Departures
Following the league's Mid-Season Board of Governors Meeting on March 27, 2009, the league announced that two teams had been granted one-year extensions to voluntary suspensions because of arena issues, two teams would suspend operations for the season and that one team would cease operations following the conclusion of the 2008–09 ECHL season.
The current economic crisis has forced the ECHL to allow one-year extensions on voluntary suspensions for two teams in South Carolina, one in Columbia and one in Myrtle Beach. Both franchises await approvals for their new arenas in Irmo and Conway, respectively, as neither arena has begun construction.
The Dayton Bombers and the Mississippi Sea Wolves announced that they would be suspending operations for the 2009–10 season and must present new business plans to the league in June 2009. Dayton owner Costa Papista cited declining support as the reason for the team being forced to suspend operations. Dayton averaged 3,679 fans per home game in 2008–09 (up slightly from 3,663 in 2007–08), but the Bombers would consistently fall short of the league's average attendance each year (4,218 in 2008–09). Papista stated that it is hard to sell hockey at the Bombers primary arena, the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University in Fairborn as the seating capacity is upwards of 9,500 and has proposed building a $30 million, 5,500-seat arena in downtown Dayton that would house professional hockey in Dayton. The proposal is being explored by the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. The suspension ends Dayton's run of 18 seasons in the ECHL, the second longest to league founder Johnstown Chiefs' 21-year run. With a team in Cincinnati and the return of a team to Toledo, ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna has said that he would like to see Dayton return to the league, stating "We very much would like to back in Dayton and, hopefully, some day we will be." However, Two Fort Wayne, Indiana-based businessmen gained approval from the International Hockey League to revive the Dayton Gems franchise. With the new IHL franchise in place and a failed drive for season tickets and managing partnership to resume play for the 2010-11 season, the Bombers owners relinquished their team's membership in the ECHL at the Annual Board of Governors' Meeting in Las Vegas in June 2009.
Mississippi owner Mike Rogers and team president Bill Yates also announced that their team would suspend operations due to economic troubles that included travel expenses and low ticket sales. Mississippi became the latest team on the Interstate 10 corridor to cease operations which over the years has included the Baton Rouge Kingfish, Louisiana IceGators, Mobile Mysticks and Pensacola Ice Pilots. Team president Bill Yates stated that the team still intends to continue operations in the ECHL, including possibly playing in 2010–11, but may move the team to a new city or a different league, most notably the Central Hockey League It was announced in May 2009 that Biloxi and Pensacola are expected to receive Southern Professional Hockey League franchises for the 2009–10 seasons. The SPHL announced also Lafayette, Louisiana will also move to the SPHL With the new SPHL franchise in place, the Sea Wolves former owners relinquished their team's membership in the ECHL at the Annual Board of Governors' Meeting.
The Phoenix RoadRunners told the Board of Governors that the team would not participate in the 2009–10 season and would cease operations effective immediately following the 2008–09 season. At the Annual Board of Governors' Meeting, Phoenix officially relinquished their membership in the ECHL.
After sitting out from the league for four seasons on voluntary suspension, the potential Myrtle Beach, South Carolina franchise (formerly the Pee Dee/Florence Pride) relinquished their franchise's membership in the league at the Annual Board of Governors' Meeting.
Read more about this topic: 2009–10 ECHL Season, League Business, Team Changes