IceMen, City of Evansville stalemate stalls CHL Schedule

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In preparation for their second season in the Central Hockey League, the Evansville IceMen will have a whole new look for the 2011-12 season, complete with a new logo, new uniforms, as well as a new home in Evansville’s downtown arena – or so they hope. With just 72 days left before the start of the season, negotiations for the team’s use of the new Downtown Evansville Arena have all but reached an impasse, raising concern among fans as to what direction IceMen Owner & President Ron Geary will be forced to take if an agreement can’t be reached. Geary has stated that he wanted to commence negotiations with the city last November, shortly after the IceMen were awarded the hockey rights to play in the new arena, but the talks did not begin until March. By the end of July, it was clear that the IceMen would not be able to come to an agreement with arena project manager John Kish. On August 2nd, Geary asked the Evansville Redevelopment Commission (ERC) to intervene. Scheduling, concessions profit-sharing and rent appear to be the primary sources of disagreement and while both sides say they are eager to make an agreement, neither seems ready to compromise.

In an e-mail sent out following Geary’s appearance before the ERC, Brian Vaal, the Icemen’s Vice-President of Corporate Development discussed the meeting, after which negotiations were described as being at a stalemate. The e-mail included the following statement: “Although there is a clear difference of opinion on why the negotiations have continued longer than either party had planned on and would have liked, we, the Evansville IceMen, are optimistic and hopeful to bring IceMen hockey to our current and future fans and to the new Downtown Evansville Arena for the upcoming 2011-2012 CHL Season.” Vaal appealed for friends and sponsors of IceMen hockey to contact members of the ERC as soon as possible to express support for the team.
If there is no breakthrough in contract negotiations by Friday, the ERC is expected to schedule a special meeting with representatives of the IceMen and the city in an effort to break the impasse. While there is currently no agreement in place for the IceMen to play at the new arena, Head Coach Rich Kromm has been busy putting together the talent that will take the ice this October. The Icemen have re-signed eight members of last season’s squad, including forwards Mark Cody, Matt Pierce, Niklas Lindberg, and Brian Bicek as well as defensemen Jake Obermeyer, Jordan Little, Adam Knopp and Nick Schneider. Veteran forward Jeff Nelson announced his retirement in June. Kromm has also added eight additional players to the 2011-12 roster including former Odessa Jackalopes center Todd Robinson and defensemen Phillipe Plante and Matt Gens, former Rapid City Rush forward Josh Beaulieu, center Brad Smulders, rookie right wing Dustin Johnson, rookie goalie Brian Gillis and veteran defenseman Steve Makway. In addition to player signings, the IceMen recently announced a new one-year contract with WEOA-1400AM “The Pump” to broadcast its games and tryout auditions for their two promo teams, The Icicles and The Ice Girls will be held on Saturday, August 20th at Swonder Ice Arena. In the meantime, the issue appears to have stalled the release of the CHL’s schedule, which is typically released by the first week of August. Fans of the IceMen, as well as the league’s 13 other teams are burning up the message boards and forums, wondering what their respective seasons will look like. For now, all Evansville fans know is that the IceMen will travel to Moline, Ill. To play the Quad City Mallards in a pre-season match set for 4:00 p.m. on October 15th. Beyond that, it’s a waiting game. A recent inquiry made to the CHL received the following response: “We hope to have the schedule released early next week.” It’s certain that the IceMen as well as the City of Evansville hope so too. Despite their differences, it’s obvious the smart move for both sides is to reach a compromise. Arena project manager John Kish has told reporters the arena would do just fine without hockey, but opening the new arena without a major tenant like the IceMen could lead to huge losses – something that Kish says he’s trying to prevent. As for the IceMen, they’ve played at Swonder Ice Arena for the past several years and could conceivably fall back on Swonder as their home for the upcoming season, but the limited seating capacity will severely handicap the team’s chances of bringing in the revenue it needs to continue operating as a CHL franchise. It’s time for someone to blink. Contact the writer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com