| BARRACUDAS SUSPEND OPERATIONS |
| APRIL 30, 2008 |
The Jacksonville Barracudas Hockey Club has announced that it has requested a one-year suspension of operations from the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Steve and Janet Croskrey, majority owners of the Barracudas, expressed their intent to the SPHL Monday, April 28th, and the teams office has been closed. Team President and General Manager Gilles Richard will continue to look for potential investors and explore venue opportunities to support pro-hockey in the North Florida area.
It is a day we hoped would never come, said Steve Croskrey, who has owned the Barracudas since 2004. Unfortunately, the lack of a suitable venue for SPHL hockey in North Florida was too high an obstacle to overcome.
My heartfelt thanks goes to Gilles, Rick Allain, the front office staff, players, volunteers, and the passionate fans who have made the past four years so great.
Richard expressed hope that the Barracudas would skate again.
This is a sad time, because so many people have worked so hard to stabilize hockey in Jacksonville and provide the sort of team that hockey fans here can be proud of, said Richard. I am hopeful that a mid-sized, multi use facility with space for 3,000 to 5,000 spectators will come to fruition. Such a building would enable minor league hockey and recreational ice sports to grow and thrive in North Florida.
The Barracudas called the 16,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena home for three seasons, at which time the lease agreement with the facility expired. The proposed lease renewal included increased costs that made it impossible for the Barracudas to continue to play in the venue.
In an effort to keep professional hockey alive in Jacksonville, the Barracudas moved to the 1,200-seat Jacksonville Ice for the 2007-08 season. The fan support at Jacksonville Ice was strong throughout the campaign, and the Barracudas experienced continued on-ice success, finishing second overall during the regular season and making their second consecutive appearance in the SPHL Presidents Cup Finals. However, the limited streams of revenue in the recreational facility have made it infeasible for the Barracudas to renew their lease.
The people at Jacksonville Ice deserve a lot of credit for being willing to take on this project with us this season, said Richard. They have our thanks for making another season of Barracudas hockey possible. In the end, we just couldnt make it work for another season.
There was plenty of success for the Barracudas, particularly over the course of the past two seasons. Though unable to win the Presidents Cup, the Allain-led Barracudas established a strong core of players who are considered amongst the leagues elite. Allain himself won the SPHLs Coach of the Year honors for the 2007-08 season, while the SPHLs First Team All-Stars featured two Barracudas players.
Certainly, the elements for success are in place for the Barracudas, from the quality of the product with its core group of players, the SPHLs top coach, to the front office staff and volunteers, said Richard. However, the single most important ingredient of success in this market is the venue, and there isnt one in Jacksonville that makes running a professional hockey club financially feasible.
Richard continued, There is a strong foundation of support for the sport that is going to continue to grow and build a bright future for professional hockey in Jacksonville. The Barracudas may not be playing next season, but with the help of the local hockey community and a new mid-sized facility, pro-hockey will return to Jacksonville.
Those fans that have already paid money towards their 2008-09 season tickets will receive a full refund. Supporters of the Barracudas are encouraged to email their names and contact information to BarracudasHockeyClub@gmail.com in order to receive periodic news updates and information about hockey-related events in North Florida.
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