Ice Bears channel their inner diva to raise money for booster club

You know it's going to be a crazy night when the first player on stage is rookie Mike Kneeland signing "I Touch Myself" to a rowdy crowd of players and fans.  Folks, it can only go downhill from there.

The annual Ice Bears Karaoke Night at Big Mama's Karaoke Cafe is a fundraiser for the Knoxville Ice Bears Booster Club, the gang of dedicated fans who make the players' lives a little easier throughout the season.  This is a chance for everyone to let loose and have some fun before the real grind of the end-of-the-season push happens.

It may have taken awhile for the players to take the stage, but once they did, it was pure hilarity.  The proof is in the photos.

Rich Zalewski and Hunnie Beth in costume for some reason 

(Rich had on tight leather pants and a jacket, Beth wore a Donald Duck costume)

Mike Kneeland with Goofy and Minnie Mouse 

(any guesses as to which players are in the costumes?)

Frankie in drag.  Why? With Frankie, it's best not to ask "why."

Melnyk, Gallant and Bulawka joined by the kids on stage singing "YMCA."

"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"

The team singing "Layla" to Brenda.  

Again, with Frankie, don't ask why.

The final song of the night, "Rocket Man." 

Legacy of hockey on solid ice in Knoxville

I'm excited to share my first article for prohockeynews.com with you. I hope to write 2-3 articles on the Knoxville Ice Bears each month.  If you have any topics you wish to see covered, please let me know. Here is a link to the website: http://tinyurl.com/y9lwwhl Legacy of hockey on solid ice in Knoxville Ice Bears 2009 TSHOF Pro Sports Team of the Year Kristina Shands Feb 15, 2010 - 6:17:15 AM

KNOXVILLE, TENN. - In a state where football is king and playing in a town colored in orange, the Knoxville Ice Bears are finally getting the recognition they deserve, both on and off the ice.

The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame has named the Ice Bears the 2009 Professional Sports Team of the Year and will present the prestigious award at the Hall’s annual banquet in Nashville on Friday, February 19.

“I feel it is a very rare, very special honor,” Knoxville General Manager Mike Murray said. “This is well deserved by the guys who have done something incredible by winning back-to-back championships.”

The TSHOF is a statewide, non-profit organization that was founded to honor and preserve outstanding sports achievements in Tennessee. The Ice Bears are just the second hockey team to gain admittance into the Hall of Fame, joining the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

“The Knoxville Ice Bears were selected as the 2009 Professional Sports Team of the Year for winning their second straight Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) President’s Cup championship,” TSHOF Executive Director Ryland Hoskins said.

Murray is very proud that hockey has become Knoxville’s premiere winter sport. It is also a nod to the legacy of a sport that has existed in the shadows of the University of Tennessee for decades.

The Ice Bears aren’t the first franchise to call Knoxville home. That distinction belongs to the Knoxville Knights who skated in the Eastern Hockey League from 1961-1968. The Ice Bears are however the most accomplished with three championships in the first five seasons of the SPHL and crowds that average about 3,000 fans each home game.

According to Murray, the reason that the Ice Bears are a hockey powerhouse is because it is run by a professional staff and owned by passionate hockey fans. One of those avid fans - and perhaps one of the most loyal supporters in the city -  is John Langley.

Long before he was an owner of a professional hockey team, Langley was a fan. But he wasn’t just any fan - he was the very first season ticket holder for the Knoxville Cherokees when they began playing in the East Coast Hockey League in 1988.

Being one of them, Langley knows exactly what the fans want from their hockey team.

“Our goal is to produce a great product for the people of Knoxville to enjoy at a reasonable price and in a family-friendly environment,” Langley said. “We provide a very inexpensive option for fun.”

Langley believes that the real legacy of having a professional hockey team in Knoxville is to inspire youth to play the game and to continue to develop the sport. If the success of the Knoxville Amateur Hockey Association (KAHA) is any indication, the Ice Bears are definitely fueling the next generation of players and fans.

KAHA offers recreational and competitive hockey to the community and has strong ties with the Ice Bears. During the 2008-2009 season, KAHA trained 350 youth skaters and more than 300 adult skaters. Not bad for a town where college football dominates the landscape every weekend during the fall.

Many of the players who come to East Tennessee to play professional hockey have fallen in love with the beauty of the region and warmth of the people and stayed. Langley still keeps in touch with many of them.

“These guys chose to stay in Knoxville to give back to the community that supported them when they were players,” he said. “There are a lot of devoted hockey fans in Knoxville.”

Murray wholeheartedly agrees with Langley about how seriously the players take their responsibility to the community.

“The players really embrace their role in the community,” Murray said. “They are great role models and their presence in the community is priceless.”

The Knoxville Ice Bears have become great ambassadors for the sport and for the future of the SPHL. The statewide recognition the induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame might just be what is needed to bring additional hockey teams to the area. It is a possibility that hasn’t escaped Murray, who this year was installed as Chairman of the Board of Governors for the league.

“This recognition helps increase awareness of our league and could possibly help with expansion within the state,” he said.

The Ice Bears provide more than just a good source of sports entertainment. They have become a significant contributor to the city’s economic life through tourism dollars.

“Every time visitors travel into our community, they are spending money in our restaurants, gas stations, attractions, hotels and more. The money generated by tourist spending tremendously helps our economic bottom line,” Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation President and C.E.O. Gloria Ray said. “Knoxville has always enjoyed the reputation as being one of the nation’s premiere cities for sports. From the championship tradition at the University of Tennessee to the now championship tradition with the Ice Bears, it’s definitely safe to say that Knoxville is the home of champions.”

While Murray will be in Nashville to accept the award on behalf of the franchise, his team will be on the ice facing the Fayetteville FireAntz, who begin the week three points ahead of the Ice Bears in the SPHL standings. The Ice Bears and their fans hope that the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame award isn’t the last piece of hardware they bring home this spring.

For more information on the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, go to www.tshf.net.

Kristina Shands is an intern with the Knoxville Ice Bears.

Contact the author at  kristina.shands@prohockeynews.com.


© Copyright 2010 by Prohockeynews.com

Ice Bears team up with Buffalo Wild Wings to raise money for Childhelp

For immediate release. For more information please contact Kim Bittinger 

at (865) 525-7825 or at kbittinger@knoxvilleicebears.com

February 8, 2010 - The Knoxville Ice Bears are teaming up with Buffalo Wild Wings to raise money for Childhelp. This fundraiser will coincide with the grand opening of the Buffalo Wild Wings Turkey Creek location, which is scheduled for Monday, February 15.

Based in Knoxville, Childhelp operates the Childhelp Children’s Center of East Tennessee as well as the Childhelp Foster Family Agency of Tennessee. The Childhelp Children’s Center of East Tennessee opened in Knoxville in 1995. The advocacy center serves Knox and surrounding counties, and is a partnership between public and private agencies to provide all of the services needed by an abuse victim in a single child-friendly location.  Co-located at the advocacy center are members of child protective services, a forensic pediatrician, mental heath services, law enforcement services and a forensic interviewer. All of these team members work together to ensure that children receive prompt care in a child friendly environment. The team works together to ensure that abuse cases are fully investigated and key evidence is collected and preserved. This team work results in minimizing the trauma caused by the investigation to the child and making prosecution of offenders more successful. The Children’s Center of East Tennessee has been recognized as one of the leading Children’s advocacy centers in Tennessee. Its professional staff members are considered the experts on child sexual abuse in the East Tennessee community.

The Childhelp Tennessee Foster Family agency provides therapeutic foster care for children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. These children need the safety and security of a warm and nurturing home. Foster parenting gives you a chance to make a difference in the lives of these children in need. Our team of social workers is passionate about helping children and being a go to resource for our foster parent partners.

Buffalo Wild Wings and the Knoxville Ice Bears chose to support Childhelp because of the impact that they have on children and families in this area.

“Childhelp may not be one of the most publicized charities in this area, but we wanted to raise money and awareness for the organization because of the tremendous impact that they have in East Tennessee,” commented Buffalo Wild Wings general manager Lewis Everett.

Buffalo Wild Wings will be selling raffle tickets at the Pinnacle at Turkey Creek location during the week of February 15, 2010. This new location is located at 11431 Parkside Drive, beside Belk. Guests can buy raffle tickets for various prizes, and all of the money from the tickets will go to Childhelp. Guests will have to be present to win, and the winners will be announced at 5:00 p.m. every day that week.

Hugh Nystrom of Childhelp stated, “Childhelp is thrilled to have the Ice Bears and Buffalo Wilds Wings as partners in our fight against child abuse.” He added, “We helped over 1,000 abused children in the Knoxville community last year – their support will help us continue to provide our essential services for kids in need.”

For more information visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com.

Hockey to return to Augusta, GA in 2010

Hockey to return to Augusta, GA in 2010

Date: 02/04/2010

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Southern Professional Hockey League today announced that hockey will return to Augusta’s James Brown Arena in the fall of 2010.

 A press conference has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 9 at 10:00 a.m. at James Brown Arena.  In addition to local dignitaries, attending will be SPHL Commissioner Jim Combs, who will introduce the team’s new general manager and ownership group.  The team will also be taking season ticket deposits at the event and invites the public to attend.

 The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), now in its sixth season of play, is comprised of seven teams:

 The two-time defending President’s Cup Champion Knoxville (TN) Ice Bears, Columbus (GA) Cottonmouths, Fayetteville (NC) FireAntz, Huntsville (AL) Havoc;  (Lafayette) Louisiana IceGators; (Biloxi) Mississippi Surge and Pensacola (FL) Ice Flyers.

 For more information on the Southern Professional Hockey League, check out our website at http://www.thesphl.com.

Ice Bears Roster Transactions: February 4, 2010

Andrew Gallant(G) - Placed on 30 Day IR (Wanna know why?  See video below)

Mario Passarelli(G) - Signed Contract

Donald Melnyk(RW) - Activated from Emergency Leave

Randy Johnston(C) - Released

Ice Bears Road Trip to Huntsville

Travel to Huntsville to cheer on the Knoxville Ice Bears as they take on heated rivals Huntsville Havoc on Saturday, March 6, 2010.  

For just $49, you can catch a charter bus to Huntsville, get a ticket to the game and receive a souvenir t-shirt.  Plus, you'll have the chance to hang out with some of the Ice Bears' biggest fans while having lots of fun.  

Sign up at the DirectTV Fan Assistance booth during the games or call the office at 865-525-7825 for more information.  

Space is limited so no dragging your feet.  Sign up already!