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It has been a busy couple of weeks at the Stingrays office in North Charleston with all the NHL affiliation news, preparations for the 2012-13 season and much more.
I know a lot of fans are excited to see who the next NHL affiliate will be. As of right now, there is nothing official in place and team president Rob Concannon and head coach Spencer Carbery have been working extremely hard to lock up an affiliation. We hope to have news for you by the end of the week.
The NHL affiliation talks are also affecting the announcements of new player signings. We will not release signing announcements until the affiliation done.
The staff and I have been hard at work preparing for next season. The promotional schedule is currently being worked out, pocket schedules and print materials are being designed and a lot of research is being done. We have a lot of exciting promotions and surprises coming!
We do have some news to report:
New Website
Not too long ago we launched the new design of our website at www.stingrayshockey.com. It was a lot of long phone conversations and almost a two month process, but I felt this design gave you easier access to stories, tickets and information. One page on the new website that will be very exciting during the season is the new Social Media page in the Fan Zone. It allows you to follow the Stingrays and all of the players and staff with an easy click of the mouse. What do you think of the new site? I am now looking into designing a mobile site.
Jersey Auction
The 2011-12 game-worn navy jersey auction is underway! Click here to view the auction. This is a perfect time to bid on your favorite players especially the NHL prospects like Philipp Grubauer, Brett Flemming and Dustin Stevenson.
Good Bye and Good Luck
Good friend and coworker Nick Bidese has accepted a position with the University of Texas-El Paso. Nick served as the Season Ticket Sales Manager with the Stingrays. Nick and I came to the Stingrays organization around the same time and from the coach’s shows to booster club parties to our game-day chats, he and I have shared a lot of fun memories over the past three years. He is a true professional and I know he will do great in El Paso.
Question of the Day: What are some of your favorite Stingrays promotions?
If you have questions or comments for future blogs, be sure to post them below or share them on Facebook or Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/SCStingraysHockey and @SCStingrays and @JoeyZStingrays!
SCStingraysHockey 
Wow, talk about service, thanks for the updates! I look forward to the upcoming news and all the other preseason hoopla.
I’m still saying we should have a throw back night and get an organ player in there for a night so that kids down south won’t be culture shocked if they ever go to a game up north.
A formal night would be fun. Get the male staff sponsored by Savii or another local tux place and the females by a local bridal dress/prom dress place and the fans to buy in to the night and it could make for a great night if you tie it into a charity night or have a dance at the convention center afterwards.
I still say the bar that Johnstown had behind the goal was one of the best small rink ideas ever, If we could ever figure out a way to replicate that I would be impressed.
From the Hockeyless Middle East…….
Thanks for the updates! I know it’s got to be frustrating on your end as well not to be able to release anything while we spin in limbo for a bit. Hearing something, even if it’s just “the wheels are in motion and we’re working hard to get you something” is far better than nothing. I have this kind of pipe dream where the reason we won’t have something until the end of the week is because that’s when the Hurricanes do their big “State of the Canes” press conference at their Summer Fun Fest and they’re going to announce an affiliation change to SC…but with Karmanos owning the Everblades (and Germain Arena), that’s about as likely as me getting a 13-year, $98 million contract to do anything.
The organ player is a great idea; wish we could get one full-time. Think the city’ll spring for a full-on pipe organ in the NCC? 😉 Maybe it’s time for a new arena…
I always enjoyed the coach’s show when we were able to attend. As far as promo nights, I’m a big fan of the military nights. As an upper-level STH, I’m also glad we finally got a t-shirt cannon last season. I love the alumni games and I’m a huge fan of anything that gets fans involved with the team, like the booster club parties and the Park Circle cleanups.
The website looks great! I like the social network area, especially considering how much professional hockey players have really embraced Twitter in particular, and am looking forward to seeing that section populated.
Best of luck to Nick. He is a great guy and a true professional.
Travis, I have been to Johnstown plenty of times. I do not remember there being a bar behind one of the goals at all. I am so ready for hockey season to get here, but it sucks I am going to miss opening night. You should continue to do student rush tickets even though it doesnt seem like a big hit to the students. Also, there needs to be dollar beers just like the Riverdogs and Battery games. I know that its up to the NCC, but push hard for at least cheaper beer.
The bar at Johnstown was relatively new. It was on the side of the War Memorial where the Slapshot museum is. 8 bar tables and a rail behind the goal. I liked it. Sad to think pro hockey is no longer there. I don’t even think the Nailers are playing a single game there this year.
It was a Christmas tradition to catch a game up there for so many years. Hopefully the can pick up an amateur team or a FHL team. Very good fans there, unfortunately they got hit hard with the recession and folks just couldn’t afford going to the games anymore.
Ladies with hula hoops was always a favorite. Just sayin…..
Also best wishes Nick.
IMO Nick Bidese was the “star” of the Ray’s staff. I don’t think he ever missed a Ray’s official or non-official event, and his enthusiasm was contagious. He could always be counted upon to provide an answer to an inquiry almost before it was submitted. Texas-El Paso is getting a great guy. Will miss you, Nick!
Hey, I just logged on,
And this is crazy,
Affiliation news,
So tell me, maybe?
I hate that song. But I thought if you were laughing too hard you might let it slip…….
Or can we play 20 questions?
Is the team on an Island?
Does it rhyme with Trucks? (another choice was typed and deleted)
Is not telling us too much to Bear? Would it Ruin your job?
Should I wish upon a Star?
Would telling us give us the Blues?
Are you under an Avalanche of paperwork and too busy to say?
Is your keyboard jammed because you spilled Maple syrup on it?
Or are you guys going all out and getting a KHL or Elitserien affiliation?
That is very creative!
I’m sitting in the middle of a desert on a government sponsored vacation. It’s not like I’m going to hop on a camel and head to town to hit the clubs…… It’s Friday night in the Middle East, looks like an hour or two of video games, over analyzing Elite Prospects to death and reading book 4 of the Game of Thrones series.
Have a good weekend, find a beer for me.
And thanks for all you do. Hockey keeps me sane out here.
We should be thanking you for what you are doing for us, Travis. This old man appreciates every minute you spend over there in that god-forsaken part of the world..When you return I’ll buy you a cold one…and hold me to this promise! Anyone else want to join in?
Jack, come find this other old man and I will buy the second. Section 232 just to Joey’s left.
Jack and Ken- I appreciate the offer but you should probably take my wife a margarita instead. Opening night is my daughter’s first birthday. Yeah, I left her with that to handle by herself for a year. She’s had her hands full to say the least. My life is easy compared to hers right now. I doubt she’ll be there opening night but if you swing by Section 109 near the top on the goal side and ask for Jayne you should find her most nights. Thanks again.
Per APM over on Rays the Roof, it looks like we should have something by the middle of next week, most likely a single team affiliation deal. Also said that we could see Max Lacroix next season (he’s a free agent now), but most likely not many of the other folks from the 2009 Kelly Cup team. For those of you keeping track, the guys who played last season and were on the 2009 team are Johann Kroll, Zach Tarkir (already heading to Europe), Trent Campbell, Pierre-Luc O’Brien, Matt Scherer and Lacroix.
Link here: http://www.postandcourier.com/section/raystheroof?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&UID=1cc16a25-da92-4a83-9970-cea0213bc833&plckPostId=Blog%3a1cc16a25-da92-4a83-9970-cea0213bc833Post%3a2dbad122-d8f1-4bc7-a4cf-f8d25ee0681d&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
It is nice to see Andrew’s Rays The Roof blog back online. Do we readers have any way to post comments on his blog?
@Jack – I’m not sure. I haven’t been able to even if I log into the site through facebook. I don’t know if that’s all part of their new (as of a month or so ago) paying for online access thing.
If it is, Carl, they have totally missed the boat.I’m amazed that the Rays haven’t pressured the P & C because the Rays have lost about the only fan-enticer they have during the off-season.
Considering the marginal-at-best exposure the editors at the P&C give the ‘Rays, I don’t know that the team has enough clout to really “pressure” the paper into doing anything. APM does a great job with his write-ups, but we don’t exactly make the front page of even the Sports section (unless someone gets arrested). Out of the three pro teams we have in Charleston (Stingrays, Battery and Riverdogs), only baseball is really considered an “acceptable” Southern sport, so everyone else gets relegated to the back of the section behind college (and even high school) sports. Heck, tennis and golf get better coverage in the P&C than hockey does (even the Stanley Cup playoffs!).
That said, I have to give APM a great deal of credit for keeping the faith. How many Southern sports writers, when tasked with covering a hockey team, actually take it upon themselves to learn how to play? I’m grateful that he keeps writing the blog, since it gives us an outsider’s perspective on the team. It’s a shame that the comment system is messed up, but at least we can discuss things here and on Facebook. On that note, I’m grateful to Joseph for starting this up as a means for us to speculate and discuss, since we can’t do so over on Rays the Roof. Even with the issues with APM’s blog, I feel more connected to the team and the process this off-season than I did the last, and that’s due in large part to Joseph’s efforts here and on Facebook and Twitter.
Thoughts on Jared Bednar’s future? APM’s blog indicates that there’s apparently an AHL assistant coaching spot on the horizon for him, something about which Spencer and Rob were “sheepish” when asked. I’m not sure how I feel about the demotion (though hey, at least it’s not as bad as Florida’s Malcolm Cameron finally “fulfilling his dream” of coaching junior hockey after coaching Elmira right out of the playoffs in 2010-11…and then the ‘Blades winning it all the very next season), especially in light of the fact that the Blues’ failure to renew his contract came as a surprise to almost everyone concerned (see this blog: http://frozennotes.com/2012/06/12/blues-surprisingly-decline-option-on-jared-bednar/). Do you think we’ll see Bedsy back in our system, and when will he take the helm again?
It has been announced today that Jared is going to the Springfield Falcons as an assistant coach.
I tried commenting on the P&C blog with zero success. APM does a great job given the constraints he has. Newspapers are going the way of the Dodo. I think electronic media will most likely push all but the largest circulated newspapers out of business in the next 20 years. The P&C blog was one of the most read and commented on their site. You would have thought they would have done some traffic analysis and made sure that the most heavily visited pages were fully functional when the transition happened, or at least fixed all of their links by now.
But thankfully we have JoeyZ at the Stingrays who has done a fantastic job embracing electronic media and communicating with the fans. I have a feeling though that this will be his last season with us. His talents will soon be called to a higher league or better paying market.
We need to find a way to keep him here.
I propose any of the following courses of action to keep Mr Zakrzewski in Charleston permanently:
1. Stage a fake DUI/Drug bust where he is given 25-40 and only allowed out on a work release to the Stingrays Office.
2. Send a half dozen or so extremely fertile women to the Ice Palace to seduce him after a Men’s League game. The resulting offspring should tie him to the local area permanently. (or at least make for a hell of a Maury Povich Show show……. Joey Z……You ARE the father!!!!)
3. Anyone seen that movie Misery? He doesn’t need legs to broadcast.
Just sayin’.
4. Beg.
Seriously though, I hope to be watching or listening to some NHL action in a few years and be able to say, “hey, I remember that guy!”
The trials and tribulations of AA hockey, we get to see the brightest and the best at the start of their careers but we don’t get to keep them for long.
Have any of our former front office staffers made it to the NHL or other top tier pro sport? We always recognize the guys on the ice and behind the bench that make it up to the top but what about the other guys? Just curious.
Thank you very much for the kind words Travis! I would like to keep my legs though. There have been several former staff members that have made it up to the AHL and NHL. Most recently former Stingrays president Darren Abbott is now in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs along with fellow former coworkers Ashley Hoffman and Ryan Shelton. Also, Todd Merton made his way from South Carolina to Texas in the AHL and Florida in the NHL.
I was tracking mast of the AHL moves the past couple of years, but was not aware that Merton made it to the NHL. Maybe it’s just me but I like to see when young professionals move up just like the players do. To me it helps validate what the Stingrays, as a AA team, do. They develop and provide opportunities for those on and off the ice. Maybe it’s all these years as a NCO, but nothing makes me smile more that seeing people accept the challenge to succeed at life.
Travis, that was hilarious!! (and well thought out, viable suggestions, too!!).. agreed, JoeyZ’s “signing” is every bit as exciting as a player… stay safe over “there” and i also want to thank you for your service
Will do and thanks.
Well, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the word on the street is that we are now affiliated with the Boston Bruins (and their AHL affiliate Providence Bruins), see here ( http://blogs.providencejournal.com/sports/bruins/2012/07/south-carolina-stingrays-will-be-bostons-new-echl-affiliate.html ). Preliminary reports that this was to be accompanied by a team name change to the Charleston Bruins appear to be little more than rumors (just kidding, but could you imagine? LOL). The team is expected to confirm this with an official announcement tomorrow morning.
In other hockey-related news, Mathieu “Please don’t hit me” Roy is returning to the Everblades for his fifth season of cowering and running off to the bench instead of standing up and fighting like a man. ( http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jul/24/pro-hockey-mathieu-roy-re-signs-wtih-everblades/ )