Minor league hockey team to play at Orleans Arena

Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2002 | 9:44 a.m.

Coast Casinos, Inc., officially announced Las Vegas' worst-kept secret Monday, confirming it would host the expansion Las Vegas Wranglers professional hockey team in its new Orleans Arena beginning with the 2003-04 season.

Charles Davenport, a principal in San Diego-based Chandar Sports, purchased a West Coast Hockey League franchise for Las Vegas in 1998 for the day a suitable arena for hockey would be built in Las Vegas.

Initially, Davenport had committed to the proposed downtown arena supported by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. But with that project on hold, Davenport entered into negotiations with the Orleans, whose 9,000-seat arena is on target for completion in May.

"We're very excited to be playing in Las Vegas next year at the Orleans Arena," Davenport said in a statement. "I feel that this is the perfect fit for the Wranglers."

Goodman said today, "I wish them well -- I am not heartbroken over the decision. My goal always has been to bring a major sports franchise here -- the NHL, NBA, NFL or Major League Baseball. This (minor league hockey) was one of the incidentals" to a downtown arena.

Goodman said he was not surprised by the decision because he steadfastly refused to support taxpayer money being used to build a hockey arena, and acknowledged that the city would have had to have broken ground in August to have the arena ready by the October start of the hockey season.

"I understand exactly where Mr. Davenport was coming from. All I can say is he will have his hands full when we bring an NHL team here," Goodman said.

Coast Casinos Chairman Michael Gaughan welcomed the town's newest sports franchise.

"We couldn't be happier about our agreement with the Wranglers," Gaughan said in a statement. "We said from the beginning we would have hockey in the arena, and now it's official."

Orleans Arena operator Steve Stallworth quoted a Sun story on the negotiations, saying it was a matter of "putting the peanut butter with the jelly."

"I guess my only mixed emotion is that we (Coast Resorts) were originally prepared to own and operate our own team in conjunction with the building," said Stallworth, adding that Coast Resorts considered purchasing a Central Hockey League franchise before being approached by Davenport.

"But I think it's good for the city that we don't have two hockey teams right now. We got to know Charles a little bit and we're excited to be working with him, excited about opening the building."

The Wranglers and the entire WCHL will be absorbed by the established East Coast Hockey League beginning with the 2003-04 season. The ECHL is considered the equivalent to baseball's double-A.

It will be the second time Las Vegas has hosted a minor league hockey franchise in the past decade. The Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League debuted in 1993 and built a decent fan base during its six-year existence. But the franchise lost millions of dollars due to high operating costs, exorbitant player salaries and a less-than-favorable lease with the Thomas & Mack Center.