EVANSVILLE, IN – The ECHL Board of Governors completed its midseason meeting Monday and officially approved the transfer of the Evansville IceMen to Owensboro, KY.
With support from its member teams, the ECHL also approved the IceMen’s request for a voluntary suspension for the 2016-17 season to allow for the necessary renovations of the Owensboro Sportscenter. The City of Owensboro and Mayor Ron Payne have also granted the IceMen an extension to begin the renovations of the Owensboro Sportscenter to September 30, 2016.
“With a 66-year-old building, this is something that we want to do right,†said IceMen Owner Ron Geary. “Out of fairness to the ECHL’s other member teams, this is not a project we can rush to complete. We want the Owensboro Sportscenter to be a great place to watch a hockey game, with amenities that are attractive to the fans.â€
Geary added that there is still some uncertainty with the impending costs for such renovations, which requires more time to finalize.
“We appreciate the support of the ECHL, its member teams, the City of Owensboro and our great fans in understanding our desire to keep the IceMen in this region and the time it will take to complete these renovations,†said Geary.
While the IceMen work to renovate their new home, staff will continue to pursue sponsorship opportunities and a season ticket holder base in preparation for the 2017-18 season, and will remain active in the community.
Hockey will flop there too. I predicted it wouldn’t last 5 years here. It won’t make it any longer than that in Owensboro without more public money. Now we’re stuck with an expensive hockey rink and a Saturday beer league level team that will no doubt operate at a loss.
The operational costs will be lower in Owensboro because the arena will cost only $25 MILLION. The annual payment will be $1.5 Million instead of $8Million. That is a tremendous difference. Ticket sales in Owensboro will be similar to Evansville.
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