Stockton Hockey acquires Boardwalk Bullies

January 31, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies News Release


ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Atlantic City Hockey LLC, the parent company of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL, have announced the sale of the Atlantic City ECHL membership to the Stockton Hockey Franchise Group, which is owned and operated by Michael Reinsdorf. Atlantic City will relocate to Stockton, California upon conclusion of the 2004-05 ECHL season and remain a member of the ECHL in 2005-06.

"This was simply a business decision made in the best interests of all involved, and in the best interest of our league partners and the ECHL," said Boardwalk Bullies Vice President and General Manager Dan Belisle. "The Boardwalk Bullies have remained in the Atlantic City market for four years because of our confidence we had in the market potential, but in those four years the organization has contributed almost $12 million to the local economy and has sustained losses in excess of $5 million."

The team name "Boardwalk Bullies" has been retained by owner George Shinn.

"I am deeply saddened by today's events because Atlantic City is one of my favorite places to visit," said Shinn. "Yet despite our continued success year in and year out on the ice, we were not successful in creating a large enough fan base to sustain operations. I do wish to thank Boardwalk Hall and all of the loyal fans within the community who continually supported us despite the obstacles that we faced."

Currently in their fourth season in Atlantic City since relocating from Birmingham, Alabama in 2001, the Boardwalk Bullies have perennially been one of the ECHL's strongest members on the ice. Atlantic City finished the 2003-04 season with a 14-year club-best record of 47-19-6 and became just the 14th team in ECHL history to reach the 100-point plateau. In four years, the Bullies have compiled an impressive overall record of 152-72-32 while capturing the 2003 Northeast Division title, the 2003 Northern Conference Championship, and the 2003 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship. During their inaugural season of 2001-02, the Bullies advanced to the Northern Conference Finals.

"We have enjoyed our affiliation with the ECHL and tremendously appreciate the support we have received from our corporate partners and the fans who have attended our games over the past four years," continued Belisle.

"However, with the absence of NHL hockey and our request for support in this very critical season, we had hoped to see an increase in attendance in 2004-05, yet to date, we are down 27%. Most teams with the on-ice success that we enjoy play in front of 4,000-5,000 fans a night, but we have drawn an average of under 2,000 per game in paid attendance."

Belisle guaranteed the team's future for the remainder of this season.

"We will continue to operate through the end of the 2004-05 ECHL season with the same diligence and commitment as we have since we arrived," he said. "It's business as usual for the players, coaches, and front office personnel. We are committed to putting the best product on the ice, committed to providing great, affordable family entertainment, and committed to our loyal fan base and corporate partners. In short, we are committed to winning the Kelly Cup.

On May 14, 2001, Shinn, also the owner of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, purchased former ECHL member Birmingham and entered into an agreement to relocate the team to Atlantic City and Historic Boardwalk Hall. On August 2, the team selected the name "Boardwalk Bullies" from over 500 different entries."

For more information on the sale of Atlantic City's ECHL membership to the Stockton Hockey Franchise Group, contact Dan Weiss at (609) 348-7809. For more information on South Jersey's only professional hockey team, visit our website at www.boardwalkbullies.com.



ECHL Stories from January 31, 2005


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