Kerr: Ice Flyers are a community effort

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 ECHL’s 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 Kerr’s passion for being successful both on and off the ice is still a mainstay of his philosophy behind the Ice Flyers. “It’s 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 doesn’t change from the NHL to the ECHL to the SPHL,” Kerr said. “It’s the same challenge and the same excitement for me.” Kerr has been portrayed by many as a sort of patron saint – “ the man who saved hockey in Pensacola” 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. “It 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,” Kerr said. “The 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 wasn’t money. I wasn’t in a position where I was going to spend a lot of money to say in July that that I wasn’t going to play and they all stepped up. The whole process here literally was Pensacola coming together. It’s great to sit here and take the credit for me bringing hockey back but I’m probably the smallest part of it. It was the people of Pensacola, the media that stepped up and did the radio spots but weren’t getting paid for it. It’s a great story.”

One of the biggest sectors of the fan base for Kerr is the military in and around Pensacola. Kerr’s 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 didn’t 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 “For 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. They’ve actually worked with us because one of the biggest problems was getting the kids to the arena and back to the bases,” Kerr said. “We’ve given them very discounted tickets – $5 tickets for these kids to come – and they’ve stepped up and given them transportation which is huge. It’s something that we need to sustain. There’s 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.” Naturally, some wondered how the fans in Pensacola would take to a team in a league they weren’t 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 “battle-to-the-death” 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. “Even 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,” he said. “It kind of created some atmosphere right away which was awesome I think.” Kerr’s 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. “Hopefully we’ll be able to add some more teams on the I-10. I think that’s 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 there’s a lot of teams that are on the bubble and lose a lot of money each year,” he said. “Certainly people don’t come into minor league sports and pro teams to make money. It’s 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.” 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. “Obviously that’s the great challenge (surviving in a poor economy). For me personally, I’ve 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 don’t make any money but I love it and that‘s what‘s great about it. Obviously my whole goal at this level is not to lose money and if this team doesn’t lose money, it’s a home run,” he said. “It’s obviously a tough time out there. Our corporate partners here from when I was here before haven’t been able to commit like they did. Back in the early years with the ECHL, our car dealerships were our biggest sponsors. Well basically, they’re non existent now with the troubles that they’re 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 that’s what we’re striving to do.” 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. “I’ll be honest with you. With the Ice Pilots, the team wasn’t really for sale when I sold it. The gentleman came in and made me an offer I couldn’t 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,” he said. “When 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 can’t transfer so I can’t sell the team because the lease would be non existent. They stepped up for me so I need to step up for them. I’m really enjoying being back down here and hopefully we’ll be here for a long time.” Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com