In January, ECHL franchise owners will determine how to divide the league geographically to include Las Vegas and other expansion teams bringing the league total to 34.

Tull said the Wranglers could be placed in a Western Conference division along with Fresno, San Diego, Idaho, Bakersfield, Long Beach and possibly Arkansas and Texas.

The Wranglers will have an information booth set up at the MGM Grand Garden Arena during Saturday's NHL exhibition game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche.