Minor league hockey team hopes to break NHL's indoor attendance record

Hockey teams are never satisfied with playing in their home arenas. Playing outside is the big trend these days, but the AHL's Syracuse Crunch are going to stay

Hockey teams are never satisfied with playing in their home arenas. Playing outside is the big trend these days, but the AHL's Syracuse Crunch are going to stay inside for their gimmick game. The Crunch are playing the Utica Comets at the Carrier Dome, home of the Syracuse University football and basketball teams, on Nov. 22.

The dome can seat almost 50,000 people for football games, and over 35,000 for basketball. The Crunch are hoping to break the NHL's indoor attendance record of 28,183, the team's vice president, Vance Lederman, said. The NHL record was set by the Crunch's parent club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, when they played at the stadium which currently houses the Tampa Bay Rays.

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As of Monday, the team had sold about 24,500 tickets, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. 

Of course, playing hockey in a stadium that never hosts it can pose plenty of problems, like how to get the Zambonis there. According to the Post-Standard, they'll receive a police escort from the Crunch's home arena, at a 12-mph pace. 

- Dan Gartland

[via Puck Daddy]