Caggiano

Bandits owner Mike Caggiano gained approval for an expansion franchise to begin play next season in the East Coast Hockey League and signed a one-year lease to have the yet-to-be-named team play its games in the 6,000-seat Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro.The ECHL plays a 70-game schedule beginning in mid-October. League rules dictate a $200,000 salary cap per team. The ECHL, the largest minor league in professional sports, will have 25 teams competing in the 1997-98 season."This does not affect the Baltimore [American Hockey League]

On January 10, 2006, BERTL ZIPPERT (nee Selig), beloved wife of the late Paul Zippert; beloved mother of Michael Zippert and Randy Zippert; devoted mother-in-law of Beth Zippert and Kimberly Zippert;loving grandmother of Elizabeth and Vincent Caggiano, Helena, Erica, Allison and Evan Zippert; loving great grandmother of Nevae Caggiano. Services at SOL LEVINSON AND BROS INC., 8900 Reisterstown Road at Mount Wilson Lane on Thursday, January 12, at 10 A.M. Interment Chevra Ahavas Chesed Cemetery, Randallstown.

It wasn't exactly a rubber-stamp formality but, as expected, the Board of Governors of the American Hockey League met yesterday in Boston and approved the sale of the Bandits franchise to Mike Caggiano."

Another hurdle in the proposed sale of the Bandits to Cincinnati interests was cleared yesterday when majority owner, president and chief operating officer Mike Caggiano convinced shareholders that selling the team is the only option.Earlier in the day, a suit was brought against Caggiano and Bandits Hockey Inc. by 7 percent owner Jan Loeb. It sought a temporary restraining order/prejudgment injunction to prevent the sale of the team, but was denied in Baltimore City Circuit Court just before the shareholders' meeting.

Rumor and speculation that the Bandits were for sale, which started several weeks ago, were confirmed yesterday, when owner Mike Caggiano announced he was seeking a buyer."

One of the things that fuels incessant speculation about AHL hockey being doomed in Baltimore is the city's always below-league-average fan turnout since the early 1970s. After a strong start by the Baltimore Clippers in 1962, the team was averaging barely 3,000 per game a decade later. The Clippers suspended operations in 1975, then folded two years later.The average turnout for the Baltimore Skipjacks over their 11 seasons (1982-93) was 3,356. In their inaugural season, the Bandits drew 3,600 per game and, this season, after 30 home games, that number is down to 3,156, even though 7,298 showed up Saturday for a combined game and glitzy cheerleader promotion.

Just a month into his quest to build a County Coliseum, local hockey team owner Michael A. Caggiano is already on financing Plan B.Under Plan A, Caggiano had been seeking a mix of public dollars and tax breaks -- even more than previously disclosed, according to an Oct. 2 accountant's report obtained by The Sun. That version, presented to Baltimore County officials this month, sought:A $19.5 million county loan.A 20-year exemption from property taxes while the county loan was repaid.Nearly $1 million a year in state funding.

Jerry Robinson, owner and operator of the Cincinnati Gardens, says he has a "deal in principle" to purchase the Bandits and move them to the Ohio city to play in the American Hockey League next season.Bandits owner Mike Caggiano denies that a deal has been struck or is in the works, and says that he plans to have the Bandits begin their third season in Baltimore come October.Reportedly, the only reason Robinson uses the term "deal in principle" at this point is AHL owners would have to approve three things: the sale of the franchise, the group of Cincinnati investors involved and the 10,500-seat Gardens arena as a home site.

When Mike Caggiano took over ownership of the Bandits a couple of months ago, the wolves weren't at the door, they were already sniffing around in the living room, the kitchen and everywhere else in the house.Here's a partial list of the people who were upset with the hockey team: suppliers, media, players, coaches and the parent club, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks."The most immediate thing we had to work on was our lack of credibility," recalled Caggiano, credibility in this case meaning the Bandits had taken on the annoying habit of failing to pay their bills.

Frustrated in his effort to build a sports and entertainment center just south of the city, Mike Caggiano isn't giving up on attempts to make minor-league hockey a viable product in this area. The Bandits' owner has applied for entry into the East Coast Hockey League."We made a presentation at the league meetings in Charlotte [N.C.], and everything seemed to go well," said Caggiano, who plans to put an ECHL team in the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro if the league looks kindly on his bid.So where does that leave Baltimore, the Bandits and the American Hockey League?

The latest edition of The Hockey News says Anaheim has the 26th-best minor-league talent among NHL clubs, which should come as no surprise to Bandits fans. Pssst, there are only 26 teams in the NHL. The Mighty Ducks don't have a farmhand listed among the top 50 prospects.The Syracuse Crunch, in the throes of an 0-5-2 slide last week, had its best player, Lonny Bohonos, hauled off the ice during pre-game warm-ups and told to report to Vancouver immediately. The winless streak continued (0-5-3)

Rumor and speculation that the Bandits were for sale, which started several weeks ago, were confirmed yesterday, when owner Mike Caggiano announced he was seeking a buyer."

Bandits owner Mike Caggiano gained approval for an expansion franchise to begin play next season in the East Coast Hockey League and signed a one-year lease to have the yet-to-be-named team play its games in the 6,000-seat Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro.The ECHL plays a 70-game schedule beginning in mid-October. League rules dictate a $200,000 salary cap per team. The ECHL, the largest minor league in professional sports, will have 25 teams competing in the 1997-98 season."This does not affect the Baltimore [American Hockey League]

Jerry Robinson, owner and operator of the Cincinnati Gardens, says he has a "deal in principle" to purchase the Bandits and move them to the Ohio city to play in the American Hockey League next season.Bandits owner Mike Caggiano denies that a deal has been struck or is in the works, and says that he plans to have the Bandits begin their third season in Baltimore come October.Reportedly, the only reason Robinson uses the term "deal in principle" at this point is AHL owners would have to approve three things: the sale of the franchise, the group of Cincinnati investors involved and the 10,500-seat Gardens arena as a home site.

One of the things that fuels incessant speculation about AHL hockey being doomed in Baltimore is the city's always below-league-average fan turnout since the early 1970s. After a strong start by the Baltimore Clippers in 1962, the team was averaging barely 3,000 per game a decade later. The Clippers suspended operations in 1975, then folded two years later.The average turnout for the Baltimore Skipjacks over their 11 seasons (1982-93) was 3,356. In their inaugural season, the Bandits drew 3,600 per game and, this season, after 30 home games, that number is down to 3,156, even though 7,298 showed up Saturday for a combined game and glitzy cheerleader promotion.

Frustrated in his effort to build a sports and entertainment center just south of the city, Mike Caggiano isn't giving up on attempts to make minor-league hockey a viable product in this area. The Bandits' owner has applied for entry into the East Coast Hockey League."We made a presentation at the league meetings in Charlotte [N.C.], and everything seemed to go well," said Caggiano, who plans to put an ECHL team in the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro if the league looks kindly on his bid.So where does that leave Baltimore, the Bandits and the American Hockey League?

Another hurdle in the proposed sale of the Bandits to Cincinnati interests was cleared yesterday when majority owner, president and chief operating officer Mike Caggiano convinced shareholders that selling the team is the only option.Earlier in the day, a suit was brought against Caggiano and Bandits Hockey Inc. by 7 percent owner Jan Loeb. It sought a temporary restraining order/prejudgment injunction to prevent the sale of the team, but was denied in Baltimore City Circuit Court just before the shareholders' meeting.

The Baltimore Bandits have made official the fact that Virginia businessman Michael A. Caggiano has assumed the interests of former team owners Bob Teck and Alan Gertner, but the transfer of the first-year franchise still hasn't received final approval of the American Hockey League."

Four months after standing on a plot in southwest Baltimore County to unveil his dream of building a new arena, the owner of Baltimore's professional hockey team pulled the plug yesterday on the project.Baltimore Bandits President Michael A. Caggiano killed his plans for the County Coliseum after he was unable to persuade County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger to free up public dollars to help develop the $42 million, 11,500-seat facility."Over the last couple of months, we tried everything," Caggiano said yesterday.

The Spirit has agreed to a two-year extension of its lease that will keep the team at the Baltimore Arena through the 1999-2000 season.The old lease is set to expire after the 1997-98 season. Details of the new lease, negotiated by Spirit general manager Drew Forrester and Arena operator Centre Management, were not disclosed.In making the announcement, Mayor Kurt Schmoke said, "We're excited about the commitment the Spirit has shown to the city and the Arena. This is further proof that Baltimore sports teams see real value in playing at a downtown facility."