Cleaning Up The Mayhem

I don't fault anyone for not following the SPHL religiously unless, of course, your hometown team is an SPHL team. Macon, Georgia is one of the cities who has an SPHL team, and the Mayhem haven't had the best recent history as they've missed the playoffs over the last three seasons after losing in the SPHL final in 2020-21. What does the team have to do to get back to the heady days of 2016-17 when Macon had a championship parade? Well, there were some changes recently that could help them succeed on the ice as well as at the box office, and that's always an important factor in minor-professional hockey. Let's check out the changes.

Way back on March 22, 2024, the Mayhem released a statement where they announced they had new ownership. The Macon Pro Hockey Group, LLC took over the ownership and management of the team, and this group is led by Chuck and Lanai Norris who also own and operate the SPHL's Fayetteville Marksmen. While it seems odd to have multiple teams owned by the same people, let's not forget that it happens in the ECHL more often than not so there is a precedence.

"Fans can expect a lot from us moving forward – from new and improved theme nights, to giveaways, specialty jerseys, enhanced merchandise, and so much more," new Team President Alex Wall said. "Each home game will be its own experience – win or lose – and we're eager to welcome Macon back through the doors for the 2024-25 campaign."

That should help the league's lowest-attended franchise as the Mayhem averaged 2107 (32.2% capacity) fans at its home games last season. Ticket sales, concessions, and parking make up a significant portion of any minor-league hockey team's overall budget, so improving that number will help the Mayhem find their way back to respectability. The big claim in the statement that should gets fans excited was the one that read, "Since the Norris family's purchase of the Fayetteville franchise in 2017, attendance has increased by more than 100%." If they can do that in Macon, the team will be stronger.

Getting people through the turnstiles won't just be due to new ownership, though. Yes, the new theme nights and giveaways help, but people are ultimately there to see good hockey. On August 2, the team announced that they had re-signed forward Michael McChesney and defenseman Jarret Kup for the upcoming season, so they're identifying key players who will help them climb back up the standings.

McChesney comes back to Macon after posting 17 goals and 15 assists in 46 games last season. The 25 year-old finished third in team scoring with the second-most goals including the most power-play goals last year, so he looks to be a key piece if the Mayhem are going younger and more skilled. He skated in ten games with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers last season as well, scoring three assists in those games, but it seems the Mayhem liked what they saw from McChesney after acquiring in a trade from Fayetteville last season.

Jarret Kup is a solid, two-way defender who finished the season with two goals and nine assists in 31 games last year. The 30 year-old defender has played six full seasons in the SPHL with Macon and Fayetteville, but he's a responsible defender who has never taken more than 12 penalty minutes in any of those six professional seasons. He won't wow anyone, but he's good defensively, stays out of the penalty box, and both of those will help the Mayhem this season.

You may be wondering why I'm mentioning these players? Well, they'll be two of the men wearing the new branding released by the Mayhem on August 1! The logo to the right is what the Mayhem will be wearing on their chests this season as they get a little less cartoonish, but Jason Villanti of Redpin Design in Boca Raton, Florida gave the viking a more menacing look. The viking moves the "M" seen on his helmet to his chin as his beard shows the "M", and the team has replaced the navy blue they wore with black while adding "ice blue" to their colour scheme. All of the old branding and logos were officially retired on August 1 with the introduction of this new logo, and merchandise for those who want to wear the latest Mayhem look is now available! A new era in Macon has begun!

I'll give credit to the Macon Pro Hockey Group and the Norris family for working to make hockey in Macon fun again. We'll see if their changes make a difference in attendance numbers and the team's overall success, but they've had success with the Fayetteville Marksman and there's hope for more of that success in Macon. The only change I'd wish they had introduced in their announcements? A throwback night where the Macon Whoopee could skate again!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!