Jody Gage is being removed as general manager of the Rochester Americans by ownership. Gage has spent about half of his life (24 out of 49) with the Amerks organization, 11 years as a player and 13 years in the front office.

Kevin Oklobzija reported in the Democrat and Chronicle about the change that is coming.

My guess, and it’s simply a guess, is that Curt Styres and Lewis Staats are trying to find a way to lower expenses.  It’s been widely assumed that Gage is paid a decent salary but really has limited control regarding player moves.  The roster is controlled by the Florida Panthers.  Gage often worked with Jack Birch and the Panthers last season but ultimately they had the final say.

Anyone who has been watching headlines around the world of hockey and sports in general knows that teams are cutting costs where they can.

From the article:

Gage, 49, admitted a change is in the works but said, “I don’t have a comment right now.”

The team is expected to address the situation on Wednesday. Amerks owner Curt Styres and president Lewis Staats could not be reached for comment.

Gage said he couldn’t provide insight on the move. There is a chance that he could remain in the hockey department in a diminished capacity.

“That’s a question for them,” he said.

The career stats of Gage speak for themselves.  I don’t ever personally recall seeing him play, but I can imagine he’s the type of player long time fans wish would emerge again.  Here’s some career stats from Kevins article:

Gage holds every meaningful franchise scoring record and is a charter member of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame. In 653 regular-season games as an Amerk, he scored 351 goals, 377 assists and 728 points.

He played his first six seasons in the Detroit Red Wings organization, primarily with the AHL’s Adirondack Red Wings.

He is one of only three players in AHL history to score 500 goals (504), ranks third all-time in points (1,048) and he holds AHL records for most 40-goal seasons (seven), most playoff goals (51) and the fastest two short-handed goals (eight seconds apart).