Elmira Enforcers Owners Remain Committed ...

[JMCx4]

From: The Elmira (NY) Star-Gazette

Owners remain committed to Elmira Enforcers despite financial struggles, uncertainty

ANDREW LEGARE | ELMIRA STAR-GAZETTE | 7:01 am EDT October 30, 2020

Elmira Enforcers co-owner Robbie Nichols is hoping area hockey fans receive an early Christmas present Dec. 18, the scheduled start of the delayed 2020-21 Federal Prospects Hockey League season. Nichols could certainly use a boost as well.

After seeing the 2019-20 FPHL season end abruptly in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, Nichols and his wife, Nellie Nichols, have dealt with financial hardships caused by shutdowns of the Enforcers, First Arena and the Elmira Pioneers, their Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League team. ...

"My entire life is affected by COVID and Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo," Robbie Nichols said. "My wife's and my life savings has gone down the drain, what I've worked for for 50-plus years.

"Eventually Nellie and I were going to buy a retirement home in Florida. That's gone now. Now we're looking at a retirement home at Eldridge Park." ...

Read more at: Owners remain committed to Elmira Enforcers despite financial struggles, uncertainty

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[CrazyEddie20]

Sounds like Robbie didn't have adequate business interruption insurance to protect himself and his family...

 

[royals119]

Sounds like Robbie didn't have adequate business interruption insurance to protect himself and his family...

Business interruption insurance is generally not covering claims related to government ordered shutdowns from Covid-19. If they did, the insurance companies would likely have gone bankrupt in the last six months.

 

[SemireliableSource]

Go the smart PR route of mentioning the lockdown and restrictions but acknowledging public health? Nah.

Specifically naming a politician you personally disagree with because the pandemic has given you a chance to blame them for something for once? HELL YEAH, LET’S GO!

Never change, Robbie.

 

[GindyDraws]

I'm crying crocodile tears over here.

 

[TehDoak]

I'm from the Southern Tier region originally so this caught my eye. The owner is a real POS eh?

Elmira Enforcers owner Robbie Nichols fined $25,000 for incident

Opening a go fund me for his 25k fine for shoving an official. It should be noted that that area is having a bad outbreak of COVID right now including 27 dead of covid at an outbreak at a retirement home.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

I'm from the Southern Tier region originally so this caught my eye. The owner is a real POS eh?

Elmira Enforcers owner Robbie Nichols fined $25,000 for incident

Opening a go fund me for his 25k fine for shoving an official. It should be noted that that area is having a bad outbreak of COVID right now including 27 dead of covid at an outbreak at a retirement home.

Robbie is a nice guy. That said, there's a reason he owns a hockey team in Elmira instead of working in a lab in Ithaca curing cancer.

 

[JMCx4]

... there's a reason he owns a hockey team in Elmira instead of working in a lab in Ithaca curing cancer.

Because the bus only runs once a day?

 

[Timjohnson]

I've heard horror stories about Robbie Nichols over the years. I feel bad for the people of Elmira, first they have the Afr's as owners of the Jackals and now Nichols with that bar league team.

 

[TehDoak]

I've heard horror stories about Robbie Nichols over the years. I feel bad for the people of Elmira, first they have the Afr's as owners of the Jackals and now Nichols with that bar league team.

So, when they first were building the arena in downtown Elmira (I don't remember who the owner was going to be at that point), I got all excited because they said they were bringing in a OHL team. I think it was Owen Sound? The guy talked up how great it was.

Someone from the Star Gazette (local paper) actually called the owners of OHL team they said they never heard of the owners and have never talked to them about relocating. The next day he was talking about how OHL really wasn't "Right" for Elmira and an UHL team made more sense. They also baked into all their math that the Elmira College hockey team would play there. They never talked to them either. I think they are still playing in their weird dome arena in Horseheads and not in the much bigger arena down the street from campus.

It really felt like the guy from the Simpson's Pitching the Monorail to Springfield. They still built the arena though lol.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

So, when they first were building the arena in downtown Elmira (I don't remember who the owner was going to be at that point), I got all excited because they said they were bringing in a OHL team. I think it was Owen Sound? The guy talked up how great it was.

Someone from the Star Gazette (local paper) actually called the owners of OHL team they said they never heard of the owners and have never talked to them about relocating. The next day he was talking about how OHL really wasn't "Right" for Elmira and an UHL team made more sense. They also baked into all their math that the Elmira College hockey team would play there. They never talked to them either. I think they are still playing in their weird dome arena in Horseheads and not in the much bigger arena down the street from campus.

It really felt like the guy from the Simpson's Pitching the Monorail to Springfield. They still built the arena though lol.

Owen Sound and North Bay were rumored to be on the move for years back then. Only North Bay ended up moving, and then another franchise moved to North Bay. The OHL might work in Elmira - after all, player payroll is significantly lower in Major Junior.

 

[JMCx4]

So, when they first were building the arena in downtown Elmira (I don't remember who the owner was going to be at that point) ,,,

According to this Post-Star story from 2018: "First Arena was built in 2000 with about $8 million in public funds — a combination of grants and loans secured by the city of Elmira and Chemung County. Under the terms of the original operating agreement, the Afrs were responsible for paying all expenses related to upkeep and operation of the arena, including taxes on the property, through Southern Tier Economic Development, an agency that had a board of directors but no assets other than the arena ... ." So the city & county owned the facility in those early days.

 

[hurricanesfan123]

Robbie is a nice guy. That said, there's a reason he owns a hockey team in Elmira instead of working in a lab in Ithaca curing cancer.

what the hell does he even do for a living

 

[JMCx4]

what the hell does he even do for a living

He owns two minor league sports teams & a CBD store. You'd think one of those oughta be profitable.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

He owns two minor league sports teams & a CBD store. You'd think one of those oughta be profitable.

And, apparently, a cattle farm in Mississippi, according to that article in the Elmira Gazette.

 

[sabremike]

Robbie is awesome and I will not tolerate anyone who says otherwise. If there was a low level hockey HOF he'd be a first ballot inductee. My favorite story is from when I worked for the Trashers and one of my jobs was working the 50/50 table. Anytime Flint came into town Robbie would have one of his assistants come down to the table and buy a strip of tickets. We'd announce the winning number midway through the third (My duties were done after second intermission so I could watch the third from either 102 or the perch by where the DJ/Video board operator was) and you'd see Robbie behind the bench stop what he was doing and whip out the tickets. Sadly he didn't have Don Cherry luck (at least in Danbury) and never won.

 

[JMCx4]

So @sabremike, any opinions short of "awesome" are grounds for a lifetime of assignments at the 50/50 table? The optics of the OP news article in this thread could give rise to theories that his choice of investments have not improved much since your shared Happy Days in Danbury.

 

[royals119]

Robbie is awesome and I will not tolerate anyone who says otherwise. If there was a low level hockey HOF he'd be a first ballot inductee. My favorite story is from when I worked for the Trashers and one of my jobs was working the 50/50 table. Anytime Flint came into town Robbie would have one of his assistants come down to the table and buy a strip of tickets. We'd announce the winning number midway through the third (My duties were done after second intermission so I could watch the third from either 102 or the perch by where the DJ/Video board operator was) and you'd see Robbie behind the bench stop what he was doing and whip out the tickets. Sadly he didn't have Don Cherry luck (at least in Danbury) and never won.

I have to wonder what would happen if he did win. Would he call a timeout and run to the desk to collect his winnings? Send the equipment guy or an assistant? Wait until after the game?
I sell 50/50 for the Royals booster club, and I always buy tickets when I go to a road game. One time I won in Johnstown. I was smart enough not to let on when they called my number, waited for the next stoppage and casually walked to the booth. I went up to the guy and said, "hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" as he had a group of Chiefs fans clustered around. He took me to the side, and I quietly told him I had the winning ticket. He said that was a smart move, as the guys there were waiting to see who won, and they don't like it when visitors get the pot. He walked me down to the office and paid me out. I bet the Danbury regulars would be none too happy with the vising coach taking the prize either.

 

[210]

AHL linesman Bob Paquette used to buy 50/50 tickets in Worcester before every game he worked. Occasionally a ref would play if they were walking the concourse pregame as the Booster Club was setting up. Paquette used to check his numbers on the ice during stoppages in play during the third period...the PA guy would hold up the number as Paquette looked through his tickets. He never won, but the Booster Club President said that he absolutely would have handed him cash through the penalty box door if he ever did.

 

[Dex]

I attended a couple of Jackals games as my brother lives in nearby Wellsboro PA. I found them to be fun, affordable, and entertaining. Actually thought that Buffalo, Rochester and Elmira would make a nice affiliation set up - which ended up happening. Reading about all of the crap with various ownership groups around that time, it did not surprise me that they folded. Too bad

 

[Ratitude]

Like them or not owners like the Nichols or Galantes are cut from the same cloth. Some might find their existence detestable but go ahead and ask the majority of local fans what they think. I think you would be surprised to find that the real fans, the ones who attend the games, overwhelmingly support the ownership.

Had the pleasure over the years of interacting and meeting with both families of the Trashers and Enforcers. Despite their unorthodox ways they are in fact community people. They love giving back and in their worlds loyalties are everything. Nichols still remains a fan favorite up in the Albany-Adirondack region from his Red Wings days.

 

[JMCx4]

Like them or not owners like the Nichols or Galantes are cut from the same cloth. Some might find their existence detestable but go ahead and ask the majority of local fans what they think. I think you would be hard pressed to find that the real fans, the ones who attend the games, overwhelmingly support the ownership. ...

I presume you meant: "you would be surprised"?

 

[Ratitude]

I presume you meant: "you would be surprised"?

Yes I did lol, you will have to forgive. Here in quarantine New Yawk fatigue has set in. We have to watch what we do here, Big Brother is watching lol!