South Metro owner Nick Poe confirmed the game indeed will take place and that he hopes to help the Demolition finish the season.
They might resemble nomads, though, if Poe’s vision is adopted by New Jersey-based team owner William Dadds.
“Here’s the deal,” said Poe, a former Dayton Bombers equipment manager who bought South Metro in 2014. “I can make it work, but not every game’s going to be in this building. I’m smart enough to know it can’t be in this building all the time.
“We’ve got to give the customer something to look forward to. If we spread it around and get through the season and start building a fan base, you could make (pro hockey) work. But you’ve got to build a following first. It’s not ‘build it and they will come.’ That’s not how it works.”
Hara and Hobart Arena in Troy are other possible venues, although Hara management might not be all that welcoming given how its relationship with the Demolition seems to be going.
Karen Wampler, the Hara marketing director, on Monday received a cryptic text from Dadds. “I’m done,” the message read. “League is pushing me out.”
The Demolition then announced on Facebook they were done with Hara, leaving hockey fans confused and the arena with 18 empty dates.
Wampler said the news came as a surprise because the arena had been working to help the team meet its payroll and stay afloat. This is the Demolition’s first season on the scene after the Dayton Demonz went adrift.
“It really is a circus,” Wampler said. “It’s inexcusable the way it’s been handled up until now. (Dadds) said he had an investor. … My fear is that with this being such a debacle, it will cast the sport in a light it doesn’t deserve. Hockey deserves better.”
It’s unclear how many actual seats are available at the South Metro rink, but Poe said there are enough. The Demolition, currently fourth in the FHL standings with four wins in 17 games, have about 200 season-ticket holders and have been averaging less than 1,000 fans.
Poe, a hockey lover, said he just wants to do what he can to keep the sport on solid ground here. Dayton's hockey history dates back about a half century.
“I’m a black-and-white guy and, you know, the team needed a place to play and I’m going to try to accommodate that,” Poe said. “I’m not into all the drama.
“There’ll be games here and could be games other places. The goal is to find a way to get rid of all the negativity and spin this in a very positive direction. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Pettine, good buddy O’Neil likely to part ways
He's not sure he'll even get a third year, but if that does happen, Browns coach Mike Pettine indicated it would be hard to justify the status quo where his staff is concerned. That likely means parting company with his good friend, defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil. The league's highest-paid defense has been at or near the bottom of the league all season.
Also on the final day of 2015, Pettine said the team remains worried about quarterback Johnny Manziel's off-field antics, which continued on Christmas Eve with a photo on social media of him drinking. Manziel spent 10 weeks in an alcohol rehab center last spring.
The Browns close the season Sunday against Pittsburgh at home trying to finish 4-12. This might be the only time some Cleveland fans root for the Steelers, however, as a loss would help the Browns sew up the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
Somebody tell Sparty the game’s about to start
Can't say it was all that surprising when Michigan State failed to uphold the honor of the Big Ten to the tune of a 38-0 shellacking by Alabama.
It just futher indicates how the Spartans really had no business in the College Football Playoff in the first place, their status secured by a three-point win over Ohio State — which forgot to include its best player in the game plan — and by a Michigan punter who thought he was still playing Australian rules football.
Hard-driving MSU coach Mark Dontonio wore his drill-sergeant hat leading up to the game. Long, physical practices. You know, exactly what was called for.
About the Author