South Carolina Stingrays

A final posting of Last Call to say thanks to all those that have made my time in the Low Country so great.  Since I drove into Charleston in 1996, I have met a tremendous amount of people that have had a huge impact on my life and my career.  My years with the Stingrays have flown by and in some ways have become a blur; bus rides, hockey games, coffee in the locker room, more wins than losses and great friends will do that to you.  It is not possible for me to thank everyone who has helped me along the way but I would regret it if I didn’t thank a few.

Randy Paige-Director of PR- 1994-1998- Randy convinced me that moving to town as the PA announcer would eventually lead to a play-by-play job in pro hockey.  A great friend who made it to the NHL with the Florida Panthers, Mr. Bean is still a mentor to me.

Jerry Zucker – Is still missed tremendously by those of us in Stingrays nation.   Mr. Z knew I could handle the Presidents job before I did and his teachings still help me as a business man today and always will.

Claire Abbott – If Claire hadn’t applied for an internship with the Rays in 1996, my time here most likely would have been shorter and it definitely wouldn’t have been as sweet.  She has been a great partner and a great mom, she never complains about the long hours and late nights.

Jason Fitzsimmons and Jared Bednar – Beds and Fitzy became my best friends on the bus after they retired from the ice.  Our stories from the road seem to get funnier with time and hopefully will never be published.  Jared’s work behind the scenes in reshaping the Stingrays business model played a huge part in my success as the head of the Organization.  Both are now in the higher levels of hockey; I look forward to our future as on-ice adversaries and maybe one day we will be teammates again.

To Cail and the 2010 Rays – the best of luck on another long playoff run!

To the fans, players, ownership, sponsors and all those that I have worked beside in the front office…Thank You!  It has truly been a wonderful ride. 

Off to New Hampshire!

Hockey, Hockey, Hockey!

1/13/10

Cail MacLean has done an outstanding job this season, not only behind the bench, but in his role as Director of Hockey Operations. Just two years removed from the ice, the Rays bench boss has juggled his lineup and been able to get a consistent effort out of his group which is crucial to success in such a long season. A true professional in every sense of the word as a player, Cail has continued on that same path in pursuit of his College Degree and his quest to make his mark in the world of coaching. To see him behind the bench in Ontario representing the East should make all in Stingrays nation swell with pride.

Equipment Manager John Williams is no fan of flying, but his hard work has not gone unnoticed with his peers and he will fly to Southern California next week as well. He has spent a great deal of time in the off seasons with our NHL affiliate in Washington, learning how to run a professional locker room and has a bright future ahead of him at the highest level if he so chooses. Don’t be surprised when Big John joins former Stingrays equipment man Jeff Camelio (Nashville) in the big leagues.

Then there is Joey Z, our broadcaster. He is already nervous and you can see it in his face. I don’t think he has to worry about shoe checks in Ontario, but he probably shouldn’t let his guard down. Joey has had a lot to do outside the rink to bring our team up to speed with our website, e-marketing and social media. He has been able to balance his outside demands and his broadcasting by being prepared and professional on game nights. The All Star game is not an easy one to call, but he should at least be familiar with four of the players!

Congratulations finally to the four American Hockey League Stingrays that will represent the Rays at the All Star game. All are very deserving and I’m sure they will represent our logo well. After the All Star Game, the regular season quickly winds down and then, once again, we will all find ourselves on the road to the Kelly Cup, let’s just hope if it takes us to Alaska again, we get home ice!

Last game of the decade tomorrow night for the Stingrays!  What a decade it has been for this team and its fans.  Two Kelly Cups, four Head Coaches and multiple memories. 

Things have really changed for the Stingrays in ten short years, but not as much as the ECHL has changed.  It is fitting that the Rays play the Florida Everblades on New Year’s Eve this year because Florida is the only team that began this decade in the same division as the Stingrays that still exists.  Can you name the other five teams in the seven-team Southeast Division in 1999-2000?  If you are trying to figure this out, you have probably forgotten that the Charlotte Checkers played in the Northeast Division that season and the Rays and Blades battled with The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, The Pee Dee Pride, The Greenville Grrrowl, The Jacksonville Lizard Kings and The Augusta Lynx. 

The Southwest Division that year has completely disappeared, for a steak dinner name all nine teams…… too late.  They were The Arkansas Riverblades, The Baton Rouge Kingfish, The Birmingham Bulls, The Jackson Bandits, The Louisiana Ice Gators, The Mississippi Sea Wolves, The Mobile Mysticks, the New Orleans Brass and The Pensacola Ice Pilots.

It would be easier to name the survivors from the 28 team league that began the decade in the ECHL.  Can you guess how many?  There were six: Johnstown, Wheeling, Charlotte, Trenton, South Carolina and Florida.  What does this all mean?  Who knows?  I know that I am thankful to have hockey here in the Low Country, a solid chance to defend the Cup this Spring and a great group of individuals in the office and on the ice that do a tremendous job giving back to the community.

The New Years Eve game has been a tradition and the Rays have been home on New Year’s Eve all decade long.  No balloons this year though, thank the Rockettes for that; enjoy the noisemakers and have a very Happy New Year.

Hockey, Hockey, Hockey!

Those of you that read Andrew Miller’s blog, Rays the Roof, may have noticed that we will be holding a “town hall” style meeting on Saturday at 3:00pm in the Season Ticket Holder Room at the North Charleston Coliseum. This is something that we have talked about having for the last year or two and I am excited that we are going to be able to meet with as many fans as possible on Saturday. 

The timing is great because after the meeting, fans can head to the parking lot for a Stingrays tailgate. This Saturday the Stingrays Booster Association will be hosting a special tailgate fundraiser in lot A and will be selling burgers and dogs and soft drinks. Of course every Saturday this season is a tailgate Saturday and a great opportunity to come out early, enjoy the great weather with family and friends, play games like ladder toss and corn hole and of course enjoy your favorite food and beverages. The best way to enjoy a tailgate is with a group of people, so we are encouraging our groups this season to consider a pre game tailgate.

I do hope as many people as possible will attend the town hall meeting so that we will be able to answer as many questions as our fans have. Unfortunately we will not have a member of the hockey operations staff with us in attendance so we will have to limit the power play questions to the Monday Night Hockey Show at Manny’s.

I want to thank Kim and Barry Woods for rejoining us as long term sponsors and would like to let everyone know that they are now selling Kelly Cup Championship Ring replicas at their store Barry’s Jewelers across from the Carolina Ice Palace.

The Stingrays are set to return from their eventful nine game road trip in time for a home game this Saturday night against the Charlotte Checkers.  In my last post I talked about how a long road trip at this time of the season can be beneficial to a team.  Who knew then that the Rays would go on such a hot streak on this trip that began in Florida and will wrap up Friday in Gwinnett?  I know Coach Cail must be very proud of this team’s accomplishments on the ice.

I couldn’t help noticing on the Stingrays Facebook site that our Broadcaster, Joey Z has been shoe checked multiple times on this trip.  The shoe check is an old hockey tradition where by an unsuspecting person is distracted at a meal while an accomplice spoons some foreign substance on to that person’s shoe.  Usually the culprits use ranch dressing or marinara, maybe a pad of butter.  If you ride a bus with a professional hockey team, sooner or later, you are going to get shoe checked.  The shoe check is revealed when everyone returns to their seats and then the team begins clanking glasses.  If everyone is staring at you, you better check your shoes.

The most famous shoe check that I can remember with the Stingrays, and I am dating myself, happened in 1997 when Rob Butler shoe checked an unsuspecting bus driver with snake skin boots.  Rob was discovered in the act and the startled driver was at first shocked by the fact that there was a player under the table and then more than upset when he saw his boots.  He collared Rob and the two had to be separated, a hilarious episode that was talked about for years to come.  We never saw bussy again.

I regret that I forgot to let Joey Z know about the shoe check before he took off on this latest trip.  Had he known, he would have made sure to get to the meals early and pick a strategic spot where he could have his back to the wall.  That doesn’t always help you however, because sometimes they will hide under the buffet line and commit the crime; this was a favorite move of Jeff Romfo in his day.  Another defense is to wear flip flops to the meal, however this is usually frowned upon based on the coach’s dress code and I am sure Cail runs a pretty tight ship as far as dress. 

My advice to Joey now is to laugh it off, fear not, you can’t be the new guy forever.  Just don’t buy any new shoes this season and pray for a lot of rookies in 2010.

See you on Saturday…Hockey, Hockey, Hockey.

10/29/09

The Stingrays took to the road this week with three games against the Florida Everblades to begin a nine game road trip that will take the team from BonitaSprings, Florida to Gwinnett County, Georgia while touring through Wheeling, West Virginia, Reading, Pennsylvania, Elmira, New York and Trenton, New Jersey.  This is an odd start to the season to say the least, but one that should help the Rays.

The team started the season with a five game home stand and a record of 2-1-1-1.  A Kelly Cup hangover….debatable.  I think this road trip, although a long one, comes at a great time for the Rays; nothing brings a team together like the road and there is no better time to bring a team together than the early part of the season.  Last night’s loss to the Blades was a tough one for the Stingrays to be sure.  But, as the trip rolls along, the team will grow closer on and off the ice and Cail Maclean will be free from distractions as he assesses what he has to work with.

Apparently the team bus has already had troubles forcing the team back into taxi cabs, mini vans and fan vehicles.  What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.  I recall a trip back from Florida one time when the bus broke down 20 minutes out of Fort Myers and 10 hours from Charleston.   After bedding down for the night, we woke up to discover that the bus hadn’t moved an inch and it was 9:00 AM.  We usually arrived at the Coliseum by 8:00 AM on a return trip from Florida.  Needless to say, after getting the bus fixed it was a long day getting back home and a “day off” was certainly wasted.  Another time we woke up on a lengthy trip back from Mississippi to discover that our bus driver had pulled into a Waffle House near Orangeburg.  Apparently he just couldn’t make it another half hour without his hash browns “smothered and covered”, we all woke up and waited while he deliberately ate and paid his tab.

This road trip ends on Friday the 13^th of November with the Rays dropping the puck against the Charlotte Checkers the following night.  At that point the team will be a fifth of the way through the schedule and will be a tighter group than the one that left the Low Country at midnight on Monday.  Here’s to the Road Warrior Rays, may you win more than you lose, keep your skate blades down and your stick on the ice, and may you enjoy the ride!

Hockey, Hockey, Hockey

PS – Enjoy the wings at the Elbow Room in Elmira!


10/16/09

Well it is finally here, opening night and the Rays are all set to hoist the banner into the rafters at the Coliseum marking the teams 3^rd Kelly Cup Championship. Hockey is back in the Low country after the team’s shortest off season ever. 

Many of our players, fans and staff are excited about our new cozy environment at the Colsieum with a capacity of just 6,700. The curtains that hand in the upper bowl are a new permanent addition to the Stingrays games. We will lift the curtains at least one more time in January for Pack the House night. Other than that we will play at 6,712. We do have some extra seats available which are slightly obstructed that can be opened from time to time.

The main thing that has changed from a seating standpoint is that our upper bowl just got a lot smaller. This will pose some availability problems on our bigger group nights throughout the year, so we do suggest purchasing upper bowl tickets in advance, especially on Saturdays in the second half of the year.

As I have stated earlier, as I head toward the Coliseum tonight I will be nervous for Cail, but excited for him and his team all at the same time. I hope the Rays can score one or two early in this one to relieve some of his stress. It is a long season, but I get the sense he really wants his first win as soon as possible. It looks like he has put together a strong team that should be great to watch.