PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. – The Arizona Sundogs organization, which has been all but silent since the Central Hockey League took over the team in April, held a press conference on Wednesday to make several announcements.
Photo Credit: Matt Santos
McBurney, a native of Bloomington, Illinois, earned a degree in economics from Illinois State University and a Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. He will oversee the day-to-day business operations and sales efforts of the team.
His previous hockey experience includes a stint as the Vice-President/COO with the Utah Grizzlies of the American Hockey League. He also served as the V ice-President and General Manager of the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the former United Hockey League.
McBurney brings a wealth of experience working in sports sales and marketing to the Sundogs organization. H e spent five seasons as the Sales Manager of the Miami Dolphins, where he was responsible for the sale and leasing of the Executive Suites and Club Seating at Joe Robbie Stadium (currently Dolphins Stadium), and helped the Dolphins set an attendance record during the 1996 season. He also held the position of D irector of Premium Seating and Ticket Sales with the San Diego Chargers and was named chairman of the NFL’s Ticket Sales Committee in 2002. McBurney also held the position of Director of Sales for the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join an organization that has an established history of success,” McBurney said. “I look forward to helping re-establish the Arizona Sundogs as one of the premier organizations in the Central Hockey League.”
Head Coach and General Manager Marco Pietroniro was on hand for the event and it was announced that he will remain with the team in the capacity he’s served the past five years.
In four seasons, Pietroniro has guided the Sundogs to a 124-113-19 regular season mark, twice qualifying for the CHL postseason. Pietroniro led the franchise to its best season on record in 2007-08 (39-19-6) and a Southwest Division Title before winning the 2008 Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Championship.
Pietroniro was named Head Coach of the Southern Conference All-Stars for the 2008 CHL All-Star Game, leading the South to an 11-6 win over the Northern Conference. While he apologized for the team’s on-ice failures the past two seasons, his enthusiasm for the coming year was met with several standing ovations. Pietroniro also offered this guarantee: “I’m telling you right now, we will make the playoffs. We will rock this building.”
CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis, also in attendance for the event, made the following comments on the addition of McBurney and the return of Pietroniro.
“The CHL is extremely pleased to have Jerry McBurney join the Sundogs as their new President,” Lewis said. “Jerry’s vast experience in the hockey world will serve as a great asset to the team and community, and the long-term future of the club. In addition, the retention of Marco Pietroniro as an original member of the Sundogs will be extremely beneficial to the on-ice and off-ice product, and providing additional leadership to the organization. The fans of the team should be very excited about the direction of their team.”
The CHL continues to oversee operation of the Sundogs and has assumed the lease at Tim’s Toyota Center until the transfer to a new, local ownership group can be completed. Lewis said that the league is close to finalizing that effort but could offer no details. At the conclusion of the media event, the team unveiled its fifth anniversary logo. The celebratory crest, representative of the team’s fifth season in the CHL, combines the number five and the team’s primary ‘S’ logo. A swaying ribbon that fades from grey to white stretches across the bottom of the logo displaying the years 2006-2011, the five-year period the Sundogs will have been in existence. As the ribbon comes to an end, a single star represents the team’s 2008 Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Championship. The Sundogs will face more than enough challenges in turning their fortunes around. But McBurney’s reputation and his hands-on approach to day-to-day business operations are something the organization deperately needed – the team’s former president was based in Canada. “(M y philosophy) comes down to three simple things. Three simple words,” McBurney said. “Those three words are relationships, partnerships and service.” That philosophy may be just what the doctor ordered. For an organization whose future has been in question over the past several months, the prognosis is very favorable. Contact the author at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
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