Wow, I don't think I've ever seen such a petty group of men with petty excuses. Between Tim Clayden and Randy Russon, the integrity quotient nears ZERO.
Espanola Rivermen Jr. A Hockey Club
MARCH 9, 2015 AT 12:53 PM
Rivermen Fan Page created by the Fans
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Our-Team-Espanola-Rivermen/541546549318852
We the Espanola Rivermen Junior ‘A’ hockey club would like to take this opportunity thank you all very much for your support. Our organization would not be able to operate season after season without the continued support of our area junior hockey fans, sponsors, season ticket holders and our many community partners and supporting not-for-profit organizations involved each season.
Our gear has been put in storage for yet another summer season and the dressing room floors have been mopped, unfortunately, a little early this year.
As most have been made aware of now, the Espanola Town Clerk / Administrator has recently issued a statement on Facebook Cancelling our Team Contract signed June 25th, 2013 with the former Mayor & Council, that expires on the 31st day of May, 2017.
Please know that our only intention and plan was to operate the Espanola Rivermen in Espanola again next season, and fulfill our contract with the Town of Espanola.
We have been asked by the Town to provide a go forward plan for the team, the league and renegotiate our existing contract.
Once our February ice fees are paid this month along with our advertising fees to the Town, we will be completely current just as we were at the end of last season in our first year of our contract. We operated this season within the very same guidelines and time lines of our contract in the very same manner that we did in year one of our contract with the previous Mayor & Council and as orally agreed to with the Complex Manager this season, in December 2014.
The Rivermen have honoured our contract obligations to the Town of Espanola last year and in the very same manner this season; nothing has changed from the time lines of our contract this season from year one in regard to how we operate, the time lines of our fees paid or in our plans to move forward into the next season.
However, we would like to bring it to your attention that our season tickets and advertising for 2015 – 2016 season has been on hold due to the current Mayor & Council asking for a go-forward league plan, questioning unsanctioned hockey versus sanctioned hockey and suggesting that our contract with the Town be cancelled or be renegotiated.
This season has been difficult for all involved, and certainly the relationship between the team and the Espanola Town Clerk / Administrator along with the Manager of the Complex and Leisure Services has been less than warm and fuzzy this past season. In saying such, the day to day staff of the Complex have been as accommodating as they have been allowed and always fantastic to work with in providing the Rivermen and visiting teams top level services.
Listed below are Mayor and Council’s emails so that others can express themselves just as freely as we have.
Mayor Ron Piche:
Ray Dufour:
[email protected]
Ken Duplessis:
[email protected]
Bill Foster:
[email protected]
Stewart Meikleham:
[email protected]
Robert Yocom:
[email protected]
Ron Duplessis:
[email protected]
Without question in the league’s first year; due to a lack of commitment from other team operators, the league failed both the Rivermen and the Batchewana Attack organizations and all fans. Unfortunately, we did scramble at times with regard to scheduling to the disappointment of not only our season ticket holders but also our team personnel and players. We were lucky enough to continue Friday night junior hockey at the Complex although we did miss one Friday night game and several previously scheduled weekday games.
The games we did play, for the most part, were pretty good and some very exciting.
On a positive note we did provide our players with two show case tournaments in the state of Michigan that have proven to be a benefit to our players and the program we offer within the CIHL which no other league offers.
The Batchewana Attack proved to be the best team this season, and some in junior hockey circles say the Attack would be one of the best in every other league at this level throughout North America this past season.
We feel very strongly that although our fans, players and the Rivermen organization experienced a very difficult season at times, we proudly continued to serve the Espanola community, surrounding area junior hockey fans, public and catholic school kids in the area along with the many not-for-profit organizations that we help out and support all season each year.
The Espanola Rivermen junior hockey program is so much more than just hockey, our program is about family and the community, of which we feel our junior hockey program and players have remained very much apart of the Espanola community, on and off the ice.
The Rivermen did not fail the Espanola community where we wish to continue to proudly serve and represent the very same way again this coming season and in providing affordable family entertainment every Friday Night at the Regional Recreation Complex here in Espanola.
The new Mayor and some of the elected Councillors have recently expressed their disgruntlement for the new league that we have joined as well as unsanctioned hockey versus sanctioned hockey.
Fair enough, especially after the season that we have all just experienced.
Our only wish is that some doing the asking would have attended at least one game in one of our first two seasons here in Espanola and to have witnessed in person the “Autism Acceptance” game just last weekend, and our “Team Blake” game where all attending would have experienced and seen first hand the community driven support for special people and events and organizations that often include the Espanola Rivermen players and organization.
The major difference between sanctioned and unsanctioned junior hockey is both the age of the players and where the kids come from. We are allowed 15 year olds in our junior league where others are not and we are allowed world wide student-athlete players from throughout the world where sanctioned hockey is not.
Last season in sanctioned hockey, we started the season with 2 local players that did not finish the season.
This season we had 9 local kids playing junior hockey while sleeping in their own beds, living at home and or with family members along side many American and European lads.
These players now travel from throughout North America and world-wide to call Espanola their home for several months of the year. We believe we provide a terrific opportunity for more local area kids to play junior hockey while living at home, finishing high school, while having a wonderful experience to play alongside and have teammates from throughout the world.
This past season, we had kids call Espanola home, coming from Calgary, Colorado, Michigan, Las Vegas, British Columbia, and European countries such as Switzerland, Czech Republic, Belarus, and Sweden.
No other North Shore community provides this experience and opportunity for local players and or Espanola.
The Rivermen remain proud of the service that we provide Espanola and other area junior hockey fans and the opportunity we now provide local players to play at home with other kids from throughout North America and Europe. Many of whose parents also visit Espanola throughout the season supporting their kids and Espanola while making use of the many other area services and businesses such as motels, restaurants, gas stations and others.
We have 7 teams that have committed to playing next season, all established teams, with one new start up team in Sudbury. They include Espanola, Sudbury, Soo (Batchewana), Soo US, that are all drivable for same day travel games along with Traverse City, Alpena, Detroit and the MC Monarchs possibly adding inter-locking regular season scheduled games next season.
We have also met with a group in Blind River several times to date, that are putting together a Board of Directors to possibly operate a team in our league. It takes time and is a process in the making.
We play in Michigan and Michigan teams for added NCAA University and College exposure for kids and players that normally would not have the opportunity to be scouted by the various University programs throughout the State of Michigan, especially our local kids.
This season alone, the Rivermen expect to place and have as many as 8 players move on to the University level of play or higher junior levels, kids that have called Espanola home for the past 7 months.
The good of the Rivermen far outweighs the bad that we have experienced this past season.
Our fans and season ticket holders and area kids continue to support the Rivermen where many season ticket holders and new season ticket holders that have been copied in this email that have already expressed to us that they want their season tickets for next year now, asking when they go on sale.
Understandably, we do have a small percentage of our current season ticket holders, less than 20%, that have also expressed their dissatisfaction with our season this year. We as an organization were equally disappointed.
The Rivermen is committed to working even hard next year to win all our supporters back.
This coming season, we are offering all our current season ticket holders a 50% discount to help get started on making things right and better this coming season.
We do not want to leave Espanola just to operate a team down the highway in another community. We feel we have built a very strong community program here in Espanola and have an excellent fan base, young and mature, including area kids of all ages that make Friday night Rivermen junior hockey games the starting point of their weekend of fun.
We like to think the Rivermen have earned the right to finish what we have started here in Espanola.
We have also created 7 paying positions here with the Hockey Club, with 5 of those paid positions being currently occupied by 5 local people including kids.
We work directly with many of the Town’s charitable and Non Profit Organizations that are listed below.
Autism Acceptance (District Support Team)
Espanola Ski Hill (Boogie Mountain)
Team Blake (helping young lad’s family raise monies to fight cancer)
Espanola Minor Hockey
Espanola Minor Soccer (Girls & Boys)
Crime Stoppers
Espanola Minor Baseball
All Area Public & Catholic Schools
Espanola Regional Hospital Foundation
Espanola Food Bank
Sacred Heart Children’s Centre – Our Children Our Future
Espanola & Area Family Health Team
Area First Nation Communities
En Francais a Espanola
Canadian Cancer Society (Pink in the Rink, Ovarian – Colan Rectal Awareness)
Lions Club – Teddy Bear Toss
Espanola Girl Guides
Espanola Nursing Home for Seniors
North Shore Search & Rescue
We also help generate new found tourism revenues for many other area businesses throughout the area.
We generate thousand of hours each winter in community goodwill and needed volunteer hours for many community programs in need. We do each season. Our player’s and our team are a part of the backbone of the Espanola community.
Rivermen players are also made available throughout the season for community chores and odd jobs upon requests to provide the following community services. Requests can be made by email on the team website or by calling the team office.
Odd jobs & chores include:
Fire wood splitting & stacking
Firewood Delivery
Snow Removal & Snow Shovelling of roofs, walkways & driveways
Dog Walking
Groceries delivery
Taxi Services
Baby Sitting
Spring Clean Up
Raking leafs & Eavesdrop Clean Up
Garage & Room & Cleaning
Dump Runs
Mowing Lawns Seasonally
Covering Pools
Birth Day Parties & Social Gatherings (all ages)
We would like to continue to provide affordable family junior hockey entertainment on Friday nights here in Espanola.
Our goal is to put the Espanola community and team on the junior hockey map for developing local boys in junior hockey while living at home and finishing high school; along with providing other world wide student athlete’s opportunities to live and develop here in Espanola. We help prepare each player, on and off the ice to move on to play at the next highest level that we trust will include combining a university/college education with hockey.
The Rivermen wish to remain here in Espanola and will strive to continue to build our junior hockey program here on the North Shore if given the opportunity to do so.
I do apologize to you all for the inconveniences during this season. Our mission is to learn from this past season and return next season better and stronger, providing fun, affordable family Rivermen entertainment and exciting junior hockey in Espanola each and every Friday night.
Sincerely
On behalf of the Espanola Rivermen,
Tim Clayden
. I will tell youn though that Tim has absolutely zero to do with this team. I learned my lesson and well after last year have basically stayed out of it. Chad is a good guy and also for a time was blind to things as some were in the past. Chad cares for all the players and that I can tell you for a fact. He seen things that he didn't like as well as others including my self as a billet family. I have had the chance to clear the air withn Robert Mazzuca,sometimes that needs to be done. I have put countless hours into minor hockey over the last 5 years and seen how having a junior team has been positive for our kids. With a new direction and back to more stability things will get better. Name yourself to sir/maam and we can all get along for the time being anyways lol.
