Solar Bears return to Orlando

ORLANDO, FLA. – Most of the time in Florida, when bears are mentioned it is a news story about them wandering into back yards or climbing into trees as animal control tries to corral them. Wednesday afternoon, a completely different bear made news in the sports world for simply coming out of hibernation. In front of a sizeable crowd gathered at the Amway Center, Orlando Pro Hockey Operations L.P. unveiled the newest franchise to join the ECHL, carrying a familiar name. The Orlando Solar Bears will take to the ice next October, following in the skate tracks of the original Solar Bears franchise that played in the IHL from 1995 to 2001 and won the final Turner Cup championship before the league disbanded. “I think its key. I think it’s very important. The Solar Bears have a great history here – short but great,” Solar Bears C.O.O. and Managing Partner Bob Ohrablo

said about using the name. “We’re going to build on that now. It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. We’re starting with a brand and a team that people have an allegiance to. Last time they skated out of here, they won a championship. It puts a little pressure on us, but I think it’s great that we have that name.” Under the glare of television cameras from every Orlando station and an audience that included many former Solar Bears and Orlando/Florida Seals season ticket holders, Mayor Buddy Dyer, along with city venues director Allen Johnson and Orlando Magic President Alex Martins welcomed ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna and the “new” Solar Bears ownership group. The Magic are the primary tenants at the Amway Center. When the Solar Bears start play in 2012, they will be the twenty-second franchise in the ECHL, which will celebrate its 25 anniversary next season. Commissioner McKenna said that putting a team in Orlando has long been a goal of the ECHL. “I think it’s always been on the horizon. I was down here five years ago, when they (RDV Sports and City of Orlando) made the final presentation to the county commissioners and the city council to try to get it ( Amway Center) approved. They had hockey in mind and certainly I think we’ve had it on our horizon ever since,” McKenna said. “Construction took three or four years for completion. I think really it’s been the last 12-18 months that we’ve paid more attention. The missing ingredient was getting the proper ownership group – not just owners but the management, the management skill, the experience to be able to know what it’s going to take in a market this size to be able to properly introduce a team and have it sustain for the longer term.” RDV Sports, the owners of the Magic, has a history itself in pro hockey. They were the owners of the first Solar Bears franchise as well as owning the AHLs Grand Rapids Griffins – who came from the IHL – through the family of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos. Under RDV’s ownership, the Solar Bears were a force in attendance and on the ice. Martins said that the Magic and RDV are very happy to have another major tenant in the building, because of what it will mean to a community that is having its struggles with the economy. “We’re incredibly happy. You know a rising tide lifts all boats. We’ve got a franchise here now that is going to be playing 36 home dates. It’s a great opportunity for our suite holders who lease their suites on a year-round basis to have 36 more events to come to. It’s a great opportunity for all of our employees who work this building to have 36 more nights to work,” Martins said. “It’s a great opportunity for our entire region, but especially downtown Orlando, to have this building operate for a guaranteed 36 more dates every year to help all of those businesses thrive through downtown Orlando.” The cooperative effort between the Magic and Solar Bears will look a lot like it did when the two franchises were under the RDV umbrella. Both Martins and Ohrablo said that the teams will cross-promote each other during games and through web sites and social media. The Magic will promote the Solar Bears to its fan base, extolling the virtues of the hockey team. The Solar Bears’ team offices and practice facility will be at the RDV Sportsplex in nearby Maitland, exactly where they were during the IHL days. McKenna said that the relationship between the NBA team and the ECHL team was one of the factors that made the Solar Bears an attractive addition. “I think that certainly from our perspective that is very important, but that’s a credit to the ownership group,” McKenna said. “I think the proposal that they made and the credibility that they have in terms of their management skills and experience, the Magic felt comfortable doing that. From the team’s perspective, from the league’s perspective, that’s a very positive development.” Martins said that the two teams have been talking for about two months about a wide variety of topics including the office and practice space as well astrading ideas on making hockey work once again in the Orlando market. “We shared a lot of our experiences. We helped them attain our old home at the RDV Sportsplex as a practice facility,” he said. “We’ve helped them along the way and we look forward to helping them a lot more as they get ready for their first season.” Solar Bears President and Managing Partner Jason Siegel echoed McKenna’s praise for Martins and the staff at RDV Sports, including allowing the use of the name Solar Bears – the name that many fans had told the ownership group they wanted to see. “We came down and had a meeting with Alex Martins. We had a checklist of things that we thought could help us be successful,” Siegel said. “We sat across the table from Alex and we were very excited that they were willing to work with us. At the same time they immediately said (using the name) Solar Bears; that’s a great idea, let’s do that.” Ohrablo said that he was impressed with the turnout of fans at the introduction event, because in the end, it is the fans who will ultimately decide how successful the team is. “When you consider that it’s a workday at 1:30 pm, it shows the dedication (of the fans). People probably had to take (time) off of work to come here. The room was packed and we‘re just thrilled,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many fans came over to me, thanking me and saying whatever we can do to help you and that’s what we need. We brought the team here and now it’s really up to the fans to make this work. They proved it today that they deserve this.” Ohrablo said the next order of business will be to get the ticket sales staff up and running by next week. He added that decisions on a general manager, coach and players will be made starting closer to next spring. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com