CHL Announces Team in Independence, Missouri for 2009-10 Season

[VodkaFish]

Hockey Club to Call New Independence Events Center Home

The Central Hockey League (CHL) is pleased to announce the addition of an Independence, Missouri franchise for the 2009-10 season, following approval from the Independence City Council on the team’s lease with the new Independence Events Center. Ownership of the CHL team has been awarded to Independence Professional Hockey LLC who is comprised of Mark & Matt Adams, and Mike Carper of Lubbock, Texas; and team president Brad Lund.

“We are very happy to have the Independence Professional Hockey group join the CHL family and are pleased to welcome the City of Independence,” said CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis. “The hockey history in the area and the demographics of Independence and the surrounding areas make this an attractive market for the league and one that will be a premier organization in the CHL.”

The owners and operators are no strangers to the CHL with Matt and Mark Adams previously owning the CHL’s Lubbock Cotton Kings. Matt still resides in Lubbock and is the owner and operator of a large farming conglomerate in Brownfield, Texas. The 18,000 acres of land includes cotton, wheat, peanuts and corn.

Mark has been active in the sporting world his entire professional life, including an eight-year stint as general manager and part-owner of the CHL’s Lubbock Cotton Kings. The franchise received numerous accolades during Adam’s tenure, including being named CHL Franchise of the Year, Marketing Franchise of the Year and Ticketing Franchise of the Year. He spent 21 years as a head basketball coach on the collegiate level, recently completing his fifth season as the head coach of Howard College, where they have been a perennial junior college power. He has been named Coach of the Year seven times. Ten of Adams’ teams have captured conference and/or regional titles, including reaching the 1985 NAIA National Finals in Kansas City.

Mike graduated from William and Mary with a BA degree in 1976. He has resided in Lubbock since 1977, and attended Texas Tech School of Law, graduating in 1980. Since that time he has been the principal of the Law Office of Michael H. Carper P.C., which focuses on business development and litigation. Active in community affairs, Carper has been a member and multiple past president of the Downtown Chapter of AMBUCS, the Southwest Rotary Club, and the Sales Executive Association. In additional to representation of many prominent businesses in West Texas, the firm represents numerous charitable and governmental organizations. Carper served as the General Counsel and as an owner for the Lubbock Cotton Kings of the CHL, and currently is the General Counsel for the Texas Tech Hockey Club.

“We are honored to join rich sporting history of the Kansas City area,” said Lund. “Our marketing philosophy starts with the fans. This will be their team beginning day one.”

Lund will serve as the team’s president joining the new team after spending the past 16 seasons with the Oklahoma City Blazers serving most recently as the team’s Chief Executive Officer. While with the Blazers, Lund made the organization one of the top in all of minor pro sports while leading the entire CHL in attendance in each of his 16 seasons.

The team will become the first franchise in the state of Missouri and will sit just over 200 miles from Wichita, Kansas (the home of the CHL’s Thunder). The new Independence hockey team will play in the new state-of-the-art Independence Events Center. The new building will seat 5,800 fans for hockey and is currently under construction with opening weekend for hockey planned for Nov. 13-14.

Additional information about the progress of the new Independence Events Center can be found at
www.independenceeventscenter.com.

[MrFrost]

Man its like wildfire

[chilly666]

frosty this was posted technically by caps. its the thread about the team getting a lease agreement. so its truly nothing that we didn't already know.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by chilly666

frosty this was posted technically by caps. its the thread about the team getting a lease agreement. so its truly nothing that we didn't already know.

And it's not like these are all out of the blue teams, when the rumor is that each of the minor leagues will likely lose at least a couple of teams.

These have been rumored for 2-3 years.

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by caps05

And it's not like these are all out of the blue teams, when the rumor is that each of the minor leagues will likely lose at least a couple of teams.

These have been rumored for 2-3 years.

yeah this one, with the texas one and one in arizona as well. is the chl losing a team or two? i haven't seen or heard anything on it.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by chilly666

yeah this one, with the texas one and one in arizona as well. is the chl losing a team or two? i haven't seen or heard anything on it.

I haven't heard anything further on Yuma, which is the Arizona team I presume you're referring to.

I've heard New Mexico and Rocky Mountain as the teams who may be gone.

[chilly666]

yeah i was referring to yuma and interesyong about rockt mountain, esp with the eahles so close and the hayrwd between them.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by chilly666

yeah i was referring to yuma and interesyong about rockt mountain, esp with the eahles so close and the hayrwd between them.

The who?

[ChiefCougar]

Originally Posted by chilly666

yeah i was referring to yuma and interesyong about rockt mountain, esp with the eahles so close and the hayrwd between them.

Holy crap & I thought I DRANK? lol

The KC area needs a team since the Blades left in the 1800s. haha

I wish I still went school there -- I'd be there for sure. Loved the midwest as ppl are so nice. The coasts have snots allover

caps, does this post make sense after wines? hehee

PS - Spoke to a guy from Yuma. He's Hispanic. He said, "No way will anyone vote to have a team. We can't even keep baseball here let alone ice. No one here will support this from tax $."

Sucks but true..

[caps05]

I think the CHL went after Yuma because they would have a nice CTM (Close to Mexico) division, with Laredo, the Rio Grande Valley team, Arizona, New Mexico, and Yuma, to go with all the other Texas teams.

And Chief Cougar, I love your sig.

[ChiefCougar]

Originally Posted by caps05

I think the CHL went after Yuma because they would have a nice CTM (Close to Mexico) division, with Laredo, the Rio Grande Valley team, Arizona, New Mexico, and Yuma, to go with all the other Texas teams.

And Chief Cougar, I love your sig.

Caps, thx. I knew you'd love Homie.

I'm STILL standing (well lying down on my laptop), & ahem, coherent as I stopped the vinos. Hehee

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by caps05

The who?

i meant to say eagles and the hatred between them. leave me alone, i was celebrating at the bar last night.

[chilly666]

thats funny to hear about yuma with the chl headquarters out in arizona. i thought thats why they had announced the expansion team being there. maybe they could stick it in phoenix at america west after some renovations are done to it.