Springfield hockey team heads north

The Springfield Spirit, the North American Hockey League Junior A team that called the Ice Park its home since 2001, has been sold to a group in Alaska that plans to move the team.

Majority owners Marty Brickey, John Putnam and Robert Smith will retain their majority holding, while 25 percent of the ownership is transferred to the new ownership group.

The move is still awaiting league approval, but Springfield Spirit General Manager Bill Perkin said approval should not be an issue.

The reason for the move, according to Perkin, is profitability.

“The rink didn’t really have enough seats to meet the standards of a normal NAHL team. If we had filled it up every night, it still probably wouldn’t have paid for the cost of the team,” he said. “We would have a good weekend, and then the team would have to travel and we’d write out more in expenses than we made the whole weekend.”

He added that, even though Springfield has supported the team well, and attendance figures were growing each year, the team was still not in a position to make money, which played a role in the decision to move the team to an area that could better support it.

The new ownership group has the option to purchase a larger percentage of ownership from Brickey, Putnam and Smith, who have been part owners of the team since it moved to Springfield in September 2001, if the team proves to be profitable in its new home.

Filling the void

Jeff Cumley, Jordan Valley Ice Park general manager, said discussions are already under way about how to replace the team.

Cumley is traveling to Colorado Springs, headquarters of USA Hockey, in June to meet with officials from different leagues at the World Congress.

“If you’re anybody in hockey, you’re going to be there that week,” he said. “We’re going to meet with them during those meetings and try to get our name out. We have feelers out there, and we’re actively seeking to have a replacement team or maybe something else, in the form of camps, like USA Hockey national camps for boys or girls. We’re just open to anything that might grow ice sports in Springfield.”

He added that the recent USA Hockey 18U National Championship hosted at the rink does a lot to help the search by keeping the park fresh in the minds of hockey officials.

It’s unknown how long it will take to get a new team or group to fill the space left by the Spirit. Cumley said the time it takes can vary; for example, talks began about moving the St. Louis Sting to Springfield to become the Spirit in September 2001 and the team was on the ice at Jordan Valley in October.

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