BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Tim Leighton is smiling.
On a recent night in Bloomington, I was speaking with Leighton and the prospects for his hockey team, the Bloomington PrairieThunder. Our conversation ebbed and flowed as we each kept one eye on the game. At a critical moment, the opposing goalie blocked a shot but was unable to cover the puck. Good teams don’t miss too many second chances like this. Sure enough, one of the Bloomington player puts the biscuit in the basket. The PrairieThunder are a good team.
I said, the PrairieThunder are a good team.
During any of the previous four seasons of their existence, this was certainly not the case. A lot of things changed in Bloomington over the summer though, and the results have been significant. The most significant being a winning record.
Currently at 14-8-1, the PrairieThunder have the second highest win percentage (.630) in the Central Hockey League’s Turner Conference and sit in fourth place with 29 points – just five points out of first place, but they hold five games in-hand over Rapid City, the conference leader.
Leighton credits the turn-around to three significant changes during the off-season. Each change he says, strengthened the team significantly, but when taken together, have provided a solid and stable foundation.
The first two changes involved personnel decisions.
The team had been without a true General Manager for a year-and-a-half when they hired Jim Riggs.
“He took the RiverKings from nothing to a championship team.” Leighton said of his new GM.
Riggs has his hands full, as the team is not performing as well at the gate as is needed. The PrairieThunder are averaging just over 2,300 fans per game – some analysts believe the break-even point, financially, is about 3,500. Leighton does not sound worried.
“It is early in the season. Teams typically draw better after New Years and we are already at our average for last season.” Leighton added. “(Riggs) is out there in the community. We are reaching out to non-traditional groups. We have done promotions with the Shakespeare Festival and the local orchestra.”
Certainly Riggs’ job will be a bit easier now that the team is winning, as well. Leighton knows who gets the credit for that accomplishment.
“Jason Christie,” Leighton said without hesitation. “He’s a proven winner. This team is a work in progress, but he has done a lot in a short amount of time. He is always trying to improve the team. One thing about Jason, he’s got one speed – all out. He’s working to change the culture of this team, not just in the locker room, but in the stands as well.”
“Jason also keeps telling me ‘This is a marathon, not a sprint.’ We are building hockey team, both on and off the ice, not just for right now but for the future.”
Leighton brings up the third change – the third “pillar” of this hockey team. This year, the PrairieThunder are playing in the Central Hockey League.
“The city and the fans wanted more stability. The CHL is 18 teams and a much more stable situation,” Leighton said of the merger between the International Hockey League (IHL) and the CHL.
While he won’t say it, the City of Bloomington, which owns U.S. Cellular Coliseum in which the PrairieThunder play, was worried about the stability of the IHL, the league the team used to play in. This has been one less worry for him this season.
And what of the IHL, which, when the announcement was first made, described the collaboration with the CHL as a ‘working agreement,’ leaving people with the impression that this combination of leagues would just be temporary?
“Well, I am a lawyer.” Leighton said with a chuckle, “but the short answer is we are one entity working together. I am a member of the Executive Board of the CHL.”
That may be, indeed, a lawyerly answer, but it leaves one with the impression that an “IHL3” is not actually in the cards.
With his three pillars in place, Leighton sounds confident in the future of the team. He sounds best when he uses that line about it being a difference between a marathon and a sprint. While the changes in Bloomington are showing results now – Bloomington is a top-tier CHL team right now – they are actually aimed at results for a long time to come.
Contact the author: Shaun.Bill@ProHockeyNews.com
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