RIO RANCHO, NM – Two events this week have made fans of the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League cringe.
First, Citadel Communications published a press release that in effect terminated the contract between the radio group and the Scorpions. The termination was result of the Scorpions’ failure to pay their bill for broadcasting of games on 610AM and 1050AM in Albuquerque.
The second event was reported on CBS-affiliate in Albuquerque, KRQE, that over the holidays the Scorpions staff and players had not been paid on time and that checks were late.
“We do not address finances of the team,” a Scorpions representative told Pro Hockey News.
The 2008-2009 professional hockey season has seen its share of chaos with the suspension of the Augusta Lynx and the Fresno Falcons in the ECHL.
Sources have told Pro Hockey News that at least two CHL franchises are in financial trouble along with at least three ECHL clubs.
Media outlets in Wheeling (WVa) and Johnstown (PA) are among those clubs having trouble drawing fans into their respective arenas.
This is nothing new for the fans of the Scorpions to go through. Around 1998, the then owners of the franchise were reported to have stopped paying players because of financial constraints. Shortly thereafter the franchise changed ownership and continued to meander down the road of insolvency until the team was put into suspension following the 2004-2005 CHL season.
This is not peculiar to the CHL and the Scorpions as noted above. The “A” leagues of the MAHL, AAHA and the EPHL all have issues they are dealing with or dealt with by closing down operations (MAHL).
For a different perspective, Pro Hockey News went to the International Hockey League for their philosophy in this difficult economic environment. Pro Hockey News spoke with Paul Pickard, IHL President.
“The IHL is doing well as expected in these economic times,” Pickard said recently. “We feel that our business model has served us well in most cases.”
The IHL is not without its share of issues but none have risen to the level of those in the ECHL or now the CHL.
“I truly believe that our decision to downsize the league both with the number of teams and the geographical footprint has worked in our favor,’ Pickard added. “We have been challenged by finding suitable markets within our geographical footprint for expansion.”
Finding suitable markets in a smaller footprint has provided some challenges for Pickard and the ownership groups.
“We want to focus on our current ownership and make sure our foundation is strong. I agree that the economy seems to have provided a perfect cover for some troubled teams and owners,” Pickard said.
“We choose to take a “no excuses” approach.”
One representative of the New Mexico Scorpions has said for months that the feeling is that people, even in tough times, want entertainment and distractions. Pickard echoed those comments from Rochester, Michigan.
“We believe that people still want some form of entertainment and will spend discretionary income on attending sports and (or) entertainment events,” Pickard explained.
“With this being said we want to make sure that our level of service is second to none, the value of our product encourages affordable entertainment and that our fans are getting more than just a hockey game,” added Pickard with a sense of real accomplishment.
“We want to position ourselves so that if people are thinking of going to an event it is the “IHL” on their mind first and foremost. With this approach we still cannot take thing for granted as we realize we are one team away from not having a league.”
Representatives of the CHL have consistently stated the Scorpions will remain in New Mexico. “The CHL is aware of the issues facing all professional sports and specifically the Scorpions. We have been and are working with the team’s ownership group to help the club work through some of their obstacles and feel the team has a very positive second half of the season ahead of them,” Bob Hoffman, CHL Director of Communications said. Requests for further comment from the New Mexico Scorpions were referred to the ownership.
Pro Hockey News is following this developing story and will report up to date information on these pages.
Contact Pro Hockey News at comment@prohockeynews.com.
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