STOCKTON, Calif. – The ECHL Board of Governors approved the addition of the Trenton Titans late this week, boosting the number of ECHL teams playing for the 2011-12 season to an even twenty.
In early July, the New Jersey Devils suspended operation of their franchise team the Trenton Devils. Following the announcement, disappointed fans began a grass-roots strategy through the popular networking site, Facebook. The page, “Bring back the Titans!” urged fans to commit to season tickets, if the team returned to Trenton. The fan-based efforts have worked.
Although the terms of the sale were not released and there is still a lot to
Trenton Titans brass at press conference. Photo by Lewis Bleiman
The Titans will be their first professional sports team, although Mr. Martinson had been a partial investor in a former minor league basketball team that folded in 2001.
The Trenton Titans were the predecessors of the Trenton Devils prior to 2007, when the team changed their name following the sale of the franchise to the New Jersey Devils. The Titans were affiliated with the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders in the years prior. The name and affiliation changes were ultimately blamed for alienating fans, and ticket sales began to decrease. In addition, the Trenton Devils failed to make the playoffs in their final three seasons, ultimately leading to the suspension of operations by their owners at the end of the 2010-11 season.
The new owners have enlisted the assistance of former Titans general manager (2001-2005), Richard Lisk and all-time leading former Titans scorer, Scott Bertoli as senior advisor of hockey operations. Lisk plans to begin with the basics, reviving the classic logo, and working to make this a family-friendly and affordable venue for the entire community.
Therefore, its official fans, the Trenton Titans are back and will begin play in the 2011-12 season, under the schedule that had been finalized in late April, commencing with their season opener at Elmira, New York on October 14, against the Jackals, before playing their first home game on October 22.
In addition to the Trenton Devils ceasing operations at the close of the 2010-11 season, the Victoria Salmon Kings ended a successful seven-year run. Now, with the addition of the Chicago Express and the Colorado Eagles, the ECHL begins the 2011-12 season with an even twenty. Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com Photo by Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.