

Jason MIller

The Intelligencer

Broome County officials have confirmed their Binghamton Senators are heading north in 2017 and sources agree Belleville is the destination.

Fans and Broome County Executive Debbie Preston are coming to terms with losing their AHL hockey team to Belleville, but unlike the OHL’s Belleville Bulls sour 2015 departure, the AHL top brass are soothing the loss with a replacement team.

When asked about losing out to Belleville, but being able to maintain a similar calibre team, Preston stated, “The AHL has committed to staying in Binghamton and Broome County, and as long as the league keeps that commitment, I am satisfied,” indicating she’s pleased with arrangements by the AHL to replace the Senators with one of the handful of teams being shuffled around under league restructuring plans.

When asked about the atmosphere around town with rumours now confirmed the Senators brand, which won a Calder Cup and represented the region since 2002, is heading out, Preston stated, “I’m sure some fans will be disappointed, but we have very passionate hockey fans in our community and I’m sure that if a new AHL team comes to our community, it will have a strong backing.”

On the home ice, Belleville’s mayor jumped the gun prematurely hinting at an announcement of ongoing negotiations in advance of AHL executives who control the reins.

“It won’t be up to Belleville to make that announcement,” a solid source said.

When reached for clarity on the outcome of the this week’s AHL board meeting, Jason Chaimovitch, the league’s vice-president of communications, remained tight-lipped saying, “I do not currently anticipate there being anything to report regarding franchise movements.”

So, here is what we know.

A Belleville negotiation committee led by Mayor Taso Christopher has to satisfy the league and franchise owners with major Yardmen Arena upgrades, which could require more than the $7 million they are estimated to spend on repairing the boards, floor and refrigeration system. In 2014 it was estimated the floor would cost at least $2 million to renovate.

Capacity is a major sticking point as Yardmen only seats about 3,200. In fact, it will cost the city in the region of $20 million, over time, to address all the deficiencies including required seating needs.

The upgrades demanded for the 2017-18 season have to be approved by the AHL board, but according to an informed source, there are “still a couple of things that need to be met.”

A number of people, including the ownership group and league, have to buy into the arrangement being ironed out now for months.

Belleville is looking for a long-term lease that would keep the team here for a period near the 10-year mark and definitely more than five years.

The ownership of the Binghamton team doesn’t necessarily have to change and all they need to do is find a suitable replacement for the team their in order to satisfy the three-year lease just signed with Broome County.

By all accounts the sub-lease arrangement will be a seamless process once it’s agreed which AHL team will fill the void in Binghamton.

Several teams in the United States are looking to repatriate their teams to markets situated closer to their NHL affiliates.

Montreal’s farm team is already making the jump from St. John’s to Laval, after relocating there from Hamilton in 2015 during the Bulls shuffle.

The Canadiens moved their top farm club from Hamilton to St. John’s, signing a two-year-agreement, plus an option year, to play in Newfoundland. The tentative plan is for the Canadiens to move their farm team into a 10,000-seat arena being built in Laval that will be part of a $120-million multipurpose sports facility, which includes two smaller rinks.

Belleville is inking stipulations in the deal to either give the municipality some sort of stakeholders’ interest or equity in the team that doesn’t necessarily carry the weight or responsibility of ownership, which could provide some surety the team can’t move on a whim.

Coun. Mitch Panciuk has said previously he favoured a long-term deal and wouldn’t be willing to budge on that link in the negotiation.

“If we’re ever to go in with a team again, we should not be in the same boat we were with the Bulls,” he said, pointing to “only agreeing to something that came along with some form of ability to put together a local ownership group or right of first refusal.” The provisions sought by the city would see it being able to use its stake to potentially activate its ability to either take over the team or find a local ownership group if need be, a source said.

This is not an immediate consideration, but sources say it would be written into the deal so if the proposed owners decide to pull out, the city could initiate that provision to keep the team put.

Broome County isn’t unfamiliar with the impact of losing a hockey franchise. The Rangers’ farm team played there for years and they relocated and became the Hartford Wolf Pack. The region had to settle for B.C. Icemen of the United Hockey League, a mid-level professional hockey league, until the AHL returned in 2002. The arrival of the Sens in 2002 marked the return of the AHL to the area after a five-year absence.

The region tasted championship success when they were crowned the AHL’s 2010-11 Calder Cup champions, the only time in the community’s history to win a high level hockey trophy.

jamiller@postmedia.com