Dakota Digest

Rapid City Rush in 2nd Season of Pro Hockey
Air Date: 11/20/2009

by Gary Ellenbolt

South Dakota's only professional hockey team is in its second season entertaining fans in the Black Hills. The Rapid City Rush is a member of the Central Hockey League-and competes with teams from Colorado to Louisiana and Arizona. Along with the players who represent the Rush on the ice, many people are involved to make sure fans learn the game, have a great time, and come back for more.

Game day starts early for the men who play for of the Rapid City Rush. About 20 people in black practice clothes skate around the ice of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena. Head coach Joe Feras skates with them. He puts players through drills to prepare them for their next game against the Mississippi RiverKings.

For many, the Rush is simply the players on the ice. But
about a dozen people who work for the Rush don't play hockey. These are the people charged with filling the 51 hundred seats at the ice arena 40 nights a season. It's those fans in the seats, along with the corporate sponsors that keep the professional team A successful business. That balance of entertainment and profit falls largely on the shoulders of the team's general manager, Tim Hill.

"We've got three local owners that are very successful, and when they run a business, they want it to be successful," says Hill. "The bottom line is important-but more important to them is we have a great product on the ice and we're well-respected in the community."

Rapid City officials built the addition to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center with an eye toward bringing hockey to the Black Hills. At the time, Hill says they had a choice to make: to join the United States Hockey League, made of amateur teams full of players looking to land college scholarships, or to bring pro hockey to town.

Hill says, "I think that one of the biggest reasons was we've got so many teams closer here, like the Colorado Eagles-and the CHL is a lot closer league, and a lot of people wanted to have that pro league here. And the USHL is a great league, but these guys right here are professionals, they get paid to play here-and they're men, you know--they compete like that."

Everyone involved with the Rush organization works toward the moment when the fans are in their seats, and it's time to play hockey. The Rush come out in white uniforms with black hockey shorts, known as breezers. Their opponent is the Mississippi RiverKings,wearing dark green sweaters.

One player who watches from the sidelines is Jon Pelle. he is recovering from an ankle injury. He formerly studied government and played hockey at Harvard. Pelle is back with the Rush for another year after his first season in Rapid City.

"If anything," Pelle says, "the town's gotten more excited about it. And it's really fun to come out every night for a home game, and play in front of four or five thousand people-the support we get from the restaurant owners and the fans around town, it's really something special."

The Rush lead one to nothing in the first period, when Rush veteran Les Rainey works the puck toward the goal with his stick. Mississippi's Derek Landmesser skates backward, trying to stop Rainey from scoring. Landmesser guesses which way Rainey will go-he guesses wrong, Rainey scores, and the Rush have a two-goal lead.

Watching her first Rush game-and first hockey game is Kay Crowe. She says, "Oh, it's been a lot of fun, but of course they're ahead too. From what I've been talking to other people, this is very important to them, because it's the only major team around here."

The RiverKings traveled more than 12 hundred miles for the weekend series in Rapid City. They're based in Southaven, Mississippi, effectively a suburb of Memphis. The RiverKings' goal is not only to sell hockey in the southern U-S, but also to thrive in an area that includes many other sporting options. There's the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, along with many big college athletic programs. And as their broadcaster, former Yankton sports and news reporter Bob Bakken, points out-another activity people might not expect.

Bakken says, "High school football, in particular, is huge. You think your O'Gormans and Washingtons and Yanktons are big time stuff in South Dakota-then you haven't been to an Olive Branch football game or you haven't been to a DeSoto Central football game. It's huge."

The Rush enjoy a big lead between periods-while the teams are in intermission, the ice is still covered in pucks. They're coming from the stands, as fans try to hit targets near the center of the rink to win prizes. If someone should land their puck in the gold miner's pan, they'll win 350 dollars. The responsibility to keep even casual fans involved in the action, and give them a fun time at the game, is on the director of game operations, John Hess.

"Last year," Hess reflects, "we had a worst Christmas gift contest, where people brought in the worst Christmas gift they ever received-and the winner got a free ticket to Vegas. We had Andy Griggs, the Country star came in, and people got a chance to play poker with him."

The Rush have little trouble on their home ice-aided by a big night from goalie Danny "Batman" Bottachio, Rapid City sends the crowd of more than 4800 fans home in a good mood, with a 5-1 win over Mississippi. People head for the exits with one more stop to make-to have players sign team posters that were handed out before the game. Each player is available to sign their names, enjoy some banter with the fans, and take a quick breather before heading home to rest for the next game.