Coliseum Back in Business

[GROWL]

I'm dying to see this topic talked about. The decline of T*dd's empire killed hockey in south jersey, can it ever be brought back to top form?

[Rebecca]

Part of what was out there was that the rent kept being raised. I do not know if this was cost of living or to force Todd out, but I am curious to know if Matty has a lease now and if it is for longer then a year and was at a reasonable price. If so, then Matt must succeed at all costs if he is making this his full time career move.

Best of luck. I am sure Matty will do great!

Rebecca

[CaptainFusion]

I received the Grand Re-opening letter today which states Denton is the Hockey Director, but is Todd totally removed from the biz or is he owner behind the scenes with managers totally running everything? Registration forms are exactly the same-hhmmm. If it is out of Todd's hands, I would love to start a thread with interested teams and their level of play. It would be great to get a top notch league up and running again in South Jersey. Spring season starts mid April, if the competition is there you can count on one team here. Are you down?

[RichardGraham]

Hi Captain,

Great question. I'd like to know the answer myself. Have you heard anything?

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi Captain,

I was recently contacted by a Philadelphia business person who is the new owner of the Coliseum. Todd Melton is not involved in the ownership of the rink.

The new owner says that his name is irrelevant as he's not a well known in the hockey world, and that he has full confidence in Matt Denton's ability to run the facility in a first-class manner.

The owner is very interested in maintaining a high-quality facility and encourages folks to come to the Coliseum and "lace 'em up."

Hope that clears things up for everyone.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[inline_mba]

Richard - thank you for investigating the matter of ownership. However, I am always suspect when someone makes the decision for me as far as what I consider relevant or irrelevant. Being the skeptical person that I am, I am now more concerned about just "who" the new owner/owners are. If he, the new owner, has nothing to hide, he should reveal who he is and let those of us that are considering spending our hard earned dollars in his establishment, make the decision if we consider who he is relevant or irrelevant.

His response already has me wondering what's going on and will make me shy away, for at least the time being.

Fact is, as soon as Dun & Bradstreet update the Business Info. Report on the Coliseum, I will pull the report and post all information here. I will not attempt to determine what I consider relevant or irrelevant. I've already contacted D&B to let them know that there has been a change in ownsership and they will be updating the file A.S.A.P.

[CaptainFusion]

I have no new info on the matter. But the whole thing sounds suspect to me. I just can not see Todd walking away from the business. In the back of my mind I still believe he has a hand in the business whether it be thru Denton or a new show of face owner backed by Todd. As of about two months ago I saw Todd at the rink and never once heard of the business being up for sale, he would not even discount equipment, let a alone sell the place. The whole thing stinks I tell ya.

[tourmudcat6]

Hey Everyone

Here is the truth.
The Coliseum IS under new ownership. Most people in rumorville should know that the roller facility was on the market. Ron Jaconelli was trying to buy it. Ron Tracy was trying to buy it. Certain ice facilities were trying to buy it.
There IS NO big hidden scheme. Two months ago i was a college student in Harrisburg, PA. I received a phone call from Todd Melton. Now i have known Todd for ten years but recently have not spoken with him in the last two. Needless to say, this was a surprise. Todd taught me how to play roller hockey back in 1994. He is directly responsible for most of my game skills today. I worked for Todd for five years. I have seen the good, which so few have seen. I have seen the bad, which apparrantly all have seen. I have been on both sides of the fence. So here is this phone call. Of course I think he is coming at me with some angle or something so I bite. "Matty I'm done with the roller hockey business. No angle. It is a good opportunity for you. Come talk to the potential new owner. If it's no good for you you can walk away." So we set up a meeting and the rest is history.
Now after the negotiating and dealing and the final closing.
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
-Ben Kreider is the new owner
-Ben is a business man who saw a quality facility that has potential. He is not a hockey guy. He has no knowledge of any previous dealings, arguments, grudges, controversy, or rumors that go along with the buildings past.(Although everyone he meets proceeds to fill him in!) Ben is looking toward the future.
-Todd is retired from roller hockey at the present time. He is enjoying his retirement and has no desire to return. He is currently involved in multiple businesses. Anyone that knows him knows that he always had his hand in multiple endevors and that he always will.
-Part of the contract binds Todd to a number of hours for the first few weeks as an advisor to Ben to allow for a smooth transition. This includes all workings of the rink, registration templates, instruction manuals, computer programs, contact numbers, restaurant options, pro-shop knowledge, registration oganization skills, and much more.
-The Coliseum was never un-organized in all its years of operation. It was always clean and always organized. Ben and I would like to mimic those traits. Again, Ben has never been involved in a hockey environment.
-That's why Ben hired me. Todd would never hire me because he would never pay me sufficiently to do a job that he could do. It makes no sense to do so. It is a waste of money.
FACTS ABOUT TODD
-Todd played a massive roll in beginning roller hockey as we know it. He was there before NARCH. He was originally involed in NARCH. He was the first to give the public an alternate choice when they wanted it.
-If you are a player from South Jersey and under the age of 22. The power-play and penalty-kill skills you have learned at any rink came directly or indirectly from the coaches' board of Todd.
-If your child receives instruction from Todd, he/she WILL get better.
I tell you this only because I feel that much of what Todd has done I can also offer at the Coliseum. I am a qualified instructor with credentials and references from across the country. I have Coliseum experience and I have learned from the best. I have nothing to do with any business deals or conflicts from the past. I enjoyed working with the children in the area and I think there is a hot bed of talent and heart waiting to be discovered. I feel that the facility is the best in the state and by keeping it empty we are letting it go to waste. That is why i am back in Jersey.
If there was some kind of secret pact, eventually people would find out about it. Ben and I feel that it is disrespectful to us both to even suggest that we would be a part of any such thing. So please, stop being silly. If anyone wants to know whats going on, just give me a call. Its that simple. I would love to talk hockey with anyone interested in the growth of the sport.
This all having been said, I hope we can all look forward to a fun and happy future.

Sincerly,
Matt Denton
Coliseum Roller Hockey
856-428-9393

[SpeedDemon]

Matty,

Congratulations and best of luck. I'll be stopping up as soon as time allows. Glad another one of you guys moved over to this area! Keep us all posted on tourneys, etc.

-Nazarenko

[CaptainFusion]

Matt,
Thanks for the update. That is good news to hear. The coliseum is the best rink around and it deserves to house the best players. Looks like we will be back.

[TeamBreakaway]

Just wanted to say that I too was curious with the Coliseum. I did meet with Matt and Mr Krieder. We talked for some time about the possibilities of Team Breakaway returning to the Coliseum. This is where most of our kids started and there is a lot of history there. Matt and Mr. Krieder have reasured me that they are running the place. Matt comes with a lot of credintials and experience. We have to see what can be worked out for our return to The Coliseum.
Good luck Matt!!