The story of Dom Prudente is one of sorrow and tragedy. In the early 2000s, Dom ran a successful housing finance business. He would work long and hard to connect home buyers with the houses of their dreams in the Richmond area. When the housing market burst, Dom was forced to close his doors and lost nearly everything. After years of rebuilding, Dom was close to realizing a life long dream; owning and managing his own professional hockey team.
When Commissioner Heilmann took over the league and was looking to expand the number of teams, the first person he reached out to was his friend Dom. The Commissioner knew that Dom would bring vitality and excitement to the league.
Dom, overjoyed at the chance to bring a professional hockey team to Richmond, VA, worked with the Commissioner to organize a parade celebrating the new team and the great times to come; and that is when tragedy struck for a second time in Dom's life. At the start of the parade, Dom, precariously perched upon the back of a convertible and waving to the crowd, fell. In falling, Dom hit the back of his head and was run over by the team bus. The accident resulted in Dom going into a coma and being placed in a full body cast.
With the IHHL draft taking place the next day, League owners unanimously agreed that the first round draft pick should go to the Richmond Prexies out of respect for Dom's condition. With that pick, the Prexies drafted Sidney Crosby, who was immediately promoted to team captain and coach. Crosby dedicates each game to the Prexies fallen owner telling everyone that Dom is watching over them.
Despite herculean efforts by the player, the team has yet to win a game this season. Many in league now believe that Dom's fate is tied to that of his team. If only the Prexies could win a game, perhaps Dom would come out of his coma.
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