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$5 tickets, with $1MM plus budget, is unsustainable. However, it was a good time to be had by all. Seeing the kids smiling and dancing, Singing along with Baby Shark and other songs....true family entertainment. Our team played good. Post game skate was good. Jersey off the back was good. National Anthem singer was good. The DJ & Announcer were good. The Game Ops was good. The Dancing Machine was good. Reality is this... we aren’t perfect, not even close. We aren’t the best team in the league. I’m not the best owner. We don’t have the biggest crowds. But we are continuing to get better. We are honest We work hard We want to be the best We try to be the best And we will continue TRYING to be the best. If we never become the best, it won’t be from lack of effort

Maybe we as fans need to complain to the stations asking why we don't see Marksmen coverage. Ok, I've sent a request to cover the Marksmen hockey team on WRAL. Let's see how many other fans will do the same. We want hockey to stay in Fayetteville and this is one way we fans can help. https://www.wral.com/feedback/?d_id_person=204

Here’s wishing all hockey fans, especially Marksmen fans, a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year.

I'm glad to see the owner is commenting on this forum giving us the straight skinny on topics. How many other owners do that? We all have the right to voice our opinions negative or positive. We all may not agree with each other but, have the same comment factor with supporting our team. He saved hockey in fayetteville and we could have easily lost the team.

Yes, you are welcome to comment as freely as you wish on the forums. But so are everyone else no matter what anyone's opinion is. Good or bad. We aren't here to stroke an owner's or team's ego. We are here to talk about our hockey teams through the good and the bad. Just so happens for awhile now Fayetteville's luck has been bad. I'm sure if the Marksmen can turn their season around it would change all of that. Just because a fan talks bad about their team and what they think about how they're playing has nothing to do with them not being a real fan. If that was the case I would have gave up on my Philadelphia Flyers a long time ago. But nobody is being banned, but try to be civilized in the posts and no personal attacks. But as our biggest rival, i'm always rooting for Fayetteville when we aren't playing you guys. Was even happy to see you guys get a win in front of a big crowd. Even if it was at the expense of us.

I received a response from Doug Price today and wanted to follow up with everyone. The league and board of governors has decided to limit space on the website to official league sponsors only. While I obviously am not crazy about the decision I do understand it. It's a business decision and I respect that. I looked at my webalyzer to see how much traffic we got from clicking the link on the official site and it was very little so I don't think it'll impact us here too much. Most of our new traffic comes from search engines...

Make it $1 Walmart gift cards and you're good. P.S. Good win Roanoke. Your team took a call-up beating this week and the guys worked hard and got the W.

It's time for me to man up and eat some crow. I've said a couple of times on this forum that Dillon Kelley didn't belong in the SP. He has proved me wrong. Good for the young man for hanging in through some trying times and rising to the top. I wish him nothing but the best. If he keeps up the good work he'll be in the ECHL before you know it.

I was called I believe 1997 after the Crown was built to run sound ops for the new hockey team the Fayetteville Force. I thought this was a joke hockey in the south??? Well boy was I surprised. We had a DJ at the time that showed with a case of Cds and a stack of like 12 CD players. It was brutal for him and he was a great DJ. 3 games later we switched to digital and I moved to DJ. Weeks later I received a phone call from a person I had met maybe 12 times. He wanted a job at the hockey rink. I said dude you own a very successful business making great money why would you want to work on game day staff... His response was I LOVE HOCKEY I dont care about the pay I just wanna be involved. So he did he showed up every night ready to work in a brand new Corvette. Lol Well years go by and I leave the organization for a couple reasons . My wife and I start a family and 20 years go by. I one day get a phone call from the same guy saying he needs help getting new music and updating the music experience for the newly branded hockey team. Yes this guy who called is the owner Chuck Norris . Most people think he bought the team to get rich or flaunt money I assure you this is not the case. When I asked him why he would buy the team after he being so successful in other ventures he replied once again... dude I LOVE HOCKEY. You will never see this man brag about what he has nor try to steal the spotlight ever. He honestly is passionate about hockey and the city that allowed him to grow into who he is . Fayetteville

"Is this forum only for “Long Time Fans” to have an echo chamber of hate filled rhetoric? " It's very possible you & I have different definitions of "hate filled rhetoric". I went back and re-read the posts made by others during the 6 game losing streak. I see posts made out of obvious frustration and some comments pointing out the reality of the moment. Hate is an awfully strong word and I personally don't think it applies to any comments made on this board. "But don’t try to pass yourselves off as long time fans. From the comments you’ve posted, you seem more like haters." I'm not sure why you would want to make things personal. I have no reason to pass my self off as anything or hate anybody or team. I'm just making comments about a professional sports team on a discussion board. Mr E says worse things in the Peoria paper about Fayetteville than anything ever posted on this board. JMHO. Good day, Chuck.

Remember the good ole days of the Virginia Lancers, the Lancer Lot and the Roanoke Civic Center (before becoming the Berglund Center)? Back when hockey was hockey and rivalries were real rivalries and not this Fayetteville/Roanoke season series that really doesn't feature any dislike for each other and lacks anything close to hard hitting hockey. It's quite boring actually. You guys in Roanoke have a long history of hockey and a fan base that most cities would love to have. I wish nothing but the best for Roanoke, except when you guys are playing us.

And part of that gamble was the "Future Considerations" piece. If Hockey Ops plays this card right, it can turn what might look to some like a poor trade decision into a winning hand in the future.

I was seeing things on here that were just, 100% wrong. I want to help our fans know the truth about some things. Obviously, I can’t discuss everything, but I am Ok with answering questions for people that are within the scope of public knowledge. Lots of different opinions on forums, and that’s a good thing. I just want to help separate fact from fiction.

Would have liked to keep him, however he did not show much in his short time here, problem still exists with very little checking by the Marksmen, seems like they prefer stick checking to even bumping or knocking someone off the puck, I believe this team would be a lot better being more physical, stick checks in the corners results in the opposing players still able to get away and continue to free skate in our zone we saw a lot of that in our recent win. Stay out of the penalty box, but knock someone off the puck with a good hard clean check, PLEASE

When corporate partners sign deals, many of those deals include tickets. Because those deals are listed under corporate revenue, their tickets are listed as Sponsor Comps. When those tickets get scanned in at the door, they do not get counted as Paid- they are Sponsor Comps. Teams also comp a certain amount of tickets to different charity groups. We are a huge supporter of Vettix and other Veteran groups. We do Comp them tickets for certain games. Hence, paid tickets is not synonymous with announced attendance. Hope that helps

1. Announced attendance and paid attendance are not synonymous. 2. The team has ZERO control of concessions. It is exclusively controlled by the Crown Mgmt and its F&B Vendor. 3. 2k people did NOT leave the game halfway through the 3rd period. LOL. 4. Why would any team, leading 5-2, start a fight?

Every Roanoke fan should feel great about this team. What I watched from Fayetteville was hogwash. What I saw from Roanoke was a team that was committed to what the coach was preaching to them. They went out that 2nd and 3rd period and pushed Fayetteville around and stuck to their game plan. I’m a Fayetteville fan, but I was disappointed in our effort. Roanoke is on fire and I hope we can be the team to end it, but if we play like we did last night it will not happen. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

When the Knoxville Knights played the Soviets in 1963 hockey game By John Shearer - News Sentinel Shopper News Read more at: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/shopper-news/bearden/2018/12/27/knoxville-knight-don-labelle-recalls-battling-soviets-civic-coliseum-1963-hockey-game/2376080002/ Don Labelle played and coached hockey for the Knoxville Knights in the late 1960's as seen in the photo. After moving back to Knoxville Labelle said staff at the Civic Coliseum found the old photos and asked if he wanted it. He will be inducted in the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. Michael Patrick, MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS

Gutsy road win, outshot 35-17. Heck of a job by Tanner and the entire team. Now let's get back home and get the sweep!!!!

I agree with the fact that hockey has changed and of course at times it is sad for me to see it go. I understand the reasoning for the change even at out level. I cut my teeth opening season with the Fayetteville Force and left the organization after the 2nd season of the FireAntz. So I know what it used to look like. I will say the smill level of ay now is dramatically greater. Not to say that there weren't great players cause there where. Mostly where ok and where street brawlers.lol....at that time I was young and yes I thought this was great. Ws didnt win much but we won fights cleared benches...alot...but times have changed and hockey is trying to go mainstream. What I dont understand and again take this as my opinion and what I have observed. It does appear that if we lose a game then immediately after someone makes a topic about the vast amount of mistakes we made. Which is in their right i understand that. But days after we have a great victory and i mean days nothing will be posted. Again this is just an observation. Hey and i understand i have lived in Fayetteville my entire 44 year life and no one is harder on Fayetteville than people in Fayetteville we expect the best always i get it. So is the team the best...no Can the organization do better..yes But without support from people and yes constructive criticism goes with that but it does seem that we on the Fayetteville forum are like the nightly news that we all complain about . We only focus and bring to life the negative and hardly ever the positive.

I think the kid from the FHL got unlucky that as you guys signed him Economos got called up to the ECHL. Dion has fought less and less as the year has gone on because he helps us more on the ice then in the penalty box. He scored his 10th goal of the season last night. Kudos to you for coming on the boards and having a hockey discussion with other posters giving us some of the business side of hockey in the SPHL.

Happy to see the comments and yes we are a much better team when we are physical. I said all along that utilizing a stick check rather than body checking opposing forwards is not effective, it only permits the forwards to free skate in our zone. It is hard to watch a team blow leads in games and I am happy that problems are recognized and corrected. I may complain from time to time but always supported hockey in Fayetteville and win or lose I always will, see you at the Crown

1 That can't be what Columbus wants. 2 That is hard to budget in a business model for comparison sake. 3 There has to be competitive interest in SPHL. Sad for Columbus fans.

If a casserole from Wanda in Section P is a Bennie, then ok.

Highlights from last night's comeback. "If this doesn't give you goosebumps, nothing will" - Brian Gardner What a Comeback