3-5-99. The Pilots Seat is commentary, written from a fan's perspective, about the Pensacola Ice Pilots
by Scott Gregory
There's a running joke among University of Illinois football fans these days. It goes like this:
If all the Big Ten coaches had gotten together with Illinois officials and conspired to ruin the Illini football program in the 1990s, they couldn't have done more short- and long-term damage than Lou Tepper did on his own.
At least Tepper played a fair and honest game. You can't say the same for Pensacola Ice Pilots management.
If it weren't for the fact that it doesn't make a lick of sense from a business standpoint, I'd say the Pilots are going out of their way to try to ruin every ounce of the goodwill they created in the first two seasons in Pensacola.
What more can they do this year? Hold a "We Hate Our Fans Night"?
This latest episode is stupid and inexcusable. The ECHL has fined the Pilots $50,000 and penalized them 10 points because the league found coaches improperly directed a players' fund in violation of salary cap rules. The fund, league officials say, is legal, but the team isn't to have any part of it. Players establish these funds to supplement their paltry team salaries.
The ECHL slapped the Pilots with a $25,000 fine last fall after determining the team had promised to pay players playoff bonuses in violation of league rules.
You're going to hear a lot of talk about "gray areas" in regard to the latest infraction. Let me clear a few things up.
First, it is the job of Coach Al Pedersen and team management to understand the rules. If they do not take the time to get them straight, they get what they deserve. This is the equivalent of getting ticketed by a cop and telling him you didn't know it's illegal to throw trash out the window.
Next, as for the gray areas of the rules, there are no gray areas. If it's right, it's right. If it's wrong, it's wrong. If you are uncertain, you call the ECHL and ask for a clarification. It's really quite simple.
Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice ...
You're also going to hear a lot about "the rat" that turned the Pilots in to the ECHL and will pocket a bit of that fine as thanks. Chances are best it's a former player -- a player would have detailed knowledge about the fund and the team's involvement -- but it could be one of the coaches who was ticked off at the Pilots about their trading
practices.
It doesn't matter who it is, and don't lose any sleep over it. If the Pilots weren't breaking league rules -- again -- this wouldn't be an issue.
I've heard some fans call for Pilots owners to sell this team. That's not going to happen, unless there comes a day they want to get out of the hockey business, and that's clearly not the case. The team is theirs, not yours. You just buy the tickets, beer and Jerseys and bang your head into the wall when stuff like this happens.
But owners better get their house in order, or they're going to kill the spirit of this wonderful fan base. Management must reorganize operations to run this team effectively from the hockey side. And they must take action to thwart the reputation the Pilots are gaining both in this town and league-wide as not doing business above board.
I give Pedersen credit for insisting that this information be released now rather than at the end of the season, when the 10-point deduction officially takes place. Team president Charles Felix was quoted as saying Pedersen and assistant George Kozak felt embarrassed about the matter.
But this latest infraction must be the final straw for Pedersen, who has another year on his contract after this season. He must resign after this season for his own good, and for the good of this hockey program.
After the horrible season on ice and the troubles off ice, both the Pilots and Pedersen need a fresh start. The last two seasons were wonderful, but it's all gone south for Beach, and it's time to move on. I felt that way in December, and there's no question that's the case today. Beach is a talented man, and he'll wind up on his feet again, in the coaching profession or otherwise.
I must have missed the announcement that Pilots fans were getting a ticket rebate for the hell management has put them through this year. Could someone please forward me that press release?
There also was a running joke among fans about the NCAA penalty-plagued Illini football program in the 80s: My gosh, it's bad enough they have to cheat -- but do they have to cheat and lose?
© Scott Gregory. All Rights Reserved. Gregory is a Pilots season
ticket holder from Navarre. He is a former Florida Gators football beat writer and sports editor for Copley Newspapers. He can be reached at scott@thefivehole.com. Comments are always welcome.
