Wednesday, January 8, 2003
CHL's troubled El Paso Buzzards pay for open skate
Associated Press
EL PASO, Texas -- After being kicked off their home ice
because of overdue rent payments, members of the El Paso Buzzards
hockey team paid $5 each to skate during an open session at the
facility.
"If a player wants to skate in a public skating session, and
they want to pay the $5, they can skate,'' Coliseum director Brian
Kennedy said Tuesday, the day of the impromptu practice.
County commissioners ruled Monday that the Central Hockey League
team was barred from the El Paso County Coliseum because it owes
$22,500 in back rent.
Buzzards owner Bill Davidson had asked the commissioners to
deduct money he says he is owed for parking, food and beer sales,
but the county said that amount is smaller than the rent owed.
The Buzzards are contractually obligated to pay the county
$1,500 rent for each home game. Davidson hasn't paid rent since
Nov. 10 -- the Buzzard's sixth game of the season.
"The county announced men's hockey from 10 a.m. to noon,'' said
Buzzards director of communications Michael LaPlaca. "That was a
way that the team got around that. The team was able to work on
some things on the ice.''
CHL president Brad Treliving said hockey will remain in El Paso.
The contract between the league and Davidson requires him to pay
the rent and provides a mechanism for the league to take back the
franchise.
"How we're going to get through the hot issues remains to be
seen,'' Treliving said.
