Baton Rouge welcomes new professional hockey team

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The City of Baton Rouge learned the new name of its professional hockey team Thursday, July 13.

As a way to honor Louisiana’s unique culture and rich history, officials announced the team’s name is the Baton Rouge Zydeco.

RELATED: Find out Baton Rouge pro hockey team’s new name and logo

A new logo for the team was also unveiled. Take a look at it below:

The Zydeco is the first professional team in Baton Rouge since the Kingfish in 2003. That organization moved away after seven years of residency in the Bayou. The franchise struggled with ticket sales and fan interest which forced it to ultimately leave town.

“They had excellent attendance the first year, excellent, and it got worse every year until they were gone,” Barry Soskin said.

Soskin is the owner of the Zydeco and a long-time leader within numerous professional hockey leagues around the United States. The Midwest native is excited to bring a team to Baton Rouge, especially after seeing the turnout for the exhibition games back at the River Center in the winter.

“They averaged a little over 7,000 per game with the last one being sold out and they kept going higher and higher,” Wayne Hodes said.

Hodes is the General Manager of the Raising Cane’s River Center and says the goal is to pack at least 3,000 fans into the barn for each of the 28 Zydeco home games this fall.

For those interested in tickets, visit https://www.brprohockey.com/tickets.

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