Hockey team to play 2 of 7 lost games at Grossinger Motors Arena; city misses out on revenue

Posted on December 27, 2017

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – The hockey team that calls Grossinger Motors Arena in downtown Bloomington its home has rescheduled two of the seven games that weren’t played at the city-owned venue to start the season.

The five games that won’t be played there makes it harder for arena manager VenuWorks to break even during the current fiscal year because there’s no way to make up for lost revenue from concessions and other sources.

The Central Illinois Flying Aces called off playing those contests in the fall because they said upgraded dasher boards and glass surrounding the ice rink had not been installed.

The new dashers and glass are now in place, and the United Hockey League Team announced the Flying Aces will play the Green Bay Gamblers January 2 and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on February 7 at the arena. Both games will start at 7:07 p.m.

VenuWorks Executive Director Lynn Cannon said a reduced hockey schedule was one of the reasons the arena continues to lose money.

Last week, the Bloomington City Council voted unanimously to spend another $375,000 in taxpayer money to maintain a positive cash flow as the arena enters its busiest time of the year, from January through April.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at howard.packowitz@cumulus.com

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