The Excel Hull Stingrays will enter the 12/13 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign - their tenth season in existence and seventh in the top flight - under new ownership after it was today confirmed that Nic Gough and Bobby McEwan had agreed terms with the Coventry Blaze ownership group to take over the club.
The long awaited deal will transfer ownership of the club and make to local businessman Gough and former Humberside Seahawk and Stingrays assistant coach McEwan the club's third ownership group in ten seasons provided Hull City Council agree, as expected, to their proposal regarding the Hull Arena ice-time contract.
An official statement from the now former owner James Pease read:
"The deal is done pending their award of the ice time contract at the Arena and we are delighted that Nic and Bobby are taking over. The club desperately needs to be under local ownership and direction and now it has that. We kept the club alive when that looked impossible but for it to be taken forward now, it needs to be operated by people from the area.
From our perspective we were asked by many of the supporters to find them an owner who would keep them in the Elite League and who had the best interests of the club at heart. We've done that and I'm sure everyone will get behind Nic and Bobby as they take over.
We know things haven't been perfect, especially during last season, but it's been very difficult for us to run two clubs, especially with one being so far away from where we are based. It's now time for us to focus on the job we have to do in Coventry and for Nic and Bobby to focus on taking the Stingrays forward. We look forward to many on ice battles in the coming seasons.
As we say goodbye, we'd like to thank everyone who supported us during the last two seasons, sponsors, supporters and volunteers but especially, Sylvain Cloutier and the players who did such a great job. We really do wish Nic and Bobby all the very best."
The deal ends a particularly turbulent period in the club's history which began with rumours prior to the end of the season that suggested the Coventry based ownership group of Andy Buxton, Mike Cowley, James Pease and Paul Thompson were looking to offload the club to a willing suitor.
This was confirmed on 9 April in an article in the Hull Daily Mail, however, it took until 25 April for the group to officially rule themselves out of owning the Stingrays heading in to 12/13. After a minor ownership battle with local businessman Paul Fielder and former player Slava Koulikov, Gough and McEwan have now agreed an unspecified fee to takeover as the club's new owners.
The outgoing Coventry ownership have endured a real rollercoaster time during their stay in Hull.
They began their tenure as absolute saviours of the Stingrays - having picked the club up from the depths after Mike and Sue Pack stepped away as the season drew agonisingly close - and they went on to have a successful first year in the city, despite the lack of preparation, increasing attendances as the club had a record year on ice.
Third year coach Sylvain Cloutier was afforded the time and preparation to build a squad from scratch last summer - having been re-signed late in the 10/11 season. However, after a great pre-season, the club struggled to find form early on. Amid rumours of financial problems in Coventry, fans turned on the ownership as Joshua Mizerek and Frantisek Bakrlik were released to see only Kurtis Dulle come in to the club as they ran from December on down one import.
Despite the financial issues - and alleged late payment of players, which only surfaced early in the off-season - the club hit real momentum late in the season as they beat Fife, Sheffield and Dundee before advancing to the EIHL Playoff Semi-Finals and EIHL Playoff Final Four Weekend for the first time thanks to a historic and memorable two legged Quarter Final victory over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Steelers.
With turbulent times now hopefully behind them, the Rays can look forward to a future with a local owner, amazingly for the first time in their history.
In the same statement new owner Gough said:
"I'd like to thank Andy, Mike, James and Paul for all they did to keep the Stingrays alive and develop things to where they are now. It's been tough for them at times but, like us, everyone in Hull should be appreciative of the great foundations they have laid for the Stingrays that are now our responsibility to build on.
The agreement we have reached with them has helped Bobby and I hugely and has shown us how much they want the Stingrays to succeed under new ownership. They are good people and we really want to thank them sincerely for what they've been prepared to do. They have made an unbelievably gesture that has given us a great chance to take the club forward and it's our intention to do that."As has been widely stated both previously in this very blog and in today's statement, a huge credit should go to the former ownership group for the hard work they have put in in getting the Stingrays to where they are from the tough situation they found the club in. Though the figure the club changed hands for remains unspecified, the statement does seem to indicate the figure was way below the alleged initial price tag of £20k, which will in turn help the new owners going forward.
Now it is time for the club to move on and begin a new chapter in its near ten year history.
It is largely believed that Cloutier has already agreed to return for a fourth season at the helm and that he has already begun approaching a number of player regarding next season - including some of last season's squad as well as British netminder Ben Bowns. However, the real hard work now begins in earnest with the expected official confirmation of his re-signing coming soon, possibly after Gough and McEwan receive the green light on Hull Arena ice time.
Off-ice too, it is likely a huge amount of man hours will need to be put in in order for the club to build from the solid position it was left in by the previous regime.
Whatever the situation, the uncertainly surrounding the Stingrays has now - barring a shock decision from Hull City Council - dispersed and that in itself is reason to once again look forward to the summer and season ahead.
Go Rays!
