Mallards To Cease Operations The End Of This Season

[Growlers]

The Quad City Mallards will cease operations following the end of the current season, Mallards owner Jordan Melville announced today. The Mallards have informed the ECHL of their decision to withdraw their membership in the league.
“This was an extraordinarily difficult decision to reach and one that I arrived at only after lengthy deliberation and a lot of soul-searching,” said Melville. “In the end it became clear I would no longer be able to make the financial commitment required for the team to continue and that, as hard as it was to reach this conclusion, the time has come to cease operations.”

Melville took over ownership of the Mallards in 2012 and two years later guided the team through its transition to the ECHL.

“As sad as it is to reach the end of this road, the five-plus years I have owned the Mallards have been a remarkable experience and I am incredibly thankful to our fans for their tremendous support during that time and our players and staff for their tireless efforts. The TaxSlayer Center has been a great partner and I owe a great deal of gratitude to all of our partners as well as the Quad Cities as whole. I will always be grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend in the Quad Cities over the last five years.

The Mallards have 11 total regular season games remaining and five home games left to play. They will finish the regular season with a home game on Saturday night, April 7.

“We will make certain that all of our commitments to our partners, ticket holders and other stake holders are honored,” said Melville. “We will also work hard to ensure that fans attending each of our remaining home games will have the same kind of memorable experience they’ve come to expect from a night of Mallards hockey. On the ice, I am confident our team put will forth the utmost effort to win as many of our remaining games as possible.”

The Mallards’ successful history has seen them qualify for the playoffs the last five years and while the team has struggled on the ice this season, its longer-term legacy includes three league championships and a tradition of winning hockey seldom matched in the sport. Likewise, the franchise has built a proud history in the community through its long-term support of Quad Cities charities and nonprofit groups including the Genesis Health Services Foundation, the United Way and an array of others.

Inquiries regarding the team or related to its halt in operations can be directed to Brian Lavelle, the Mallards’ director of communications, broadcasting and team services, and Kess Gedye, the club’s director of finance and administration, at 309-277-1364.

Source: Quad City Mallards: News

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[Tao Jersey Jones]

Back down to 27 teams.

 

[rabinsurance]

When they fired Bob McNamara this year it seemed like this the road they were going down. Feel bad for the fans there. What a shame, as the old UHL team was a winner at the gate. It seemed that when they tried to lure the SJ-owned Cleveland Barons to town in 2004, it started to go downhill from there. The AHL Flames were a disaster at the box office, and the market never recovered.

 

[Avsrule2022]

Amazing they couldn't make it work with a supposed 1 dollar a year lease. How do you not at least break even with free rent?

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Back down to 27 teams.

28 NOW St. John's essentially replaces QC WITH THAT related announcement , now who lands QC's franchise as well as Colorado's current Eagles leaving and that's barring anything else breaking between now and ECHL Playoffs and the offseason meeting, there might be 30 depending on who applies for those 2 franchises and whether a 31st market can be attracted.

 

[sabremike]

Their fans celebrated when my Trashers folded so screw em (except for a long ago poster named Koolie, he was a good guy on the old 102 board and I feel bad for him).

 

[JMCx4]

This is a real punch in the gut for the core of devoted hockey fans who have stuck with QDC hockey through its many league transitions. I have good friends among that group, and my wife & I share their loss. One less road trip destination that we always enjoyed.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Sorry to hear about this.

Not surprised given the number of different teams/leagues/ownerships over the past decade or so.

When I checked ticketmaster for games when the Cyclones played there this season, it looked like they had less than 500 tickets out for each game. It was pretty clear that things weren't going well at the box office.

My condolences to any Mallards fans on this board. It's brutal losing your team.

 

[royals119]

28 NOW St. John's essentially replaces QC WITH THAT related announcement , now who lands QC's franchise as well as Colorado's current Eagles leaving and that's barring anything else breaking between now and ECHL Playoffs and the offseason meeting, there might be 30 depending on who applies for those 2 franchises and whether a 31st market can be attracted.

No, it's 27. The league has 27 active teams this season. Colorado and Quad City are leaving, Portland and St John's are coming in. Net = 27 for next season. There is no way any more teams are being added this late. I'm surprised they even let St John's in without making them wait a year.

Those two franchises don't have to be sold or continued either. Sometimes the franchise simply ends. The article says they are "withdrawing their membership" not "suspending operations", so that may well be the case. If an owner wants to hold onto his franchise to try to sell it he or she has to pay the annual league dues, so maybe the Colorado and/or Quad Cities owners don't feel that is worthwhile? I believe the Elmira franchise was terminated, and there have been others over the last few years. St John's has been referred to as an expansion, not a relocation, so apparently they aren't buying Colorado's franchise.

 

[210]

I'm surprised they even let St John's in without making them wait a year.

If it wasn't being run by Glenn Stanford they absolutely would have to wait a year.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

No, it's 27. The league has 27 active teams this season. Colorado and Quad City are leaving, Portland and St John's are coming in. Net = 27 for next season. There is no way any more teams are being added this late. I'm surprised they even let St John's in without making them wait a year.

Those two franchises don't have to be sold or continued either. Sometimes the franchise simply ends. The article says they are "withdrawing their membership" not "suspending operations", so that may well be the case. If an owner wants to hold onto his franchise to try to sell it he or she has to pay the annual league dues, so maybe the Colorado and/or Quad Cities owners don't feel that is worthwhile? I believe the Elmira franchise was terminated, and there have been others over the last few years. St John's has been referred to as an expansion, not a relocation, so apparently they aren't buying Colorado's franchise.

not what I meant, royals, you're trying to get to 30 or 31, potentially 32, you have 4 NHL Teams UNOFFICIALLY doing working agreements, which includes Nashville after what Norfolk did 7 months in prior to QC's issues becoming as public the last month to 6 weeks, forcing that flip to Atlanta...

that's why we were banding 28 or 29, even when St. John's was initially proposed because Portland was announced it was 28, because Colorado and QC were in good standing, and QC still is, despite the announcement of withdrawal...

the latest from QC says even if QC were sold, even with the withdrawal they wouldn't be allowed to return until 2019, doesn't mean there cannot be a transfer of territory, a la Alaska.... in essence you're still at 28, no matter what Colorado does, however, McKenna is also exiting at the end of this season as well, so how do we really know where the league stands on the interpretation, and not much stock can really be attributed to what McKenna has handled currently, previously, or what the League position will be on franchises awarded, transferred or withdrawn...

Elmira had no owner, that's why the market was terminated, they may have been not in good standing, either based off legalities over the franchise and the arena, the damage had been done there too severe to rescue the franchise or the market. As you were aware... First Arena was sold, but the Jackals weren't a part of that sale, hence the termination, I wish posters would not use "fold", cease operations sounds much better as I have seen that term used to describe QC, when in fact, it is a withdrawal.

 

[IceCapsFanNL]

If it wasn't being run by Glenn Stanford they absolutely would have to wait a year.

Hey 210,

looking forward to the St. John's - Worcester rivalry like the days of the IceCaps Sharks of 5-6 years ago.

 

[LadyStanley]

Amazing they couldn't make it work with a supposed 1 dollar a year lease. How do you not at least break even with free rent?

Travel costs+salaries+hockey ops costs > ticket revenue

And that first might be the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[210]

Hey 210,

looking forward to the St. John's - Worcester rivalry like the days of the IceCaps Sharks of 5-6 years ago.

We're already planning on a trip up there.

I hope they bring in Brian Rogers. Great radio voice and he was the absolute best pregame conversationalist.

 

[IceCapsFanNL]

We're already planning on a trip up there.

I hope they bring in Brian Rogers. Great radio voice and he was the absolute best pregame conversationalist.

We'll have to get together. You'll love St. John's

 

[Avsrule2022]

27 teams next year. Division lineups have already been set.

Board of Governors approves changes for 2018-19 Season - The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League

 

[royals119]

So what did you mean? The conversation looks pretty clear to me. Paraphrasing: Tao Jones said "back to 27 teams", you said "28 NOW, and maybe up to 31 by the summer". I said, "no, 27 this year and 27 for 18-19". Now you say "that's not what I meant"? So what did you mean, because I can't figure it out. How many teams do you think are playing this year, and how many do you think are playing next season? (hint, the ECHL press release has the numbers)

Back down to 27 teams.

28 NOW St. John's essentially replaces QC WITH THAT related announcement , now who lands QC's franchise as well as Colorado's current Eagles leaving and that's barring anything else breaking between now and ECHL Playoffs and the offseason meeting, there might be 30 depending on who applies for those 2 franchises and whether a 31st market can be attracted.

No, it's 27. The league has 27 active teams this season. Colorado and Quad City are leaving, Portland and St John's are coming in. Net = 27 for next season...

not what I meant, royals, you're trying to get to 30 or 31, potentially 32, ...

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

So what did you mean? The conversation looks pretty clear to me. Paraphrasing: Tao Jones said "back to 27 teams", you said "28 NOW, and maybe up to 31 by the summer". I said, "no, 27 this year and 27 for 18-19". Now you say "that's not what I meant"? So what did you mean, because I can't figure it out. How many teams do you think are playing this year, and how many do you think are playing next season? (hint, the ECHL press release has the numbers)

Portland was 28, royals.... St. John's when the initial discussion started there there were 28 franchises as Portland had already been approved, so why are we backtracking to 27, no matter what other issues, and we had agreed St. John's was 29, if the goal is eventually 31-31-31, imo, Colorado and QC were counted as active, independent, of what 2018/19 in either league had agreed to... that's why St. Louis has no technical AHL affiliation after Vegas won the rights as primary affiliation holder in Chicago, and then Seattle is out there by 2021, so there's another issue.... hence why Independent of the withdrawal by QC, AND no mention of Colorado's current active franchise in today's duality of announcements, even though most know the Eagles are being promoted, that franchise they currently operate has to be decided.... I'm wondering if there's something still behind the scenes that involves Colorado's active franchise, that's not been made public yet unlike what QC announced and the ECHL approved their withdrawal along with St. John's being added next season... and that's not counting anything else breaking from here to the end of the season....

the way I look at is Worcester was team 27, when they were approved, and you had 27 this year, then the transfer of territory from Alaska to Portland, because Portland hadn't been approved and still hadn't been if you looked at the team map, Portland hadn't had a name, and was simply identified as ECHL, NO TEAM LOGO/WORDMARK, until it was released even though the article describing both St. John's and Portland explicitly stated 2018/19, in fact, St. John's is so new, they haven't even got as far as Portland has in the last 3 to 4 months as both now gear up for 10/18 start date

 

[PCSPounder]

Hutch... screw the goal. There's a difference between what the ECHL says and what they get.

The talk of 31-31-31 requires 31 owners who want to deal with the slog at the "AA" level. That number of owners do not exist.

I used to say, back when the CHL and UHL and WPHL and WCHL were all operating along with the ECHL that there may be 20 good owners in the bunch. I'm here to say now that some of the dead or broke ones may not have been replaced.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Kansas City could've gone either way due to the odd number of teams in the West. I suppose they wanted to build a rivalry with Wichita (truth be told though WSU Shocker basketball has been more popular in the latter city the last few years).

 

[nickp91]

I can honestly say I've never seen an organization run straight into the ground as successfully as the Mallards have the last 5 years

 

[Captain Crash]

And so now the question is when the next bored rich guy with high hopes and short attention decides to give the Quad Cities a go, will it be in the USHL, SPHL, or back to the ECHL?

 

[mfrerkes]

I can honestly say I've never seen an organization run straight into the ground as successfully as the Mallards have the last 5 years

It has been a slow-motion train wreck since 2007-08, when the Quad City Flames (AHL) first came to town. That lasted only two years, then we spent 2009-10 in the IHL, a few years in the CHL, and the rest in the ECHL.

There were a couple seasons (2014-15-16) where things looked relatively stable. Then another downturn began last season and continued through this season. Once they fired McNamara and didn't fire Axtell, I knew precisely how this was going to end. It was a foregone conclusion that the Mallards front office was not looking towards the future.

Pro hockey is done in the Quad Cities. Too many owners have lost too many millions trying to entice a market that has little interest in professional hockey. The glory days of the UHL faded over 15 years ago. There's no bringing that back. The SPHL will fail here if anyone is clueless enough to bring it in. The USHL won't draw any more than 2000 per game over the course of a full season.

Somebody here will attempt to resurrect hockey in some form one day, but the path forward is fairly grim. I don't think the Quad Cities will have hockey of any kind during the 2018-19 season.

 

[mfrerkes]

And so now the question is when the next bored rich guy with high hopes and short attention decides to give the Quad Cities a go, will it be in the USHL, SPHL, or back to the ECHL?

I see the USHL coming to town within a couple years. I don't see it succeeding.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

And so now the question is when the next bored rich guy with high hopes and short attention decides to give the Quad Cities a go, will it be in the USHL, SPHL, or back to the ECHL?

McKenna said, but don't put much stock in this: even if QC were sold between now and April 7th, by announcing the withdrawal of membership, as they did, TaxSlayer Center still won't have hockey in 2018/19, and they own the rights to the franchise name.... the reason you cannot put stock in that comment, McKenna leaves at the end of 2017/18, as per previous announcement, so whomever comes in will have to deal with that, and the ECHL will not allow any member in good standing to suspend multiple seasons.