There will be hockey this season at the Chev-rolet Centre in downtown Youngstown, but it isn’t

There will be hockey this season at the Chev-rolet Centre in downtown Youngstown, but it isn’t the hockey taxpayers were promised when $45 million of their money was used to build the sports arena/entertainment complex. That said, having the Mahoning Valley Phantoms fill at least 23 dates on the arena’s 2008-09 schedule is certainly better than Youngstown city government having to deal with many dark days.

Bruce Zoldan, owner of the Junior A team that is in the North American Hockey League, says average attendance of 2,500 is possible. We hope he’s right. Larger crowds mean increased revenue for the center and more money being spent in restaurants and bars downtown. Under the agreement signed with the city, the Phantoms will pay $2,750 a game for attendance up to 3,000 — as that figure rises, so will the fee — and the city will get the proceeds from concessions. It costs between $1,000 and $1,500 to operate the arena for hockey.

To his credit, Zoldan is not shying away from the difference between Junior A hockey, with the age of the players ranging from 16 to 20, and the minor league Youngstown SteelHounds, made up of professional players, that called the arena home for the past three years.

He said the Phantoms play is fast-paced, and although the players are young, they are no less enthusiastic than those in upper-level leagues.

The possibility of moving to the professional ranks gives the youngsters an incentive to play hard. In addition, ticket prices, compared with what the SteelHounds were charging, will bring in new fans.

Another team

The agreement between the city and the Phan-toms is for one year, and during that time, Zoldan, owner of B.J. Alan Fireworks, Herb Washington, owner of the now defunct SteelHounds, officials of the Chevrolet Centre and Mayor Jay Williams will work on securing another minor league professional team to play at the arena.

During its three-year stint, the SteelHounds, which was formed by Washington as part of the Central Hockey League, averaged 3,300 in attendance. In addition, Washington paid a higher per-game fee than what Zoldan will be paying. Ticket prices also were higher.

A disagreement between Washington, owner of several McDonald’s franchises, and the Central Hockey League over finances resulted in the SteelHounds being kicked out of the league. But the Youngstown businessman contends that he has a contract with the city that gives him control over hockey at the Chevrolet Centre for 10 years. The agreement was entered into by the previous city administration, led by Mayor George M. McKelvey, but Williams is challenging Washington’s assertion in court.

These distractions must be addressed as quickly as possible, because a new professional hockey team has to be in place by next spring in order to participate in the 2009-10 season. The city of Youngstown, which owns the center, doesn’t have the luxury of time.

Without a successor to the SteelHounds, the financial viability of the arena will be a roll of the dice.

While Eric Ryan. the center’s executive director, has suggested in the past that he could come up with events to replace hockey, he now says that hockey is essential to the facility’s success.

Let there be no misunderstanding of the arena’s history: The $45 million was spent because of the promise of professional hockey and the revenue it would generate. Otherwise, the city could have easily have built a convention center with the $26.8 million that former Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. secured for the city.