Our good friend Gerry Cantelon (www.Eurohockey.net) and I spoke with Jim Schoenfeld, General Manager of the Hartford Wolf Pack between the second and third period of Sunday’s game with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He files this report.
Changes abound in the world of hockey, especially in the AHL, that will keep it’s Europeans players consulting their search engines for the next destination of employment or divisional opponent.
Recently, the league announced approval for the Edmonton Oilers to reactivate their mothballed Roadrunners franchise and relocate it from Springfield, ending their affiliation with the Falcons, to Oklahoma City next season. Then the announcement came that the Albany River Rats would be sold to ECHL Charlotte Checkers owner Michael Krahn and relocated as the NHL Carolina Hurricanes AHL affiliate in Charlotte next season.
What will happen in Albany has been a matter of intense speculation the past two weeks since the announcement was made.
The building’s GM, Bob Belber, has openly expressed in the Albany Times Union paper that they will a have a team next season and they were in discussion with three Northeastern AHL teams affiliated with Northeast NHL teams.
The New York Rangers were listed as a possibility including Buffalo and the New York Islanders. The local TV station, WTEN News10, said a local car deal owner, Billy Fuccillo, was in the process of buying the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Sound Tigers GM Howard Saffan released a statement flatly denying it. The Portland (ME) Pirates and the Lowell (MA) Devils leases for their Buffalo and New Jersey franchises respectively also expire at the end of this season.
Hartford Wolf Pack GM Jim Schoenfeld flatly denied that on Sunday the Rangers were considering Albany or anywhere else.
‘We like Hartford; we have no desire to move anywhere. We have a lease. I thinks its pure speculation. We haven’t talked to them (Albany) or anyplace else.” remarked the thirty year professional in his fifth year as the team’s GM.
Schoenfeld did confirm however, that the team has talked to Howard Baldwin, the one time owner of the NHL Hartford Whalers and founder of the franchise as the New England Whalers in the WHA. Baldwin, who now resides back in Connecticut, spoke with the Rangers regarding his desire to possibly purchase or manage the team. This was first reported by Rich Coppola, Sports Director for WTIC-TV Fox-61 in Hartford.
“We have talked to Howard, but that’s it, just talked. No deals, no agreements or anything else. Beyond that, I can’t comment much more.” said Schoenfeld.
Baldwin and MSG both lost out on running the building where the Wolf Pack play three years ago when the Connecticut Development Authority (CDA) selected the company known as Northland/AEG to run the then Hartford Civic Center now known as the XL Center. Is MSG satisfied with the way the business side of the hockey team has been run the past three seasons?
“I’m not close enough to that given my responsibilities in New York (with the Rangers). We have a good relationship with Chuck Steedman (building GM) and AEG. I can’t really assess what they have done (regarding the marketing and promotions) that is their specialty and they run the building,” remarked Schoenfeld. “We certainly would like to see the building filled with as many fans as possible for our players, we (MSG) don’t have a part in that any more (handling) the business side of the team.”
AEG recently had its contract to run the football stadium, Rentschler Field, home of the NCAA Division UConn football team, cut short and won the management of the Bushnell Auditorium through the bid process to run that facility.
The situation in Bridgeport continues to be fluid despite the public denials EHN has learned from several sources that there are serious behind-the-scenes issues that could change things in Bridgeport.
A source said the present management company, Centerplate, primarily a food concessions company that added the management of the facility to its portfolio ten years ago, is experiencing serious financial problems due to these economic times, and is looking at possibly ending its managing portion of the deal. No final decisions have been made.
In addition, EHN learned a minor league baseball executive, Charlie Dowd, who has deep Connecticut roots having worked with the New Haven Ravens (Eastern League), Bridgeport Bluefish (Atlantic League) and most recently the departed Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League, interviewed for a GM position of the hockey team recently. Whether this would be a part of a new local ownership of the Sound Tigers or possibly relocated Sound Tigers hockey team remains unclear.
The team has eleven years remaining on its original lease signed in 2001 by the team’s founder, the late Roy M. Boe. Financial difficulties forced Boe to sell the Sound Tigers five years ago. The sale also included transferring his affiliation fees to the Islanders and numerous unpaid local vendors. The AHL came very close to folding the team had these bills gone unpaid. That dire situation was what necessitated the quick sale of the team to Islanders’ owner, Charles Wang. The lease, renegotiated twice, is considered among the most onerous in the league. The only out clause seems to require the Sound Tigers to bring in a replacement team to assume the remainder of the lease.
The Sound Tigers PR Director was let go Saturday night. It was the second time a PR Director of the team has been removed late in the season. EHN’s source said “changes, big changes are coming.”
The spring season in the AHL is more than playoff races, but could see a further reshaping of the AHL team landscape.
Gerry Cantelon is an amazing individual. He has been an immense help in our development in improving our performance as a professional reporter and in grooming the way things are done at Howlings. We’re honored and extremely grateful that he allowed us to share with Howlings’ readers the importance of this article, not to mention the years of his guidance and especially his friendship through the years.
