For many fans of Trenton hockey and for those who have supported a Trenton run Junior "A" franchise, today is a very dark and sad day with the announcement that the team has been sold.
Having never been publicized as being for sale, the Sting Board of Directors announced to the team and current management group on Tuesday that the deal was all but done.
Sting founder, current General Manager and former owner Jon Gibbons felt blindsided by the announcement. After giving 13 years to the team including 12 as a member of the OPJHL and after providing direction to the Huff family following the passing last February of former owner Peter Huff, Gibbons was disheartened by the decision.
“It’s sad that it has been sold and I certainly would be much happier had it been sold locally and kept a Trenton flavour,” Gibbons said in an interview with Trentonian reporter Tim Meeks. “I thought that I would have been involved in the sale, but I wasn’t. Who I’m really disappointed for is George Ferguson. Had I known this was going to happen I certainly wouldn’t have brought George in as coach. We had acquired some new sponsors and there were a lot of new faces at the games and a lot of that was because of George. A lot of us older people identify with George and the Ferguson name, which is a household name in this town."
Gibbons also added that he was sad for all the “dedicated people involved with this organization, my wife (Sandy) included. I’m still taken aback by it, it’s pretty disheartening.”
The Sting Board of Directors made the announcement official on Tuesday and introduced former Belleville Bulls goalie Brad Teichmann and Quinte AAA Minor Bantam Red Devils coach Mark Burrows along with two silent partners as the new team owners.
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15 comments:
will they have a new name and location now???? How long will it be before they move the team to Belleville? Should have saved this announcement until the season was over!
Even though timing of such an announcement isn't the best - keep playing hard boys - it all is paying off. Good luck against Wellington Friday.
what does this all mean? is the team going to finish the regular season or quit now? are they going to go to the round robin in the playoffs? or are they going to scratch...i certainly hope not
:(
YOU WERE DUPED!
Well this goes out to Jon and all the BS he has had to put up with.YOUR A BETTER MAN WITHOUT THIS SH*T.
I've been telling all of you thru-out the season that nothing this team was doing was making any sense.
I feel for you loyal people that cared about this francise. I know a lot of you are a little spun with the outcome, but once Peter sadly left the scene this Franchise became a JOKE. Now to the average fan the news is great but to the LOYAL STING FAN YOU ALL WERE TAKEN.
Im just wondering any of you guys planning on going to the remaining Sting Games?
(edited by Blog Owner)
To answer the questions that have been posed...
1. There has been no indication that the name or location will change.
2. I agree the announcement should have waited until the season ended.
3. The team will finish the season under the current management. They are going to finish what they started.
4. The Sting will be in the playoffs and hopefully will have a good long run.
Blog Owner
I beleive there is no commitment what so ever to keep this team in Trenton.Saying that they would be fools moving this club as Trenton is in the top 10 in attendence and not only has a loyal backing but very knowledgable fans.I would bet the team stays put for know and raises the prices a few dollars next year so they can attract some talent .If you really think about it where could it move to?Honestly, certainly not Belleville.The Bulls are #1 all the way.For the coach i think it will be up to George if he wants to stay as head coach and i think we all know who would be the assistant.I find it very interesting in reading about the sale that Jon had no idea about the sale.I would never call him a lier as i respect him the uptmost but the moves or should i say non moves this year look to me as a change in the guard was going to happen.I think the timing of the sale means nothing as all of us know in buisness that if theres a good deal to be had you jump on it.I beleive the new owners will walk away laughing in the long run.I only know a little about Brad thru a buisness dealing and i'll tell you he is a man of his word and does very well at what he does.He tells you like it is and no BS.I beleive this team will turn around quickly.The only thing i hope is they hire SCOUTS.(HA,HA)
THE SCOUT!
Negativity breeds negativity!!
I would like to encourage the fans to not throw in the towel here. It is a well known fact that change threatens all of us, but sometimes change makes us better. Jon should be recognized for the many great things he has done, but does this mean the team should not move toward better opportunities and affiliations with other great hockey people? Most certainly not. The board of directors are a business savvy bunch that do not make "knee jerk" decisions, this is no doubt a well considered decision. The jury is out for me before I cast judgment here. Do you think that the board of directors which consist of friends of Peter and past owners not to mention family would let this team leave town? I would suggest the blog owner modify his comments to something that will not attempt to railroad a positive change and be open minded to all of the facts at hand as they play out.
This shocking news baffles me. Honestly, I have been trying to come to grips with this decision since it became public knowledge and for the life of me I can't understand "why" the board went this route.
If you're not enjoying being on the board or if you just want to get out of the business of running the hockey team...then resign, and let someone else local come in to take over and give it the attention it deserves. I have a feeling there is more to this than meets the eye.
How can they do this to the Trenton fans...and I mean the people who support a Trenton run product. I had the utmost respect for Peter and contrary to some people's beliefs, he was a local owner. Hell, he didn't live more than 5 minutes from my place on Telephone Road just off of Wooler Road. That IS local my mind. I don't care where he was born or raised, he lived in Trenton.
The sneaky and mischievous manner in which this appears to have taken place speaks volumes. These board members who blindsided not only Jon but the Trenton public have shown how little they respected the Gibbons family and the citizens and hockey fans in Trenton.
How can this be done behind closed doors without, at the very least, publicizing the sale to see if there might be some interest from a Trenton group. I have already talked to two gentlemen who said, had they known it was for sale, they would have at least made an offer.
I don't care if this new group has millions of dollars to sink into this team, the fact they aren't from Trenton and more importantly, the fact they are from Belleville, will mean I will NOT support this team in the future, or until it is sold to a different group.
There has been and probably always will be great animosity between the people of Trenton and Belleville and this will not and is not sitting well with the citizens and hockey fans of Trenton. I refuse to support a Belleville owned operation, and if that results in the team being moved (to where I have no idea) then so be it.
I would much rather spend my money to watch the Frankford Senior A team and the local players then whatever product these new owners will put on the ice. They can fill their roster with all Trenton kids and I will not support it. I will not hand my money over to these people.
For the fans who will stand by the team and continue to support them, I wish you many years of success and I hope your team does well. However, I won't be there to cheer with you. Perhaps I'll have to swallow my pride and go cheer for the Dukes. At least their board respects their fans and community and knows what they're doing.
(edited by Blog Owner)
Thank you for your comments.
Suggestion noted.
what's done is done. Let it be over, none of us have any control, so lets pull together as Sting fans and support the boys playing the game. Hopefully the new owners WON'T move the team, but so be it if they do, some fans won't go with them which is too bad because Trenton Sting have a very strong support base here in Trenton.
Quit the negative comments and just let bygones be bygones. It is too bad the way the whole thing was handled and I do feel sorry for the current management and volunteers but who knows they may be back. Change can be good, we have to wait and see!
Good luck boys in the remaining season and in the playoffs, hope it is a very long run!
Ron relax take a pill they arent moving to Pittsburgh.Your telling me that even if they load this team with Trenton kid's you arent going to support it but will go to Frankford.I think it's time you stay away from the rink your making it a personal issue and not realizing what your saying.Hockey is about the kids not the fans sorry.It's the fans choice to go to the games regardless how good the team is .The local boys who strive to play junior hockey have absoulutlety knothing to do with ownership.I havent seen anything done THIS YEAR that showed they cared about this team.I said THIS YEAR.Standing back i could see Jon wanted things done but faith was all ready determined.The players suffered thru this debacle all year some could take the BS and stuck it out and i give them credit for that.We also know the Quitters that walked away from the situation.I dnot live in Trenton and i see as many Cobourg ,Port Hope,Lindsay games as Trenton but i always made that special effort to see the Sting.Now Ron you might be right in alot of things you said about the goings on and im sure many people would have been interested in ownership as these teams are a dime a dozen.But truthfully do you know anything about the people that purchased the Sting.Have you talked to them about any of your ISSUES.I'll tell you this ,hockey wise the ownership can only improve the on ice product.As far as location it's not that easy to move a team.If i were the new owners i would make a deal with Trenton to keep the team here for in return they fix this old ,cold Barn.
To the blog owner you have done a tremendous job with this forum.I think you probably edited more of my comments than any others .I think your headline of this blog was in sole respect to Jon and his family.And i approve of your headline.One last thing on this issue ,being an outsider looking in i think many of you think the team was taken away from you because of the family atmosphere in your rink.I think it's unfare to judge the new people untill you see what they have instore.You all might be pleasently surprised and i would imagine a brand new website will be on the horizon.
THE SCOUT!
finally the sting will have a good chance at winning something in the NEAR future. from what i have heard the sting will continue to be apart of trenton as thats in the deal that they have to stay there. All this is, is a new start with all new managment. And you say this stinks. well i say why you have said that the sting have sucked for two years now and complained about everything they have done and than now there is going to be a change and you hate the idea. You dont make any sence at all. This will be a fresh start with new owners and ideas and heck maybe they wont sell half the team and get NO ONE in return because i think that you can't do any worse than what has happend this year. As for saying ron saying i'm not gonna be a sting fan any more why not because of new management, that doesnt make any sence why did the managers score the goals and make the plays or did the players. When you go to a game you go to watch the players not the management and jsut because a belleville group owns it doesnt mean it's going to move or be a bad thing like give me a break belleville is 10 minutes away
Good afternoon,
Since I seem to be the one who is drawing most of the attention today I will gladly (and as briefly as possible) provide some answers and thoughts to the questions posed to me. Unless the Blog Owner beats me to it. LOL
1. The new owners will have a hard time finding another location for this team. Look at the trouble they've had in Cobourg with wanting to move to Whitby. The team will remain in Trenton and I'm happy for that.
2. If someone is upset with my "negative" comments, I'm sorry you feel that way but I am entitled to my opinion.
3. To my knowledge, the new Mayor John Williams has never been on the board of directors however he is a past part owner of the team.
4. The board, as I understand it, consists of Lanny Huff, Lori Huff, Jack Gibbons, Earl Johns and Len Kuipers.
5. I have on many occasions attended Minor Hockey games in Trenton and enjoy them immensely. I will continue to do that.
6. I agree, George has the temperament and knowledge to be an excellent coach and I hope he is able to find another coaching position and is not soured by this debacle.
7. No, I will not support this team and the new ownership. While I wish the players nothing but success, I refuse to spend a penny of my income to line the pockets of this Belleville group.
8. I do not know the new owners personally however I have talked to others to learn more. My issue is not with the individuals who have purchased the team. I'm sure they are all smart, hockey savvy people, however the manner in which this deal transpired without public knowledge or the chance for a Trenton group to step forward is unforgivable and reeks of something.
9. If the anonymous poster is implying that "I" have "said the Sting sucked" and "complained about everything they have done" then you obviously have me confused with someone else. Even in the teams lowest moments I have been a cheerleader and supporter. I'm afraid, once this season comes to an end, I will be neither...at least not in person.
10. You are correct, when I go watch a game, I am going to watch the players and not the management, however I am not paying the players the price of admission. That money goes to the owners and I will not be supporting a Belleville run product. That is my right.
Good luck to the team the rest of the way. I hope I get to cheer you on for many weeks to come.
It was not sold in secret but another question could be; why was there no hue and cry when Peter Huff bought the club and assumed a large dept load? We should thank John and his family for all their long years of effort but times have changed and new blood was needed to bring a competitive product back to Trenton. The members of the Board are good community people and good business people and have done nothing to harm the community. It is my understanding that the transfer of control also means a commitment to keep the team in Trenton for a minimum of five years.
I think all the supporters of hockey in Trenton should give the new ownership a chance to show what they can do regarding hockey operations and the business of running and funding an expensive operation like a Jr A Hockey Club.
Well...here it is three years later and as expected, the people who bought the Sting bit off more than they could chew and had to fold the team.
Luckily for Trenton hockey fans the Port Hope team was looking for a new home and moved to Trenton.
I can't help but wonder what might have happened if the Sting had been sold properly instead of being "given" to friends to take over.
All I can say is thank goodness they changed the name of the team before they completely killed it. The Sting name was not tarnished by the mismanagement of these wannabe owners.
In hindsight I was right and I'm happy to say "I told you so". It was a clusterfuck from the beginning and it blew up in their faces. I just hope they didn't lose too much money.
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