Aahl

whoopee23
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Aahl

Post by whoopee23 » Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:51 pm

This league seems to be wroking in the MI, IL, WI markets. Anyone seen a game or following?

BCRantzilla
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Post by BCRantzilla » Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:25 pm

The league played last year and was/is owned and operated by Joe Kolodziej. It was a trainwreck last year with piss poor calibre hockey and Joe himself even played a few games. That said, they did finish the season and I haven't heard much since.
And that is all the people need to know!

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patmc16
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Post by patmc16 » Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:12 pm

I went to the Detroit Hitmen's inaugural game on 10/23. There were 100-150 at the 3,000 seat GLSC. This team appears to be running on even more of a shoestring budget than the Dragons did last year and they didn't make it to Christmas. No pocket schedules, no professionally printed tickets, no souvineers or merchandise of any kind, no concessions outside of the smoke filled bar, no between period entertainment, no shots on the scoreboard, no one in the press box, no nothing but the play on the ice. The Dragons sign is still over the press box and you can still see the Mechanics slogans that were poorly painted over last season. The Hitmen lost 8-5 to the team that replaced the Dragons mid-season last year. Their goalie was the backup for the Mechanics in 05/06. He was below average then and has only gotten worse. I think the first 3 goals were on the first 3 shots. Everyone associated with the team off ice is an unpaid volunteer (except for the Owner/GM/Head Coach who, not by coincidence, are all the same person).
Former Motor City Mechanics & Macomb County Mustangs season ticket holder.

"I like you. When the world is mine your death shall be quick and painless."
- Stewie Griffin

badge203
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Aahl

Post by badge203 » Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:56 pm

I have to agree. I was also at the home opener, and other than somebody actually taking tickets, I saw no difference in the way it was being run. Still the same attendance as the Dragons, Dragons sign still up over the empty press box. Very boring intermisions, Two dollars for a program that said nothing. Players jerseys don't even have names on the back.

The league itself has not posted any standings, stats or anything else.

Looks like the same mis-management that the Dragons suffered with the exception that the owner is the coach and general manager, so he is at least at the games. He does answer emails too. I know, as we have had many email conversations recently.

There was not one Hitmen penalty and only 2 the entire game for a total of 4 minutes. The game was suppose to start at 8:00 (way to late) but didn't start until 8:30 because some mite team was practicing, so I guess we know where the PRO team rates. The game got over at 11:00, too late for a family with small kids to attend, and for a Friday night, nobody is going to come to an 8:30 game as we saw by the attendance.

The owner/coach/general manager needs to give away every ticket to get fans in this year. Fill the place up and then maybe 1/4 of those will come back which would be around 700+, if it stays the way it is, this team will go by the way of the Dragons.

No press coverage (same as last year), no souvenirs (same as last year), same crowd (low 100 same as last year), in short, this is same way last year went. The team website is behind (same as last year), no stats, (same as last year). No on ice advertising (same as last year)

Other teams seem to be making it, but they have good community suport, where this team seems to be the orphan of the league again. With 150 people in the stands, they will be hard to even make payroll, so how the rent is being paid is beyond me.

Watch this team while you can, it won't be here long

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patmc16
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Post by patmc16 » Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:56 pm

I went to the 11/6 Hitmen game vs the Chi-Town Shooters. The Shooters won 7-4. the experience was virtually the same as the first game. All of the things they didn't have at the first game still wern't there. The game still started late. There was one thing that made things even worse than the first game. They didn't have a PA announcer. The (poorly) recorded national anthem started in the middle of the second line. No one asked people to stand but everyone pretty much did once we figured out that was what was playing. No starting line-up announced. No announcement for goals scored or penalties in the first period. In the second and third some kid announced them from between the penalty boxes. Even from right in front of a speaker (where we sat) you couldn't understand him or even barely hear that he was saying something. I also noticed that the end of period horn never sounded. The refs would blow their whistles at the end of the period. Probably about 100 or maybe a little less at the game. We got there around 8:10 (gametime was supposed to be 8:15) and our tickets were #'s 89 & 90 (hand written on homemade tickets). They were offering $2 off tickets to the 11/7 game if you bought them that night. We didn't.
Former Motor City Mechanics & Macomb County Mustangs season ticket holder.

"I like you. When the world is mine your death shall be quick and painless."
- Stewie Griffin

whoopee23
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Post by whoopee23 » Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:24 am

Thats too bad. I was hoping somewhere that A level would work. Hockey is just too expensive to run on a shoestring budget. The UHL/IHL truly barely works sometimes in Flint and Port Huron

missycharm
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Post by missycharm » Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:49 am

[quote=""BCRantzilla""]The league played last year and was/is owned and operated by Joe Kolodziej. It was a trainwreck last year with piss poor calibre hockey and Joe himself even played a few games. That said, they did finish the season and I haven't heard much since.[/quote]

i knew dali was the man

robster2001
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Post by robster2001 » Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:07 pm

Looks like someone else is watching Joe K...

http://www.americanprohockey.com/2009/1 ... nging.html

It includes link to Joe's Michigan corrections record. :)

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