May 6th, 2008

Thank you to all of you that supported the Milwaukee Admirals this past season. Thank you to our loyal fans who came out to the Bradley Center during the harshest winter in franchise history or listened on WSSP Radio or watched on the B2 Network on the internet. You were awesome.

Thank you to our corporate partners who made this season possible on so many levels. You helped us to put together another world-class promotional schedule that I would put up against any team in any sport – Major League or Minor League or Collegiate. You helped us to provide thousands of tickets to needy children and families in our community through the Admirals Kids program. We are grateful for your support.

Thank you to our players, coaches, support staff and the staff in Nashville, our great affiliate. We came a long, long way on the ice. As we know, we essentially had a brand new team to start the season. There were only a few returning players from the 2006-07 season and we had our ups and downs but by the end of the season we had a very fun team to watch and one that continued the regular season level of excellence that we have come to expect in our partnership with the Nashville Predators. Lane Lambert and Brad Lauer did a nice job of molding this very young team and I look forward to next season and bigger and better things on the ice. I think we’d all agree that it’s time to bring the Calder Cup back to Milwaukee and the 2008-09 season seems like the perfect time to do so.

Thanks also to our players for their excellent contributions to our community. They made countless appearances and were great ambassadors for the Admirals. Their goodwill goes a long way toward building new fans who hopefully will become lifelong fans.

Finally, I want to say thank you to our front office staff. The men and women in our office work tirelessly to give our customers a first-class entertainment experience. I believe that we have the finest staff in the American Hockey League and I am very proud to work with each of them every day.

I’ll be in touch throughout the summer months. Enjoy the warm weather. We’ll be back before you know it!

Go Admirals!

April 10, 2008

Congratulations to our players, coaches and staff on making it to the Calder Cup playoffs this season. It is a great accomplishment to have made the playoffs six consecutive seasons. We told our players at the team meeting prior to the season starting that we considered this to be an elite franchise in the American Hockey League and there is an expectation of success both on and off the ice. We have met the first goal on the ice by making it to the playoffs and now we hope to have a great run.

Thank you also to those who came out to support the Battle of the Badges hockey game at the Bradley Center on Saturday night. It was a great first time event for us and it’s something that we’d love to see grow into a big time community hockey game. The hockey was very good. I was impressed with the speed and skill level of the players. The game also raised significant money for the Ronald McDonald House.

We were also able to raise a lot of money for the Admirals Power Play Foundation through the Heroes Jersey auction over the weekend. Thanks to some vigorous bidding, the auction raised more than $22,000, a record since the new ownership came in three years ago. Thank you to those who bid so generously. Unfortunately, an event like this can bring out the worst in people and you end up seeing some bad behavior which mars the fun and the spirit of the auction. It is important for people to understand that rules are put in place for a reason and it’s to curb the unnecessary bad acts and make it a fun and fair experience for all involved. It’s even more important to emphasize that this is an auction for CHARITY. It nearly came to the point where the heroes for whom this auction was designed were nearly called into duty to stop people from acting like they did. I would like to say that the vast majority of people involved in the bidding, 99% of them, acted honorably and we are grateful for their bids and generosity.

Fan Appreciation Night is coming up on Friday. It’s going to be a lot of fun and a great chance to send our guys off to Houston for the weekend on a high note. We would love a huge, energetic crowd at the Bradley Center so I hope to see you there. We have made the playoffs but there is a lot of work to do.

Go Admirals!

April 1, 2008

Happy April Fools Day! I won’t provide you with any practical jokes today. I am sure that you’ve run across a few funny occurrences that make today a day to take note of what you hear and see.

Thank you to all who made our game on March 30 against Houston such a special day. We were able to raise thousands of dollars for the MACC Fund as many of you came out to our annual charity game. It was a really fun crowd and we were all treated to a fantastic hockey game that felt like a playoff atmosphere. We were fortunate to come out on top. It was a win-win for the Admirals and the MACC Fund.

This Saturday we will have another big day as we host the annual Battle of the Badges hockey game pitting local police against local firefighters in a special game at 3:30 pm at the Bradley Center. The day starts with a blood drive for the American Red Cross from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm at the BC. Then the Battle of the Badges game will begin at 3:30 and the Admirals will take on Houston in a huge game with playoff implications at 7:30. A portion of the proceeds raised by the game will go to the Ronald McDonald House.

It’s now baseball season and hopefully that means warmer weather. It also means that playoff hockey is at hand and we’re selling playoff ticket packages for the 2008 Calder Cup playoffs. We are happy to be in the mix and are working hard with the numerous playoff scenarios with potential opponents to come up with good schedules that are equitable to both teams. It’s a tough chore that Mike Wojciechowski, our venerable VP of Business Development, takes on each year. This year is especially challenging as there are so many teams bunched up in the Western Division.

We have three huge regular season games remaining. I hope to see you at the Bradley Center. We could really use your continued support.

Go Admirals!

March 16, 2008

Sorry that it’s been awhile since I last checked in. I’ll do a better job of updating this blog to let you know what’s going on with the Admirals.

It was a great night on Friday night as we added Tony Hrkac’s name and number to the retired numbers banner which hangs from the rafters at the Bradley Center. Tony is such a good guy and has such a nice family. It was a real treat to celebrate the highest honor a team can offer with one of the true greats ever to wear the Admirals colors. It was also a treat to have Danny Lecours, Fred Berry and Phil Wittliff in attendance as well to welcome Tony to that very elite club of retired numbers.

Our team has taken some huge steps forward since the All-Star break. We are 14-7 since the break and have steadily moved up the standings. I think it’s still going to come down to the last week of the regular season as to where we’ll finish because we’re in a tight race with San Antonio, Houston and Peoria for third, fourth and fifth places in the West Division. It’s important to also keep an eye on the North Division and who is in fourth place there and with how many points because if we were in fifth place in the West and had more points than the fourth place team in the North, we’d be in the playoffs over in the North, likely against Toronto which has held first place throughout the season in that division.

There are only seven home games remaining during the regular season as of March 15. The season has really flown by. We’ve had a lot of fun so far and there’s a lot of good stuff still in the promotional schedule down the stretch. We are going to be giving away Pepsi Trading Cards (3/16), Jockey Boxer Shorts (3/21), US Cellular Rally Towels (3/24), Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Caps (3/30), M&I Bank Phil Wittliff Bobbleheads (4/5), Basic Metals Foam Sieve Hands (4/6) and US Cellular Team Pictures (4/11).

The game on March 30 will be very special as we play our third annual game for charity. This year’s beneficiary is the Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund. All of the upper level seats at the Bradley Center are just $3 with $2 going to the MACC Fund. Also, $2 of every full-price lower level seat will go to the MACC Fund as well. It’s a wonderful organization that has helped so many children and families over the years and we are proud to support them. We’d like to Pack the BC for MACC that day so come on out and bring your friends and neighbors to not only watch a very important hockey game against Houston at 4 pm but also support the MACC Fund.

Go Admirals!

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Well, Country Music Night was a big success but not without a glitch. Jason Aldean was scheduled to perform this year but cancelled the day before because of the flu. We immediately moved into crisis control which ended in about two and a half hours with a successful resolution with Blake Shelton jumping in to be sure that the show went on.

Blake could not have been a more gracious person. I will be honest and say that I didn’t know one Blake Shelton song before the night but he now has a new fan in me as well as many people here in Milwaukee. He put on a fantastic show and was an incredibly nice guy.

We have some more great musical entertainment coming to town over the next few weeks to enhance our Admirals experience. The third annual visit of the Badger Band is coming up soon thanks to Reinhart Partners. This is one of my favorite nights of the year because the band adds so much to the environment in the building. The band will be here on Friday, February 22.

Also, we have another big concert coming to town on Saturday, March 8 when Bret Michaels will take the stage courtesy of Miller Lite and Lee Jeans. Bret is the lead singer from the band Poison and also the star of the hit VH1 show “Rock of Love”. I am sure that he’s going to put on a great show and that’s going to be a really fun night.

Our team continues to get better each night. It’s going to be a race to the finish for a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs and I expect it to go right down to the last week of the regular season in April. We are playing in an ultra-competitive division so there will be no easy nights on the rest of the schedule. We could really use your loud support at the Bradley Center!


Go Admirals!

January 30th, 2008

I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 AHL RBK All-Star Game in Binghamton, New York earlier this week and it was a fantastic experience. The people of Binghamton, which is a small town, really were hospitable and went out of their way to show people from around the league and around the world what a nice city they have. At the arena, the fans were very appreciative of all of the players and were treated to a great show. Overall, it was a very well planned and well delivered event.

I often get asked by fans around All-Star time whether Milwaukee will ever host the game. In our first few years here with our new ownership group, our main goal has been to improve the Admirals experience and grow the business and the fan base. We remain focused on that goal. We have talked informally about whether we could handle putting on the game and all of the logistics that surround it. The key would be to have a very strong volunteer group of business and community leaders to invest their time and energy so that we could spend as much time as possible on our own business while the planning for a gala event such as an All-Star game was going on. Having done an All-Star Game in Major League Baseball, which obviously is at a much larger level, I know the amount of work that is necessary to do it right. I also know that the people of Milwaukee know how to throw a great party and we’d do it right if we ever got the game. We will continue to study the issue and see whether it will make good sense to have the All-Star Game in Milwaukee. For now, we will look forward to next year’s game in Worcester.

I was thrilled for Pekka Rinne when he won the top goaltender award at the Skills Competition. We will re-present his trophy to him on Friday night prior to the game so that our fans will be able to celebrate his accomplishment with him.

Friday night will be our annual Beach Night and Dawn Wells, otherwise known as Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island, will be joining us. That will be fun. We’ll have Bobby Way and the Wayouts playing beach music. You’ll even see me in my swimming trunks and flip-flops no matter what the weather is. I encourage you to wear your beachwear as well. Also, the first 5,000 fans will get a great UW-Milwaukee cinch sack. It’s going to be a blast!

Go Admirals!

January 15, 2008

It has been a crazy last few weeks and I apologize for not blogging sooner. Ever since Christmas, we’ve been extremely busy trying to get into the post-Christmas ticket selling mode as well as trying to capitalize on promotional opportunities.

The Goo Goo Dolls show was fantastic. The sound in the Bradley Center was the best I’ve heard for a show, and I have been to plenty. The guys in the band were very nice and it was a pleasure to have them with us. I have had a lot of requests to bring them back again next year so that tells me that it was a good choice for us.

We had a couple of Hannah Montana tickets that we were able to give away last Saturday. The craze about that show is remarkable to me. I felt bad for the 99 people who didn’t win and I wish we could have had more tickets to give away.

Speaking of tickets to give away... we’re going to have a pair of Packers tickets for the NFC Championship game that we will award to a lucky fan who will then hop into a limo during the second intermission Sunday and go to Lambeau Field for the game. We have moved the game time up from 4 pm to 1 pm so that everyone can get home or to their Packers party in plenty of time to watch the game. It’s not an easy task to move a game as we have to have cooperation from both teams, the Bradley Center and the American Hockey League. Thanks to everyone we were able to get that done.

Our Weight Watchers group has lost more than 288 pounds! We will be announcing a great incentive for people to join the Admirals Weight Watchers President’s Club over the next few days here on the website. Stay tuned.

Go Admirals!

December 24th, 2007

Happy holidays to everyone that has taken the time to read this blog over the past couple of months. I sincerely appreciate your interest in what’s going on in the Admirals organization. We have big things coming up over the next few weeks and I hope to see you at the Bradley Center.

We have the big RBC Dain Rauscher Showdown coming up on the 27th and 28th with four top high school programs competing in the first holiday tournament that we have had since taking over three years ago. I am excited to welcome Homestead, Arrowhead, University School and Kettle Moraine/Mukwonago to the BC. This should be a very competitive tournament and I encourage you to come out. The games start at Noon on Thursday and Friday and the championship game is at 2:30 on the 28th. Best of all, it’s free! You can come back later for our games at 7 pm each night. It’s going to be a great two days of hockey.

The big Goo Goo Dolls concert is coming on January 5 at 5:45 pm with our game against Chicago at 8:00 pm. Tickets are selling very well for that night but we have plenty left to sell. It’s also Rich Peverley Bobblehead Night courtesy of US Bank for the first 5,000 through the doors.

Our team has been playing well as of late. We’re in a tough division though with really quality teams so it’s going to be a tough test over the next few months. You should check out the Alex Sulzer story on NHL.com. It’s a great profile on an up-and-coming Admirals star.

I wish you all a safe, prosperous and relaxing Christmas and Boxing Day (for our Canadian friends).

See you at the Bradley Center!

Go Admirals!

December 7, 2007

November 20th, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you. I wish you all safe travels wherever your Thanksgiving plans will take you. Just remember the Admirals/Weight Watchers President’s Club after you finish your Thanksgiving meal. We’re here for you!

Thanks to our players for delivering Thanksgiving dinner baskets on Monday to needy families in our community. Their participation in this project is greatly appreciated.

As far as our team goes, Thanksgiving will take them to Texas for four games with Houston and San Antonio. San Antonio’s early success this year has been a surprise. They have struggled over the past two seasons so it’s good to see them playing better.

We aren’t home until December 2 so this will be a great chance to watch the Ads games on the B2 Network or down at GameTime Sports Bar across from the Bradley Center. They are showing all of our road games which is a first. Of course, you can also listen to the games on WSSP Sportsradio 1250 in Milwaukee or on the internet. Aaron Sims does such a great job calling the action. He is an NHL-caliber hockey announcer. We’ll also have a special announcement sometime next week about a new television endeavor that we are embarking on with Time Warner Sports. Stay tuned.

We announced an extension to our partnership with the Milwaukee Brewers that goes through the 2008-09 season. It has some neat elements to it including a new ticket program where you can get two tickets to an Admirals game and two tickets to a Brewers game for just $32. Just call our offices at 414-227-0550 and we can get that out for you. Check the link here on the website for more information about the “Two-Man Advantage”:

Go Admirals and Happy Turkey Day!

November 1st, 2007

After one month of the season, I’d have to say that I am pretty pleased with the team’s performance. A 6-2-1 start is fantastic and a significant improvement over the last two October’s. It’s been a pleasure to watch this year’s Admirals play. The skill level and speed is a tremendous improvement over last year. With a limited home schedule in November, we have to enjoy the games at the Bradley Center when we can and I am looking forward to tomorrow night with Manitoba in town.

I was just talking with John Vigilante who is in the unique position of playing against his brother, Mike, at the professional level for the first time ever. We were joking that they should get into a fight with each other and then let it carryover into the penalty box and really put on a show. I am sure that won’t happen but it was a funny discussion. It is a rare opportunity for two brothers to play against each other. I can think of a few times it happened in my years in baseball such as Aaron and Bret Boone for example but I don’t know of it happening in hockey in Milwaukee. If you do, you should e-mail me at jgreenberg@milwaukeeadmirals.com.

There will be a major concert announcement tomorrow morning at 6:30 am on WMIL (106.1 FM) regarding our annual country music show. We have another fantastic act coming to town to play after our game on February 8 against Manitoba. Tune in to the station or check back here to the website for more details. Tickets are on sale now for the game and I am sure that they will move fast after the announcement. We are working on a couple of other concerts for after the new year that will be a lot of fun if they come to fruition.

The Weight Watchers Admirals President’s Club has now lost 150.2 pounds in just seven weigh-ins. That is amazing. Our group on Wednesday afternoons continues to grow and our game night meetings, including tomorrow night at 6:10 outside of sections 204-05, will continue to get bigger as well. We’ll be announcing a great incentive prize for the program in the next week so I encourage you to join us. It’s been a great lifestyle change for me personally as I have lost 11.4 pounds and weigh less than I did more than four years ago.

Go Admirals!

October 19, 2007

It's been a tough week for me and my family but also one that has been uplifting at the same time. Last Thursday night, my wife, Shannon, suffered a broken leg during a figure skating class at the Pettit Center. She spent several days in the hospital and had surgery to repair a broken tibia and fibula and now has a plate, a rod and a few screws in her right leg. She is a tough cookie and will work hard to make as full of a recovery as possible.

I want to thank everyone who has supported my family over the last week. The outpouring of kindness has been overwhelming and extremely appreciated. From the beginning of this bad accident, the people at the Pettit Center, the paramedics with Curtis Ambulance, the staff at Froedtert hospital and all of our family, friends, co-workers and Admirals fans have reached out to us to help make this tough situation a little easier.

Due to everything that went on, I missed the home opener. It was the first Opening Day in baseball or hockey that I have ever missed. By all accounts, it was a good performance by our squad. I am excited by the prospects of this season.

I am also honored to be involved with the Breast Cancer Awareness festivities that we have organized for October as part of our Hunt for Pink October program. It will be great to have Deanna Favre with us on October 24. She is a remarkable woman who has survived this horrible disease and is now doing great work to help others affected by breast cancer through her HOPE Foundation.

You'll notice our ice will feature two huge pink breast cancer ribbons for the final three games of the month as a reminder that this is the month for awareness on breast cancer. Originally, we planned to have full-pink ice but due to some technical difficulties, we have to put that plan off for a year. I believe that the ribbons are going to be very impactful.

We put the bulk of our promotional schedule for this season out yesterday. It's a remarkable schedule again this year with still a few more items to announce. Look for a big concert announcement coming very soon!

The Admirals Weight Watchers President's Club has now lost 106.2 pounds in just five weeks. That's an awesome start. I look forward to seeing people at the first pre-game Weight Watchers meeting this Friday night at the Bradley Center at 6:10 pm just outside of section 204.

Go Admirals!

October 2nd, 2007

We made a big announcement this afternoon regarding our October plans. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I felt it was important that our organization help to raise awareness about this disease which affects so many. Breast cancer has touched our organization this year as Paula Wojciechowski, the wife of Mike Wojciechowski our VP of Business Development, has been battling the disease for the past several months. She is an amazing woman who has had an attitude and an outlook that I find inspirational. We are pulling for her to have a clean bill of health after her treatments conclude.

We are grateful that Deanna Favre has agreed to join us as part of our Hunt for Pink October as we have named the campaign. Deanna, as most Wisconsinites know, is a breast cancer survivor and she has done a great job of raising awareness and funds to help those in need. She will be signing her new book at our game on October 24.

Also, we’re selling pink hats, painting the rink pink for the final three games of the month and auctioning off our players home helmets which will feature pink ribbons. Be sure to check the Hunt for Pink October area on the website for all of the details of what we’re doing to raise funds for the Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation.

I am excited that the season is going to start this weekend. I am confident that we will have a strong team this season and was very impressed with Lane Lambert’s work in training camp. We were 2-1 during the Weight Watchers exhibition season and there were good signs of development by our returning players as well as by some of our newcomers. I am ready to watch this year’s Admirals develop into a championship-caliber team.

Speaking of Weight Watchers, the President’s Club continues to grow. Our regular meetings are at noon in the Bradley Center every Wednesday and there will be a schedule of pre-game meetings posted on the website in the next week. The Admirals President’s Club has lost more than 76 pounds in just three weigh-ins.

Go Admirals!

September 24th, 2007

Wow. It’s hard to believe that it’s the first day of Weight Watchers Training Camp today. It’s like the first day of school. It’s great to see hockey being played even on a day when it’s 85 degrees outside. We have three exhibition games this week so we’ll be diving in head first. Just a reminder to come out to the Mullett Center at Hartland Arrowhead High School on Thursday night as we face the Lake Erie Monsters and then to the Kern Center on Saturday night to face the hated but certainly not feared Chicago Wolves. Both games are at 7 pm and the tickets are just $10.

I am looking forward to getting to know all of our new athletes. As of today, we have nine players back from last year’s team which is more than we had at the beginning of last season. Hopefully that will help us get off to a good start in October which is something we have struggled to do in each of the last two seasons.

I watched Lane Lambert’s first Admirals practice today and I liked what I saw. He ran a smooth session and guys responded to his coaching. It looks like we’re going to have a fun team to watch.

Another Weight Watchers session is scheduled for this Wednesday at Noon at the Bradley Center. Enter through Lobby D and come to the Courtside Club and be part of the President’s Club. The group lost a combined 20.6 pounds after just one week! It’s off to a fast start and we hope that you’ll want to be part of it and get healthy.

Go Admirals!

September 13th, 2007

We had our first Weight Watchers President’s Club meeting yesterday at the Bradley Center and it went very well. There was a nice turnout of interested parties although there is plenty of room for newcomers. The next meeting is next Wednesday, September 19 at Noon at the Bradley Center. You can check the Weight Watchers link here on the website for more details.

Training camp starts in Nashville today. It has been a tumultuous summer for the Predators with the all of the talk about the team’s sale but nothing eases those unsettled time like actual hockey being played. I hope that the Predators will have a smooth camp and a great season. I am sure that there will be a strong contingent of former Admirals on the big squad this year and that is something that all of us are very proud of. I also want to wish Claude Noel well as he begins his first season on an NHL bench with Columbus.

Two weeks from today, we’ll play our first home pre-season game as well as the first game ever for the Lake Erie Monsters. They are based in Cleveland and will play out of the North division in the Western Conference. We won’t play them during the regular season so this will be our only chance to check out their new look. That game will be played at the Mullett Center at Hartland Arrowhead High School on Thursday, September 27 at 7 pm. For more information about our pre-season games look in the schedule area here on the website.

We are putting the finishing touches on our October promotional plans and will be announcing them soon. I think it’s going to be a memorable October and I am really looking forward to starting the 2007-08 season.

Go Admirals!

September 6, 2007

School's back in session. Training camp starts in Nashville next week to be followed shortly thereafter by camp in Milwaukee. Single game tickets are going on sale next week. The Admirals President's Club also kicks off next week.

What is the President's Club you ask? It's a great chance to join me in a weight loss program with one of our newest sponsors, Weight Watchers. Every Wednesday at Noon the Bradley Center will be the site for a Weight Watchers meeting where you'll join me and many others in a common goal of getting healthier and dropping some of those unwanted pounds. The meetings are 30 minutes long. We will also be hosting meetings prior to home games throughout the season.

Those who join the President's Club will get a goal weight to try and reach by early-April. Those who meet their goal will be eligible for a great prize. I have been doing the Weight Watchers program since early-June and it's been really helpful. Weight Watchers is for both men and women. I encourage you to come and check it out. If you join the President's Club you'll save the $20 registration fee to get started. You can check our website for more information. Weight Watchers is going to be a great partner of the Admirals this year and hopefully many years to come. I look forward to seeing you on September 12 at the first meeting.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, September 10 at 10 am. Look for some of our great promotional schedule to come out in the next few days as well.

Go Admirals!

August 13, 2007

It’s now less than two months until our home opener at the Bradley Center and you can really feel the excitement level starting to rise here in the organization. It will be October 12 before you know it and the 2007-08 Milwaukee Admirals will hit the BC ice for the first time ever against the Quad City Flames.

We’ve had a great time over the summer at different festivals and events sharing the good news of the Admirals. Whether it was Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair or Greendale Village Days just to name a few, we’ve been out there to meet with long-time fans and those that we hope will become fans in the Fall. The response that we have received has been fantastic.

Here in the office, we are also basking in the glow of being named one of Milwaukee’s Best Workplaces by The Business Journal. We were honored last Friday at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center at a luncheon and it was a great experience for all of our staff. Our culture of creativity and fun in the office is something that we translate into our game entertainment so that you have a memorable experience when you come to one of our games.

We are in the process of putting together our promotional lineup for the upcoming season. It’s a fun process that is very strategic as we study the schedule and try to maximize our home dates. Look for a preliminary promo schedule to come out in a few weeks. It will continue to grow as the season nears and will again rival the standard of promotional excellence we have strived to achieve over the first two seasons under Harris Turer’s ownership.

As school time nears, I hope that all of the kids and families get to have one last enjoyable vacation. It’s been a fun summer but now it’s time to start getting into hockey mode.

Go Admirals!

July 26, 2007

The Milwaukee Admirals recently lost a good friend with the passing of Warren Fancher. Warren was instrumental in beginning the Admirals history and it’s safe to say that the team might not exist today if it weren’t for his dedication to the sport in the early 1970’s. Warren was a very recognizable face around Wilson Park, the MECCA and the Bradley Center. He would sit in his perch on press row and watch the sport that he loved so much.

We will miss Warren and his great stories and sense of humor but we’ll never forget his commitment to hockey and the Milwaukee Admirals. We’ll be honoring Warren on Opening Night with a special tribute prior to the puck dropping on the 2007-08 home season.

We’re hard at work putting together the 2007-08 season schedule. It’s a very complicated process that involves the Bradley Center, the Milwaukee Bucks, Marquette University, the league office in Springfield, Massachusetts and the other 28 teams in the AHL. Jim Mill and Bill Scott work tirelessly in the league office to try and give each team the best schedule that they can. Each team has its own schedule wishes and challenges so it’s an amazing jigsaw puzzle that gets put together every year. Look for the schedule to be released within the next 14-20 days if not a little sooner.

Here in the office we are very proud to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Milwaukee by the Business Journal. One of our employees nominated us and after being surveyed, the Business Journal deemed us worthy of that great title. We try to have a lot of fun here while we get our work done to make the Admirals experience as entertaining as possible. It’s been a lot of fun to put this staff together and get everyone on board with our mission.

Look for us at the State Fair in the Main Exposition Hall as well as at the famous Racing Pigs which we are again co-sponsoring with Saz’s and Old Wisconsin Sausage. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we look forward to seeing many of you. We hope that you wear your Admirals t-shirts and hats and enjoy the Fair!

Go Admirals!

July 12, 2007

It has been a newsworthy last few weeks here in the Admirals world. We lost a coach, garnered a pair of great honors and named a new coach, all in three weeks.

I wish Claude Noel the best of luck in his new role as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL. He has certainly earned this opportunity and I can’t thank him enough for all of the great memories that he has given Admirals fans over the past four seasons, arguably the best four-year run in franchise history. He has taught me a lot of about hockey strategy as well as leadership and the qualities that a leader should possess. I hope to be able to incorporate some of those traits into my style as well.

We recently concluded the American Hockey League’s annual meeting of the Board of Governors in beautiful Hilton Head, South Carolina and worked through a lot of league issues over four days of meetings. I am pleased that we have reached a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Players Union. I applaud Dave Andrews, our league’s president for his great work on behalf our teams.

Also at the meeting I was truly overwhelmed to receive the James C. Hendy Award as the AHL’s top executive. I did not expect that in any way. I am grateful to Harris Turer for nominating me and for the votes of my peers. I am also grateful that my wife, Shannon, and daughter, Caroline, were able to be there to see me accept the award. I couldn’t have earned such an honor without the hard work of my staff in the Admirals front office or the support of the thousands of fans who have come out to the Bradley Center to enjoy Admirals hockey.

We also have been named one of the Best Places to Work in Milwaukee by the Business Journal which is also a phenomenal honor. We were nominated by one of our staff members and then the entire organization took place in a survey which resulted in our selection by the Business Journal. We have worked hard to create a culture of creativity and enthusiasm because we believe that FUN IS GOOD! We try to convey that to our staff and have them convey that to you, the fan when you come to visit us at the Bradley Center.

Finally, we have named Lane Lambert as our new head coach. Lane is going to do a fantastic job. He is energetic and has a great work ethic. I believe that through his experiences with the Admirals last year, his other coaching jobs and a 18-year playing career, that he has the necessary background to be the next great coach in Milwaukee. Our players really responded to Lane last year in his first year as an assistant to Claude and I hope that he’ll have the same success to bring us a Calder Cup as our head coach.

Go Admirals!

June 14, 2007

It’s been a very exciting day for the Admirals. We made a big announcement this morning at 7 am that we had awarded our radio broadcasts to WSSP Sportsradio 1250am in Milwaukee. Harris Turer, our owner and CEO, made the announcement and then we had a steady flow of guests on during the day including myself, Cal O’Reilly, Claude Noel and Aaron Sims. We are all very excited about building this new relationship and really getting WSSP involved in what we do and they are all for it. I encourage you to listen to their programming and check out their website at sportsradio1250.com.

Sales continue to go very well here this summer. The first deadline for partial payments on renewed season ticket plans is tomorrow. Many of our season ticket holders have made payments in full already and we are off to a very strong renewal season. Just a reminder that with the new Bradley Center $1 ticket surcharge on all tickets, you have the chance to get an additional discount, avoid the surcharge, and be eligible for some great prizes if you pay in full before September 4. The surcharge will be added to all new tickets sold beginning on October 10. We are picking up the cost of the surcharge on all season tickets purchased this summer so take advantage while you can! Our sales staff is eagerly waiting to take great care of you. Just give us a call at 414-227-0550.

Summerfest is coming soon and the Admirals will have a presence on the Sentry Sports Stage. We’ll do eight one-hour shows at the stage and they are a lot of fun and very interactive. The shows are scheduled for 4 pm on the following dates - June 28-29, July 1-3 and July 5-6. You never know who might be there!

Go Admirals!

May 31, 2007

There have been a lot of developments in the hockey world since I last checked in with you. The Stanley Cup Finals between Ottawa and Anaheim are underway. The Calder Cup Finals start on Friday night between Hershey and Hamilton. The Predators are in the process of being sold. The Admirals are doing great business in the season ticket area.

I wish Craig Leipold the best in his sale of the Predators to Jim Balsillie, the gentleman that developed the Blackberry which has revolutionized how people do business around the world. Craig has always been a good friend of the Admirals. He has been to many games at the Bradley Center to watch his prospects play and built a strong organization. While I will miss the annual Admirals team party at his beautiful home, I hope that we will see him at our games as a great hockey fan even more often.

We look forward to working with Mr. Balsillie as well and hope to see him in Milwaukee from time-to-time. We have a great hockey tradition that has been built over the past several years, a tradition of excellence. The Admirals have the second highest cumulative point total in the American Hockey League over the past four seasons, just one point behind Hartford. We expect that winning tradition will continue for years to come.

It should be an excellent Calder Cup Final with Hershey and Hamilton. We split four games with Hamilton this past season but could sense that they had the makings of a real strong team. Former Admirals player Zack Stortini is on the ice for the Bulldogs. Hershey is looking for back-to-back championships. So, I will be curious to follow the series and see who will hoist the Cup in a couple of weeks.

We received the divisional alignments for next year and will be playing in an eight-team division with Chicago, Peoria, Houston, San Antonio, Iowa, Quad Cities and Rockford. Quad Cities takes over the team that was in Omaha last year and Rockford is new to the AHL. We also have our Eastern Conference opponents as we will play a home-and-home series with both Manchester and Providence. It will be fun to see the teams from the Eastern Conference. We will strive to see at least a couple of different Eastern teams each year.

Season ticket sales are off to a fantastic start for the 2007-08 season. Our renewals have been coming in at a steady pace and new season tickets are off to a good start. Season tickets are the backbone of any sports organization. We have great bargains for season tickets this year and if you make a payment as early as today you will be eligible for drawings EVERY business day through September 4. You can win great Admirals merchandise and, even if you win, you’ll go back into the drawing pool each day.

Go Admirals!

May 15, 2007

The AHL Calder Cup Playoffs have been interesting so far. Chicago has made it to the Western Conference Finals and will play Hamilton and Hershey is still in the hunt to win back-to-back titles as they are in the Eastern Conference Finals against Manchester.

A former co-worker of mine at the Brewers, Jeff Eisenberg, is the President of the Manchester team so I am cheering for his squad to move forward. He was the Vice President of Ticket Sales for the Brewers in the early-1990’s and has done a great job in New Hampshire with the Monarchs.

We have put season tickets on sale for the 2007-08 campaign already. The initial response has been exceptional and I think we are moving in a very positive direction. Season ticket sales and corporate sponsorship sales are really the backbone of any team’s success. We have some of the least expensive and most flexible season ticket plans of not only the sports teams in Milwaukee but in the American Hockey League as well. We take a lot of pride in the volume of benefits that are offered to our season ticket holders which we would put up against ANY team.

If you are interested in a season ticket plan, our sales staff is ready to take your questions and your order. All you have to do is call us at 414-227-0550 between 9 am and 5 pm on weekdays and we’ll take great care of you.

A lot of people have come up to me over the last few weeks to ask me about the Brewers and their success. They ask me if I wish I was still there for all of this excitement. I would tell you that I am thrilled that they are doing so well but that I am very, very happy to be the President of the Admirals. This has been a remarkable experience for me to run an organization and to see it grow and be around so many creative and energetic people. It’s fun for me to go to Brewers games as a fan with my friends and family and I hope that their success continues all the way through October right into the start of Admirals hockey season!

Go Admirals!

April 27, 2007

Well…that didn’t exactly go as planned did it?? I don’t believe that anyone affiliated with the Admirals could have predicted that the season would come to such an abrupt end. I wish Chicago well as they move forward. I have always been of the mindset that you want to lose to the eventual champion so I hope that Chicago has the Calder Cup in June. I know that might sound sacrilegious to some Admirals fans but if it’s not going to be us, let be who beat us I say.

I have been following the Stanley Cup playoffs and, since Nashville was eliminated, I have found myself cheering for Buffalo simply because Drew Stafford plays for the Sabres. Drew is the son of former Admiral Gord Stafford and is also an alumnus of Wisconsin AAA Hockey which is now known as the Milwaukee Junior Admirals. We saw Drew here in Milwaukee while playing for Rochester earlier in the season and now he is establishing himself as an NHL player. He had his second goal of the playoffs the other night to help Buffalo beat the New York Rangers.

For those of you that don’t remember Gord Stafford, he played for the Admirals in 1980-81 and from 1982-87. He scored 131 goals and had 350 points for Milwaukee during his time with the Ads.

On behalf of the Admirals staff and our owner, Harris Turer, I’d just like to extend our thanks to all of our fans both locally and around the world. We couldn’t do the things we do without your support and we hope that you enjoyed the Admirals hockey experience this season. Many of you bought tickets, bought new merchandise, listened to our games on the internet, e-mailed us with your suggestions and comments and invested yourselves in our product and for that we are grateful.

The Admirals will be out in the community all Summer long so you’ll see us around. We encourage you to wear your Admirals colors at Summerfest, the State Fair and at all the great festivals around the Milwaukee area. I enjoy talking with people that I see out that are wearing our stuff. It makes me proud to be associated with this team.

I will continue to offer my insights on the Admirals regularly as we prepare for next season. Stay tuned!

Go Admirals!

April 23, 2007

Having spent many years as the Brewers PR/Media Director, I always enjoyed pouring over numbers and trends to see statistical oddities. It’s certainly been a strange season from the Admirals statistical standpoint.

This hockey season has given us some really odd numbers to make us scratch our heads. We all know about our crazy overtime total of 29 games that set an American Hockey League record but here are a couple of other numbers that make me scratch my head.

This year, when we allowed 40-or-more shots to an opponent we were 4-1-0-1 and when we allowed less than 20 shots, we were 2-5. Does that make sense?

The Admirals were 5-0 in Chicago this year but just 1-4 against the Wolves at the Bradley Center. So what happened in the first two playoff games at the AllState Arena this past weekend? We dropped both of course. I guess that should mean that we are in good shape now that we are returning home.

I was able to go to both games in Chicago and I was very pleased to see so many Admirals fans. We all made a lot of noise when something good happened and there was fun, friendly banter between Admirals fans and Wolves fans, at least where I was sitting. We will welcome all of the Wolves fans that come to Milwaukee this week and hope they have the same long quiet ride home that we had at the end of the night.

We really need the fans to bring us some positive energy this week. I sometimes wonder if fans really know what an impact they can have on a team. Your support is what makes an electric feeling at a game. The players feel that and it can add to the already high adrenaline level that professional athletes experience. We really need you to be loud and enthusiastic in your support of the Admirals. We need you to help us get this series back to Milwaukee for a Game 6 on Saturday night.

See you at the Bradley Center!

Go Admirals!

April 11, 2007

Things are starting to come together. We’ve clinched third place and we know when our first home Calder Cup Playoff game will be (April 24). The only thing really missing at this point is an opponent. It will be either Omaha or Chicago and we might not know that until the final day of the season when they might be playing each other for the Western Division championship.

People have asked me who I would rather play. Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me. I have confidence in our guys against anyone in our league. We have fared better in the regular season against Chicago but the playoffs are a whole different animal. The intensity level of playoff hockey is amazing and I can’t wait to get started against either the Knights or the Wolves.

How about our Guaranteed Overtime Night? We almost pulled off another overtime effort but fell just short. After falling down 4-0, I didn’t know that we’d have much of a chance but the guys showed a great determination and got the game back to 4-4 before falling 5-4. I hope that all 6,830 fans that were in attendance will take us up on our offer of a free ticket for either Friday or Sunday’s game. I know that hundreds of people took us up on the deal right after the game that night which was great.

I just got off the phone with Dave Andrews, our league president, who gave me some great news about Sheldon Brookbank. Not only was Sheldon named to the AHL First-Team All-Star squad but he also earned the prestigious Eddie Shore Award as the league’s top defenseman. What a great honor! Sheldon will be honored prior to Sunday’s game. Eddie Shore is a Hockey Hall of Famer and a legend in the sport. Sheldon is the second Admirals player to win this award joining Curtis Murphy who won the honor in the 2003-04 season.

There was some great excitement around the locker room the other day. The guys were gathered around the television watching “The Price is Right” and were focused on the Showcase Showdown. Charlie Larson, our Senior Director of Communications, wondered what all the excitement was about. He found out that an Admirals alum was playing. It was Ed Campbell who played here for 12 games during the 2004-05 season. Ed won the Showcase Showdown and valuable prizes. I don’t think he gave Bob Barker a kiss though! Ed played in 61 games for the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL this year.

I hope that you can come down to the BC for our last two regular season games. The game Friday night could be a first-round playoff preview with Chicago. We have a lot going on that night from a promotional standpoint. The National Champion University of Wisconsin Women’s Hockey will be in attendance. Claude Scott, the Happy Trumpeter, will entertain during the game. Mt. Olive, a very popular local band, will play in the East Atrium before and after the game. The first 5,000 fans will get Admirals trading cards courtesy of Pepsi. 2,500 lucky fans will receive a free ticket to Summerfest, which celebrates its’ 40th anniversary later this summer and 400 lucky fans will get a Summerfest “Smile On” t-shirt which has a free ticket attached. It’s going to be a great night.

Sunday is the regular season finale. We’re taking on Peoria at 4 pm. It’ll be Fan Appreciation Day thanks to US Cellular and all fans will get an Admirals team picture which was taken at a fun local location a few weeks ago. There will be a Foley & Lardner Family Skate after the game and you can get four tickets, four sodas and four hot dogs for just $34. It’s all part of the Foley & Lardner Family Day package which has been really popular this year. You have to buy those in advance though. So be sure that you call our offices at 414-227-0550 prior to Sunday if you want to take advantage of that deal.

It’s been a great regular season. Let’s have some fun at these last two games and send our guys into the Calder Cup Playoffs on a roll!

Go Admirals!

April 3, 2007

Five games left in the regular season and a lot is at stake. Two huge games with Chicago at the Bradley Center, two games with Peoria and one left with Houston. It’s going to be a wild dash to the finish. At least four of the games will be at home so we can count on our fans to make their presence felt.

I encourage you to purchase a pink Admirals hat between April 5-15 through the Admirals offices and here at the website. For just $20, you can get a great looking hat as well as help out the MACC Fund in their efforts to combat childhood cancer. We are honored to help this worthy cause that has done some remarkable work over the last 30 years in our community.

It’s great to have Rich Peverley and Ramzi Abid back with us for our stretch one. They got some great experience with Nashville over the last three weeks playing in huge games for the Predators which should hopefully help us as we head into the playoffs. It’s been fun to see other guys step up in their absence though to keep us moving in the right direction. Cal O’Reilly and Kim Staal are the first two guys that come to my mind as having made an impact of late. Pekka Rinne has been very good too and that’s a good omen as we head into late-April hockey.

We are putting the finishing touches on potential playoff schedules with each of our prospective opponents. That is quite the process that I ask Mike Wojciechowski to undertake. It’s quite the jigsaw puzzle with different teams depending on who has home ice, what their building availabilities are, and each team’s specific needs. Mike does a great job of it.

Congrats to Bracken Kearns on winning the American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year Award for the Admirals. He’s very deserving and has given a lot back to our community in last seven months. We’ll give him the award next week before one of our games. He’s now eligible for the big AHL Man of the Year Award and I hope he wins.

Hope to see you at the BC for the big games ahead!

Go Admirals!

March 27, 2007

I was in Arizona on vacation and I had the chance to go to see a Phoenix Coyotes game over the past weekend. Mike Bucek, a former co-worker of mine at the Brewers, is now overseeing the marketing efforts for the Coyotes and offered me the chance to come out with my wife, Shannon and daughter, Caroline, to see their game against the Dallas Stars.

It’s always fun to see how people do things in their buildings. The Jobing.com Arena in Glendale is a beautiful facility and has great sight lines for hockey. The Coyotes do a nice job of entertaining their fans. Unfortunately, their team has struggled the past few years but I think they’ll get it turned around in the Valley of the Sun.

The Predators recently clinched a playoff spot and are looking to win the best record in the Western Conference. It’s going to a wild finish that may come down to the last weekend of the NHL season. Let’s hope all of our former Admirals make a great impact on the rest of the regular season and in the playoffs. I know we’ll be cheering for them.

Speaking of the playoffs, our guys have been doing a great job here in the final quarter of the season. Claude Noel, who in my opinion is the best coach in the American Hockey League, has done a phenomenal job in building this team throughout the season. Remember how the season started way back last October? I think a lot of fans thought it was going to be a long season. In reality, it’s been a really fast season that hopefully won’t end until sometime in June.

It’s going to be a crazy last three weeks of the regular season. All of our games are against teams within the Western Division so we’ll be able to control our own destiny. I hope that we’ll see you at the Bradley Center.

Thanks for all of your support and Go Admirals!

March 22, 2007

Last weekend, we were able to culminate the first year of a very special program with several hundred children and families. It was the reward game for our pilot reading program, "Reading - The Ultimate Power Play" in which we worked with all of the students, parents, teachers and principals at five local schools to emphasize the importance of reading. Each month from November through March, our players went out to these schools and read to the children. The guys were phenomenal in their ability to connect with the kids.

Thanks to Northwestern Mutual, we had the chance to bring the kids that met the reading goals that were established by the schools to the game. It was great to see so many kids in the crowd that day and we look forward to enhancing the program next year.

It's important that we help to develop not only hockey skills for players but life skills as well. It's all a part of the professional experience. Whether it's a reading program for kids, a visit to Children's Hospital, a stop by a corporate sponsor, or a season-ticket holder event, it's important that we give our athletes these experiences to prepare them for life at the next level, whether that's in the NHL or in another walk of life.

The regular season is starting to wind down. How about all of the overtime games??? It's been remarkable. I think that it will make us more battle-tested when we get into playoff hockey season. Let's at least hope so!

Hope to see you at the rink next week.

Go Admirals!

March 15, 2007

Welcome to my blog. This is a new feature here on the website and I will be offering insights on a variety of topics on a regular basis. I hope you find them interesting or entertaining. Here it goes.

I have been in Nashville over the past couple of days with Tim Van Wagoner, our Senior Director of Marketing, to study the Predators game production and entertainment as well as catch a huge game against the Detroit Red Wings. It's my first trip to Nashville for hockey and it was an impressive experience.

The Predators entire staff was very welcoming and helpful in letting us shadow them for Tuesday's game day. You could sense the tension around the office because of the importance of the game. They put on a great show for their fans and gave them a lot of entertainment surrounding the game. From a live band in the seating bowl, to a figure skater doing spins and jumps while the zamboni resurfaces the ice to great movie clips, the sellout crowd was entertained in a tight game until the last five minutes when Detroit put the contest away.

It was great to have the chance to visit with some of our alumni who are now wearing Predators colors after the morning skate. Shea Weber wanted me to make sure I said hi to everyone in Milwaukee and that he really enjoyed his time in our fair city. He is rapidly moving toward super-stardom in the NHL. I had the chance to say hi to Vern Fiddler, Greg Zanon, Alexander Radulov, Rich Peverley and Ramzi Abid. There are certainly more former Admirals there, 17 as a matter of fact currently on the roster, but it was nice to spend some time with a few of them.

Nashville is a fun city. Tim and I sampled some of local cuisine (BBQ) and enjoyed a few ice cold Miller Lites while enjoying some great music from members of BB King's band as well as some members of James Brown's band.

It's been a good trip. Now it's time to get back to Milwaukee and get ready for the stretch run and hopefully a long Calder Cup playoff run. I look forward to seeing you at the Bradley Center!