wildcat48
Registered User
Some background/history on Petrovek please? I'm sure many would appreciate your insight into this and some rationale for this opinion.
Most recently this past season saw the Pirates in litigious lease negotiations with Cumberland County Civic Center. Petrovek was the face and voice of the franchise during those discussions, which were often proven to be chilly and contentious due to the long drawn-out battles over the team’s lease with the Civic Center’s Board of Trustees.
On several occasions the Pirates threatened to relocate the franchise after they were unable to come to terms on a new deal.
In 2005, Petrovek nearly moved the team to Worcester, Mass., and again in 2009 when talks of the team relocating to Albany, NY arose as both sides went down to the 11th hour before agreeing to a lease agreement.
Last November, Petrovek explored moving the team to Glens Falls after talks on a new long-term lease broke down prior to the start of the season. The Pirates were forced to move its home games to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston where they suffered the worst attendance record in franchise history, averaging just 2,185 per game.
The Pirates filed suit that was later dropped against the trustees for breach of contract before eventually settling on a new five-year lease with the Civic Center, but not before the Pirates underwent a management shakeup which resulted in Ron Cain becoming majority owner, and Petrovek being removed from his role as Managing Partner and CEO and given the title as President of Business Development.
There are plenty of articles here locally about his relationship with the Civic Center. He was always looking for a handout and when he got it was never enough… He’d be hugging you while stabbing you in the back. He is absolutely hated by the fans here. Many fans that followed the team in the early years refused to have anything to do with them as long as he was in control because he ignored the team’s past. He removed a lot of the team history in the building because it didn’t build on the “brandâ€â€¦. Look for that catch word in his interviews. He could never keep quality front office staff because of his micromanagement of everything. People have quit left and right and in recent years Petro has used interns to handle many of the tasks that needed a qualified person. Portland has gone through six media communication reps in the last seven years. There have been complaints from local business that were never paid for services. He’ll barter a deal and never follow through.
In his mind…. It’s not about the local fans. They are not the No. 1 customer. The NHL team is the No. 1 customer and it’s about development and creating an environment for developing, not necessarily winning.
The best way to describe Petro: He’s 80-grit sandpaper when you need a polishing cloth.
FYI, I really want Glens Falls to be successful. I don’t wish ill on the team, but people need to keep an eye on him because – I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it – a leopard doesn’t change his spots and just because he’s in GF now doesn’t mean he’s going to change how he’s run a franchise for the last 14 years.