By Sharon Turco
The Cincinnati Enquirer

One of Cincinnati's two minor-league hockey teams may have to leave because of a lease disagreement, riling Cincinnati Cyclone fans who have been loyal to the team for more than a decade. The owners of U.S. Bank Arena terminated the team's lease effective at the end of the season, saying team owners failed to promote hockey and special events per their contract.

"It will be a sad day for the city of Cincinnati to lose the Cyclones," said Lynn Wagner, 56, of Sycamore Township.

"They have done so much to promote hockey, and the players have always willingly donated their time and energies to make this town a better place to live," the longtime fan said.

The Cyclones' owners are fighting back.

Cincinnati Sports, the limited partnership that owns the team, filed a lawsuit in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court asking for an injunction and claiming the lease termination violates their contract.

Cincinnati Sports wants a judge to determine whether Arena Management Holdings, arena owners, breached their contract with the team by terminating the lease.

A hearing is scheduled for April 2 - three days after the end of regular-season play. The Cyclones are expected to make the playoffs.

"The termination came out of the blue," said R. Guy Taft, an attorney who represents Cincinnati Sports. "If they can't play, it would literally destroy the franchise."

Mayor Charlie Luken and city business leaders said Tuesday it would be a shame to lose the team, but it will not have a huge economic impact on the city.

Officials at the arena company declined to comment.

One of two hockey teams based in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Cyclones franchise came to Cincinnati in 1990 as a member of the East Coast Hockey League and has bounced among leagues in the years since.

In 2001, Cincinnati Sports was looking to place an East Coast Hockey League franchise and got together with Arena Management Holdings, which had just purchased U.S. Bank Arena.

Cincinnati Sports signed a 15-year lease to keep the Cyclones here through 2016, which provided arena use, and gave Cincinnati Sports the Cyclones' name.

In the contract signed July 31, 2001, Arena Management Holdings agreed to sponsor the Cyclones for $950,000 a year for the next five years. The team could then renew the contract for two additional five-year periods.

Under the agreement, both parties are to share the cost and revenues.

In the event that either party did not hold up its end of the deal, written notice of a breach of contact should be given with at least 30-days to fix any problems.

Attendance is up 34 percent over last year, according to a team spokesman. The team's financial projections call for drawing at least 2,000 to 3,000 fans per game. An average of 4,327 fans attended the last five games, according to attendance numbers provided by the team. The city's other minor-league hockey team, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, has averaged about 4,931 fans per game this season at Cincinnati Gardens.

Team management told players about possibly losing the arena Monday night in Greensboro, N.C, after an away game.

"We are trying to do everything we can to keep from interrupting the season," Taft said. "The players can stay focused on playing hockey and we'll take care of it."

Besides the Cyclones, the U.S. Bank Arena recently added the Swarm, an arena football team. Their season begins next month.

E-mail sturco@enquirer.com