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Hockey fans ecstatic as a local team could be returning to Baton Rouge

2 years 2 months 3 weeks ago Thursday, July 14 2022 Jul 14, 2022 July 14, 2022 11:00 PM July 14, 2022 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Most people think of LSU Football when they think of sports in Baton Rouge.

Right now, the stage is set for a return of ice skating this weekend, and a hockey team could follow sometime soon.

"I just about had tears in my eyes, pure excitement," Ethan Webb, a hockey super fan and player, said.

For him and others, the possibility of a hockey team returning after a 20-year hiatus is exciting.

In 1996, the Baton Rouge Kingfish moved into what was then known as the Riverside Centroplex. The arena was sold out from jerseys to hockey pucks, and even fights.

The Kingfish became somewhat of a hockey team. But the excitement fizzled out over time, and in 2003, the team moved on.

Webb does not have too may memories of the Kingfish but has always kept his Kingfish jersey, which he wore Friday for the first time in nearly seven years.

"My friend immediately called me. I called a bunch of people, and it was definitely a special moment," Webb said.

Chatter has continued to grow about a team calling the capital city home once again.

There is nothing official yet, but Webb says the local hockey community knows it's coming.

For Webb, a hockey team coming back to Baton Rouge is something he has fantasized about since he was a little kid playing hockey in his Kingfish jersey.

"This is something I have waited on for 13 years... all of a sudden, the potential of a team to come? That's a dream come true," Webb said.

Webb says a hockey game is unlike any sporting event Louisianans are used to but hopes people will give it a chance.

"It's a bunch of people dancing on little knives. I don't understand how you wouldn't want to watch that... If we get a team, be excited, be loud and go out there," Webb said.

A press conference will be held Monday with more information.

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