Wouldn't it make sense for the Blue Jackets to play 1 or 2 games a year in Cleveland?  I think this would help spark interest in them in the Cleveland area..  I don't know a single person who follows them closely.  It would be a good way to tap into a new fan base.  It would probably help the monsters too.  Anything that could spark interest in hockey is a good thing. 

I know that when I was younger they used to have 1 NHL game a year at the Coliseum because I went to two of them.  Columbus should really try to get clevelanders to become jackets fans.

I don't, you're right, but mainly because nobody ever posts in the hockey sections for me to much care.

But, welcome Jedi, let me answer your question...

Right now, the Lake Erie Monsters are affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche.  At this time, we don't even get them to play here.  The only time you can have an NHL team play at an arena other than the home arena of the respective team is pre-season.  (And something really special like the outdoor Winter Classic)  And to have a pre-season game actually costs the arena operator a lot of money.  The feeling with the Quicken Loans Arena management has been that the money would be better spent promoting the home team, so they don't have any NHL pre-season games.  Though the fans often request for it to happen, it hasn't.

Now...  That said...  There is talk about the Syracuse Crunch losing their affiliation with Columbus because they want the New York Ranger's affiliation instead.  This would put the Blue Jacket's affiliation up for grabs.  There is talk, that Cleveland would be better off with this affiliation, both geographically, and for fans following both teams, since (Unlike the Avalanche) you can watch Blue Jackets games on cable thanks to Fox Sports Net Ohio.

Now, at the moment, nobody actually knows how long the contract is that the Monsters have with the Avalanche, so nobody knows when it ends, or if there are performance stipulations that allow the contract to be ended early.  Also, we're having a better year this year now, so the Quicken Loans Management may not want to absorb Columbus's AHL team because Columbus has been a terrible team historically, only making it to the post season once (Last year) and getting knocked out rapidly in the first round by the Red Wings. 

I am in a very narrow camp of thinkers that believes Dan Gilbert (Owner of Quicken Loans) intends to bring an NHL team to Cleveland.  His first love is hockey, and though he lives in Detroit, he cannot have the Red Wings.  But he CAN bring a team to Cleveland.  Quicken Loans Arena is WAYYY too nice for an AHL team, and was designed with pro-hockey in mind.  Also, Dan Gilbert is bringing a casino to Cleveland, and will likely tie it into Gateway (Which is the central area where the Indians and Cavs play, that also connects to major shopping and tourism areas of Cleveland.) that will increase exposure of the area, generate a lot of jobs, and add a lot of foot traffic to the ground.  So that within 5 years, with the economy turned around, bringing a team to Cleveland would be more than possible.

In addition, while a lot of nay-sayers say that Cleveland can't support a team.  The reality is that our attendance numbers for AHL games is really high.  Some of the best in the league, and this has been with a TERRIBLE team.  If the Monsters make the Post Season, the numbers on attendance will be better than the ECHL team that Columbus had before the NHL authorized the Blue Jackets.  (About 7500 average).  If the Monsters continue to win games and do well, we could expect to see that number beaten handily.  And considering the area is a Major League Town, and the Monsters are amateur league, that number is even more impressive. 

I mean, if you live in Hershey Pennsylvania, and all you have is one AHL team called the Hersey Bears, and that's it for sports.  Of course you are gonna have great attendance.  There isn't anything else to do!  (Ok, you could eat chocolate)

But in Cleveland there are many alternatives to watching amateur hockey, but the people turn out for games on weekends.  (Weekday games are a problem, but they are a problem with the regular NHL too.  They NHL is looking at strategies to deal with that, like moving some games to Friday which has historically been kinda empty for hockey) 

I think, slowly, with dedicated drive, within 5 years, Cleveland will be an excellent market for an NHL expansion or team reposition.  It's even possible with the financial problems that Nationwide is having with the Blue Jackets over the arena costs, that the Blue Jackets could move to Cleveland and the LEM could move down there. 

It's a faint hope, but I actually do believe in the city of Cleveland.  And I believe the city will eventually shake-off it's warts and start growing again, and one day the NHL will return to this town.

One day...

K