Quote:
Originally Posted by Green Men Rule
Didnt someone win the lottery to bail them out once?
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Not that I know of. I mean it could have happened, but it doesn't sound familar.
I was away from Johnstown for a few years while in the military, but during that time they were still drawing at the gate. I know Neil Smith had somebody from NY "invest" a six-figure amount into the team sometime around 2007 (give or take a year). If you want to go back deep into Johnstown hockey history, Johnstown's first team was financed through their owner hitting a long shot at the horse track. But that was 70 years ago and had nothing to do with the Chiefs.
A lot of their durability had to do with ownership being shuffled around, with each owner being committed to the community and having some connection to the city. A lot of the owners only stuck with the team 2-3 seasons before cutting their losses. Once the previous owner (whose name escapes me....Edwards?) sold to Neil Smith, it was only a matter of time before the writing was on the wall and as Paul Newman once said, "the Chiefs are history".
I wish the Tribune-Democrat archived their Sports section online. Back in the day, probably even as recent as the mid-late 90s, there was a ton of articles on the Chiefs. I'd imagine the ownership changes, the financials, etc. would all be listed.
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