Ice Pilots falter
As Rick Outzen reported, the ECHL has terminated the league membership of our Pensacola Ice Pilots.
Team President Greg Schuh:
I am certainly disappointed in the decision handed down by the league this morning. If we have any further news or updates on the situation of hockey in Pensacola, we will notify our fans.
The ECHL’s statement:
The termination of the Membership comes as a result of the Pensacola ownership group notifying the ECHL that it did not intend to play in 2008-09 or any season thereafter. Failure to ice a team for play is grounds for automatic termination under the ECHL Bylaws.
From what I gather, the team is not dead, as Rick seems to suggest, but rather the owner, Forgione, is going to try to get the Pilots into another, probably lesser league. Either way, it looks bad, and just furthers my opinion that the current Pilots ownership, well, stinks.
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I just learned of the Ice Pilots’ demise while reading hockey news online. Being a long-time resident of Tallahassee, Florida and fan of the now-defunct Tallahassee, Tiger Sharks, I truly empathize with Ice Pilots fans. I truly hope someday, a new smaller league will form and re-establish ice hockey with locally-owned teams in Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Mobile and elswhere in the southeast. I felt motivated to write my thoughts on all this on my blog.
I lived in Pensacola for about a year and a half back in 05-07 and being a northern boy I used to live being able to catch hockey at the Civic Center. I really enjoyed it. Now that I’m back “up north” I’ve found myself following The Plymouth Whalers and the Windsor Spitfires. It’s funny, living in FLA turned me on to minor league hockey. Thanks Ice Pilots!