The future of the Peoria Rivermen is secure in the River City for the next five years.
The hockey team and Peoria Civic Center announced the deal in a joint news release on Tuesday. This follows more than a year of doubts over the team's long-term future at the downtown venue one iteration or another of the Rivermen have called home for decades.
The new lease is retroactive, and runs from the current season through the 2028-29 season.
“This agreement showcases the commitment by both parties to provide a quality product that fans and the community can continue to support for seasons to come. We look forward to cheering on the Rivermen as they look to capture another Presidents Cup,” Rick Semonis, chairman of the Peoria Civic Center Authority, said in a prepared statement.
“We are happy for our great hockey fans and corporate partners in Central Illinois, that Rivermen Hockey can continue for another five seasons at Carver Arena. Our ownership group will continue to strive to offer an affordable, family friendly entertainment outlet for our great fans' entertainment dollar, just as we have done in Peoria for over 40 years along with a winning on ice product,” Bart Rogers, CEO and owner of the Peoria Rivermen, said in a statement.
The Rivermen. the defending 2023-24 champions in the Southern Professional Hockey League, signed short-term leases to continue playing at Carver Arena in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
One of the key sticking points was the need to replace the aging ice plant that was at the end of its serviceable life. In March 2023, the Peoria City Council approved a $20 million spending plan for Civic Center infrastructure improvements that included money to replace the ice plant.
The purchase of a new $1.3 million ice plant was approved by the Civic Center Authority in August. The replacement is currently scheduled to happen in summer 2026.
