CFN – Bernie Villeneuve was looking forward to the new Valleyfield team in his hockey league starting this season in what would be the perfect rivalry. Sadly however his future as team owner has become one hot mess as the owner has vowed to stay in front of City Hall until Monday’s Council meeting after being frustrated at his handling at the hands of Mayor Bob Kilger and City Hall.
I spoke with Bernie and Rick Lapierre outside of City Hall today among a crowd of supporters. Ironically City Hall was void of the Mayor or CAO Norm Levac. Not they, nor anyone from Economic Development have responded to emails or phone calls regarding the River Kings from CFN.
There’s been a Kilgerian history where certain “local” businesses are leaned on or attacked until the owner sells to someone more “acceptable” at City Hall and then the issues seem to disappear. This is a city that has the mayor tagging along patio inspections after an applicant dropped their advertising with CFN and helped expedite the process. This is after all a mayor how has sat in on waterfront condo meetings this year as well.
Cornwall, like many towns likes its hockey rough and tumble. Old school Don Cherry hockey. Hockey like from the movie Goon. The River Kings are a great bit of local entertainment that drew on average around 2500 people per night for a 22 game home schedule in an arena that’s mostly empty.
While the Colts play their Junior game and people love the kids; they love the wider more open style of hockey the River Kings offered.
Could the city simply be leaning on Bernie just to get rid of the owner and then have one of their own benefit from the seeds planted? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time this has happened in Cornwall and probably is why it’s so hard to start small business with any success in the River City.
After being asked to “prove” themselves Mr. Villeneuve’s team clearly showed they were an attraction yet the Mayor signed a new 3 year deal with Colts clearly knowing that the River Kings would need a share of advertising to survive?
Will Ian McInnis and Bob Kilger be the guys that go down for killing a popular city team?
Many are linking the trouble to Mitch Gagne losing influence over the team and his mysterious control of ice time at City owned rinks?
You Tube River King Video Which Pulled in Over 1M Page Views!
Hockey fan Brock Kirkman also spoke about the River Kings;
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What do you think dear viewers of CFN? Can the River Kings be saved?
You can post your comments below.
Why don’t they just put a huge tent over the City of Cornwall and call it a CIRCUS
I heard this all happened because River Kings wouldn’t sign the “ex NHL son-of a certain Mayor–to the rooster?????
Check the Kirkman video..at 51-53 second mark…
its a cluster fxxxxx lol…..ooops
Okay, let me see if I get this straight; The River Kings were bringing in 2000-2500 people a game: add to that the concessions, spillover (literally and figuratively ) into any nearby watering hole; Obviously generated enough word of mouth excitement; paid ice time for 22 home games plus any playoffs; helped put much needed tax coin in the city coffers; and this is a BAD thing? did I miss something in the equation? Something here no make sense……
I sure have Cornwall pegged right indeed. Cornwall should be called Hazard with the mayor that is on the Dukes of Hazard. Cornwall is very behind indeed and the people just love to be stomped on and the more they are stomped on the more they like it. This would not happen in a civilized town at all. Cornwall has been known for corruption and the more you accept corruption the more is going to go on. There is no other way out except to throw the bums out.
wow, some interesting comments. From what I’m hearing the city had no business signing the contract it did with the Colts at the time it was signed. And only after months of legal wrangling is Mr. Villeneuve reacting out of exasperation. Surely if our city elected officials honoured their oaths of office they’d find a solution pronto.
Either way they’ve damaged our city in a multitude of ways.
Again, do they really want to kill the River Kings or just get rid of this owner so that one of their “friends” can take over?
It’s clear which team pulls in more punters. It’s also clear that the ad revenue from the Civic Complex is worth a lot of money. There’s no reason to share that and there’s no reason to gouge the second team to the tune of $139K from $100K which if my math is correct would have been a 39 freaking percent increase in one year knowing that the Kings lost money.
That’s punitive and clearly meant to break their backs.
That’s not how you build a community and that’s not the message we should be sending out to business people considering setting up shop in Cornwall.
And the mayor and management hiding on this issue is almost as embarrassing and chicken shite as the actual situation….
I stick behind Bernie 100% for the bullshit he’s taking from the mayor, council, managers and most of all the Colts. A city owned facility should be able to accommodate two teams and more.
It’s simple….give them each half of the rink boards, signs and whatever for their advertising…..no questions, no difference in ice rental fees, the city take 100% of concessions not including the bar, (let them all figure that one out) and the teams take 100% of the gates. Everybody is happy and if they can’t make it
financially that way then it’s time to get out of town. As you said: Jim Sharp….something makes no sense, and I believe that starts with Kilger and his clique. Come on Cornwall. It’s time we put at the forefront the corruption that exists, keep both teams here, and come October 2014 vote this BULLSHIT CLIQUE out and put some fresh young blood where it belongs. Cornwall needs to thrive!
Boss Hog Bob makes Al Capone look like a schoolboy!
Seems Mayor Kilger is saying not his problem. YET
Lets back track a bit, we had our old water St. rink and we had our Civic Center rink , then plans were made for a new 3 pad
arena (Benson Center) . That’s the very root of the problem as I see it to be, one of those pads should have had equal seating to that which was torn down ( water st. arena ) yet wasn’t .
This Screw up was done on Mayor Kilger’s WATCH,including the watch of our current City Council . Surely come October 2014 BIG
CHANGES must occur to get rid of the Dead Wood we currently are stuck with running this City . It has been said that
FOR EVIL TO FLOURISH, ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS FOR GOOD
PEOPLE TO DO NOTHING .