IHL v AHL quality

When an American Hockey League team lands in town, there is often an argument about the quality of the product. That is especially true when the AHL replaces a team from say the United Hockey League, now the International Hockey League, or the ECHL.

Reed Schreck has a piece in the Rockford Register Star about one player and his journey back to Rockford, now in the uniform of the Milwaukee Admirals, Kevin Ulanski. And, he makes some points about the many AHL players who are called up to the NHL to play with the parent team. Ulanski talks to Schreck about his perceptions about the quality of play between the IHL and the AHL.

Schreck also answers a question that would have taken some research: who is on the Chicago Blackhawks that could move back to the Rockford IceHogs after Clear Day? The Blackhawks, he says, have five players, four can return to the IceHogs: Corey Crawford, Dustin Byfuglien, Cam Barker, Jordan Hendry and Dave Bolland.

Chicago Hounds call it quits; UHL down to 5 teams

The Chicago Hounds ceased operations, it was announced Wednesday, leaving the United Hockey League with just five surviving teams. The one-year-old Hounds, owned by Belvidere, Illinois businessman Craig Drektrah, were unable to reach an agreement with the Hoffman Estates Sears Centre venue on lease arrangements for the 2006-7 season. The team then received permission from the UHL to cease operations.

Drektrah, in a prepared statement, said the Sears Centre was demanding rates four times higher than the next highest rent paid by the next highest UHL team, a tripling of the teams rent, and reserved all the desirable weekend dates for other tenants. “I really believe that with reasonable rent and good home dates, the Hounds could have been a very successful franchise,” Drektrah said.

The Sears Centre, which is 75 percent owned by the Ryan Companies US, Inc. and 25 percent by Sears, Roebuck & Co., has operated for less than a year. The multi-purpose arena sat 9,000 for hockey, although it never reached that with the Hounds. The arena had sought the Hounds, noting the team would prove to be an anchor tenant in its January 2005 announcement, “we are very excited about welcoming the United Hockey League… this is just the first step in building a top-flight schedule of events (for the Arena),” said then arena president Steve Hyman.

However, things went awry quickly as the Sears Centre seemed unprepared for the Hounds opening night, about one month after the doors opened on the new building. Seats were not installed, workers struggled with installing the required safety glass and most glaring, the center of the ice sheet had melted.



The center had first projected attracting 750,000 visitors annually to Hoffman Estates, although a recent estimate put the number at 600,000 or a 20 percent drop. In addition, the arena recently announced the departure of Hyman and the installation of a new chief operating officer, Jeff Bowen. Supported by a $50 million loan from the Village of Hoffman Estates, the constant question to city officials has been what if the arena fails? The city, on its web site, says it issued long-term revenue bonds based on the income stream from the venue. It also planned to fund a reserve fund over the next six to seven years, to pay two years of debt service without raising property taxes or diverting other revenues to pay for the Sears Centre.

It admits that if the Sears Centre defaults, property taxes may have to be raised.

The team’s loss means the UHL is on even thinner ice than the Sears Centre. The league is down to just five teams, the Bloomington, Illinois Prairie Thunder, the Kalamazoo K-Wings, the Muskegon, Michigan Fury, the Fort Wayne, Indiana Komets and the Flint, Michigan Generals. Four teams have already indicated this season they are leaving the league. The Rockford, Illinois IceHogs and the Quad Cities (Moline, Illinois) Mallards both joined the American Hockey League while the Elmira, New York Jackals joined the ECHL. The Port Huron, Michigan Flags previously announced they were ceasing operations.

The Bloomington Prairie Thunder, which recently changed ownership, indicated to WMBD/ WYZZ TV , Bloomington, Illinois that it expects the Flags to reenter the league under new ownership and to announce a new UHL team before the fall. The team also admitted to entering preliminary negotiations with the ECHL and the Central Hockey League, the report said.

Drektrah, an engineer, was owner of the Rockford IceHogs. However that team is being purchased by the Rockford MetroCentre and being affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks as their primary minor league affiliate. He purchased the Hounds in February from Dr. Eric Margenau. In an April 2007 interview with the ChitownDailyNews website he said his enthusiasm and knowledge would turn the Hounds into a successful franchise.

“All the little things are a challenge and an adventure,” Drektrah told the ChitownDailyNews. “I had good experience in Rockford,” he said, “I really believe this market has a lot of potential.” Drektrah told media outlets he is investigating moving the franchise to another area venue.

Drektrah listed IceHogs co-owner Dr. Kris Tumilowicz and IceHogs General Manager Jeff DiMarco as key influences saying that although the two disagreed over the sale of the IceHogs, they remained close.

“It is unfortunate that a reasonable lease agreement could not be reached between the Hounds and the Sears Centre,” UHL Chairman of the Board of Governors told OurSportsCentral, “I applaud Craig Drektrah for the passion and the decision making that he has shown while leading the Hounds.”

In their one year of play Greg Puhalski was named UHL Coach of the Year. The team, with a 31-38-7 record made the first round of the playoffs. They were eliminated there by the Komets in five games. Intotheboards said the team had an average attendance of 2,080, placing it 82nd out of 87 minor league hockey teams this season. It said the average UHL attendance was 3,420 in the regular season.

IceHogs win Colonial Cup in 3-1 game 7 victory

Game seven of the Colonial Cup finals. On the line for the IceHogs was their first Colonial Cup ever and also their last as the team was decamping for the American Hockey League in the next season.

On the line for the K-Wings in addition to the Cup was the first road victory in the playoffs in the MetroCentre by an opponent and back-to-back wins of the Colonial Cup by the K-Wings. Since it was first awarded in 1992, three teams have won back-to-back Colonial Cups, including the Muskegon Fury in 2004-5 under current Wolves assistant coach Todd Nelson and the Quad City Mallards in 1997-8 under current Wolves coach John Anderson.

A predecessor to the IceHogs, the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Senators won back-to-back Colonial Cups in the 1994-5 seasons.

Kevin Ulanski scored the first goal of the game, an unassisted steal that scored at 2:47 of the first period. Nick Bootland replied for the K-Wings with a power play goal close to the ten-minute mark of the period. A 5:3 power play by Rockford was unconverted leaving the first period score tied 1-1.

K-zoo never had more than nine shots on goal in a period. In the second period the K-Wings fell to a low of seven shots on goal and failed to score. A power play early in the period failed to generate traction for the K-Wings. A Rockford goal at 6:11 and two second half power plays kept the momentum in Rockford’s favor throughout the period and gave the team a 2-1 lead on Jason Noterman’s goal going into the final frame.

You’d expect a close championship game in the United Hockey League to be a brutal affair in the final period. However the last 20 minutes, instead, went unmarked by any penalties. The K-Wings put just nine shots on goal in the period, compared to nine for the IceHogs.

An insurance goal by Nicolas Corbeil with 1:33 remaining seemed to take the steam out of an already sputtering K-Wings engine. Pulling the goalie from the net seemed an empty gesture. The final score, IceHogs 3, K-Wings 1.

Ryan Nie received the loss, stopping 29 shots. Frederic Cloutier received the win, stopping 24 shots. The Most Valuable Player award was given to Rockford’s Ulanski. He scored 21 points in the playoffs, leading his team, plus his crucial game seven goal.

IceHogs to raise UHL banner in AHL; Has the UHL a future?

The Rockford IceHogs won the Colonial Cup in a 3-1 decision that demonstrated a lot of what is right about minor league hockey. It marked an exit for the IceHogs from the United Hockey League and capped a week in which another UHL team, the Port Huron Flags, folded. And a week that saw a second UHL team bolt the league, the Quad City Mallards. Currently, the UHL has just six surviving teams, the Chicago Hounds, the Bloomington Prairie Thunder, the Fort Wayne Komets, the Kalamazoo K-Wings and the Muskegon Fury.

The IceHogs will be raising the franchises’ first league championship banner next year in a new league. The team is now affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks and will play in the American Hockey League against rivals in the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Chicago, Milwaukee, Peoria and Grand Rapids. Although the players will likely be given the opportunity to compete for a spot on the AHL affiliated IceHogs, even the best players will struggle to make the cut in the organization that played this season as the Norfolk Admirals.

Like the IceHogs, the Quad City Mallards ended the season exiting the UHL stage. That team affiliated with the Calgary Flames and takes on the persona of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. The Knights will be folding their tent in Omaha completely, the victim of too small a market supporting too many hockey teams.

The entry of the IceHogs and another team, the Cleveland Lake Monsters, into the AHL next season is promising a busy meeting of the AHL Board of Governors later this summer. The AHL, which has monopolized the development of players for the National Hockey League and is the only AAA level league in North America, is aiming to affiliate each of the league’s teams with an NHL team. With 29 AHL teams and 30 NHL teams that goal is nearly a reality.

Only the Rochester Americans have dual affiliations next season, splitting the team between prospects from the Buffalo Sabres and the Florida Panthers.

The Chicago Wolves are affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers, the Peoria Rivermen with the St. Louis Blues, the Grand Rapids Griffins with the Detroit Red Wings and the Milwaukee Admirals with the Nashville Predators.

The West Division of the Western Conference had two Texas teams, San Antonio, affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Houston Aeros, affiliated with the Minnesota Wild.

In addition the teams from Omaha, Des Moines, Chicago, Milwaukee and Peoria played in the division. At the end of the regular season four of the teams were selected for the playoffs based on their regular season records. In order, they were Omaha, Chicago, Milwaukee and Iowa. Peoria just missed the playoffs by a few points and would have replaced a team in another division if successful.

The incoming Norfolk Admirals, who replace the IceHogs, had a very successful season playing in the tough East Division. They were eliminated in the first round. However that round, in the East, saw three of the teams with the most regular season points compete in the first round and only two would advance.

For many hockey fans the question is how will the league align itself. That determines which teams play each other on a frequent basis. According to the Peoria Journal Star and the Quad City Times, the AHL indicated it would be using six divisions and two conferences next season. The current West Division of the AHL would be split between two divisions, with the Grand Rapids Griffins and possibly the two Texas teams playing in one of the two divisions. Illinois’ four teams, only New York State has as many teams in one state, would be split between the two divisions, possibly meaning the IceHogs and the Wolves would not play in the same division.

There have been a number of excellent summaries of the UHL problems this season. Earlier this year this blog discussed the UHL’s problems here. More recently, Bill Shaun covered the UHL story here and Justin Cohn discussed the problems in the Fort Wayne Gazette on May 17, “Be Patient with UHL Evolution.”

6-2 K-Wings win; Colonial Cup on line for Thursday

It is all or nothing Thursday night in Rockford, as the United Hockey League Colonial Cup Final game seven needs to be played between the tied Rockford IceHogs and the Kalamazoo K-Wings. A 6-2 home win by the K-Wings Tuesday in K-Wings Stadium made certain of that.

The game was marked by a two goals within ten seconds of each other, two short handed goals and two goals by Kory Karlander that put the game away. Every game of the series has been won by the home team.

For the IceHogs, this is their final UHL game. Next season the team affiliates with the Chicago Blackhawks, who will be moving their Norfolk Admirals prospects of the American Hockey League, to Rockford. After that, the IceHogs will be playing, in the same league as the Chicago Wolves and the Milwaukee Admirals. A victory would raise a banner on a different team. None of the current players are expected to be signed by the Blackhawks.

For the K-Wings, a victory would clinch their second consecutive Colonial Cup.

In any case, the UHL has floundered with teams in Flint and Port Huron, Michigan likely to fold. The Elmira, New York team has joined the ECHL. The Quad City Mallards are exploring joining the AHL under the Calgary organization. If the league survives, only five teams could be playing next season.

Derek Ryan scored the first goal of the night Tuesday, a wrister that beat Frederic Cloutier and gave the K-Wings a 1-0 lead. TEN SECONDS passed before the Hogs tied the score, off the face-off, Kevin Ulanski fed a pass to Chaz Johnson who beat Ryan Nie. Nick Bootland put the Wings ahead again later in the period.

In the first minute of the second period, Ulanski, Johnson and Nicolas Corbeil led a 5:2 rush that Nie refused. But on the rebound Ulanski put it in the net to tie. At 8:48 Tyler Brown fired a rocket over the shoulder of Cloutier for the permanent lead. Four minutes later, Rockford on the power play, lost the puck. Lucas Drake picked up the loose puck and beat Cloutier with a short handed goal.

Rockford came back with a 5:3 power play late in the period. A goal by the Hogs was disallowed as Johnson was in the crease. Early in the third period Karlander, who leads the series with 13 goals, scored the first of his two. His second came on the Penalty Kill, mid-way through the period he scored on an empty net. A 5:3 power play by Rockford following, did not convert.

“We’re playing for everything now and I don’t think there is anyone in the (locker) room who thinks we can’t win in Rockford,” Karlander told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

“Every guy on this team has seen (the veterans rings) from last year,” Lucas Drake told the Gazette, “we’ve got pictures of that trophy in the (locker room). We know what we’re playing for.”

“We played great at home,” Rockford coach Steve Martinson told the Rockford Register Star, “Now we have to go back and make sure we’re ready on Thursday.

“Their big guys scored. That’s the way it’s been,” Martinson said to the Star, “When their line is scoring, we’re not getting enough from our other lines.”

“We just didn’t come out and have everybody playing. I’m flabbergasted. We need every guy on the ice,” IceHogs captain Nathan Lutz told the Rockford Register Star. “They (the K-Wings) played an unbelievable game against the other team’s top line.” Only one Rockford line produced any goals. “Our other lines have to produce, plain and simple,” Lutz said, “we’re not going to get it done unless they do.”

Cloutier received the loss with 25 saves on 30 shots. Nie received the win, stopping 24 of 26 shots. Game seven, the winner of which receives a banner, rings and the Colonial Cup, will be played at the Rockford MetroCentre Thursday 7:30 PM.

IceHogs one win from Colonial Cup championship; Down K-Wings 6-1

The Rockford IceHogs continued to dominate home ice, winning another playoff victory and edging closer to a Colonial Cup championship with a decisive 6-1 win over the Kalamazoo K-Wings Sunday at the MetroCentre.

Kevin Ulanski scored two goals. The IceHogs scored twice in the 151 seconds and the Hogs play forced the K-Wings to pull rookie goalie Ryan Nie. And Matt Gens and Jason Ralph each scored two points in the win.

Ulanski scored with less than 70 seconds on the clock of the first period, unassisted, when he intercepted a pass and put the puck past Nie. Less than 90 seconds later Rockford scored again. Mike Letizia putting a shot in the twine, his first of the playoffs.

Then the K-Wings, on the power play, put a pass from Tyler Kindle to Glenn Detulleo for a score. Later in the period the K-Wings killed a Hogs 5:3 power play, bringing the period to the last four and half minutes of play. In the final 42 seconds, Ulanski scored again, adding insurance and making the lead 3-1.

In the second period Gens made a long pass to Ralph at 2:08. Ralph completed the score, making it 4-1 Rockford. Then just 2:44 later, Bryce Cockburn scored on a Nathan Lutz rebound.

In the first two periods of play the K-Wings only put 15 shots on goal, compared to 27 shots on goal for Rockford. In the final period of play, although Kzoo had three power plays and put an additional 14 shots on goal, it was unable to convert anything to the scoreboard. Following the end of the second period, the K-Wings pulled rookie goalie Nie in favor of Tom Askey. Rockford, converted just one of its seven third frame shots, a power play goal by Preston Mizzi, to make the final score 6-1.

Nie received the loss, stopping 22 of 27 shots. Askey stopped six of seven Hog shots. The winner was Frederic Cloutier, who stopped 28 of 29 shots on goal.

Only three K-Wing players had more than three shots on goal in the contest, Kindle had five, Kory Karlander and Nick Bootland had three each. Among Rockford players, six registered at least three shots on goal.

The United Hockey League Colonial Cup is present at the contests and will be awarded on ice when the series is completed. If Kzoo wins, it would represent back-to-back championships for the K-Wings. If Rockford wins, it will be bitter sweet as the Norfolk Admirals will be displacing the players when it moves to the American Hockey League next season.

Rockford now leads the series 3-2. The series moves back to Kalamazoo for game six. Scheduled in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, that game is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:00 PM local (Eastern) time. If a winner take all game seven is held, it will be held Thursday in Rockford at 7:30 PM.

Saturday nights all right for fighting; Colonial Cup series tied

The United Hockey League Colonial Cup series between the Kalamazoo K-Wings and the Rockford IceHogs returns to Rockford for game five today with the series tied. But how to capture the spirit of the thing? Two Gordie Howe Hat Tricks; two goalies given penalties for leaving the crease; 154 minutes of penalties, including two game misconducts on Tyler Willis and four other game misconducts; three goals scored within a 91 second stretch; two broken pieces of Plexiglas and two goals; one an empty net goal and the other a shortie, within 24 seconds to finish the game.

Clearly words are not enough. Thank god for pictures!

The K-Wings returned home dropping two games to the IceHogs in Rockford. The discussion in Rockford was the team was going to sweep the defending champions in K-Wings stadium. That didn’t work out. A K-Wing team, rejuvenated by home town crowds, won game three. Now, Saturday night and game four. Kory Karlander breaks away from an IceHog attack on the K-Wing goal with the puck. Alone, he faces Frederic Cloutier and scores at 4:25. Mike McLean then scores 32 seconds later and 59 seconds after that it was the turn of Nick Bootland. Leading 3-0 the K-Wing stadium is going nuts.

Another attack. As god is my witness it would have been 4-0. Unfortunately, god intervened, cracking a piece of Plexiglas where an earlier body check had occurred. In the perhaps twenty minutes it took Mo, Larry and Curly to replace the glass, the momentum slipped away from the K-Wings.

After turning aside a 5:3 Rockford power play that at one point went 6:3, they finish the frame up 3-0. Three penalties for the K-Wings, compared to one for the Hogs.

The K-Wings start the frame with Karlander getting his second goal of the night, making the score 4-0. Then Rockford rallies. Nathan Lutz scores a goal unassisted, followed by Jason Notermann and a power play softy by Benoit Doucet to bring the score to 4-3 Kzoo. The attack continues but a fourth goal by the Hogs is not allowed as they push Ryan Nie, the Kalamazoo goalie, into the net with the puck, ending a 5:3 power play. On a power play of their own, the K-Wings open the lead again, when Ryan Mahrle scores a goal. And, the period is marked by roughing penalties. Fourteen minutes of roughing penalties out of 18 total.

Final period of play. The K-Wings have opened the lead to 5-3. Another Ryan, Ryan Gillis this time, puts the K-Wings on the defense for a double minor at 7:47. Seconds after he exits the sin bin Ryan Mahrle enters. In fact the only Ryan not to see sin bin time in the game turns out to be the rookie that helped win game three for the K-Wings, Derek Ryan. What is it with the name Ryan?

The Hogs score three seconds after the penalty on Ryan, Mahrle that is, expires. Once again the Hogs are within one. With about 88 seconds remaining the Hogs pull Frederic Cloutier and put a 6:5 advantage on the ice. That doesn’t work well as Tyler Willis breaks away with the puck and scores on the empty net. Before the celebration has even gotten started, every player on the ice starts fighting, including Cloutier who skates to center ice and drops his equipment. Ryan Nie is held back by the linesman. However, both goalies have left their crease and receive penalties. The new goalie for the Hogs, Jake Moreland, he skates to center ice during the cleanup of the debris and attempts to call Nie out too.

At this point the ref, Jim Hawthorne, hands out 105 minutes of penalties, including five game misconducts, two to the goal scorer, Willis, and two to Kaleb Betts. This results in that true rarity of hockey. Not only was there almost a goalie fight, but Tyler Willis, with a goal, an assist, two game misconducts, a fighting major and a roughing call for a total of 27 penalty minutes receives a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. In addition, a second Gordie Howe Hat Trick was awarded to Nick Bootland. He scored a goal, two assists, a game misconduct, a fighting major, and a roughing penalty good for seventeen minutes of penalties.

An honorable mention must be given to Cloutier for attempting to call Nie out for a dance.

At this point, with just 65 seconds remaining on the clock and the K-Wings leading by two, most people would call the game. Thankfully that didn’t happen, because it was at this point the ref noticed that another sheet of Plexiglas had cracked at the site of the altercation. Instead of delaying the end of this event further as Mo, Larry and Curly once again tackled the tricky problem of glass replacement, the crew decided they could patch something together temporarily.

And so, with a patch on the broken Plexiglas, play resumed. Beside for losing their goalie, the IceHogs also couldn’t play Betts, Preston Mizzi and Jason Notermann. The K-Wings had lost three players too. Shorthanded, the Hogs managed to score a final goal with 41 seconds left, officially a short handed goal. Making the final score K-Wings 6, IceHogs 5.

Nie received the win, stopping 26 shots on goal. Cloutier received the loss, stopping 20 shots. Jake Moreland was credited with playing 33 seconds in the Rockford goal.

The two teams are now tied in the best of seven Colonial Cup championship series. The series was set-up in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. It moves back to Rockford, today, for game five at 5:05 PM local (Central) time. Game six is scheduled for Kalamazoo Tuesday at 7:00 PM local (Eastern) time and game seven, if necessary, will be played in Rockford Thursday night at 7:30 PM.

If the IceHogs win the championship, a different team would enjoy the banner raising as none of the current players are likely to be playing for the Blackhawk and American Hockey League affiliated team next season. If the K-Wings win, it would mark a repeat of their championship from last season. Good tickets are still available. Fun for the whole family.

K-Wings shut down Hogs in 3-0 win; Put away the brooms

Put away those brooms. The Rockford IceHogs will not be sweeping the Kalamazoo K-Wings in the United Hockey League Colonial Cup finals. The K-Wings, in fact, came back big with a 3-0 shutout of the Hogs in play on Wednesday.

Backed by rookie Derek Ryan’s two goals and the stellar performance in net of Ryan Nie, the K-Wings suffocated a big early effort by the Hogs and held on to win.

The IceHogs blasted out of the gate with five shots on goal in the first ten minutes, two of which dented the iron. However Nie hung on in a first period with no penalties, no goals and a combined 17 shots on goal, ten by the Wings.

Then in the second period, Ryan knit the twine with two goals. Ryan, the scoring leader for the Western Hockey League Spokane Chiefs, told the Kalamazoo Gazzette “It was a little weird at first (on the wing) because I’ve been playing center…” Nie has played just nine of the K-Wings post season games. He has been a healthy scratch for the other games.

“It’s pretty hard (to sit in the stands)” Ryan told the Gazzette, “you don’t know what you did wrong, sometimes.”

The 3-0 win puts the K-Wings back in contention for their second consecutive championship Colonial Cup. If the IceHogs win the trophy, it would mark the first banner the team has ever won. Next season the IceHogs are affiliating with the Chicago Blackhawks and playing in the American Hockey League. The current AHL team, the Norfolk Admirals, will largely replace the on-ice players and coaches in Rockford.

Coach Steve Martinson told the Rockford Register Star the bad bounces had a big effect, “a couple of those (shots) go in and it’s a different game.”

Martinson promised a faster and more physical game Saturday night when the two teams face off again at the K-Wings Stadium, “We’ve got more speed we can get in the lineup… and I think we can skate better… That was our least physical game.”

There were a total of only four power plays in the game, three for the K-Wings. It was also the smallest number of shots on goal for the IceHogs in the playoffs, 19. Kalamazoo registered 35 shots on goal. Nie received the win. Frederic Cloutier received the loss.

The IceHogs lead the best of seven series 2-1. Game four occurs in Kalamazoo on Saturday at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. Game five is scheduled at the MetroCentre of Rockford Sunday at 6:05 PM Central Time. Game six, if necessary is scheduled to be played in Kalamazoo Tuesday at 6:00 PM Eastern Time.

QC -- IceHogs rivalry not dead yet; Flames may move Knights

The hockey rivalry between the Quad Cities and Rockford may not be done after all. Media outlets in the Quad Cities and in Omaha, Nebraska are saying that the Calgary Flames have scouted the Mark of the Quad Cities and intend to move the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights to the Mark, probably by the 2007-8 season.

The Omaha World-Herald reported this morning it had obtained a memo from Calgary President Ken King outlining the reasons the Knights would be moving from Omaha. The Calgary Flames own a majority interest in the Knights. The memo said the Knights had operating losses of $4 million over two years, season ticket renewals were disappointing, lagging attendance and the inability of the Omaha market to sustain three hockey teams.

Omaha is also home to the junior level Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Division 1 NCAA team.

Separately, the Quad City Times reported Darryl Sutter, the general manager of the Flames, was spotted by reporters at a downtown Moline hotel. Two sources close to the Omaha Knights organization told the QCTimes.com that the Knights would not return to the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

The Knights are also owned by a local benevolent group, the Knights of Ak-sar-Ben, which would have its interest bought out. The Omaha World-Herald indicated the Knights would displace the Quad City Mallards, which have played at the Mark since 1995. However, the QCTimes piece indicated talks are underway with the Mallards management.

The Mallards management had examined moving to the American Hockey League last season. However, the team felt the financial requirements of moving leagues, such as upgrading the Mark to increase the size of the rink, would make the move prohibitive. In addition, the Mallards had applied for membership in the ECHL. However, that application was rejected as the closest rival to the Mallards was the Dayton Bombers, about an eight hour bus trip away.

The Peoria Rivermen had moved to the AHL from the ECHL two seasons ago. The move would leave the United Hockey League with just eight teams, several of which are considered financially unstable. Earlier in the season Richard Brosal, the UHL Commissioner, had indicated he was leaving at the end of the season. The only remaining UHL franchises in Illinois are the Chicago Hounds and the Bloomington Prairie Thunder. Both teams are expansion teams, and just ended their first season.

If the Knights move to the Quad Cities, Illinois would have four American Hockey League teams. Teams would play in Des Moines, Peoria, Rockford, Chicago, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids and Moline. Just a little further east is the new Cleveland team and two established teams in Ontario and four teams in New York State.

Among states with AHL teams, Illinois and New York lead with four each. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania each have three teams. There are two teams each in Texas, Ontario and Connecticut. An additional Canadian team is located in Winnipeg.

IceHogs hold 2-0 series lead; Blow out K-Wings 6-1

The Rockford IceHogs continued their post-season home win streak in spectacular fashion Sunday night at the MetroCentre, defeating the Kalamazoo K-Wings 6-1 and taking a 2-0 lead in the best of seven championship series.

Kaleb Betts had two goals in the game, one a power play and an assist. Nicolas Corbeil registered three points for the IceHogs including a goal. Three other IceHogs players registered a goal. Matt Gens and Kevin Ulanski registered two assists each and three other Rockford players had assists. Goalie Frederic Cloutier stopped 30 Kalamazoo shots for the win.

If the IceHogs sweep the series, the Sunday night game would be the played by this team in the MetroCentre. A new team formed on the base of the American Hockey League Norfolk Admirals will take the players uniforms and positions in the next season. All that remains could be 120 minutes of championship hockey in K-Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo.

Rockford scored first in a physical game that saw just 11 power plays but a hit that a Rockford fan said took out a pane of glass. That lit lamp came on the power play from Betts at about 7 ½ into the first period. In the second frame the K-Wings had a power play on clean ice. Kory Karlander, who has totaled points in eight playoff games, tied Nick Bootlander's record for consecutive points in games in the playoffs.

After tying the game just 18 seconds into the second frame, however, it was bye-bye K-Wings as the Hogs went wild. Betts scored his second goal of the night on another power play at 6.55. Then over the next 12:39 minutes, the Hogs scored four more times to bring the score to 6-1 at the end of the frame. Rockford shelled K-Wings goalie Ryan Nie from the net after the fourth goal. He was replaced by Tom Askey.

Additional goals were scored by Corbeil, Corey Hessler, Dan Boeser and Bruce Watson. The IceHogs have dominated the second period of play, according to the Rockford Register Star, out scoring opponents 24-9 in the second frame, half of the goal output of the entire playoffs.

“If I knew why the second periods were so good,” Rockford coach Steve Martinson told the Register Star, “I’d make it like that in the third periods.”

Nie received the loss, stopping 20 shots. Askey stopped ten shots.

Game three of the United Hockey League Colonial Cup finals moves to the Kalamazoo K-Wings Stadium Wednesday at 6 PM, local (Eastern) time. Game four occurs Saturday at K-Wings Stadium at 6:30 PM local (Eastern) time.

IceHogs chase first and last UHL Colonial Cup; 1-0 series lead vs K-Wings

The Rockford IceHogs are entering the last series they will play in the United Hockey League this weekend. The series against the Kalamazoo K-Wings will determine the winner of the Colonial Cup Championship of the UHL.

If the IceHogs win the championship, they will be hanging the banner next year while part of another league, the American Hockey League, and under the affiliation of the Chicago Blackhawks. In the franchise's history in the UHL, it has never won a Colonial Cup.

The IceHogs lead the best of seven series 1-0 versus the K-Wings. Undefeated in the 2007 playoffs at the MetroCentre, the IceHogs have home ice advantage in the 2-2-1-1-1 series and play game two on Sunday.

Game one featured 41 Rockford shots on goal and an overtime period. The IceHogs had finished a 4-1 series victory over their cross state rivals, the Quad City Mallards and then a 4-1 series win over the Fort Wayne Komets May 5th. It took till May 9th for the Muskegon Fury to fall to the K-Wings 4-3.

The IceHogs needed the rest after the physical series against the Komets. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette Rockford coach Steve Martinson promised a physical game against the K-Wings. “We have a little rink and big forwards who like to hit,” Martinson told the Gazette.

However, the first game only had 18 minutes of penalties. One was against the K-Wings in the overtime for too many men on the ice. The resulting power play put the game in the bag for the IceHogs when Jason Noterman , Nathan Lutz and Matt Gens played the puck along the edge of the offensive zone till Gens had a clear shot at the goal, just four minutes into the overtime. His shot into the upper left of the goal lit the lamp.

Frederic Cloutier received the win, stopping 23 shots, one in overtime. Ryan Nie received the loss. He stopped 38 shots. The K-Wings were one for three on the power play and the IceHogs were one for six. The Michigan minor league sports blog run by Matt Mackinder reports that the K-Wings have lost Jason Lawmaster for the remainder of the season due to a 15 game infraction received during the series against the Fury.

The two teams meet again on Sunday, 7.05 PM. The next two games are played in Kalamazoo Wednesday at 7 PM and Saturday at 7:30 PM. The remaining schedule, if necessary is Sunday the 20th at 6:05 PM in Rockford, Tuesday the 22nd at 7 PM in Kalamazoo and finally Thursday the 24th at 8.30 PM in Rockford.

Hockey at the All-Star Break

Congratulations to the AHL, ECHL and UHL All-Stars. Time to look around at the first part of the season.

The Chicago Wolves enter the All-Star break seemingly headed for the top playoff spot in the division, but with trouble, too, on their plate. The team is the highest scoring team in the league, with 217 goals scored, but it is also the fifth highest team for goals scored against at 157. Six points separate it from its closest opponent, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. However, the Knights have an advantage: they’ve played four games less than the Wolves.

Further down in the West Division there is a race for fifth place. At this moment, if the playoffs started, the fifth place Western team has more points than the fourth place North Division team, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Plus, again, the Peoria Rivermen, in fifth place, have two games on the Griffins. That would mean the Rivermen or another West Division team, is poised to knock the fourth place North Division team out of the playoffs and take their place.

Nine points separate the Rochester Americans from the second place North Division team, the Hamilton Bulldogs. As previously discussed in this blog, the Americans have had a good record playing West Division teams. In fact with only twelve games lost all season, it is interesting to look at just who has defeated the Amerks: The Syracuse Crunch on 10/27 & 12/8; Milwaukee on 11/22 OT; Hamilton on 11/25, 12/15 and 12/26; Grand Rapids on December 1, 2 & 31; Toronto Marlies on 12/22; Manitoba Moose on 1 /4, 1/5; and Omaha on 1/20. Hamilton has lost two additional games to the Amerks, the Moose four. The Griffins remain undefeated by the Amerks.

In the Eastern Conference, the Amerks have faced the Crunch, the Binghamton Senators, the Springfield Falcons, the Manchester Monarchs and the Albany River Rats. Only the last place Crunch have beaten the Amerks in 15 Eastern Conference contests. Still, it must worry the Americans that the Griffins have the Amerks number and the Bulldogs have done so well against them.

In the Eastern Conference, the big story is how tight the race is in the Atlantic Division. Now, granted, these puppies have to play a bus league schedule. The last Atlantic Division team to survive the playoffs to the Calder Cup was the Hartford Whalers in the 1999-2000 season. So, who is to say that these teams could even compete in a tournament with teams that travel?

The point spread in the Atlantic division from the first place team, the Monarchs, to the last place team, the Falcons, is only 20 points. From the Hartford Wolfpack, the second place team, to the Falcons it tightens considerably to 12 points. Six teams within twelve points of each other. Only the Falcons have a losing record in this division. (But in the odd math of hockey, only seven of the teams in the league have losing seasons in any case).

We can assume the Monarchs, with good goal tending, will be in the playoffs as their fortune would need to reverse considerably to drop from playoff contention. But who else will play?

The East Division is being led by the Norfolk Admirals in what looks like their last year of affiliation with the Chicago Blackhawks. Everything you assume by watching the Blackhawks play is proven false in Norfolk. The Admirals have only lost ten games all season. They have the best record in the league, the second best goals for and an average goals against. However, this is a tough division, the Hershey Bears follow them by four points with a game in hand, Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins another four off the chase.

A way back, nearly twenty more points back from the Penguins, lies most of the rest of the division.

Over in the ECHL, the Gwinnett Gladiators are topping the American Conference and the Southern Division, though they are in a race. A week ago they were tied with the Texas Wildcatters for first, now they lead the Texans by one point. The South Division is a big division of eight teams, and six of them are within six points, currently, of the Gladiators. The Florida Everblades are a special threat, as they have three games in hand on the Gladiators and are three points back.

The Gladiators offense has been anchored by Brad Schell, Scott Mifsud and Colton Fretter, the number one, two and six scorers in the ECHL. Sounds like the Wolves top line, doesn’t it? Fretter is a rookie. The authoritative Internet Hockey Database doesn’t list Fretter or Mifsud as Atlanta prospects. Though there is strong evidence elsewhere they are in the Atlanta system.

Like the Wolves, the Gladiators have a strong power play, ranked number one in the ECHL at a scorching 26.2 percent. At least on the ECHL and AHL levels, Atlanta seems to be developing a high scoring team down the road with a mighty power play.

With only nine points separating the top team of the ECHL North Division from the last place team of the division, it seems up for grabs. Likewise, in the National Conference, the top team and the fourth place (of five) team are just six points apart.

But in the West Division the Alaska Aces look assured of another run at the Kelly Cup with 13 points separating them from the next team. They are the top team of the ECHL and look likely to play for the final again. In a rematch Monday of the Kelly Cup finals in Gwinnett, the Aces defeated the Gladiators 5-4 OT. They play again Saturday in Gwinnett.

At about this time of the year I begin to pay attention to the United Hockey League. The Muskegon Fury are leading the League by 19 points. It is almost a shoe-in for them to be in the playoffs. The Fort Wayne Komets are leading the Western Conference, but there is competition, with the Rockford IceHogs, now in their last days in the UHL, following at 52 points. The top two goalies of the league are in Muskegon, Clayton Pool with a 93 percent save and a GAA of 2.13, and Keven St. Pierre in Fort Wayne with a 92.7 percent save and a GAA of 2.22.

What strikes me, probably because I’ve only been to Chicago Hounds games, is that the penalty minutes for this league are greater than the average for the AHL and the ECHL, 19.98 minutes in the AHL, 22.76 minutes per game for the ECHL and 25.02 minutes for the UHL. The action this year, at least at Hounds games, is soft, with virtually no hitting.

Finally, there is another team in town, the Chicago Blackhawks. Last in power plays, they have also managed to be in last place in the Western Conference Central Division. That’s quite a trick. The competition for last is pretty tight, with losers Columbus BlueJackets and the St. Louis Blues in contention.

The Blackhawks are 27th in the league, leading the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers (by 13 points!). They have only won one of the last ten games they’ve played, losing two others after regulation. What makes this worse, is that they play the Blues and the BlueJackets so much. It is pathetic hockey to watch, when it is even available. Thankfully their fans don’t even bother to tell me about major league versus minor league hockey. I don't know how they put up with it. They don’t suck enough to get the number one draft pick and yet they suck. They consistently and year after year are among the worst hockey has to offer.

MetroCentre deal close to closing

The MetroCentre deal is very close to being closed. In a nutshell, the Rockford MetroCentre has agreed to purchase the Rockford IceHogs. The IceHogs will affiliate with the Chicago Blackhawks and move to the American Hockey League. The affiliation agreement with the Blackhawks will last for ten years. Owner Kris Tumilowicz will not hold a share of the new IceHogs, due to the UHL having onerous conditions on owners moving leagues. Instead he will be kept on as a “consultant.” As noted below, minority owner Craig Drektrah will purchase the Chicago Hounds. The Norfolk Admirals will continue to play as affiliates of … well we don’t know that part yet. And we don’t know how the American Hockey League is going to organize its Western Conference so that Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford remain in the same division. And, we don’t know how the IceHogs are going to get a AHL franchise. Finally, the UHL says it plans to sue and also will levy a $400,000 fine against the IceHogs for leaving the league.

Over at the Wolfkeeper discussion list several of us put together a master list, if you will, of the owners and affiliates inside the AHL. Our gift to the MetroCentre. It is sort of a master cold calling list. MetroCentre manager Corey Pearson can use it to inquire if a franchise is available. Can you imagine the call: “Hello? Is this the Pittsburgh Penguins? Is there a Mr. Mario Lamox there? … What? Oh! Lamieux, of course… This is Corey Pearson of the Rockford MetroCentre, I’m calling to see if the Wilkes Penguins franchise is for sale. See, we need one to put the IceHogs in the AHL for the Blackhawks… What?… Wilkes- berry?… Oh Wilkes-Barre… Oh, I see… That popular huh?… He’s at a meeting in T O? What’s that?… Oh… Toronto… Why is it called TO? … What’s happening there this weekend?… I didn’t know everyone was meeting there, I guess I should have gone too…”

Sorry to slam Mr. Pearson, but this entire thing looks botched. Anyway, that’s the story right now. The MetroCentre still has to convince the current IceHogs fans to stay for the AHL, convert the rink to AHL standards (it is too small) and find a franchise.

Here is your cold call list Corey, good luck… (average attendance as of 1/19) (capacity as of 1/19)

Heshey Owned by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Affiliated with Washington 8,437 / 10,500 (80.4%)
Wilkes-Barre Ownership Mario Lemieux affiliation Pittsburgh 8,019 /8,143 (98.5%)
Rochester Ownership Steve Donner affiliation Buffalo and Florida 7,771 /11,200 (69.4%)
Manitoba Ownership True North Sports & Entertainment Affiliation Vancouver 7,164 / 8,812 (81.3%)
Manchester Ownership and affiliation Los Angeles 7,130 / 9,916 (71.9%)
Chicago Owned by Don Levin Affiliated with Atlanta 6,623 / 16,692 (39.7%)
Providence Ownership H. Larue Renfroe affiliation Boston 6,443 / 11,909 (54.1%)
Philadelphia Ownership and affiliation Philadelphia 6,106 / 17,380 (35.1%)
Houston Ownership and affiliation with Minnesota 5,840 / 8,939 (65.3%)
Grand Rapids Owned by Dan DeVos Affiliated with Detroit 5,619 / 10,834 (51.9%)
Syracuse Ownership Howard Dolgon affiliation Columbus 5,074 /6,230 (84.4%)
Portland Ownership Brian Petrovek affiliation Anaheim 5,033 / 6,733 (74.8%)
Milwaukee Ownership Harris Turer, Ben Sheets & local group Affiliation Nashville 5,015 / 17,845 (28.1%)
Iowa Ownership Schlegel Sports Affiliated with Dallas 4,708 / 8,851 (53.2%)
Hamilton Owned by Michael Andlauer Affiliated with Montreal 4,158 / 8,819 (47.1%)
Peoria Ownership Anne Griffith & Bruce Saurs Affiliation St. Louis 4,151 / 9,919 (41.2%)
Worcester Ownership and affiliation San Jose 4,095 / 6,800 (60.2%)
Bridgeport Owned by Charles Wang Affiliated with Islanders 4,087 /8,412 (48.6%)
Binghamton Locally Owned Affiliated Senators 4,000 /4,710 (84.9%)
Norfolk Ownership Ken Young Affiliation Chicago 3,991 / 8,823 (45.2%)
Hartford Owned by MSG Affiliated with Rangers 3,924 / 9,801 (40.0%)
San Antonio Ownership San Antonio Spurs Affiliation Phoenix 3,819 / 7,035 (54.3%)
Albany Owned by Walter Robb Affiliated with Hurricanes/ Avalanche 3,709 / 6,982 (53.1%)
Toronto Ownership and affiliation Toronto 3,650 / 8,295 (44.0%)
Springfield Ownership Pro Friends, Inc affiliation Tampa Bay 3,174 / 6,679 (47.5%)
Omaha Ownership Partnership local and Calgary Affiliation Calgary 3,081 / 7,994 (38.5%)
Lowell Ownership and affiliation New Jersey 2,545 / 6,400 (39.8%)

Put the UHL on a dead pool list

The hockey dead pools are beginning to surface. It is the time of the year. The robins return in the spring. The snow drops in February and the hockey dead pools at the turn of the year.

I’m all for hockey dead pools. They aren’t like regular dead pools, but rather speculation on the viability of teams and their operations. But I haven’t really seen one that calls the entire United Hockey League into viability yet. Putting an entire league of ten teams on a dead pool list would be a gutsy move. A move made by a rookie. So, what the heck, I’ll do it.

The UHL has been in trouble, off and on for a while of course. And, when you read this, you need to understand that some parts of the UHL will survive. There are financially strong teams in the league, teams that are well managed, drawing good crowds and that will live to see another season, perhaps as members of the ECHL or another league.

Then there are the dogs, or should we say the Hounds. The Chicago Hounds were screwed from day one. I should say the first home game. The Sears Centre, as previously discussed, has been unable to understand and provide the level of service required for this hockey team. Do I need to repeat what has happened? Glass not installed at game time, seats not yet in place, closed concession stands and what else? What do you need to play ice hockey? Ice. The ice was in terrible shape and the surface was unplayable. The Hounds have not recovered. I’ve personally been to one game that had a crowd that was easily under two hundred people. A recent attendance was officially at less than 1,000. Current attendance is averaging a stated 2,028 or 20.91 percent.

Another team that may be on the watch list of some groups is the Bloomington Thunder of Bloomington, Illinois. Like the Hounds, this is a new team to the area, an expansion, rather than a move, the Thunder have been drawing 3,632 (51.86 percent), according to figures from “intotheboards”. Local media says that is a disappointing number. Of greater concern to me is watching the team’s turnover. Sixteen members, including people associated with the ECHL Rivermen. One of the strengths of the team was its association with the former Peoria Rivermen (ECHL) team. A hoped for agreement with the AHL Rivermen to be an unofficial affiliate does not look like it is working either. The AHL Rivermen are sending their AA players to the Alaska Aces ECHL team.

The Quad City Mallards had one of the most successful teams in the UHL a few years ago. After falling on hard times, under new management and ownership the team promised better to its season ticket holders this year. Instead it is struggling to make .500 this year and the average crowds are 3,174 (34.59 percent). That’s down significantly from the 8,646 attendance the team posted in 1997-8 when it won the Colonial Cup, but also down almost 500 from the season average a week prior and the about 3,542 last season.

The Rockford IceHogs have been examined a lot here. The story update is that the County approved funds to refurbish the Metro Centre but inserted language preventing the Metro Centre or the City of Rockford from owning a professional sports team. So, although there is consensus on renewing the Metro Centre, there is not on the key question of public ownership of the team. The team’s owners have said they plan to play hockey in Rockford next season. And, there is some general agreement that the Metro Centre is low balling the team’s owners on the value of the franchise. It is a mess. What happens if there is no UHL to play in? It might get worse. Current attendance is averaging 3,966 or 56.66 percent.

Looking through the figures posted on intotheboards the Port Huron Flags are near the bottom of the list. Port Huron, Michigan has been on a hockey death pool list several seasons. Last season the Flags went looking for money, according to prohockeynews. This week, when the rest of the hockey community saw attendance up, average attendance fell more than 600, according to intotheboards. Average attendance 1,731 or 53.23 percent of capacity, down from the previous season of 2,387.

The Flint (Michigan) Generals are put on the death pool list by prohockeynews. Pulling just 2,191 (54.49 percent), attendance is down significantly from the peak of 3,737 in 1996-7 and 2,422 last season.

The Elmira Jackals are putting butts in seats, almost 3,600 on average this season. In an arena that holds 4,000, or 90 percent of capacity. However the closest opponent of the team is 392 miles away. Road trips are expensive and without UHL expansion in New York State, this isn’t going to improve. Attendance is up from last season’s 2,692.

That is six of the ten teams in the UHL league. On the plus side, Fort Wayne continues to pull very well, again challenging many more established leagues for a draw. Intotheboards said their average through January 1 was 7,839, 74.62 percent, which is more than the 7,777 average for the 2003-4 season, the previous high or last season’s 7,421.

Also, to put the UHL into perspective, remember that this league contracted from a number of markets at the end of the previous two seasons.

Contractions in 2005-6
Roanoke, Virginia
Fraser, Michigan
Danbury, Connecticut
Glen Falls, New York
St. Charles, Missouri

Relocations in 2005-6
Richmond, Virginia

Contractions in 2004-5
Kansas City, Missouri

WRIST SHOTS

The Blackhawks ended the 2005-6 season near the bottom of the NHL with an average attendance of 13,318, or 65 percent of capacity, according to ESPN. This year attendance, so far, is 13,283 or 69.5 percent. Their attendance is up. Beneath them? New Jersey, Washington, New York Islanders and St. Louis. Hawks rule.

Wolves attendance is down this year. 6,803 average (40.76 percent) this year, 8,079 (48.4 percent) in the previous season.

Year in review- 2006

At the end of the year it is inevitable that journalists and writers will look back. Look, I’m doing it now. I’ve been looking back all year, of course. And, of particular concern to me was how the Major Media Outlets looked at hockey.

Well, the news was not good. They didn’t see much, if the summary of the two stories I could find in the Tribune, where hockey isn’t mentioned, and the Daily Southtown, where it is an afterthought, is any indication. In any case, here are the notes I made in November on this story idea. It is time to share, and I ignore the other sports.

Top 2006 local hockey stories, in no particular order:

- Trent Yawney fired by the Chicago Blackhawks, replaced by Denis Savard as head coach. This occurred November 27. The game that proceeded was a 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. However, the Blackhawks were headed straight into the golf season under Yawney. With a 7-14 season, including two overtime losses and an eight game losing streak proceeding it, the nice guy who had only reached post-season in charge of Norfolk’s bench was sent away. Since that time, Savard has shown he learned from the worst, in the best possible meaning of the word: Nine wins, three overtime losses, which are worth a point and three regulation losses. I had doubts that anyone could make a go of the Blackhawks under current ownership and mismanagement, but I could be wrong. Even with that terrific December behind them, the Blackhawks are only a handful of points above the worst in the league. The melt-down in October and November may have already ended any chance the Blackhawks have of a post-season. And, of long-term concern to Blackhawk fans must be that they play in a conference against two of the worst teams in the NHL: the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues. For exciting hockey to return to the United Center on a consistent basis, there needs to be both a change at the top and something exciting has to happen to all these other bottom dwellers. The current NHL schedule includes too many games against these opponents.

- Pat Foley leaves the Chicago Blackhawks, accepts job at the Chicago Wolves. This happened September 12. What proceeded were two things. First, the Chicago Blackhawks had to let Foley go. That happened at the end of the regular season, when the Blackhawks wouldn’t offer Foley another contract, announcing in May that they were ending their simulcast of radio and television. Foley had been the “voice” of the Blackhawks since the early 1980’s, gaining an Emmy and entry into the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame. The second event occurred in August when Judd Sirrot, the voice of the Chicago Wolves, was offered a job with the HD NHL network. There were few turnovers during the off-season in professional hockey, and the Wolves had already talked to Foley about covering Sirott when he took time off for personal business. When Sirott got the call, Foley slided into his chair. It was another in a number of fan-friendly decisions by the Chicago Wolves, and fan- unfriendly decisions by the Chicago Blackhawks. Foley recently said that he has a home and family in Chicago and that those will be important factors in any decision on moving from the Wolves.

- Chicago Hounds franchise opens in Sears Centre. Opening game canceled due to poor ice conditions. Franchise is in jeopardy. This occurred November 3. The events of the day before are important in apportioning blame. On that day, the Sears Centre had rented the facility to Olay’s figure skating exhibition. That group had requested the Hounds logo, at center ice, be removed and replaced with the Olay logo. No problem so far, except on Friday the 3rd, the doors to the Sears Centre were left open, warming the ice surface, or in the case of center ice, the water surface. At game time the center of the ice, as well as spots around the surface, were visibly watery. The Sears Centre also failed to complete the installation of seats, glass, open enough concession stands and was not in complete control of the parking… The Hounds have not rebounded from this fiasco. And, note that it wasn’t their fault. The fact is, however, that the Hounds did not enter the hockey community to identify potential season ticket holders, did not attempt a real campaign to get hockey season ticket holders to come to their games, and is still failing to do so. The incompetence of Hounds management in the marketing of their team is astounding. There is no presence to speak of at junior level hockey events in the area, there was a refusal to work with the Wolves fan club, the Wolfpack, for their summer picnic, they do not apparently advertise where hockey fans get news. A bigger story is also brewing here. After the Quad City Mallards decide to stay in the UHL last season. The United Hockey League shrank down to ten teams in 2006-7. It lost teams in Virginia, New England, New York and Missouri. Several of the remaining teams are in financial trouble. The Hounds may leave the league before the end of the season. The end of the season may take teams in Bloomington, Rockford and Michigan. What will remain?

- A related story, because they play in the UHL, is the decision of the owners of the Rockford MetroCentre to purchase the Rockford IceHogs and affiliate with the Chicago Blackhawks. The plan is part of a $23 million rejuvenation of the MetroCentre that has already been agreed to by the city of Rockford and now is headed, this week, to the Winnebago County Board for approval. The plan would pull one of the strongest financial clubs out of the UHL, possibly causing it to collapse. From a hockey standpoint, the affiliation would put another team into the American Midwest AHL and help the Blackhawks development efforts. It is the strongest step taken by Madison Avenue in the face of the AHL Chicago Wolves.

- Chicago Wolves fail to make playoffs for first time in franchise history. The true loyalty of a fan is the willingness to put up with a team when it is down. Chicago Wolves fans had that opportunity for the first time last year when their team did not make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The story seemed assured to occur in early March, however, on March 18th Michael Garnett won against the Manitoba Moose, starting a nine game winning streak and leading the Wolves to win 12 of their last 15 games. Losses to Iowa and Milwaukee in the final week of the campaign put an end to the Wolves amazing late push. Garnett went down in the franchise record books with his streak of wins. This year, Garnett has been lackluster in the pipes. Although he has played in only 20 of the 36 games so far this season, he accounts for 63 of the 120 goals against, averaging 3.25 against average. In addition, the Wolves and the Atlanta Thrashers put some money into the organization this year. As a result, the Wolves have the top scoring line in the AHL and have the best start in franchise history with a record of 25-8-3 for 53 points this New Years Day.

Here are a few other stories that were overlooked by the MMO in 2006:

- Steve Poapst took over head coaching duties for the Chicago Steel, replacing former head coach Chris Imes. This has been rumored, but just occurred, December 22. The Steel are the junior level United States Hockey League team that skates out of Bensenville’s Edge.

- Milwaukee Admirals fail to close the deal on 2nd Calder Cup. The Admirals fell to the Hershey Bears, at home. During the summer, the Admirals lost Darren Haydar to Atlanta and Simon Gamache to a Swiss League team, decimating the "Hobbit” line. Although the Admirals started slow this year, they are threatening to enter post-season again. Obviously good teams have more than good players.

- St. Louis Blues decide to dump 2005-6 season. They have to race the Blackhawks, who are actually trying to win, to the bottom of the charts. It is one thing to be a season ticket holder of a team that cares. How would you like to spend $1000 or more and have the season actively sabotaged by ownership? This was a crime against the season ticket holders. Blues ownership has since changed, but they still suck.

- Gwinnett Gladiators reach Kelly Cup finals. The Gladiators are the ECHL affiliate of the Chicago Wolves. Many of their prospects end up in Chicago. The Glads are having another terrific year, with a current record of 17-10-4 and 38 points, fifth place overall in the ECHL.

Personal to Dan McGrath

Finally, the Chicago Tribune has run a story on the Chicago Hounds opener debacle. The Tribune only keeps stories up for a few days so you may find the link, here, it won't work in a week.

It ran on December 14 and I have a few bones to pick. First, being there, I can tell you that more than 30 people complained. That is the writer shilling for the Sears Centre. More questions need to be asked about that. Also, there were far fewer than 8,000 in the stands. Probably 4,500 is better. The 8,000 number probably comes from the number of tickets sold. In hockey, there is a fictional attendance and a real attendance.

Finally, is the best the Chicago Tribune can do is run a story five weeks late? WHAT THE FUCK! The sports desk was called that night, by me. And they didn't care. Why have a "special" printed weeks later? The news occurred that night. It could have hit the Chicago Tribune's Saturday morning Bulldog (early Sunday) edition or the Sunday edition.

Dan McGrath should call his staff together and discuss why newspapers are losing subscriptions and ad revenue: It is shit like this. They ignored the story when it was fresh and ran it five weeks late when the controversy was dead. HINT: The next question on the Hounds is very simple: Will they survive till the end of the season?

Shots on Goal

The Rockford IceHogs MetroCentre deal continues to dominate hockey discussion in Rockford. One of the local newspapers, the Rockford Register Star, has editorialized in favor of the $23 million plan and has backed its editorial with heavy coverage.

Outside of Rockford my attention has been on Norfolk. The owners of the Norfolk Admirals, one of the two possible franchises that are most likely to move to Rockford, have said the team will stay in Norfolk next year, whether or not there is an affiliation with the Chicago Blackhawks. That would leave just one American Hockey League franchise available in the most likely scenario: the former Edmonton Road Runner franchise, owned by the Edmonton Oilers.

The coach of the Rockford hockey team warned the MetroCentre that they had underestimated the cost of acquiring the AHL franchise. If the number of possible teams declines, the price should go up. It sounds like the coach knows more about business and hockey than the managers of the MetroCentre.

The Norfolk Admirals, meantime, are in third place in the East Division, within three points of the Calder Cup champions Hershey Bears, the division leader. The Admirals were swept by the Bears in the 2006 Eastern Division semifinals. It is early in the season to make predictions, especially about a division that rarely play this far west. Yet, this seems to be the strongest Norfolk team this decade.

A cynic might ask why the Blackhawks are considering moving a successful program. The answer is that the only part of the current IceHogs organization that will stay is the front office. There is virtually no chance the current roster would be present next season.

And, making national sports news, Enver Lisin, a troubled rookie in the Phoenix Coyotes organization, was suspended for not reporting to San Antonio. Lisin, who has a +/- of –18, instead flew home to Russia where he is expected to play for Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian League.

This is not the first time NHL players have taken a hit rather than play in the AHL. And, the loss of Lisin is probably not troubling for the Phoenix organization, given his terrible record. However, the word on the street is that the San Antonio club is mean.

That sounds like an opponent talking, but that comes from the inside, team mates talking about team mates. Mean. That’s a description that sounds appropriate describing a third-grader, not professional hockey athletes. Something really smells in the Phoenix organization’s Texas crew. Lots of money in the off-season has had virtually no effect. The NHL side of the organization is just as disappointing.

Finally, the Chicago Wolves play the 500th home game in franchise history against Omaha this week. Starting in the International Hockey League, the Wolves and the IHL were part of a strategy to challenge the NHL. Today the IHL is a memory. But the Chicago Wolves have one of the highest attendance figures in the AHL year after year, while downtown the Blackhawks have one of the lowest attendance figures in the NHL. The Wolves broadcast every game on cable, the Blackhawks only broadcast selected home games, sell outs and away games.

The Wolves have played in post-season every year but one since their founding. The Blackhawks regularly play golf starting in mid-April.

Finally, this week, Forbes magazine estimated that Bill Wirtz’s Blackhawks was among only three NHL teams that lost value since the lockout season. In Rosemont, Wolves owner Don Levin is rumored to be among the possible bidders for the Chicago Cubs. Clearly, the Wolves have been successful in challenging the Blackhawks. Sadly, the two teams will never meet on the ice. With three of the top scorers in the AHL, I have no doubt who would win such a match.

Go Wolves!

MetroCentre Update

The owners of the Rockford IceHogs responded to the maneuvers of the MetroCentre in a press release last weekend:

Tri-Vision Sports and its predecessor have spent eight years building a professional hockey franchise in downtown Rockford. The viability of professional hockey in downtown Rockford was initially doubted politically and publicly. The franchise has been sustained through the significant and repeated capital investment by its owners and the team is now, finally, both winning games and not losing money.

The future of the Rockford IceHogs is a business matter between the hockey club, as a MetroCentre tenant, and Centre Events as its lessor. We ask that all other parties respect that business relationship and allow these two groups to negotiate an agreement without interference. The MetroCentre has given Tri-Vision a written proposal, and our attorneys have responded. Until that dialogue has completely concluded, we feel that further discussions, resolutions, and votes at the City or County level with respect to an AHL/MetroCentre agreement should be tabled.

By the same token, the IceHogs fully and strongly support the proposed MetroCentre improvements, and urge everyone to proceed with that plan. Regardless of whether the IceHogs remain a UHL team or become an AHL team, the proposed renovation is both necessary and overdue.

Tri-Vision's first hope would be to reach an agreement with the MetroCentre to extend the current lease on a long-term basis, and continue operating the club that has taken eight years to build. It has been a long road to make this team successful, and we are concerned about the idea of a fundamental restructuring of the organization and how it might affect Rockford hockey.

Alternatively, if a long-term lease extension is not possible, then Tri-Vision would be willing to sell the entire team to the MetroCentre for its fair market value. In an effort to facilitate and expedite the AHL discussions, Tri-Vision would also be willing to sell its assets and logo (but not the UHL franchise) for two-thirds of the team's fair market value, and permit them to be used with a new AHL team. Tri-Vision has been negotiating in good faith to achieve these goals with the MetroCentre; unfortunately, due to the technicalities and contingencies in the proposals we've exchanged thus far, we don't feel that we are quite there yet.

Aside from this statement of our general position and plans, we would like to take this opportunity to correct specific misstatements that were made publicly:

1. In the Rockford Register Star on November 18, 2006, "Officials from Centre Events" were quoted to "say that they had a written deal in place for three months to purchase the IceHogs for $500,000, but that deal fell apart last weekend after the MetroCentre plan became public." That is absolutely false. There is not a written agreement in place to purchase the Rockford IceHogs for any amount, nor has there ever been. Two days ago, we were presented with a written purchase agreement for the first time, and we responded in writing the next morning. Prior to that, we have merely exchanged outlines, terms sheets, and similar notes to facilitate our discussion. We consider the specific terms and conditions of the proposed agreement, including the purchase price, to be a private business matter until it has been finalized and signed by all parties.

2. In that same article, Corey Pearson was also quoted to say that "at some point the Blackhawks began negotiating directly with Tumilowicz…though he did not know why talks ceased." That is also false. Mr. Pearson was closely involved in those discussions and he was also closely involved in their cessation. The reason those talks ceased is that our ownership and management group determined that it would be financially impossible for us to launch and maintain an AHL team in downtown Rockford.

3. Also in the article, it was suggested that we are holding the MetroCentre "hostage". We categorically reject that characterization. In fact, if such a situation is taking place, we are the hostage. We are struggling with the difficult choice of either having our current lease terminated or selling our team for a fraction of its value. We have been faced with this heavy-handed negotiation tactic for months, and we have recently involved legal counsel to scrutinize the proposed agreement terms, and help us better understand our options. At no point in this process was the IceHogs team ever listed for sale, and we do not want to sell it now. Despite that, we have been willing to cooperate and try finding a way to sell the team for a fair value, if that is what's best for downtown Rockford and the hockey fans. Keep in mind, we all began the Fall of 2005 in good faith negotiations for a new lease at the MetroCentre. It was Centre Events who raised the notion of a Blackhawks affiliation, and who urged that we put off the lease discussions to focus on the possibility of bringing an AHL franchise to Rockford - first with us as the owners, and later with them as the owners but using our logo and management team.

4. Finally, the article quotes a Centre Events Board member to say "the bottom line is we don't need the IceHogs." If that is an accurate quote, we are deeply disappointed to hear it. As stated above, we've spent a great deal of time and money to build a successful professional hockey club in downtown Rockford. Furthermore, we have been a reliable and profitable tenant for the MetroCentre over the years. Now that we've established a solid fan base for the team, we quite frankly think it is despicable to be treated this way in both private business discussions and publicly disparaging remarks.

Ultimately, our position on all these matters can be summarized in three simple points: (1) We love professional hockey, and we are committed to doing whatever is best for the hockey fans of Rockford; (2) We fully support the MetroCentre renovation proposals and urge everyone to support them and all other efforts to make downtown Rockford a showcase community; and (3) we will do what is necessary to protect and preserve the Rockford IceHogs club and everything that our entire organization has done over the years to make this team successful.

Mea Culpae

The post below, about the Rockford MetroCentre included this sentence: "The Edmonton Oilers, which owns the Roadrunner franchise is currently affiliated with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights."

That is wrong. The Edmonton Oilers, which owns the Roadrunner franchise, are affiliated with four AHL teams, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Milwaukee Admirals, Hamilton Bulldogs and the Iowa Stars. This sentence replaced the error on the date posted below.

The smell test applied

My last piece of the day: a sidebar on the United Hockey League.

It is fortunate that I am not a professional journalist, because I wouldn’t be able to write another part of the UHL story. The federal indictment of former Danbury, Conn. Trashers-owner Jim Galante is turning up a treasure trove of information about the UHL. When Richard Brosal talks about the “smell test” in the article below, he should know. The league president is reported on a federal wiretap to be discussing coercing a league official, Jim Harper, an on-ice official, into dropping charges against Galante for battery that occurred after a game.

Brosal has told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette that it is a misunderstanding. He was making a joke: there was never an intention of coercing Harper into dropping the charges. But the smell test says different.

On the recording is a meeting between Brosal and an “associate” of a Galante. The associate, Ciro Viento was recorded calling on Brosal to ask Brosal’s aid in soliciting a letter from Harper that would exonerate Galante. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette the Danbury News Times are following the story. Stay tuned.