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The latest from Elmira(Jackals might get sued)

Dex

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Dec 5, 2011
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Keeps going from bad - to worse.

I remember looking at the bankruptcy filing and wondering what kind of shell game these guys were playing. Looks like Freeman had the same thing in mind.

I don't know what this means for the future of hockey in Elmira. ECHL hockey in particular. This franchise needs someone with deep pockets to be able and/willing to absorb operating losses. I always hoped Terry Pegula would come in and buy the team - sort of to complete the development strategy of the organization by having a place to place, observe and supervise the talent they have that is not AHL ready.

Right now, they've got guys all over the ECHL and CHL. I know that some of that is due to the likes of Foligno, Hodgson and maybe McNabb or Brennan taking up AHL roster spots. But wouldn't it be nice to have a local ECHL level team to put the Szydlowski, Boychuk, Fienhage, Lagace and maybe some of the guys who are extras for the Amerks to play nearby and on a regular basis. How 'bout the ease with which they could switch out Knapp and Lieuwen to give both time at both levels. I have to think that Lieuwen is benefiting greatly from playing most games in Greenville while Knapp rides the pine and practices.

Same thing for coaches, trainers, front office and marketing staff - what a great way to develop all of those aspects of the organization.

The unfortunate thing is that what I'm seeing with how the Amerks are being managed is that Pegula either hasn't considered that, is not interested, or does not have the wherewithal to take that sort of step.

Would have been nice.

In the meanwhile, I hope the ECHL stays in Elmira. I think the Federal League or turning to a US Junior level team would be a huge disappointment.
 
Sports Enthusiast

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Blue n Gold Forever said:
Keeps going from bad - to worse.

I remember looking at the bankruptcy filing and wondering what kind of shell game these guys were playing. Looks like Freeman had the same thing in mind.

I don't know what this means for the future of hockey in Elmira. ECHL hockey in particular. This franchise needs someone with deep pockets to be able and/willing to absorb operating losses. I always hoped Terry Pegula would come in and buy the team - sort of to complete the development strategy of the organization by having a place to place, observe and supervise the talent they have that is not AHL ready.

Right now, they've got guys all over the ECHL and CHL. I know that some of that is due to the likes of Foligno, Hodgson and maybe McNabb or Brennan taking up AHL roster spots. But wouldn't it be nice to have a local ECHL level team to put the Szydlowski, Boychuk, Fienhage, Lagace and maybe some of the guys who are extras for the Amerks to play nearby and on a regular basis. How 'bout the ease with which they could switch out Knapp and Lieuwen to give both time at both levels. I have to think that Lieuwen is benefiting greatly from playing most games in Greenville while Knapp rides the pine and practices.

Same thing for coaches, trainers, front office and marketing staff - what a great way to develop all of those aspects of the organization.

The unfortunate thing is that what I'm seeing with how the Amerks are being managed is that Pegula either hasn't considered that, is not interested, or does not have the wherewithal to take that sort of step.

Would have been nice.

In the meanwhile, I hope the ECHL stays in Elmira. I think the Federal League or turning to a US Junior level team would be a huge disappointment.
Click to expand...

I might be okay with the USHL.

I was hoping Roy would be an ECHL guy and we would affiliate with them but neither happened.

This is just a complete mess. An agreement was made last May for everything to remain the same for the next year until the court nonsense was figured out then in July the place magically has a new buyer then a week after it's announced theres stuff about how the May agreement was invalid. Guy is on the Chamber of Commerce along with the County Exec. Sounds like some kind of political game happened.

As for the Pegula era I see not a lot of Rochester fans are happy and are sort of letting him have it for how they aren't good in this lockout year.
 

Cant Fix Stupid

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Jan 28, 2013
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BK Triple Threat said:
I might be okay with the USHL.

An agreement was made last May for everything to remain the same for the next year until the court nonsense was figured out then in July the place magically has a new buyer then a week after it's announced theres stuff about how the May agreement was invalid. Guy is on the Chamber of Commerce along with the County Exec. Sounds like some kind of political game happened.
Click to expand...
Assertions like this will get you in trouble
 
Sports Enthusiast

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Cant Fix Stupid said:
Assertions like this will get you in trouble
Click to expand...

Yet in a recent article in the local paper there was a section in the article entitled "secret deal"?

Seems like thats not really an assumption I created for fun, but I had that assumption WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY before that article came out last week.


HERE:

http://www.stargazette.com/article/...lmira-s-First-Arena-court-filings-grow-heated

Secret deal?
In a Jan. 11 filing, EDA accused Elm Arena and Southern Tier Economic Development of trying to sabotage the arena management company.

“One thing has been made clear in this case — Elm Arena LLC wants to own and operate First Arena and the Elmira Jackals,” wrote Joseph Grekin, an attorney for EDA. The Jackals are owned by Afr as a separate entity.

The management company is seeking permission from the court to interview officers of Elm Arena and Southern Tier Economic Development.

Grekin repeated allegations of a secret deal between Freeman, Chemung County and STED to give Freeman control of the arena.

He also accused Elm Arena attorneys of making unauthorized filings with the court, in an attempt to embarrass EDA through bad press generated by the filings.

“Elm (Arena) knew when it filed the unauthorized filings that the local media outlets would review them and that it would create negative publicity with regard to the debtor and its ability to operate the arena, thereby damaging the debtor’s chances of a successful reorganization,” Grekin wrote.


Grekin also said that after Elm Arena’s inspector said the compressors in the arena were leaking ammonia, Elm Arena didn’t immediately contact EDA to let it know about alleged public health risks due to the leak.

“Instead, Elm spent the next six days [during which Elm knew two hockey games took place at the arena] drafting a pretty PowerPoint presentation to show to the court, and ideally to the media, explaining why the debtor’s equipment was damaged and dangerous.”

Elm Arena notified STED, the building’s owner, which told the Elmira Fire Department and the county Health Department, but not EDA, Grekin wrote. Those notifications would appear to violate the portion of bankruptcy law that protects debtors as they reorganize, he wrote.
Click to expand...
 

Cant Fix Stupid

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Jan 28, 2013
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BK Triple Threat said:
Yet in a recent article in the local paper there was a section in the article entitled "secret deal"?

Seems like thats not really an assumption I created for fun, but I had that assumption WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY before that article came out last week.


HERE:

http://www.stargazette.com/article/...lmira-s-First-Arena-court-filings-grow-heated
Click to expand...

So what you are saying is you believe everything you read. Because what I read was this was an accusation made by this EDA group's lawyer. What is he supposed to say his client is in the wrong? You don't make money that way.
 
Sports Enthusiast

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Cant Fix Stupid said:
So what you are saying is you believe everything you read. Because what I read was this was an accusation made by this EDA group's lawyer. What is he supposed to say his client is in the wrong? You don't make money that way.
Click to expand...

Heres more:

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20130130/NEWS01/301300061/Can-First-Arena-pay-its-bills-

But heres something on the side of the article to get back to my suspicion.

Key players
• STED: Southern Tier Economic Development Inc., owner of First Arena.
• EDA: Elmira Downtown Arena LLC, the company controlled by Michigan businessman Mostafa Afr that manages the arena by agreement with STED.
• Elm Arena LLC: A company run by local businessman Tom Freeman, a former chairman of STED, and holder of First Arena’s mortgage.
• U.S. Trustee’s Office: Part of the U.S. Department of Justice, the trustee is charged with acting as a watchdog over the bankruptcy process, for the benefit of the debtors, the creditors and the public.
Click to expand...

1 and 3 is where my interest is at. I knew about 1 and part of 3 but the 2nd part of 3 adds new info that even more has me wondering.

I'm not a consipracy theorist but I am a man of many questions. The last 13 or so months have had wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy more questions than answers(hell we really still don't have any of those)
 

Cant Fix Stupid

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Jan 28, 2013
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BK Triple Threat said:
Heres more:

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20130130/NEWS01/301300061/Can-First-Arena-pay-its-bills-

But heres something on the side of the article to get back to my suspicion.



1 and 3 is where my interest is at. I knew about 1 and part of 3 but the 2nd part of 3 adds new info that even more has me wondering.

I'm not a consipracy theorist but I am a man of many questions. The last 13 or so months have had wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy more questions than answers(hell we really still don't have any of those)
Click to expand...

So you have a guy, who was involved in a group that owned your arena and rented it to another guy who didn't pay his bills and is complete junk in the eyes of most of the hockey world, and who now actually wants to buy the arena and possible the team from said pariah of the hockey world and this is a bad thing? I think if you look at the business ethics of your current owner you might see your new development as turnabout being fair play. Just looks like somebody is finally calling this bum of an owner into account on it.

Elmira is a pretty small market isn't it? I would bet the only way your team could ever make it in that market is if you owned the team and the arena and the concessions. I used to follow the Adirondack Icehawks way back and that was the biggest problem they had in staying solvent was cash flow. Shaver was trying to get a bigger % of concessions because this gave him more cash on hand to pay bills, etc. Glens Falls and our surrounding area is a heck of a lot bigger area than Elmira to draw from too. Shaver had to pay the players, the travel expenses, the insurance, the housing, the staff, the rent on the ice for the GFCC. He did this with pretty much just the staff selling advertising and ticket sales. I only wish he had owned all 3 aspects because he probably could have kept the Icehawks around for years.

I think your suspicions are misplaced with your local guy. They don't let bad business guys lead those Chambers of Commerce and actually having some stroke with the local officials is usually a good thing. I only wish our former owner could have had those benefits.
 
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