Curt Styres has taken a lot of heat from fans since buying the Rochester Knighthawks in 2008 over player moves.
I am not as versed in player history as some of the more hardcore fans, but I have been on board with most of them. The move that stands out as one I don't know that I agree with is the release of long time local boy Chris Schiller, only a few weeks after he was immortalized in bobblehead form.
Many people point to the record year that John Grant had this season as his trade to Colorado as the worst move, but with Pat O'toole's age about to match his jersey (39), a trade for the defending goaltender of the year Matt Vinc was the right move at the time.
A couple of draft day trades sent more fan favorites away for draft picks left many fans scratching their heads. It looked like if you weren't from the Res, you were expendable. Johnny Powless' 50 points as a rookie helped to quell upset of Shawn Evans trade.
This isn't to say he had total disregard for the fans. On the contrary, he has done a lot to try to keep fans happy. These ideas didn't always hit the mark (i.e. Newman bobbleheads?? really? I hope that 92.5 WBEE paid the lions share of the cost..), but an announcement on the team's Facebook page yesterday was another example of Curt nailing it. It isn't quite the same thing he did May 1st 2008, (when he chartered 5 buses and sent around 200 fans to a playoff game in the World's Most Famous Arena, MSG), but it is on that track. The team announced that all season ticket holders would be getting their regular seats free for Friday's home playoff game. Any non STH can get tickets for $10.
This weekend, I am going to feel a bit dirty rooting for the Bandits so we can watch a 2nd home playoff game next weekend.
Thanks again Curt!
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