Hockey Night In Virginia

You ask anybody around Roanoke that likes hockey or ice skating and the conversation sooner or later always turns to the subject of ice rinks. People always say how great it would be to have a rink both for hockey and skating. New residents of the area from the north are often shocked that we don’t have a rink of our own. So just how do we get one built and what might work here anyway? We had the Ice Station and it went out of business. Can a rink even survive here? First let’s look at a few of the different type rinks that are out there.

Some facilities have multiple sheets of ice. With each additional sheet of ice operating costs rise but opportunities to increase revenue rise 100%.  Others have a single sheet of ice. The size of the facility that is built really depends on what the demand is or what you think it will be.The amenities offered by some of the better rinks is almost endless. The costs of something like this may be too high for the market in Roanoke though.  Many rinks offer other attractions like laser tag or other activities to create as much revenue as possible. In Roanoke we have youth hockey,adult hockey, public skating, and also local colleges that would likely use the rink for practices.

An outdoor rink is also a possibility. Downtown Roanoke Inc. would like to have a rink downtown for public skating. It would be great to have a rink downtown. Outdoor rinks definitely would add something to our community. You can only imagine the marketing possibilities for the city if they had a rink downtown to draw more visitors. Especially if it was within easy walking distance to the city market. Outdoor rinks do have a few drawbacks though. When it rains the ice making equipment may have to be turned off to let the ice melt so the excess water can be drawn off. Also it would probably only be used for a few of the colder months. I don’t think an outdoor rink is the best the best choice but it remains a possibility.

Typically ice rinks are operated one of three different ways. As a for profit private company, or operated by the community itself by a parks and recreation type organization, many rinks are also operated as a non-profit organization sometimes run by the local youth hockey organization. In the immediate future it seems unlikely that one of our local governments would build and operate an ice rink. Ice rinks operated as a non-profit organization can raise money through fundraisers, donations, and various grants. A for profit company like the Ice Station has limited options when revenue does not meet expenses and normally do not last long in that situation.

So what might work here in Roanoke? Any of the three models I have discussed could work. I think the best chance of success is with the non-profit organization. With a non-profit anything left over after operating expenses could be used by youth hockey for example. Money could also be raised if needed for the rink through many different means from donations to grants. That sounds great you might be saying but how do we find money to build it?

First the organization to build an run it would have to be found. Planning and building a rink is no small task. Probably the best possible choice would be for Valley Youth Hockey Association to build and operate the rink. There are other organizations like Roanoke Valley Ice Advocates just to name one. Next a solid plan would be needed. In my opinion the best way would be to start off with a single sheet of ice but purchase enough land where the building could be expanded to add a second sheet. Once you have a plan then you can start to raise money.

I have asked many people in local governments about an ice rink. They all say it’s a great idea but no money is available right now. The money at least in part will have to be raised by the people that will use it and want to see it built the most. Donations large and small would come from private individuals at first. Business donations will be extremely important whether it is from a small local business or a large national corporation. Also naming rights could be sold to the rink. This really needs to be a valley wide project to succeed. Another way to complete the funding is the use of bonds by one of the local governments in the valley. A non-obligation bond or sometimes called a moral obligation bond is one issued by a locality but it does not affect their credit or debt rating. These types of bonds are used to finance projects by utilities, parks and recreation projects and many other large projects. The organization receiving the bond money would be responsible to make the payments.

So that is the basic plan. I’m a father of three and my oldest two children play soccer. But I love hockey and hockey could use a few more advocates here. This won’t be easy. But many communities much smaller than ours have been able to do it. Quite a few projects have fell short of funding but the parents of hockey players and figure skaters and other people in the community came out and finished bathrooms or locker rooms or painted the rink to save money. I plan to do the same to help however I can. I hope everyone will donate what they are able when the time comes. I know I will. Please leave comments I would like to know what everybody thinks about the plan.

Everybody that is involved in hockey or likes ice skating in the Roanoke area wants a new rink. But how do you pay for it? What do we need? What will be successful here? Coming Thursday I will be doing an in depth report on everything from the most basic rinks to a massive double decker rink The Rinks at Shelton. How much and how long it might take. And just where do people get the money to build one anyway?

As I sat watching the opening ceremonies for the 21st Winter Olympics Friday night I saw several commercials with youth hockey teams. Walmart and McDonalds are two that come to mind. Over the next two weeks viewers will see several hundred hours of programming. Much of that will feature hockey. This does not take into account the commercials that viewers will see featuring hockey on one level or another. It would seem that ice hockey will get a boost in attention and popularity. No doubt many people across America will watch at least some Olympic programming with their children. Historically in the year of winter Olympics youth hockey across the U.S. shows an increase in the number of players. Hopefully some of those children will want to give hockey a try. A strong showing by team USA would definitely add many new potential players.

With the announcement that the Albany River Rats of the AHL will be moving to Charlotte for the 2010-11 season the ECHL may be left with only three teams in the Southern U.S. Gone are the days of the mid 90’s when the “black and blue” division provided some of the most bitter rivalries in minor league hockey. The division which had Charlotte, Greensboro, Hampton Roads, Raleigh, Richmond, and Roanoke will be just a memory. It is not known at this time what will happen with the ECHL franchise that is currently in Charlotte.

In an interview with NHL.com last year ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna had this to say about adding more teams to the south. “We have an interest in returning to several markets. Richmond has had a team in the Southern Professional (Hockey) League for several years, but it’s a market that’s of interest. Other markets like Greensboro and Greenville, we’re having discussions as we speak about the possibility of going back into some of those places. But history dictates that when we do it properly, we have a very high-percentage chance of succeeding for the longer term.”

The situation as it stands now will have the region the ECHL started in long ago without any teams. The quality of play has improved over the years in the ECHL. If it is lacking in any one area it would be the intensity of the rivalries from the early years. The future of the ECHL remains bright but perhaps only if the league doesn’t forget it’s past.

Jeff Boettger the Associate Head Coach for Liberty University Men’s Ice Hockey team has agreed to be a contributor to the blog. Here is information about the Liberty University Christian Hockey School. A summer camp that offers both day and resident camper options. Please see the brochure for more details. Jeff will be posting more about this in the days to come.

Summer hockey camp brochure

I am here because hockey in southwest and central Virginia needs coverage. Long neglected by nearly all local media hockey in our area needs people to promote it. Many people in our area are not aware just how much hockey in our area is out there. I hope going forward that hockey will get more coverage because it is primed and ready to grow in this region. I’m going to do the best I can and hopefully people will help contribute to this blog. Whether you are on a youth team or play for one of the local college teams. Maybe you have a story to tell. Whatever it may be let’s get this thing started and see how far it can go.

As many of you know I am also running the “bring hockey back to Roanoke” campaign. The long term success of any minor league team depends on a long term growth of hockey in our community. I hope this is the start of something big for hockey here in Roanoke. I think it can be. Let me hear from you hockey fans and players out there.

Shaun