PrairieThunder names Jim Riggs General Manager
Published on July 22, 2010 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release
He's stood on an outdoor billboard, driven a Zamboni for eight straight hours, and ridden a roller coaster for twelve hours, all to promote his hockey team. Now he's coming to Bloomington to oversee the sales and marketing efforts, along with the business operations, of the Central Hockey League's Bloomington PrairieThunder.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native Jim Riggs has been named the new General Manager of the PrairieThunder Hockey Team as the club prepares for its fifth anniversary season and its first in the Central Hockey League. Riggs is a twenty-year veteran of minor professional hockey whose background includes ten years with the CHL's Memphis RiverKings where he was the team's original general manager. During Jim's time in Memphis, the RiverKings were twice named the area's "most popular team", qualified for the playoffs in seven of ten years, moved into a new $40 million dollar facility (in Desoto County, Mississippi), won two regular season championships, and won the 2001-2002 Central Hockey League Championship. The RiverKings were also in the forefront of the CHL in the areas of marketing and promotions. The RiverKings had the very first sellout in the revived CHL and all of the team's attendance records were set under his management. Memphis was the first team in all of professional hockey to introduce "human bowling" as an on-ice event and Jim was instrumental in bringing together the "Hanson Brothers" from the movie "Slapshot" as they made their very first promotional appearance at a RiverKings game.
Riggs' professional hockey experience also includes working in the American Hockey League as the Assistant General Manager & V.P. of Communications for the Baltimore Skipjacks (Washington Capitals affiliate) and he started his hockey career with the Carolina Thunderbirds as Marketing and Media Relations Director in the original Atlantic Coast Hockey League and remained with the team for the birth of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). His league management experience includes serving as the Commissioner of both the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and South East Hockey League (presently the Southern Professional Hockey League) and the Eastern Professional Hockey League. Riggs was also the first Media Relations Director for the ECHL. His sports background also includes serving as the Director of Business Development for the 2006 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic in Memphis, Tennessee.
Bloomington begins their fifth season in mid-October. Home games are played at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington, Illinois and the team's home opener is scheduled for Friday, October 22nd. 2010-2011 season tickets are now on sale and for more information on the PrairieThunder please call 309-585-0507.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from July 22, 2010
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