Part two of a series. PENSACOLA, FLA – During his days in the National Hockey League, Tim Kerr was known for his tenacious spirit and workman-like ethic. No player on the ice would outwork him with the game on the line. He took that mindset into his post-playing career and created a very successful real estate business in New Jersey. When he became the owner of the ECHLâs Pensacola Ice Pilots, he made it a priority that his team would be a force on the ice as well as being involved in the community. Four years might have passed but Kerrâs passion for being successful both on and off the ice is still a mainstay of his philosophy behind the Ice Flyers. âItâs a process and a great challenge. For me personally, its about having a successful team both on and off the and in the community and that aspect doesnât change from the NHL to the ECHL to the SPHL,â Kerr said. âItâs the same challenge and the same excitement for me.â Kerr has been portrayed by many as a sort of patron saint – â the man who saved hockey in Pensacolaâ if you will. For his part, Kerr says that the real heroes are the people of the city itself who stuck with their wish of getting a team back and did much of the work to make that wish come true. âIt started out when it was brought to my attention that they wanted to get hockey back. I investigated the SPHL a little bit and I said I needed to have a lease that we could be competitive with. The Booster Club here in this town stepped up and worked so hard. They were at the malls. They were sitting out at fairs. They did what they could do to sell season tickets,â Kerr said. âThe media in this town – the radio stations, the newspaper – we went to them and said we need your help to try to get some exposure to get people to come in. It wasnât money. I wasnât in a position where I was going to spend a lot of money to say in July that that I wasnât going to play and they all stepped up. The whole process here literally was Pensacola coming together. Itâs great to sit here and take the credit for me bringing hockey back but Iâm probably the smallest part of it. It was the people of Pensacola, the media that stepped up and did the radio spots but werenât getting paid for it. Itâs a great story.â
One of the biggest sectors of the fan base for Kerr is the military in and around Pensacola. Kerrâs eyes lit up talking about David Gray, a member of the Navy who purchased six season tickets for his family knowing that he himself would be at sea in the Indian Ocean until next August and not see one game in person. Gray contacted the Ice Flyers about having his wife Donna presented with roses on opening night as part of the Founders Club ceremony just to let her know that he was thinking about her. Kerr was so moved that he picked up the tab for the flowers. Another story that Kerr related was about a member of the military who purchased a season ticket at a team table at a local mall. When asked where to send the ticket to, the gentleman replied that he would not be in Pensacola but he wanted a ticket available for one of the men in his barracks to be able attend a game. Kerr didnât send just one season ticket to the barracks; he sent 50 as a thank you for both their service and their support of the team âFor us to be successful, we have to have the ability to get the Navy and the military involved here because they are a big presence in Pensacola. Theyâve actually worked with us because one of the biggest problems was getting the kids to the arena and back to the bases,â Kerr said. âWeâve given them very discounted tickets – $5 tickets for these kids to come – and theyâve stepped up and given them transportation which is huge. Itâs something that we need to sustain. Thereâs 20,000 kids at night in the Navy alone that are on the streets and they want them to have a good place to go to spend the night. It needs to be a partnership that we need to continue to cultivate so that it is a win-win.â Naturally, some wondered how the fans in Pensacola would take to a team in a league they werenât used to because hockey fans in the Panhandle have long and fond memories of the Ice Pilots and the ECHL. The rivalries that were built along the Interstate-10 corridor were as famous for their âbattle-to-the-deathâ mentalities as they were for game-winning goals and spectacular saves. The fact that Louisiana and Mississippi were joining the SPHL along with Pensacola provided Kerr with a high level of excitement at the thought of reigniting those flames. âEven before my time in the ECHL, there were a lot more teams on the I-10. Certainly Louisiana and Mississippi are great rivalries from the ECHL so it was great that they joined at the same time as we did,â he said. âIt kind of created some atmosphere right away which was awesome I think.â Kerrâs excitement about reviving the I-10 corridor is heightened by the fact that from his business perspective, the SPHL business model would be absolutely perfect to reopen those cities that at one time were active. âHopefully weâll be able to add some more teams on the I-10. I think thatâs the great thing about the model of the SPHL. It gives the smaller markets opportunities to be successful. You look at a lot of the leagues and thereâs a lot of teams that are on the bubble and lose a lot of money each year,â he said. âCertainly people donât come into minor league sports and pro teams to make money. Itâs about the passion of the game and the excitement of it. Hopefully we can add more and bring that back because in the early days, that I-10 corridor with all those teams I guess it was really exciting.â Being in real estate, Kerr is very aware of the slump the national economy has been in. He knows first hand that minor league hockey is not the greatest revenue producer but is willing to do what it takes to make it work in Pensacola. âObviously thatâs the great challenge (surviving in a poor economy). For me personally, Iâve been fortunate enough to do well in other aspects and other businesses. This is a passion game for me and a business that I spend 24/7 on and donât make any money but I love it and thatâs whatâs great about it. Obviously my whole goal at this level is not to lose money and if this team doesnât lose money, itâs a home run,â he said. âItâs obviously a tough time out there. Our corporate partners here from when I was here before havenât been able to commit like they did. Back in the early years with the ECHL, our car dealerships were our biggest sponsors. Well basically, theyâre non existent now with the troubles that theyâre having. People are kicking in and doing what they can. We have the ability to put 3,000-4,000 people in (the building) on a night and do give good exposure. On the business side, we need to be a good partner in the community and it has to be a win-win and thatâs what weâre striving to do.â When asked about his long term view, Kerr explained that he learned a long time ago that circumstances at any given point in time can and do dictate decisions. At this point, he is completely committed to making sure that his Ice Flyers stay a viable business entity, a committed member of the community and a competitive SPHL franchise for years to come. âIâll be honest with you. With the Ice Pilots, the team wasnât really for sale when I sold it. The gentleman came in and made me an offer I couldnât refuse. At that time living in New Jersey and having five kids, it was a little too far away for me. I sold the team but I missed it. I looked for teams closer to home in New Jersey and had a few things going,â he said. âWhen this (Pensacola) came up, its always one of those things where as a businessman you say I need this, this and this to fall into place and once again it did here and here I am back in Pensacola. The county commissioners gave me a lease that I canât transfer so I canât sell the team because the lease would be non existent. They stepped up for me so I need to step up for them. Iâm really enjoying being back down here and hopefully weâll be here for a long time.â Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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