An unofficial history of the Texas Brahmas

Part Five – Ceasing Operations

The Brahmas and the City of Fort Worth were working under a firm deadline of Sunday, April 30th to come to a lease agreement, but that date came and went with no indication that a working arrangement could be reached.

"We thought the city might come back and give us a deal that might help us," Brahmas General Manager Mike Barack said. "But as it turned out, there were substantial increases which made it impossible for us to play."

By Tuesday morning, the writing was on the wall and in the news. The title of Kelly Morris' article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram spelled out the reality of the situation - Brahmas won'’t play in Fort Worth next season.

Asked to comment, Mike Barack said the Brahmas organization would have an official response soon, but would not elaborate. Fort Worth officials on the other hand, went on the record to defend their position.

"The City and the Brahmas have worked together to bring nine seasons of hockey to Fort Worth," Assistant City Manager Joe Paniagua said. "We are disappointed that we could not reach an agreement with the Brahmas organization in time to accommodate dates for a tenth season.

"I didn't know we'’d get to this point", Paniagua went on. "They just didn’t feel comfortable with the amount of money we were asking for. We had very little room to negotiate downward. Our costs were such that we at least needed to get that minimum amount."

"It'’s a very expensive venture," Public Events Director Kirk Slaughter said. "Just to build the ice takes three days. We want to recapture some of the costs in producing the sport. We’'ve tried to accommodate the Brahmas the best we can, but we are in a situation where we need to cover our costs."”

On May 3rd, the Brahmas organization officially made their decision public with the following statement:

The Fort Worth Brahmas have today announced they have received approval from the Central Hockey League to suspend operations for the 2006-2007 season, effective immediately.

Negotiations for a lease agreement with the City of Fort Worth that would allow the Brahmas to play in the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum during the 2006-2007 season of play have not been favorable, thus, Brahmas majority owner Stuart Fraser has applied for and received permission from the CHL to suspend the operations. Fraser will continue to own the Brahmas franchise, and although the team will not participate in the 2006-2007 season, the franchise will remain a member in good standing of the Central Hockey League with the clear objective of returning to action in the near and foreseeable future.

“The current lease scenario presented to us by the City of Fort Worth makes it a financial impossibility for us to continue our operations as they currently exist,” Fraser said. “The financial hardships created by significantly increased lease costs combined with limited availability of prime weekend dates for home games made this decision necessary, if unfortunate.”

“Our intention from day one was to play professional hockey and provide affordable family entertainment in the City of Fort Worth,” continued Fraser. “However, at least for the 2006-2007 season, that is no longer a financially feasible option. We intend to aggressively and immediately pursue and consider all available options that will allow the Brahmas to quickly return to active playing status with the Central Hockey League.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of nine seasons of play in Fort Worth by the Brahmas. The club’s inaugural season was in 1997-1998, with the first four years of play spent as members of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) prior to the League’s May 2001 merger with the CHL.

“I want to publicly thank our extremely loyal and devoted fan base as well as our committed corporate partners,” Mike Barack said. “We have been very fortunate to have the unwavering support of so many people and businesses over the last nine years.”

Barack went on to say that he believed the Brahmas would be missed in the Fort Worth community.

“Without a doubt, the Brahmas have been proud ambassadors of Fort Worth during our time here. We’ve made hundreds of in-school appearances and executed a phenomenal number of community relations programs across Tarrant County. Additionally, we have made thousands of donations per year to non-profit and charitable organizations throughout the Metroplex. Our efforts to stay active in the community have been constant,” he explained.

Fraser also wanted to go on record with a public commendation of the Brahmas’ front office and the Central Hockey League.

“Our organization has been very fortunate to have so many hard working and dedicated employees. Everyone that has been associated with the Brahmas has put in a tremendous amount of time and energy to benefit this franchise. I would be remiss not to recognize the efforts of all of our staff members that have worked so hard on our behalf over the past nine years, specifically Mike Barack, Naomi DeuFriend, Bill Yates, Jeff Bowerman and Ryan Snider for their many years of outstanding service to the Brahmas,” he stated. “Additionally, I commend the Central Hockey League for their outstanding partnership, guidance and leadership over the years,” Fraser said. “I firmly believe in the CHL model, and have the utmost confidence that the Brahmas will return to action stronger than ever in the near future.”

All players under contract for the 2006-07 season or whose CHL rights were held by the Brahmas immediately became free agents.

Central Hockey League President Brad Treliving asserted the league's commitment to assist the Brahmas in finding a new home.

"We knew the challenges they [the Brahmas] had in front of them," Treliving said. "We believe in the market and we want to find another venue in the area. The most important thing is the market will be and can be supportive of the team."

The Brahmas organization also wanted to make it clear that the team was committed to remaining in the area.

"We just need to be appreciated somewhere," Stuart Fraser told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

"We'll look hard in DFW area and hope to find somebody willing to make us a valued tenant. We've already talked to two different venues seriously. What I'd really like to look into is building a new arena that's for us."

On May 23rd, the Brahmas released the following letter from Fraser.

To the loyal fans, sponsors and supporters of the Fort Worth Brahmas:

As you are all aware by now, the Fort Worth Brahmas have suspended operations and will not be playing hockey during the upcoming 2006-2007 CHL season. This is not a scenario that I envisioned, nor one that I wanted. Our organization was eagerly preparing for the Brahmas tenth season and we had every intention of returning to the ice this October. However, the proposed lease presented to us by the City of Fort Worth for the Fort Worth Convention Center/Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum was unacceptable, and, clearly not in our best interests. The Brahmas made every possible effort to renegotiate with the City of Fort Worth, however, those attempts proved to be futile. I do find it difficult to accept that a “few” people made the decision to ignore the economic and social impact the Brahmas have on our City, but anyone that was present at the Fort Worth City Council meeting on the night of May 9, 2006 can now attest to what our organization has been up against.

I, like you, am very disappointed with our suspension of operations. I joined the Brahmas ownership group in 1998, and since then, have been steadfastly committed to the City of Fort Worth and to the loyal hockey fans of Tarrant County. Brahmas home games have not only provided affordable family entertainment in a safe and clean environment, but also attracted approximately 20,000 visitors annually from outside Tarrant County to the City of Fort Worth. More importantly, the Brahmas have been committed to giving back to the Fort Worth community. We have donated more than a $250,000 in cash and nearly $2.5 million of in-kind donations to local non-profit and charitable organizations. Each year, Brahmas players and staff visit over 50 area schools, leading school assemblies in the promotion of reading, eye care safety, positive choices, self-esteem and the prevention of domestic violence. For the past eight summers, the Brahmas have conducted over 250 free inline and street hockey clinics all across the Metroplex as part of our traveling Blacktop Brahmas program. Our two “Cool School” games in January and December of 2004 enabled over 12,000 Fort Worth ISD fourth grade students to attend a Brahmas hockey game free of charge as part of a school curriculum supported field trip. Annually, over 50 charitable organizations and 10,000 families have attended Brahmas hockey games through our Corporate Care Club.

The Brahmas have also worked jointly with selected corporate partners—Coors, Coca-Cola, Radio Shack, Verizon, Verizon Wireless, Southwest Airlines, XTO and Alcon—to help raise money for charities such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Worth, the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth, and Prevent Blindness Texas. On February 7, 2006, the Brahmas teamed up with the Fort Worth Police Department for a police/fire department charity game that raised several thousand dollars for the family of fallen Fort Worth police officer Henry Nava. And, on a more personal note, I’ll never forget the special donation made to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund by our great fans and supporters soon after 9/11. Also, I want to make sure to recognize the members of our Fort Worth Brahmas Booster Club for their constant and unwavering support of our entire organization.

Finally, I want to personally thank each of you that have given so much of your time and energy to support the Brahmas hockey club since the team’s inception in 1997. The enthusiasm and passion for hockey shown by our loyal fans has been overwhelming, and for that I am greatly appreciative. Please know that we are working diligently with the Central Hockey League to establish a new home for the Brahmas within the Fort Worth/Metroplex area for the 2007–2008 CHL season. I am hopeful that we will be able make a positive announcement regarding our Brahmas scenario in the immediate future.

Sincerely,

Stuart Fraser
Majority Owner, Fort Worth Brahmas Hockey Club

“What happened was very disappointing, and I think the Fort Worth citizens should be aware of how we were treated,” Fraser said later. “Some of the city staff had decided that setting up for hockey was just a pain in the ass. Well, yeah, hockey is kind of a pain in the ass. But the city is going to learn that if you put all your backing behind minor league basketball, you’ll be losing both teams because (that level of) basketball doesn’t draw and never has.”

Meanwhile, back at the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Brahmas were made to feel they couldn't move out fast enough.

“They wanted a timetable for us to get out immediately…as fast as we could leave...they were happy once they knew that we were suspending and not playing’” Barack said. “The faster we could get out, the better and they definitely put pressure on to get things out of the locker room.”

When Kirk Slaughter brought Fort Worth Flyers head coach Sidney Moncrief in to show off the locker room while Brahmas staffers were still cleaning it out, it was evident that the team was no longer welcome.

Mike Barack began the painful process of downsizing his staff until only three people remained; himself, assistant general manager Ryan Snider and their administrative assistant. They rented a storage and warehouse space at a business park in East Fort Worth and moved everything there from the convention center and their offices on Lake Street, terminating the lease where they had worked for the past 10 years.

Snider stayed on through the summer before joining the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League as their director of hockey business operations. Executive Vice-President Bill Yates was hired as the assistant general manager of the Corpus Christi Rayz. Vice-President of Communications Jeff Bowerman went on to become the Sports Information Director for Texas Women’s university.

Refunds were processed to those who had purchased season tickets and the team’s used hockey equipment was sold, mostly to the local area’s adult hockey players.

Coming Up: Blue Line

Kraus to join Brahmas

Rookie defenseman coming off second consecutive Canadian National Junior A hockey championship win

The Vernon Vipers (BCHL) announced on Friday that defenseman Kevin Kraus will be joining the Brahmas for his rookie season.

The 6', 2" 205 pound native of Garden Grove, California captained the Vipers to their second straight Royal Bank Cup National Junior A hockey title in May.

After considering his options, which included playing in Europe, Kraus, with the help of Vipers coaches Mark Ferner and Jason Williamson (who made some calls on his behalf) decided to begin his professional career in North Richland Hills.

“Texas was the best place for me and felt I could contribute most there," Kraus said. "I owe a lot to my coaches for their help and I'm very thankful...I'm excited to go there and have a new experience and play pro hockey."


Kraus played 36 games with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL) in 2006-07, tallying three assists and 57 penalty minutes. The following season, he was traded to the Tri-City Americans where he notched five points (1 G, 4 A) and 27 penalty minutes before joining the Vipers for the remaining 18 games of the season, adding four assists and 17 PIM.

In 2008-09, Kraus tallied 19 points (1 G, 18 A) and 81 penalty minutes in 55 games played. This past season, he increased his scoring output to 27 points (5 G, 22 A) with 70 PIM in 56 games played.

In April, the Vipers won the Fred Page Cup Championship (British Columbia Hockey League Champions) following a 4-2 series win over the Powell River Kings. They went on to sweep the Grand Prairie Storm in four games to win the Doyle Cup (winner of the Best-of-7 series between the BCHL and AJHL playoff champions) and finished the post-season by winning their second consecutive RBC Cup (National Junior A championship) with an 8-1 victory over the Dauphin Kings.

Kraus has yet to met Dan Wildfong yet, but says he got a good vibe from talking with him on the phone.

“We talked and I got pretty comfortable with him and felt it was going to be a good fit. They haven’t seen me play, but in that league it’s a lot of word of mouth."

As far as describing himself as a player, Kraus puts it like this:

“I’m more of a steady, stay-at-home, physical defenseman, but I’m capable of adding some offense too. I’m going in there pretty confident having had two good years with the Vipers.”

Kraus is currently visiting family in Everett, Washington but will return to Vernon to assist coach Ferner with his off-season hockey camps and work on his physical conditioning before reporting to the Brahmas' training camp in September.

Asked how he feels about moving to the Lone Star State, Krause revealed another love besides hockey.

"My parents lived in Texas for a bit and they said I will love it and there is good BBQ there which I'm looking forward to!”

By the way, Kraus isn't the only hockey player in the family. His older brother Tim just completed his second pro season with the Ontario Reign (ECHL).

Here are a couple of really good profiles on Kraus from last year found on YouTube:

Photo Credit: Vernon Vipers

An unofficial history of the Texas Brahmas

Part Four - Negotiations

The Brahmas were struggling to reach a new lease agreement with the City Of Fort Worth that would allow the team to play its 10th season in the Fort Worth Convention Center and Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

But sharing the convention center arena with a new professional basketball franchise was adding to a strain on relations between the city and the Brahmas.

In March of 2005, the National Basketball Association announced that four Southwest cities, including Fort Worth, had been approved for National Basketball Development League franchises for the 2005-06 season. The teams would be owned and operated by Southwest Basketball LLC, led by former Indiana Pacers general manager David Kahn.

Kahn originally wanted to play at the Will Rogers Coliseum but local investors convinced him that playing downtown would be a better option. Besides, the coliseum only had five days available when no other events were booked. Kahn met with Stuart Fraser in New York in 2004, but Fraser assured him that bringing a basketball team into the convention center would be a mistake.

“Stuart said it was a terrible idea,” Barack said. “All it was going to do was hurt everybody. It would hurt the Brahmas, it would hurt them and it’s not a good idea.”

The City of Fort Worth, represented by director of public events Kirk Slaughter, on the other hand thought it was a great idea, no doubt swayed by the promise that a minor league basketball team could draw 4,000 to 4,500 fans to each of its 23 home games. This despite two recent failed attempts to bring basketball to the convention center. But Slaughter was optimistic because of the NBA affiliation.

The Flyers and the Brahmas seasons would overlap - the Brahmas season stretched from October to March, while the Flyers season would begin at the end of November and finish in April. The Brahmas, who had been a tenant of the city for nine years, knew that sharing the arena with the Flyers would mean that the team would be competing for the already limited number of available weekend dates that were crucial to the teams’ financial well-being.

But the city believed that a compromise was necessary; that the Brahmas would lose some premium dates in fairness to the Flyers. If minor league basketball could bring in as many fans as the Brahmas, it would be a win-win for the convention center and the City of Fort Worth as a whole given the additional revenue that the fans would bring to the area.

The Brahmas attendance averaged about 4,200 per game in the previous three seasons, with an increase of about 400 per game during the 2004-05 season due to the National Hockey League strike which brought hockey starved Dallas Stars fans to Fort Worth.

As it was the Brahmas were seeing fewer and fewer weekend dates in each of the previous three seasons. During the 2002-03 season, 30 of their 32 home games were scheduled for either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That was reduced to 27 weekend dates in 2003-04 and 24 in 2004-05.

Kenneth Barr, who served as the Mayor of Fort Worth from May 1996-May 2003, was retained by the Brahmas as a consultant for their lease negotiations. Barr represented the Brahmas in several lease meetings with the City of Fort Worth and Fort Worth Convention Center decision makers.

During the 2005-06 season, the Brahmas were asked to share advertising space and to work with a home ice schedule that only promised 20 weekend dates. The increase in the number of weeknight dates was a killer for the Brahmas who benefited from the turnout of families and that just didn’t happen on work and school nights. The city temporarily reduced the team’s rent from $195,000 to $170,000, but it made little difference to the teams’ bottom line.

As a result of the new schedule, the Brahmas saw their attendance fall to an average of 3,801, down by 800 from the previous season. At the time, the Brahmas relied solely on three areas of revenue in order to maintain its business operations. This included ticket sales (season, group, and individual game), corporate sponsorships (advertising with the team and at the Fort Worth Convention Center) and merchandise sales. The team estimated that the reduced number of premium dates had cost the team between $80,000 and $100,000 in revenue. For a franchise operating on a paper thin profit margin, that was intolerable.

It was clear that the number of weekend dates available in coming seasons would continue to decrease. Competition with rodeo and cutting horse events for arena space, not to mention

The Fort Worth Flyers meanwhile, posted a 28-20 record in their inaugural season and advanced to the D-league finals, only to lose in a 119 to 108 match against the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, but they fell far short of putting bodies in seats. The team’s average “drop count” attendance in its first season was 762, according to the city of Fort Worth.

“We kept thinking that they’d see the light at the end of the tunnel in that, you know, it’s not a good idea; they’re not drawing fans, their operation was bad, the dates were not helping anybody and we kept pressing it thinking that the basketball team might go away,” Barack said.

But scheduling was just one of the issues that the Brahmas were dealing with. The city asked the Brahmas for a $210,000 minimum guarantee for the 2006-07 season, which was a $40,000 increase from the previous season. The Brahmas reportedly countered with a guarantee in the neighborhood of $190,000.

The new lease would also add fees that the Brahmas hadn’t had to pay in past years. In effect, staffers said the city should no longer have to absorb some costs — for creating the ice and erecting the “boards” that outline the playing surface and carry advertising — that are peculiar to hockey.

It takes approximately $212,000 for the city to cover its costs of putting the Brahmas on the ice, according to Kirk Slaughter, public events director for the Convention Center and Will Rogers.

"It’s a very expensive venture," Slaughter said. "Just to build the ice takes three days. We want to recapture some of the costs in producing the sport. We’ve tried to accommodate the Brahmas the best we can, but we are in a situation where we need to cover our costs.”

In addition to the higher rent, the city asked for $102,000 up front, which was equal to almost half the lease price, to be placed in escrow and released to the Brahmas only at the end of the season.

Slaughter said that the city asked for the $102,000 up front by April 28th because of fears that the team might go out of business or move during the season, which was ridiculous, given the long relationship between the Brahmas and the City of Fort Worth.

The city also disputed the economic impact that the Brahmas organization provided to the Fort Worth area.

Their case is backed up by figures from the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, which estimated that fans from other Central Hockey League teams spent about $1 million in the city each season.

In addition, the team had donated $250,000 in cash and $2.5 million in free tickets and gear over the years to charities such as the Lena Pope Home, Christ’s Haven for Children, and John Peter Smith hospital. Not to mention the community programs that the organization offered at no charge to area youth, such as Blacktop Brahmas, their annual summer series of free inline hockey clinics featuring a traveling hockey rink which made an average of 30 stops throughout the Tarrant County area. Other programs included Grades for Blades, an incentive program that rewards academic achievement with game tickets, and Healthy Goals, a co-sponsorship with Harris Methodist Hospital that sends players into local schools and focuses on teaching the importance of being prepared to make good decisions.

But perhaps the biggest insult was the addition of a no-contact clause in the lease agreement which said that no member of the Brahmas organization at any level was permitted to speak with “any elected official of the City of Fort Worth.” Any contact by the Brahmas with a city council member would automatically terminate the contract.

When negotiations with Slaughter and convention center personnel stalled, Barack started lobbying council members.

“My job is to represent the Brahmas here and I didn’t feel like we were being heard by the staff, so I contacted some of the council members,” Barack said.

According to the Fort Worth weekly, Barack called and e-mailed Wendy Davis, whose district contains the convention center, and Chuck Silcox, who was then the mayor pro tem. On March 21, Davis responded to Barack that she was trying to get better information from city staffers, but “you do not have to keep e-mailing me every day.” Silcox aide Sandi Breaux e-mailed the convention center staff to report that Barack had contacted the councilman’s office eight times between April 5 and April 13.

“They were slowly but surely eating up more weekend dates, not just for us but for them and then they came up with this crazy lottery idea in which we would go into a room and select dates and we just said that’s outrageous,” Barack said.

“I went to him (Mayor Moncrief) personally and asked how we could make things better,” said Fraser. “He said we should win more games. It was kind of insulting, because it was almost as if he had no idea how our business works and how we are important to this community. I just got the feeling that he viewed us as a tenant and nothing more.”

Moncrief’s point couldn’t be fully dismissed though. Years of losing is bad PR for any city and from the city’s standpoint, the perception was that a team with a winning record would be drawing more fans which would in turn sell more hot dogs, cokes and parking spaces. This may or may not have translated to more preference in scheduling. Regardless, the City of Fort Worth was more interested in attracting conventions and with the new Omni hotel being built next to the convention center, the concerns of a less than successful minor league hockey team, despite the team’s history of

It probably didn’t help that the Brahmas had an out of town owner either.

Despite all the bad blood, Barack always thought the longstanding relationship between the Brahmas and the City of Fort Worth would prevail and that a deal could be made.

“We believed that with the history of our consistency, with the history of our payment structure, so on and so forth, we’d be able to work something out and press the lease negotiations to go in our favor,” Barack said. “It was a combination of a continuation of a culmination of negative and really poor business options that they were presenting us which made it impossible to proceed.”

In the end, that wasn’t so and the decision to suspend operations was on the table. With the reduced number of premium dates, the Brahmas would see what would amount to a permanent reduction from all of its revenue sources.

Next up: Ceasing Operations

Brahmas guaranteed a post-season berth?

CHL announces 2010-11 playoff format

Well, the season hasn't even begun and the Texas Brahmas, like 16 of 18 teams, are virtually assured a spot in the 2011 post-season. Yeah, that's right, 88.8 percent of its teams will advance to the postseason. Where else does this happen?

Basically, the playoff "races" are gone - instead, 18 teams will play to avoid being the worst in the league. So what's next - those two bottom feeders (one from each conference) are voted out of the league? Or maybe they participate in a special playoff to see who is absolutely the worse?

Komets president Michael Franke, offered this enlightening explanation to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's Ben Smith:

“The thought process is the way the economy is going right now, it probably would make sense if all the teams coming into those last six weeks of the season had an opportunity to make the playoffs,” Franke said. “There are so many other things people can do right now, and if teams are way out of it in late January, are they gonna continue to come to the games? Number two, we looked at it from the perspective that we believe the league is going to grow the next two or three years, and be more than 18 teams. So why not institute a 16-team format now, rather than switch it around every year?”

Genius.

On Tuesday, the CHL announced that the 18 member teams will be divided into two conferences of nine teams. The North will be comprised of Bloomington, Colorado, Dayton, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Missouri, Quad City, Rapid City and Wichita and the South will consist of Allen, Arizona, Bossier-Shreveport, Laredo, Mississippi, Odessa, Rio Grande Valley, Texas and Tulsa.

The post-season format will be as follows:

- A total of sixteen (16) of eighteen (18) teams will qualify for the post-season, consisting of eight (8) clubs from each conference. Both conference winners will be seeded 1st in their conference heading into the playoffs based on point totals. The next seven (7) highest teams in each conference’s regular season standings based on point totals will be seeded 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th in each conference and will also qualify for post-season play.

- The playoffs will consist of four (4) rounds. (Conference Quarterfinals – Best-of-5, Conference Semifinals – Best-of-5, Conference Finals – Best-of-7, CHL Championship Finals – Best-of-7).

- The brackets for the post-season will remain constant with no re-seeding taking place during the competition.

- The second round (Conference Semifinals) will consist of the victorious four (4) teams from each Conference’s Quarterfinals series’.

- The third round (Conference Finals) will consist of the victorious two (2) teams remaining from each conference, with Conference Semifinal seeding remaining in effect to determine home ice advantage.

- The fourth round (Championship Finals) will consist of the victorious two (2) teams remaining, one from each conference. Home ice advantage in the Finals will be awarded to the club with the higher regular season point total, regardless of any earlier playoff seeding.

Should two (2) or more teams be tied in points for any seeding issue throughout the playoffs, the following tiebreakers will be used: Most wins, then head-to-head record, then goals for and against differential.

In other news, the CHL’s regular season will consist of 66 games, running from Friday, October 15 through Sunday, March 27 with the post-season starting the week of March 28th. That's two more for the CHL teams and 10 less for "former" IHL teams (compared to last season).

The regular season schedule is expected to be released tomorrow.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith

Almost a Brahma...

Dudas gets AHL opportunity

When the Corpus Christi IceRays folded, defenseman Jesse Dudas found himself without a team, but not without options. He had already agreed to join the Texas Brahmas for the 2010-11 season, but a better offer came calling.

This week, the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) signed him to an American Hockey league contract. He'll join the Adirondack Phantoms for training camp in September.

"I know my skill level has been there and it could have been an NHL contract," Dudas said. "But they were up to their max and offered me an American League deal."

The 22-year-old native of St. Albert, Alberta sat out much of last season dealing with immigration issues. He played in 17 games with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder (IHL) and then played the final seven games for Corpus Christi, notching a goal and two assists. He also had an assist in two games against the Brahmas in the first round of the playoffs.

A native of St. Albert, Alberta, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Dudas has played in 29 professional games. He was selected 159th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith

Defenseman Vladimir Hartinger battling for the puck

An unofficial history of the Texas Brahmas

Part Three - Aftermath

Four days later, the Brahmas announced that head coach Guy Larose and assistant coach Sean Brady would not have their contracts renewed for 2006-07 season. Larose was a mid-season replacement, taking Al Sims’ place on December 19, 2005. In 40 games coached for Fort Worth, Larose compiled a record of 9-26-5.

Team owner Stuart Fraser, who had lost millions since purchasing the team in 1997 was fed up with the result of the season and announced that the organization would be making numerous changes.

“It goes without saying that we are tremendously disappointed with our on-ice performance this year,” Fraser said. “Making the playoffs was our number one priority this season, and we came up woefully short. Our results the last several seasons have been unacceptable, and, because of that, we are going to carefully examine the process by which we have been using to build our hockey teams. We remain committed to putting a winning team on the ice for our loyal fans and sponsors, and thus, we are going to completely reevaluate all areas of our hockey operations.”

General Manager Mike Barack made it clear that the organization would be thorough in its effort to find a new head coach.

“We are not going to rush to find a replacement for Guy,” Barack announced. “We’re going to take our time, and work to identify the best possible candidates available. A winning coach at the CHL level has to be many things - a recruiter, a motivator, a communicator, and a strategist. Our objective is to find the best possible individual with quality experience and a proven winning track record that wants to be here in Fort Worth and can guide the Brahmas to the top of the CHL.”

Although they were without a head coach, the Brahmas had continued with the business of building a roster for the upcoming season. General Manager Mike Barack took the reins of this effort, signing seven players during the month of April.

On April 3rd, the Brahmas announced the acquisition of right wing Caleb Moffat from the Corpus Christi Rayz, completing a transaction from December 3rd, 2005 in which the team transferred the rights to defenseman Dion Hyman to the Rayz in exchange for future considerations.

Moffat had split time with three teams during the 2005-2006 season. After playing five games with the Odessa Jackalopes in late October and early November, he moved on to the Fayetteville FireAntz of the SPHL for thirteen games. Then, in early January of 2006, he signed with the Rayz and played the final 34 games of the season for Corpus Christi. For the year, he totaled 52 games played, two points (1 G, 1 A), and 293 penalty minutes.

Four days later, on April 7th, the team announced the re-signing of defensemen Konrad Brand and Ryan Fairbarn.

Brand, at 6’3”, 245, skated in 55 games for the Brahmas, scoring one goal and assisting on 14 others. His fifteen points (a personal career high) were the third most by a Fort Worth d-man last year and his -4 was tied for the highest plus/minus rating on the team. He also finished fourth on the Brahmas with 128 penalty minutes.

Fairbarn began the previous season with the Wichita Thunder. After skating in the first 32 games of the year for Wichita, he was acquired by the Brahmas on January 9th in a trade for defenseman Matt Coughlin. He played in 22 games for Fort Worth, posting 1 goal and 8 assists. For the season, he finished with 31 points (8 G, 23 A), the most of any Brahma defenseman

“Konrad and Ryan are both solid defenseman,” Mike Barack said in a press release. Brand is a steady physical presence, while Fairbarn is certainly a capable offensive contributor. They want to be here in Fort Worth and they want to help get the Brahmas back to the top of the CHL. These are two quality signings for our team.”

On the 13th, the Brahmas announced that they had re-signed another defenseman, Vladimir Hartinger, to the roster for the upcoming season.

Despite missing several games throughout the season, Hartinger still posted impressive 2005-2006 statistics for Fort Worth, scoring 6 goals and assisting on 24 others. His 30 points were the second most for a Fort Worth defenseman last year and his 24 assists were the third most on the team. Eighteen of his points (4 G, 14 A) came on the power play, and he had seven multiple point games to his credit.

“Vladimir is easily one of the most versatile defenseman in the CHL. He has excellent hockey sense in his own zone, and he also knows how to contribute offensively. I anticipate that he will be one of the cornerstones for our team next year and play a major role in the success we hope to have,” Barack said.

On the 18th, the Brahmas added three more players, completing all remaining trade business from the previous season.

From the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, the Brahmas obtained the rights to center Matic Kralj and defenseman Matt Medley. Fort Worth was owed future considerations from the Killer Bees to complete the trade originally made on February 8, 2006 that saw left wing Bret DeCecco shipped to the Bees in exchange for center Bobby Davis.

Kralj, in his fourth professional season, scored 18 goals and assisted on 24 others in 56 games played with the Killer Bees in 2005-06. Kralj, 6’1”, 190, also enjoyed a productive postseason with Rio Grande Valley, as he tied for the Bees team lead in playoff points with two goals and two assists in the Bees six-game Southern Conference semifinals series loss to the Laredo Bucks.

Medley, in his second pro season, played in all 64 of the Killer Bees’ regular season games, and led all Bees defensemen in points with 34 (13 G, 21 A). During the playoffs, he picked up two assists in six games played. For his efforts, the Montreal, Quebec native was honored by the Killer Bees as their 2005-06 Defenseman of the Year.

From the Wichita Thunder, the Fort Worth picked up the rights to forward Tab Lardner. The Brahmas were owed future considerations from the Thunder to complete the trade originally made on February 13, 2006 that sent defenseman Andrew Nahirniak to Wichita in exchange for left wing Chris Bain.

Lardner, a fifth year veteran, would join Vladimir Hartinger as the second veteran player (then considered a player with more than 260 professional games played) on the 2006-07 squad. The 2005-2006 season was his first with the Thunder. He posted strong offensive numbers for Wichita, scoring 25 goals and earning 30 assists. His 25 goals were the fourth most on the team and his 55 points were the sixth highest total on the Thunder roster. Lardner also played in all six of the Thunder’s 2006 CHL President’s Cup playoff games.

“Tab Lardner is a proven commodity in the CHL. He is a versatile forward who can score goals and contribute in any situation, even-strength or special teams. Additionally, he has played on winning teams in the past and developed what I believe are very valuable leadership skills,” Barack said. “Tab is going to be one of our primary players during the 2006-2007 season.”

“All three of these players have proven that they can be contributing players at the CHL level,” Barack said. “They all played on winning teams last season and put up solid numbers.”

And so, the process of planning for the coming season began, but a cancer was eating away at the Brahmas organization, one that would threaten the very existence of the team and its future. Most didn’t know it yet, but once again, professional hockey in cowtown was about to come to an end.

Next up: Part Four - Negotiations

Photo Credit: Chip Crail/Pro Hockey News