WATCH: Bart Rogers told he’s been voted into Rivermen Hall of Fame
Peoria Rivermen co-owner Bart Rogers finds out from Rivermen Hockey Hall of Fame committee member Dave Eminian he’s been elected to the team’s Hall.
Courtesy Peoria Rivermen
PEORIA — Bart Rogers joined the Peoria Rivermen on the ground floor, and now he’s earned the 44-year franchise’s highest honor.
Rogers, 55, the co-owner and chief operating officer of the Rivermen, has been unanimously voted into the Rivermen Hall of Fame. He’ll be inducted as a builder at the team’s April 3 game in the 2025-26 season and take his place on the Carver Arena wall that holds all the inductees.
He was notified last week by the Rivermen Hall of Fame committee in a planned surprise, with his staff gathered around him on the premise to talk about the team’s specialty jerseys.
“It really didn’t sink in until I left that day,” Rogers said, laughing. “What an honor. It tells you I’m not that unpaid intern anymore. Back in 1992, I never would have dreamed this.
“To see all those great names, those great people on that Rivermen Hall of Fame wall (inside Carver Arena). All the builders, all the players and coaches. To be part of that is an honor I’ll hold forever.”
A journey with the Rivermen
Rogers, a Morton resident and now vice-chairman of the SPHL, has been with the Rivermen for all four of the franchise’s league eras, the class-AAA International Hockey League, the class-AA ECHL, the class-AAA American Hockey League and now the high-A SPHL.
He first joined the Rivermen 33 years ago, in the 1992-93 IHL, season as an unpaid intern hired by late Rivermen owner Bruce Saurs.
The 1992 graduate of Western Illinois University (Recreation Park and Tourism Administration degree) became director of merchandise/game operations for the Rivermen in 1993, assistant general manger (1998), general manager (2000) and President/CEO (2004-2008). He was the direct liaison between local ownership and the parent club St. Louis Blues.
Rogers still puts on a headset and contributes to the game operations for the Rivermen in the SPHL. He was the first in the central Illinois sports market to bring in Hollywood celebrities for game appearances and pioneered the now-popular game specialty jerseys, a concept that has spread throughout minor league sports.
“Along the way, I’ve added jobs to my responsibilities, and I’ve never given up any of them,” Rogers said. “I just keep adding on things to do.”
Rogers was assistant general manager from 1998 through 2003-04, concentrating on sales. He took over as team president in 2004-05 when the franchise left the ECHL to move up to the AHL. He worked with co-owners Saurs and Anne Griffith on the sale of the team to the St. Louis Blues in the AHL in 2008.
Rogers was named International Hockey League Merchandise Manager of the Year (1993, 1995), IHL Marketing Director of the Year (1996), ECHL Marketing Director of the Year (1999, 2002) and was runner-up in 2008 for the James C. Hendy Award (the highest award given at the class-AAA level) as the outstanding executive of the year in American Hockey League.
In 2008, Rogers was awarded one of the top honors from Western Illinois, the 2008 Alumni Achievement Award.
A turning point for hockey in Peoria
Rogers led a five-person ownership group that stepped up to save professional hockey in Peoria after the parent club St. Louis Blues sold the AHL Rivermen and removed its affiliation in the spring of 2013. Rogers and Bruce Saurs helped quickly form the group that transitioned Peoria into the high-A SPHL, a gutty move that saved the game in central Illinois.
“We were in a unique situation,” Rogers said. “I was on spring break and got a call from (then-Peoria Civic Center general manager) Jim Wetherington and (Peoria mayor) Jim Ardis.
“They said, ‘We’ve got to save the Rivermen.’ It meant so much to me, the years of service I had with the team. I thought about it on a beach, thought, ‘I can’t let this die. We have to save this team.’
“If we had waited a year we’d have lost those fans, the history, the tradition. So within 48 hours we were ready to go.”
The group’s first hire was head coach Jean-Guy Trudel. On his watch, the coach and GM of hockey operations has seen the Rivermen finish first in the SPHL regular-season seven times. That includes a 2019-20 season in which they were tied for the league lead when the league canceled the rest of the season in March because of the pandemic.
The team has never finished lower than third in its 12 SPHL seasons. And the Rivermen have won SPHL President’s Cup championships in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
That first title was Peoria’s first in 22 years and followed a 2020-21 season in which the team was forced to go dormant because of Illinois venue operating restrictions amid the pandemic.
“Probably one of the most deserving Hall of Fame inductees in Rivermen history,” said Trudel, himself a Rivermen Hall of Fame member. “Bart Rogers played an instrumental role in preserving professional hockey in Peoria. Thirteen years ago he developed and executed a plan that saved the franchise, brought us two championships and ensured Rivermen fans could continue supporting their team.
“He is the most loyal leader I’ve ever worked with, someone who truly cares for his staff, players and fans. His commitment to the organization is unmatched, and his dedication to fostering a winning culture has been invaluable.
“I think Peoria is fortunate to have a leader so deeply invested in maintaining a successful and sustainable professional franchise.”
‘We inherited scorched earth’
Rogers was on hand for the Rivermen’s Kelly Cup championship in the 1999-2000 ECHL season, and for the team’s SPHL titles in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
“Those are such great memories for me,” Rogers said. “The last two titles, as an owner, to see what winning a championship means as a franchise and to the fans and community. It goes beyond the ring. It’s a memory, a blessing.”
Rogers has built a family, too, with wife, Kirsten, daughters Hannah and Elle, and just recently, their first grandchild.
He has put together a terrific front office, surrounding himself with vice-president/tickets Katie Pogeman, director of business development Andrew Cohen, vice-president of business operations Josh Morin, and broadcaster and director of communications Jason Ruff.
“We had 2,200 season tickets and a corporate sponsorship base back in the era before the Blues, and those were three times bigger than what we ended up inheriting when we took it back from them,” Rogers said. “We inherited scorched earth, a decimated team. I’m so proud of our staff, they are a dedicated, talented group.
“Recovering and rebuilding that has been the most rewarding part. We’ve had a 15-20% revenue increase every year since COVID. Hockey is in a growth spurt at the youth level. The game is strong and safe here. Trudel, Cohen, Pogeman, Morin, those people are still here and they keep it going. They all are part of this honor for me.”
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.