Rangers GM added to ownership group

By Annie Fowler
Herald staff writer

When Brian Burke arrived at Tri-Cities Coliseum for his first Americans hockey game, he was turned away at the door.

That was a little more than 10 years ago and now that Burke, the president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, is one of the owners of the Americans, he won't have that problem any more.

"I had to have one of the scouts go in and arrange to get me in," Burke said. "That told me this was a great hockey market."

So good in fact, that Burke enticed his longtime friend, New York Rangers president and GM Glen Sather, to join him, Darryl Porter and Bob Tory as co-owners of the Americans.

Sather's involvement in the ownership group was announced Wednesday night to the season ticket holders at a press conference.

"What Glen and I bring is experience," Burke said. "We can add some guidance for Darryl

and we can help with the recruiting side. We have some good contacts throughout the globe and we bring some credibility."

One player looking for stability from the new owners is returning captain and forward Ben Kilgour.

"I'm in my fourth year, with the fourth owner, fifth coach and fourth trainer," said Kilgour. "Change is the ordinary around here, but I think they are making the commitment here. This is my last year and it's nice to see a change like this."

Sather, who hopes to make a trip to the Tri-Cities in the near future, likes that the group is hands-on.

"If you are going to be successful, you have to be involved," said Sather in a phone interview. "I think you have a strong management, a good background in hockey and a we should have a strong support group. We know how to make a team work. We are convinced we can do this."

Porter, the Americans president, said the group's ownership should have final approval in two to three days.

"We are dotting the I's," Porter said. "(The Board of Governors) said we could buy the team but we couldn't move it. We had to sign documents to that effect."

Sather, 57, brings a wealth of hockey knowledge to the ownership group. He was the coach and GM of four Stanley Cup winners in Edmonton and ranks eighth on the all-time NHL coaching list with 553 wins. He was elected to the NHL Hall of Fame in 1997. He was named president and GM of the Rangers in 2000.

"For me to be able to contribute a few ideas, it will make (the program) better," Sather said. "We have a young team, but they will be very productive this year. They will get a lot of support from us and from the NHL teams involved."

Kilgour, 20, who was not drafted in June, is hoping some of the new NHL connections may be able to get him a shot in the pros.

"I'm hoping for a tryout," Kilgour said. "If not, I may go to college or play in Europe."

Also announced by the team was the reduction in the price of youth season tickets. With the purchase of an adult ticket, a youth ticket for any section in the coliseum is $199. Those who have paid in advance for youth tickets will see a refund in the way of a playoff credit.

Season ticket holders, which number about 1,100, also will receive benefits with their season ticket package, including a $20 gift certificate to the team store, four passes during the year to bring a friend to a game and a VIP card for discounts at area businesses.

"We want to do what's right," Porter said. "We want to reward loyalty."

Tri-City Posse Preps, college Tri-City Americans Opinion:
Jim Riley Outdoors

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Tri-City Posse	Preps, college	Tri-City Americans	Opinion: Jim Riley	Outdoors
Adult sports	Hydros	Area golf	Top 100 stories	Jeff Morrow