The back story is that the last hockey team in Roanoke was the Roanoke Valley Vipers, which folded in 2005-06. They were owned by out-of-town owners who did a really poor job of managing the team. Roanoke was without hockey for 10 years. When the McGinn family approached the Roanoke Civic Center in 2015 about adding a team to the SPHL, the civic center manager said that she would only move forward if there were local owners involved and suggested that they give me a call. Bob McGinn and I immediately hit it off and I subsequently gave him a tour of Roanoke and the rest is history. Bonnie and I are one of four local families that have ownership in the team. The McGinn family are majority owners, but they treat us like true partners and it has been a great experience. After we won the cup this year, Bob handed me the trophy while we were on the ice and "except for my kid being born, it was the greatest moment in the history of my life" (cue Rocky Balboa). The three McGinn sons are also involved in owning the team and they all three played in the NHL, which is really cool and provides a great perspective. Brock still plays for Anaheim Ducks. I think we do a lot of things that most minor league teams don't do like an annual "family weekend" when we invite the families to visit their sons during a two game homestand. We provide lodging and several meals and it's a first-class event. Generally, the players at this level are free agents, so you want a reputation "on the street" of being a good place to play. I like to think we have done that. Some players have actually said that they aren't interested in playing anywhere else. I have learned a tremendous amount about the "behind the scenes" things that go on and it has been a great ride. Now it we can just repeat as SPHL Champions! "