Inferno is ignited

BY CHAD DARE

DANVILLE May 21, 2008 05:36 am

— Back in 2004, Cameron Estes claimed that hockey was not dead in Danville.
Four years after the Danville Wings flew the coop, Estes is bringing a junior hockey team back to the David S. Palmer Arena.
Beginning this September, the Danville Inferno, a tier-3 junior hockey program, will call the Palmer Arena home.
“It’s been a long time coming,’’ said Estes, who will serve as general manager and assistant coach of the Inferno. “We’ve been working on this particular project for a little over three years to organize it and get it ready.’’
But, why do you think that this team is going to survive when previous teams like the Wings and Danville Pounders were not able to succeed.
“We are a tier-3 junior hockey program and the tier-3 classification means that players have to pay to play,’’ Estes said. “They pay to play, which will help ensure the longtime viability of the team, just because there is less budget that has to be cover with advertising and ticket sales.
“We are not going to lose $200,000 or $300,000 a year as teams have in the past.’’
So, how much does it cost the players?
“We talking in the neighborhood of $4,000 a year for each player,’’ Estes said. “That should help offset a majority of budget.’’
Players will also be living with host families in the area, who will receive a monthly stipend to house the players.
Additionally, Estes believes the ticket prices for Inferno games are affordable enough.
“We are charging $6 for adults and $4 for children and seniors,’’ he said. “So, that’s $20 a night for two adults and two kids.
“That’s very affordable in today’s economy, where everyone is looking for the most bang for their buck.’’
But, do people in Danville support hockey?
“I think there is a core group of hockey supporters here,’’ he said. “If you look at the junior programs of the past, I would estimate their worst year of attendance about 500 people per game.
“If we can get the word out to that core group of fans and bring a new style, flair to the area, I think more people will jump on board.’’
Estes acknowledges that most Vermilion County residents don’t know a lot about hockey.
“It’s not so much that they don’t like it, they just don’t know what is going on at all times,’’ he said. “Being a junior program, we are going to require that our players get out in the community. They must spend at least 100 hours working with the youth of the area.
“Hopefully, we can teach them about our game and generate their interest in watching a game.’’
Danville will be one of eight teams in a newly formed Great Lakes Junior Hockey League, which is based out of Detroit.
The Inferno will be one of three teams in Illinois along with a team in Chicago and Fairview Heights. The other five teams will be based in Michigan — two in Detroit suburbs, Midland, Mich., Burton, Mich., and Monroe, Mich.
“All teams are Midwest based and our longest trip will be around 6½ hours,’’ Estes said. “It makes it conducive to have fan support be able to travel.’’
Danville will also be affiliated with a pair of A level junior programs in the Queen City Steam of Cincinnati and the Tulsa (Okla.) Rampage.
“This gives our players an opportunity to advance themselves towards college or minor-league hockey,’’ Estes said.
“Our main goal is that we want to be a developmental stepping stone to help these kids attain their goals.’’
According to Estes, the players will be between the ages of 16-20 and will mainly come from the Midwest.
“We have a tryout scheduled for July 26-27 in Fishers, Indiana,’’ Estes said. “We encourage any local kids to attend. I’m sure there are players in eastern Illinois that can play at this level.’’
Chris Sislo, of Superior, Wis., will be the team’s first head coach. Sislo has been the head coach of the Team Wisconsin AAA program and he has also served as a scout for the Waterloo (Iowa) Blackhawks of the USHL.
The Danville Inferno will begin play in September and the season is expected to conclude in March.
“We’re looking at 20-25 homes games,’’ Estes said. “This is Danville’s team. These kids are coming here to play, but we want to develop these young men into good young men. We want to give back to the community.’’
According to Peter Blackmon, general manger at the David S. Palmer Arena, the Inferno has a five-year contract.
“We are extremely excited about it as we are always excited to get a new team here at the Arena,’’ Blackmon said. “We are dually excited in the fact that Cameron is a local owner. We think that will benefit us as a community quite a bit and help the progress of the team.
“We hope that this is a long standing partnership.’’
For information on the Inferno go to their Web site at http://www.danvilleinferno.com

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