Phoenix Coyotes sold(?) — No team in KC for awhile

Posted on May 7, 2012 by blogger

The on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again (you get the picture) sale of the Phoenix Coyotes is on(?) again.

NHL to announce sale of Phoenix Coyotes

Meh, I believe it when the Jamison group fully takes over.

I will say this – Greg Jamison has been a top shelf exec in the NHL for many years. If you have ever been to a Sharks game, you know what a great atmosphere they have created in San Jose. The game I attended in San Jose (a weeknight game at that) ranks as one of the best produced game experiences I’ve ever attended. Great facility, great production, great atmosphere. If he actually is taking over the ‘yotes, it’s good for the league as a whole.

Where does this leave KC? Same place we have always been. A great barn for hockey, no team, but some really nice hockey “events” coming soon.

Frozen Four? Maybe.
World Juniors? Pipe dream, but, seriously, as long as we have three hockey arenas with a capacity of 6,000+ in the Metro area, we could host them. Really. We could.

Posted in NHL | Leave a comment

Sprint Center’s 2012 hockey “season” the best yet

Posted on May 4, 2012 by blogger

The best we are going to get in Kansas City is an NHL exhibition game every year. Remember, I’m not opposed to an NHL team in Kansas City, I just don’t think it will happen. My reason for thinking that hasn’t changed for 10 years. There are strong precedents that point to the fact that just having an arena doesn’t make a city a candidate. Some cities became candidates before they even had an arena (Raleigh).

The hockey “season” at Sprint Center involves one game. This season Sprint Center will not only host one NHL game, but it will also host the NCAA Ice Breaker tournament. If you are a hockey fan in Kansas City, you are going to love this Fall.

The New York Rangers are going to play the Colorado Avalanche at Sprint Center on October 6 and the NCAA Ice Breaker Tournament will be in town October 12 & 13.

This will be a great time to go to The Blue Line Sports Bar in the River Market, down a couple Labatt Blues and walk over to Sprint Center for the games on two successive weekends.

The one problem with past NHL exhibition games at Sprint Center is that our local fan base has only been interested in one team — whoever was playing the Kings. When we have Blues – Kings at Sprint Center, you attract all the Blues fans in town (and there are many) and you attract no Kings fans. Kings fans don’t exist in KC (do they exist anywhere?). We also had Kings-Islanders, which was a flop.

For the first time since Blues-Blackhawks was the exhibition game, we finally have two teams with a local following. The New York Rangers have fans EVERYWHERE. It’s a bit like the f’n Yankees. You can’t get away from Rangers fans. Anyone who has lived here for any amount of time knows that we have quite a few Colorado transplants in KC. They, of course, don’t stay in the KS/MO area because they return to Colorado because, well, IT’S COLORADO. Still, there will be a lot of Avs sweaters in the crowd. Rangers-Avs isn’t exactly a hatttrick (like Blues-Rangers, Blues-Blackhawks, Blackhawks-Wild, Blues-Wild would be). It’s a solid two-goal performance. I’m looking forward to seeing Chris Kreider and Paul Statsny play.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve actually enjoyed seeing the Kings. My buddy and I sat in the stands and said, “Hey, who is the Russian kid. He’s tough.” Turned out Slava Voynov is tough and is making an impact on the Kings, who are blazing through this year’s playoffs.

The game production could be better. The biggest fail of the NHL games at Sprint Center has been the PA announcer. Last year’s guy didn’t even know how to pronounce NHL player names. If AEG doesn’t get Steve Garrett to be the PA announcer for all these games in October, THEN THEY HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THE KANSAS CITY MARKET. You can’t find one person who has attended a Blades or Mavericks game that doesn’t love the PA guy. Get Garrett to be the PA for these games, PLEASE.

Follow-up October hockey with Missouri Mavericks season opening up and things are definitely looking up for hockey fans in KC. One shouldn’t dismiss the Mavericks even though they are in the CHL. The Mavericks rank in the Top 20 of all minor league teams in attendance, #3 in their league and the Mavericks attendance equals the AHL’s league average. The Mavericks outdraw AHL teams in “hockey” markets like Rochester, Syracuse, Hamilton and Hartford.

Remember, KC was passed over for an AHL franchise by cities like Binghamton, Cleveland, Oklahoma City and Abbotsford, BC. KC’s minor league team is outdrawing all of them, except Cleveland. Our attendance for minor league hockey is equal to the attendance of AEG’s coveted Manchester Monarchs.

The Fall of 2012 through the end of the Mavericks season in the Spring of 2013 is about as good as we’re going to get hockey fans. Enjoy it!

(Now, can we get some more rinks in this town and REALLY grow the sport…)

Posted in Missouri Mavericks, NCAA, NHL | 3 Comments

New rink possibly coming to the KC area?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by blogger

A story in yesterday’s Lawrence Journal-World mentions that the proposed rec center in Northwest Lawrence may include an ice rink.

On the indoor facility, Schumm said it is still envisioned to have at least eight full-length basketball courts that could be used for volleyball and other indoor sports. But the latest version also includes an indoor ice rink that could be used for hockey and other skating.

An ice rink in Lawrence would be a wonderful addition to the Lawrence-Topeka-Kansas City area. The problem I see is that Lawrence isn’t very progressive. I know that seems like a silly thing to say considering Douglas and Wyandotte counties are the last bastions of liberals left in the state of Kansas. However, traditionally, Lawrence hasn’t really taken a “hey, let’s get out and try something new” kind of attitude toward city planning. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Lawrence. I may retire there someday. I make at least 10 trips a year down K-10 for KU events or just to visit Lawrence. I honestly never thought anyone in Lawrence would see the potential wide-open market for a ice facility and spend the bucks to try to build one.

I KNOW Lawrence can support an ice facility. Hell, if Ames, Iowa or Kearney, Nebraska or Jeff City, Missouri or backwardass Springfield, Missouri can support an ice facility, then Lawrence can support an ice facility (and the fact that it is proposed for NW Lawrence means Topeka would be included).

Anyone who thinks the ice facility wouldn’t get enough traffic has never actually BEEN to an ice facility in Kansas City. KC Ice Center in Shawnee has 10 and 11-year olds practicing until 9:30 at night and adults playing hockey until Midnight several nights per week. It’s the same thing for Line Creek and the community ice facility at the Independence Events Center. Every adult league and a few youth teams have Lawrence residents playing in them.

I guarantee parents in Western Shawnee would gladly drive their kids to Lawrence a couple times a week for practice.

I guarantee KU (and Washburn) students from St. Louis, Minnesota, Chicago and Colorado would bring their hockey gear with them and fill up drop-in times and form a KU Intramural league.

I guarantee adult players all over the KC area would be willing to drive to Lawrence for their weekly game.

This would be a WONDERFUL addition to the area and the type of grassroots growth that hockey needs (and NHL21 should be fully behind) to show that the KC area could be a hockey town.

This must happen.

Posted in Youth sports | Leave a comment

The Kansas Jayhawks, the one-and-done and Chris Kreider’s goal for the NYR

Posted on April 25, 2012 by blogger

On Monday night, the first goal in Game 6 of the New York Rangers – Ottawa Senators game was scored by Chris Kreider.

What does this have to do with the NCAA’s one-and-done rule?
Just a few weeks ago Chris Kreider was playing for Boston College in the National Championship game. That’s right. An NCAA player with enough talent to play in his sports respective professional league was able to play in his sports NCAA Championship and his sports professional league playoff in the same month.
Chris Kreider was drafted in 2009 out of Andover Academy in Andover, MA. The NHL drafts players in the year they turn 18. Kreider is big, 6’3”, 225 and fast. He is a prototypical NHL power forward and nearly a lock for Team USA in the future. Kreider may be the reason Rick Nash is still a Columbus Blue Jacket. The Rangers wouldn’t trade him. There is no doubt Kreider was plenty big enough to go straight to the NHL (or at least AHL) back in 2009.

However, because of the NCAA rules for hockey players, Kreider was able to get drafted by the NHL, not sign with an agent and play for three seasons at Boston College while the Rangers retained his rights. After getting a goal and an assist in the National Semifinal game, registering six shots in the National Championship game and taking home the NCAA Championship with Boston College, Kreider decided to leave school and turn pro. The Rangers were smart enough to put him on their playoff roster.
You think Kreider benefited from those three years at a great University? You bet he did. Did it hurt his value in the NHL? Not one bit, obviously, because he has now played in four playoff games WITHOUT EVER PLAYING IN A SINGLE NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME.


Imagine if NCAA basketball had this type of rule?
Imagine if Thomas Robinson could have been drafted out of high school, let’s say by the Memphis Grizzlies. Robinson could have chosen not to sign with an agent and honor is commitment to KU. Depending on the rule, Robinson could have played two (or three) years at KU while the Grizzlies retained his rights. As soon as KU lost to Kentucky in the National Championship game, Robinson could have left KU for the Grizzlies and been playing in the NBA Playoffs.
So many NCAA basketball players could benefit from a system like this. The Morris twins, Josh Selby, Drew Gooden, Cole Aldrich.
It’s really sad the NCAA cannot have uniform rules across all their sports with professional leagues (basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse).

Posted in College hockey, NCAA, NHL | Leave a comment

What of Kemper Arena?

Posted on March 27, 2012 by blogger

Kemper Arena sits empty.

Once the home to the Kansas City Blades — AAA-affiliate of the San Jose Sharks and, for a short time, the Vancouver Canucks. The arena sits in the West Bottoms with virtually zero events. Oh sure, there is a corporate meeting here and there, but, for the most part, no one from the general public has set foot inside Kemper Arena in more than a year.

I try to post things here that are, mostly, reality. Like the fact that KC has never had a potential owner for an NHL franchise or that the owners of Ice Midwest never intended to bring it back as a hockey facility. Given what eventually happened with Ice Midwest, I think my track record is pretty good.

Here are my thoughts on Kemper Arena:
1.) AEG shouldn’t be running it. They have no motivation to schedule events for the facility.
2.) The plan to, for the second time, redesign the facility to make it smaller seems like a good idea. It seems costly, but Kemper is far too big for what it may/will be used for.

Now, what to do with it.

First, move the the rodeo back to Kemper.

Then….what if Kemper Arena, and the surrounding parking lots, became a show-piece recreational facility for the city?

Convert some of the parking lots to soccer/lacrosse/football/rugby fields. Do something similar to the Overland Park soccer complex. There are simply never enough fields for the soccer/lacrosse/football community. Maybe even a BMX track. Make it Disney Wide World of Sports for the Midwest.

Put the ice down inside Kemper Arena from December to May. Allow local youth and adult hockey teams to schedule games and practices at the facility. Put down curling circles and open it up to the figure skating community. I guarantee the ice time would be gobbled up in a hurry. Hale Arena also has pipes in the floor. Both buildings could have ice sheets, if needed.

From May until the American Royal, the ice can be taken back down and the rink area, plus Hale Arena, could be used as a basketball/volleyball/futsal facility. Heck, in July, Okun Fieldhouse hosts one of the best AAU basketball tournaments in the country. OKUN?!?! Ever been in Okun? Surely the city could convert Kemper and Hale into something better than that for at least part of the year.

Get someone from the city (or, I guess it could be a private entity) to promote Kemper Arena and the surrounding area as a place to hold regional athletic events. These things draw hundreds of thousands of people. Recently, Indianapolis held a regional qualifying volleyball tournament — 1,000 teams, 10 girls per team, families, coaches, athletic equipment suppliers = at least 25,000 – 30,000 people. And, that’s just one weekend. You think this short-sighted plan to put in a BBQ Hall of Fame would even draw 30,000 visitors in an entire year. Ask the Jazz/Baseball museum.

It’s great that the Royal and the barbeque draw so many people to Kansas City. But, why is everyone associated with Kemper Arena satisfied with just one big event per year? What would draw more traffic?

Youth sports!

(of course, my far-fetched idea is that UMKC would have an NCAA D-1 hockey program, similar to what their conference rival UN-Omaha did, and play at Kemper — never going to happen.)

Posted in Kansas City Blades, Youth sports | 1 Comment

Quebec City in line for arena — is this the final coffin nail?

Posted on March 25, 2012 by blogger

Look, again, I don’t post here much any more. There really isn’t anything to post.

Recently, Darren Dreger from TSN in Canada wrote that the NHL is looking for ways to get out of Phoenix — FINALLY!

NHL Investing Alternative Plans for Coyotes
Eh. No real news there. We know that the NHL is having trouble finding a buyer which will allow the league to recoup what they spent to purchase the team in the first place. All this to keep Jim Balsillie out of their ownership cartel. Which, by the way, with RIM falling apart, was Gary Bettman prophetic to keep Balsillie out?

Kansas City was mentioned as “in the mix”, but no one has ever explained why. If you look at what happened in Winnipeg, the progression goes like this:
1.) Ownership group purchases AHL franchise and proves they are adept at running a professional sports franchise.
2.) Ownership group gets staked by a guy on Forbes wealthiest list
3.) NHL-caliber arena in place (or, in Winnipeg’s case) near NHL caliber.
4.) Ownership group and stakehorse work QUIETLY behind-the-scenes with Bettman to move up to first on the priority list
5.) Franchise comes up for sale. Bettman looks for a local ownership group. If found, franchise stays. If not, franchise is sold to aforementioned ownership group and moved.

Let’s also remember that Atlanta Spirit, LLC was not only the worst ownership group in the history of the NHL, but, quite possibly, the history of major North American professional sports.

Now, it seems Quebec City is the next city to take these five steps, in order, to own an NHL franchise (though I’m not sure if anyone within the ownership group has owned an AHL or QMJHL franchise).

New $400 million, 18,000-seat arena in Quebec City to be ready by Sept. 2015

This could seal the deal.

The other thing that I think sets Quebec City up for an NHL franchise is that all parties are on the same page. Quebecor would own the franchise. Quebecor would have the naming rights to the arena and, though no lease agreement is in place, it seems Quebecor would, most likely, have first rights to all hockey-related and non-hockey related revenue in the arena (in KC an potential NHL owner would only have first rights to hockey-related revenue — AEG would receive non-hockey related revenue).

Here’s the other part I find interesting:

In March, Labeaume said that millions of dollars in upgrades would be completed this summer to Le Colisee, the former home of the Nordiques; so should the Phoenix Coyotes — or any other NHL team given the sharp left turn that happened a year ago — have to be relocated this summer, a temporary home in Quebec would be available for the next three years while the new arena is being built.

Remeber, “if you build it, they will come” is not the case in NHL history. It has been “They will come and you’ll, most likely, build it later.”

San Jose Sharks started in the Cow Palace in SF.
Carolina Hurricanes started in Greensboro before moving to RBC Center.
Dallas Stars started in Reunion Arena.
Colorado Avs started in McNichols.
Tampa Bay Lightning even played in the Tropicana Dome or Field or Thunder Dome or Suncoast Dome or whatever it’s called now.

It seems the Nordiques 2.0 could go back to Le Colisee for a few years before the 2015-2016 season.

Posted in NHL | Leave a comment

Posted on January 13, 2012 by blogger

Yo. Dude that writes the PucKChaser blog, where the hell have you been? You win a “Best of Kansas City” from The Pitch and you disappear. What gives?
Job stress and relatively uninspired. I’m involved in some other youth sports in KC and that’s keeping me busy.
ANY WAY…here is my early 2012 update.

The absolute crown jewel of 2012 will be the Ice Breaker Tourament featuring Army, Notre Dame, the University of Maine and your Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.

Get your tickets NOW!!! I will be at every outstanding game. If you haven’t witnessed top-level Division I college hockey, you are going to absolutely LOVE it.
Your best resource for college hockey news is www.uscho.com. By the way, of the four teams coming to KC, Notre Dame is currently #3 in the country and UN-O and Maine are in the top 25!! What a great tournament this will be.
Second great thing about 2012, the people who owned Ice Midwest are no longer involved in youth hockey. Yes, it’s not an ideal situation with only three (sometimes four with the IEC bowl) available for youth hockey. But, having those people no longer involved is good for everyone in the long run. It’s amazing how well the hockey community is now treated by the existing (and thriving by the way) rinks.
Finally, The problem with an NHL franchise coming to Kansas City is two-fold.

  • 1.) There is no owner for an NHL franchise in Kansas City. Well, at least an owner who had made his interest public. There was an article on that vast bastion of inaccurate information, Bleacher Report, that said George Brett was putting together an ownership group. Please. The Brett Brothers do own minor league hockey and baseball teams and a baseball equipment company, but won’t be owning any of the major professional sports leagues’ franchises anytime soon.
  • 2.) The NHL is battling major ownership trouble with the 30 franchises they currently have. Therefore, this relates to #1. Kansas City can’t get a franchise without an owner Gary Bettman doesn’t have to worry about. It seems to me that Bettman spends a majority of his time putting out ownership fires.

Look at the Atlanta Thrashers. Sure, you can take the easy way out and blame the “ATL sports fan” for not supporting the Thrashers. If you do, you’re ignorant and have no idea about the NHL over the last decade or so. The ownership group of the Atlanta Thrashers was not only the worst ownership group in, possibly, the history of the NHL, but they may have been the worst ownership group in the history of professional sports. Say what you will about the Clippers’ Donald Sterling, but at least he can keep his franchise together even if they can’t win. The bozos that owned the Thrashers couldn’t get out of their own way. Heck, they were constantly in court against EACH OTHER.
Bettman now is trying to find a viable owner in Phoenix and keep the ownership groups in New Jersey afloat.

All the while, he’s got to worry about:
-Make sure the new ownership group in Dallas is getting ramped up smoothly.
-Find a new owner for the St. Louis Blues now that it looks like Matthew Hulsizer is out.

-The next batch of nonsense from Charles Wang whatever that may be…
On top of all this, Bettman has to worry about former Kansas Citian and UMKC law school grad Donald Fehr f’n up his league the way Fehr f’d up Major League Baseball. Fehr has already started with the ridiculous rejection of the proposed realignment, which most NHL fans and media found to be a great improvement to the league (aren’t we all proud that we can call Donald Fehr one of our own?)
Hate Bettman all you want, but imagine if your job was to keep guys like James Dolan, Jeremy Jacobs, Peter Karmanos, Mike Ilitch, Ed Snider, Philip Anschutz, Ted Leonsis and Charles Wang on the same page, all the while fighting off Donald Fehr.
You think Bettman has given Kansas City one thought. Not on your life.
All Bettman is thinking about is finding a 30th partner who is going to be on the same page as he is and someone who isn’t going to give him undue headaches. Which is why he was thrilled to get David Thomson and Mark Chipman in Winnipeg into the fold and get rid of the nutjobs in Atlanta.
Because he moved Winnipeg in this fashion, I’m fairly sure his next partner is going to be Pierre-Karl Paladeau in Quebec. Paladeau will have Bettman’s back AND he owns a media company. Bettman kills three birds with one stone — gets the Coyotes franchise off his books, gets a solid owner with piles of loonies and he gets a media partner in Quebecor. Beautifully serendipitous.

I could see a scenario where the Phoenix Coyotes move to Hamilton, Ontario for two years while the new arena in Quebec is being finished. The new Quebec franchise plays in Copps Coliseum, sells out every game for two years, then moves on to Quebec.
It would be far better than what happened in Carolina where the Hurricanes played in front “know every other fans first name”-night size crowds in Greensboro before moving to Raleigh.

See why I’m relatively uninspired?

We have a great college hockey tournament coming in October. But, for the next 10 months, there won’t be much else.

 

Follow The Lost City of Bettman, he updates his blog way more often than I do and is far more creative.

Posted in College hockey, NHL | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The difference between KC hockey and soccer fans — it’s all good news for soccer fans — hockey, not so much

Posted on November 2, 2011 by blogger

I’ve had about a week to think about the closing of EPIC Indoor Sports and the possibility of the facility returning to an ice rink.

My initial thought is that the Kansas City hockey community is desperate for good news. I’ve always thought of hockey fans and soccer fans to be somewhat kindred spirits. Both are rabid, loyal fan bases of sports that are loved — even ways of life — in other countries, however in the U.S. both sports take a back seat to American Football, both professional and college. Soccer is seen as “not exciting enough” for the short-attention-span American consumer and hockey is seen as “some other country’s” sport (despite the fact the NHL’s original six had as many American teams as Canadian teams).

While soccer fans in Kansas City have received nothing but good news in Kansas City — a winning professional team, with an outstanding new stadium, local, passionate owners who honestly care about the sports fan in Kansas City and wear that fact on their sleeves. All this plus a new Overland Park soccer complex that rivals any soccer complex in the Midwest. All good news. While that eternal jag off Jack Harry may insult the team’s new nickname, Sporting KC (which has grown on me…I kind of like it’s uniqueness now) and even insulted their terrific, young announcer (a fellow member of the media just because he’s English…really, Jack?), it’s been all good news. Sporting KC not only now leads sportscasts, a win on November 2 and the team will be front page material (a little hint for you young Sporting KC fans…just ignore Jack Harry…Jack Harry has been a clown in KC for more than 25 years. He used to do a thing called Big Board Sports where he stood in front of a big video board to do the highlights and the other sportscasters…not the viewers, but his, the SPORTSCASTERS at other stations in town…called him and is colleagues at KCTV “The Pointer Sisters”). Hopefully, Cal Williams will be around Kansas City for many, many years to come and take a much higher profile (though I think he’s good enough to end up back in England doing EPL games someday).

For Kansas City hockey fans — little, if any, good news. The “promise” of an NHL team? Empty from the start. Return of AAA-level hockey when the Blades’ league folded? Never going to happen. Some numnuts owns the only dual-sheet ice facility in the metro area and closed it to make it a sports training facility — only to shutter the re-purposing of the facility after eight months. Hundreds of youth hockey player’s hearts broken for what? Nothing.

The one piece of good news is the Independence Events Center, their community sheet of ice and the absolutely outstanding team (though low, minor league team) the Missouri Mavericks (out of town owners) have put on the ice. The IEC is a great place to see a game and the community ice center is allowing more and more kids in a growing part of the city — Lee’s Summit/Blue Springs — to learn to skate and play hockey. In a few years, the youth teams from Lee’s Summit/Blue Springs may surpass the Johnson County kids.

The bad news continues.

The former Ice Midwest is not going to return to being an ice rink.

I have had a couple people e-mail me through the blog. I called a couple of folks that I know involved in Johnson County youth sports.

Here is what I know.
-The new owner is from out of town. He does have a local guy helping him complete the purchase.
-It sounds as if the new owner has no history of working with an ice facility. I don’t know that for sure, but that’s what it sounds like.
-The new owner/local guy have already been in contact with local youth sports organizations and vendors to complete his re-repurposing of the facility to courts.
-The local youth sports organizations and vendors that I am referring to cater to basketball/volleyball. If your kid has ever played basketball in JoCo, you know which organization I’m referring to.
-From what I know about the volleyball community, it’s made up of different clubs. The clubs play their games at places like Okun Fieldhouse (near KC Ice Center) and the new facility in Gardner. However, they have problems finding places to practice — local churches, elementary schools, a temp facility in Shawnee/Lenexa? (not sure…don’t know anything about his facility). The volleyball community has been clamoring for a more permanent facility.

Here is the other thing that struck me.

These groups — basketball/volleyball — are not nearly as fractured as the hockey community. They’ve got strong, county-wide organizations representing youth sports.

I only know what I hear since my kid is too young for youth sports and isn’t interested in hockey/basketball/volleyball/soccer. I don’t have a horse in the game. However, the past animosity between youth hockey organizations in Kansas City has really hurt youth hockey. Part of it was fostered by the former owners of Ice Midwest’s hatred of the hockey community and the hockey community’s constant demand for the owners to actually treat them like valued customers.

Part of it is the youth hockey organizations not getting along.

I’m not saying this was the reason ice isn’t going back down at the former Ice Midwest building. I don’t think it is. I don’t think ice was in the plans.

I’m saying the Kansas City hockey community needs a shot of good news. What could be different to make that happen?

It’s time to look in the mirror and really say “are the interests of the kids coming first and are we doing all we can to inclusive and grow the sport?” Look hard at what you are doing. I know being rid of the owners of Ice Midwest is a positive step to growing youth hockey in Kansas City. They didn’t understand and didn’t bother to try to understand their customers. But, now it’s time to take positive steps forward.

Posted in Youth sports | 1 Comment

EPIC Indoor Sports Fails — KC ice community Move on and Rally

Posted on October 25, 2011 by blogger

Kansas City ice hockey and ice skating community. You are vindicated.

EPIC Indoor Sports will close. When the one-year anniversary of the “mechanical failure” comes around on January 13 of 2012, there will be a new owner of the facility.

That’s the good news.

The bad news. Well, there really isn’t any bad news, right? However, the challenge has been made to you Kansas City ice hockey/figure skating/curling community.

YOU SHOW THE NEW OWNER YOUR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE FACILITY AND THERE WILL BE ICE ONCE AGAIN.

I’m not kidding about this. The prospective new owner of the facility is not local. His focus is on basketball and volleyball. However, he is interested in learning more about the shortage of ice facilities in Kansas City. He has been made aware that this facility was viable as an ice sports facility and has not been viable since the loyal, passionate ice skating community was tossed to the curb.

It’s possible one sheet of ice could return to the facility. It’s possible both sheets could return with one of them a dual-use sheet (the concrete side). And, unfortunately, I suppose it’s possible neither will return.

At this point, it seems the Kansas City ice hockey/figure skating/curling clubs can influence the decision.

Now, I know what you are going to say, “Screw that place. They lost me as a customer forever.” Sorry, but this is the absolute wrong reaction.

The General Manager of EPIC Indoor Sports failed in his effort to re-purpose the arena. The owners are no longer willing to sink money into this failing venture and it looks like they will sell and completely wash their hands of it.

Good choice. They alienated the hockey and ice skating community to the point that the other sports, in which they tried to focus, suffered. Parents weren’t willing to patronize them. Kid #1 may play hockey, but kid #2 may play soccer and kid #3 may play lacrosse. Mom and Dad are still upset about how they treated kid #1.

It’s water under the bridge. Time to move on and rally your support.

How? Well, I don’t quite know at this time.

There needs to be one rallying point. Whether that is a hockey-playing group (the Stars or the former Kansas City Outlaws) or NHL21, in combination with the Kansas City Figure Skating Club and Kansas City Curling Club…I don’t know. The adult hockey playing community is far too fragmented for it to be the rallying point. However, we know that 32 adult hockey playing teams, who filled the facility during slow times like Sunday nights and late night on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, have been reduced to a dozen or so teams playing as late as 11 p.m. on weeknights.

I will have more on this later. I need to put my thoughts together. As the Pitch mentioned, I’m not exactly a daily blogger. I blog when I feel like it and when I have time (which is rare).

Two things are key here —
1.) Begin to rally so that the new owner knows that putting ice back down is a good investment.
2.) Remember what the new owners of KC Ice Center have done for the hockey community over the last 8 – 10 months. They are truly committed to our community. Perhaps we can begin to foster a new relationship among Johnson County rinks in which everyone is working to grow the sport — rink owners, coaches, parents and officials. Grow the category, grow your business. Hopefully, the animosity between rinks will never return.

Posted in Youth sports | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

PucKChaser named Best of…I’ll tell you what deserves it — Have a Skate with Bob

Posted on October 12, 2011 by blogger

Well, well, well, this silly blog was named on the The Pitch’s Best of Kansas City list.

Pitch.com/Sports & Recreation/Best Dose of Reality/PucKChaser
I’m flattered. It’s very cool to get recognized by the Pitch. A snarky blog written by a smart ass who just happens to know a little about the inner workings of local TV stations and the local newspaper to know that local journalists spend miniscule amounts of time researching stories about a professional sports franchise coming to Sprint Center and usually churn out stories directly from a press release gets recognized as a Best of (how was that for a run-on sentence).

You know what needs to get recognized by a Best Of.? The HAVE A SKATE WITH BOB FOUNDATION and the Have a Skate Charity hockey games in Rockford, Illinois and at the Independence Events Center.

This local charity grew from nothing — just an idea between a hockey player and his two daughters. It has grown to an event that will host two charity hockey games. One before the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs game on December 3rd and one before a Missouri Mavericks game on March 17, 2012.

This local charity has been mentioned NATIONALLY in the USA Hockey magazine and gotten some press from local TV station KSHB. It hasn’t received nearly as much recognition as it should. It’s a great story!

If you have played hockey, coached hockey, officiated hockey or been involved in hockey in Kansas City in any way in the last 20 or so years, you probably know Bob Klem.

Klemmer, as many people know him, has played goalie in adult hockey leagues for as long as anyone can remember. If you don’t play, you probably know him from when he was a season ticket holder for the Blades and hung out a Replays after almost every game. Hell, the guy even had season tickets to the Outlaws (blech). Now, you’ll find him at Missouri Mavericks games. Walk through the crowd with him at the Sprint Center before one of the NHL Preseason games and it’s “Hey Klemmer from the left.” “KLEMMER!!!” from the right. Then, Bob will stop to glad hand a beer vendor or usher he recognizes from Kemper or the Independence Events Center. It’s like walking the halls with the Mayor…you know in the days when we had a Mayor who everyone liked.

Bob Klem started a charity hockey game a few years ago — Have a Skate with Bob. He scheduled ice time and invited his friends to play. The cost — a donation to PanCan. Well, those who played in “Skate”, as Bob calls it, had a great time. “You should do this every year, Klemmer.” Bob thought he was on to something.

Was he ever!

Have a Skate with Bob is now a 503c registered charity. Two games this hockey season.
Have A Skate With Bob and the Rockford IceHogs presented by Humana — December 3, 2011

Hopefully, Patrick Kane will show up at the game.
Have A Skate With Bob and the Missouri Mavericks — March 17, 2012

If you know Bob, contribute…even a little. If you don’t know Bob, you should. You may come away saying “that’s one interesting guy…”. Your life may also be just a little better once you know him. Many lives are.

So, I’m not going to gloat…well, except that I got a Best Of… and EPIC (failure) Indoor Sports didn’t…sorry, (I had to do that…)

I’m just going to say that if you like hockey and like this blog even a little (or if you like hockey and hate this blog), DONATE TO SKATE TODAY.

Posted in NHL | 2 Comments