Vermilion County Bobcats' Struggles

[GindyDraws]

Even if they survive this season, I doubt they'll return. They struggle at the gate (a really godawful product and lack of advertising will do that) and there's just too much turnover.

 

[jabberoski]

This article from the Peoria paper includes a blurb on the Bobcats situation. The key takeaways:

League sources said the team's off-ice business staff resigned.

SPHL owners were meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation and waiting to see what Tully intends to do. They are scheduled to play Quad City twice this weekend and host the Rivermen on Sunday.

"We don't know what the status of that game is right now," Trudel said. "We're preparing as best we can, the game is on our schedule and we'll be ready to go."

 

[JMCx4]

This article from the Peoria paper includes a blurb on the Bobcats situation. The key takeaways:

My favorite part was: "Officially, the team owned by Ellen Tully has had more head coaches (10) than victories (9) in its history." Squirrel that one away for the next HFB Hockey Trivia Night.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

What a difference a day makes ... maybe ... since the VCB Facebook post wouldn't link ...

View attachment 644903

Good thing they fired that marketing guy!

 

[JMCx4]

The Boob-cats must've fired their bus driver, too ... SPHL announces opponent changes

 

[TJW]

This thread is about to get more fun…

 

[sabremike]

This thread is about to get more fun…

Yup:

 

[TJW]

My home rink- what a mess. That lawsuit after last year really was the proverbial nail in the coffin, both sides wanted out, but this is just embarrassing. QC was classy and stayed to skate with the 20 fans since it was a “skate with the team night”.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

A commentor said that it was a skate with the team night, and the opposing team skated with home fans.

 

[TJW]

A commentor said that it was a skate with the team night, and the opposing team skated with home fans.

Can confirm- cool move by QC. VC dressing room was cleared out.

 

[JMCx4]

Some roadtrip love for the hometown fans ...

 

[sabremike]

The only time I can remember something like this was in 1997 where Scotland went to Estonia for a WCQ and the Estonians never showed up so Scotland (which brought a large traveling support) won via forfeit. At matches to this day you will hear the Tartan Army sing "There’s only one team in Tallinn!".

 

[JMCx4]

There was an FPHL game in my semi-recent memory (maybe last season or the one before?) where one team refused to take the ice because of a previous mega-brawl between the 2 teams (part of it being a hallway rumble). I just remember tuning in on the home team's You Tube channel pre-game time & seeing one team on the ice warming up before disappearing. Then the YT feed went dark.

 

[JMCx4]

Does anyone recall some semi-famous hockey exec-level guy being added to the Boob-cats' front office for awhile (early this year or maybe first season)? I can't recall the name, but I've always wondered if he was hired by the other owners to keep the team from an early(-er) exit. If so, that bolsters my opinion that significant blame should be shared by the League in today's unforgivable display of sports business practice in Danville.

 

[JMCx4]

My home rink- what a mess. That lawsuit after last year really was the proverbial nail in the coffin, both sides wanted out, but this is just embarrassing. QC was classy and stayed to skate with the 20 fans since it was a “skate with the team night”.

My hockey heart is saddened by what you & your fellow Danville hockey fans have been subjected to by this team owner & the Palmer Arena management & the VC Board & whomever else didn't step up to correct it all in time.

 

[sabremike]

There was an FPHL game in my semi-recent memory (maybe last season or the one before?) where one team refused to take the ice because of a previous mega-brawl between the 2 teams (part of it being a hallway rumble). I just remember tuning in on the home team's You Tube channel pre-game time & seeing one team on the ice warming up before disappearing. Then the YT feed went dark.

I think that was many years back between the Danbury Whalers and (IIRC) Thousand Island (was at the game but can't remember the opponent). There were multiple line brawls in the first seconds of the game and the visiting team went to the locker room like the Russians did in Philly and refused to return. Eventually after a long delay they returned and the game resumed. A funny part is that in the second line brawl both goalies skated at each other until both coaches screamed at them to stop as they both would've been tossed and neither side had another goalie left.

 

[JMCx4]

I think that was many years back between the Danbury Whalers and (IIRC) Thousand Island (was at the game but can't remember the opponent). There were multiple line brawls in the first seconds of the game and the visiting team went to the locker room like the Russians did in Philly and refused to return. Eventually after a long delay they returned and the game resumed. A funny part is that in the second line brawl both goalies skated at each other until both coaches screamed at them to stop as they both would've been tossed and neither side had another goalie left.

That one was before my FHL time, but thanks for adding that story to the narrative. I was thinking Elmira vs. somebody - and I found a news article to fill in the holes/mistakes in my memory ...

FPHL suspends start of season after pregame altercation between Elmira and Watertown

Federal Prospects Hockey League starts investigation into pregame incident between Enforcers and Wolves.

www.stargazette.com

 

[mk80]

So the Bobcats are done right? We can finally turn out the lights on this sideshow? Also it looks like most of the fans at least got the same memo the team did saying not to show up.

Props to the Storm though for making the best of it for the fans who did come out though

Edit: Peoria's reporter is tweeting as though it is a done deal, and really how can it not be?

 

[GindyDraws]

If this ain't enough to kick 'em out of the league, I don't know what will.

 

[GindyDraws]

Can confirm- cool move by QC. VC dressing room was cleared out.

Oh, the Boobcats are f***ing gone.

 

[TJW]

My hockey heart is saddened by what you & your fellow Danville hockey fans have been subjected to by this team owner & the Palmer Arena management & the VC Board & whomever else didn't step up to correct it all in time.

It’s been a ride- the arena and the board are equally to blame, although Tully had no idea what she was doing and how deep over her head she was. I think she probably saw it as a can’t miss as Danville was supposedly getting a casino, but that never happened and they have been paddling in the deep end from day 1. The worst part is, this will give the people that don’t want hockey in the arena a talking point with how embarrassing this all has been. The arena pulling the ice last April and violating the contract really sped this all up if ya ask me, it’s a complete mess on both sides.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

It’s been a ride- the arena and the board are equally to blame, although Tully had no idea what she was doing and how deep over her head she was. I think she probably saw it as a can’t miss as Danville was supposedly getting a casino, but that never happened and they have been paddling in the deep end from day 1. The worst part is, this will give the people that don’t want hockey in the arena a talking point with how embarrassing this all has been. The arena pulling the ice last April and violating the contract really sped this all up if ya ask me, it’s a complete mess on both sides.

I mean, sure, the arena didn't help, but the real blame here is on Doug Price and the league's board of governors, who did almost no vetting of Ms. Tully and her business plan before awarding her a franchise. The SPHL, through Price and the Board of Governors, clearly thought that they could just walk in and take the Danville market by opening the doors and yelling, "Hockey! Get your hockey!" while firing a shotgun into the air like Homer Simpson. This is the same league that issued McBob a new franchise after he burned Winston-Salem and Pee Dee. The same league that let a team call itself the "Surge" four years after Hurricane Katrina's storm surge destroyed the city they played in. But as long as Keith Jeffries and Knoxville are making money, that's all that matters - not the health of the sport or the league's weak franchises.

A competent league administration would never have let this happen.

And yet again, we have an example of a poorly capitalized business that doesn't bring in knowledgeable managers, burning the market. Could Danville be a good hockey market? Maybe. But not with Ellen running the shitshow. And not with the clowns that run Class-A hockey at the helm either.

 

[Af77]

Does anyone recall some semi-famous hockey exec-level guy being added to the Boob-cats' front office for awhile (early this year or maybe first season)? I can't recall the name, but I've always wondered if he was hired by the other owners to keep the team from an early(-er) exit. If so, that bolsters my opinion that significant blame should be shared by the League in today's unforgivable display of sports business practice in Danville.

That was Robbie Nicholls. What really blows my mind after everything that has happened in Danville is how the hell the league was convinced the Bobcats would actually play this weekend. I have generally enjoyed the SPHL for the most part since the Storm have joined but this has been a disaster.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

That was Robbie Nicholls. What really blows my mind after everything that has happened in Danville is how the hell the league was convinced the Bobcats would actually play this weekend. I have generally enjoyed the SPHL for the most part since the Storm have joined but this has been a disaster.

Again, this all falls on Doug Price. He should have been in Danville all week figuring out WTF was going on. The league should have issued some kind of statement regarding the Bobcats early last week, when the rumors were flying.

They did neither.

The league wasn't convinced of anything because they didn't know what was going on or didn't care to know what was going on. They sent officials and a visiting team to Danville. The arena was open, the lights were on, and the officials did their job when game time rolled around.

Of course, none of that would have been necessary had the league office done its job earlier in the week.

 

[JMCx4]

Time to replace "Struggles" with "Demise" in this thread's title?