Welcome back to the ice, Baton Rouge.
A full-time hockey franchise is returning to the Raising Cane’s River Center in October, 20 years after the last game in the arena. The new team will play 28 home games a year.
Team owner Barry Soskin offered a nod to an attraction of the contact sport when he announced it with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.
“Our plan is to bring family affordable entertainment with a little bit of creativity, a little bit of hard-hitting and maybe a couple fights along the way to give everybody some fan-friendly entertainment,” Soskin said.
Broome welcomed the addition to the region’s offerings, though tactfully avoiding the fighting part. “Sports have a way of bringing people together,” she said — even if it’s face-mask to face-mask.
We also welcome the new team and hope for its success. Fans turned out for three exhibition games over the winter, leading to the three-year lease at the arena.
A team name will be chosen through a citywide contest, Soskin said.
All we ask is no Baby Cakes, after the much-parodied and now departed minor league baseball team from the New Orleans area.
It wouldn’t be suitable, however much hockey brings us together.
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