The Komets have placed Brandon Naurato on waivers and have activated Danko Mironovic and Derek Patrosso off injured reserve. They have put Craig Cescon on 10-day injured reserve.
The Komets have placed Brandon Naurato on waivers and have activated Danko Mironovic and Derek Patrosso off injured reserve. They have put Craig Cescon on 10-day injured reserve.
Comments
If you're referring to Lardner, he's a seasoned vet, not a D-3 Rookie. And although Mr. Lardner hasn't performed to his reputed ability, I believe it is just a matter of time before he does.
No matter what the Frankes do there will be the vocal ignorant who bash them. The other forums on the net allow the spewage of far more garbage. It is fairly tame here.
I guess the Yankees bought major league baseball because they spent the most money on players? Only difference is the Komets won. They are also penalized for spending to the cap? Nobody here knows who spent what on players as these figures have never been made public nor should they. We can make assumptions and draw conclusions but none of us know for sure.
Had the Komets lost one of the last 3 years the Frankes would have been bashed for not spending enough or getting enough talent. So they can't win.
Hit back to what you are saying. You won't support an 8 team midwest league just because 5 of those franchises would be ex IHL cities? Why? Take the 5 IHL cities and add Toledo, Cincy and Wheeling.
What is wrong with that? Is it too few teams for you?
Hit, play commish for a minute (and anyone else).
The Komets are a AA team (eliminate the AHL)
If we can all agree that long term travelling to Texas and Colorado doesn't make much sense then what kind of league do you want to see them in?
My question about all of this after sleeping on it...
Why? In the middle of a losing streak, in a new league, do the Komets put Dennis Hextall on the radio during the 2nd intermission, and Bob Chase and Hextall discuss the IHL???
Why?
I think that is what made me mad more than anything.
The timing of this has me scratching my head.
I think it was calculated. The team is awful right now, so they decided to throw some muck into the pool to let everyone know that this CHL isn't where they want to be, and they really want to be back in the IHL where:....yes.....They have a distinct advantage in everything they do.
You can try and ignore that fact all you want. Chaulker said it best.
Once again.....Why now? Why does this talk come about now?
One last thing....
I WANT the Frankes involved in forming a realigned league and you should too. They are one of if not the longest serving ownership groups in all of minor league sports. You want stability stepping to the front and taking charge. That doesn't mean making the league for the sake of the Komets. That means stepping to the front and doing it right.
And as I said above, you can't blame the Frankes for the the arena situation in Port Huron. You MIGHT be able to say they should have realized there is no money in Flint although there was an owner in place who was willing to spend money. It was just too little too late. Muskegon is a good hockey town whose economy has gotten much worse in the last 5 years. They had no way of knowing how bad it was going to get. But Muskegon still put a quality team on the ice every year.
If you don't want the Frankes involved in getting the league going then who?
Snuff....I have said all along that the best scenario is a Midwest League that has at least 8-10 teams that are within decent traveling distance.....no argument there.
I also pointed out that if the Minor Hockey League Powers that be put this together and re-align the divisions so you have the type of teams you mention, I would be ok with that.
But no way do I support another attempt at an IHL where the Frankes are "searching" for expansion cities andn they put hockey back into places like Flint, Port Huron, or even Battle Creek, or Motor City. I just don't like that idea as it once again is an attempt to control the playing field IMO and it to me is not legitimate. I apologize for feeling that way. But it is how I feel.
And don't try calling me out for just "bashing the Frankes"....that is so far from the truth. I have in many many instances backed them tooth and nail. I led the tar and feather campaign for Paul Pickard a couple of years ago for Cripes Sake. LOL
But on this single issue.....the timing of this message that Hextall sent, when the Komets are Crashing and Burning in the CHL and look awful at this level of play......it makes me upset.
Do any of you actually think that Hextall has been on any other Radio Rinkside to discuss the IHL.......???? Do you think he has been on Quad City radio? Evansville? Bloomington? Dayton?
Doubtful.
Don't get me wrong......Midwest Minor League Hockey League done the right way, with the right cities, and the "correct" leadership, outside of the Frankes being on the board and the President of the league, and I am all for it.
Merry Christmas. I hope you understand. LOL
When the Komets win the next 5 games (they will), then all this talk about IHL will miraculously vanish.
disclaimer: if they don't win this evening then I reserve the right to substitute "...next 5 games ..." with an equally impressive, yet acheivable feat - "...next 4 games...".
Hit. Gotcha. We are on the same page. I don't want to see them trying Flint again. Not now anyway.
I want to see them pull from established cities.
The only two exceptions would be Port Huron and Motor City.
Reasons...
Port Huron fans were supporting their team the last couple of years. The city and the building are the reason there is no CHL team there now.
Motor City.. that part of Michigan is a hotbed for hockey. Competitive AA hockey could do well enough there especially if they strike up any kind of association with the Wings. The Mechanics were not run or promoted correctly. The idea was good. The execution stunk.
So I am not at all against trying new things. But I would expect them to have at least 8 solid markets first.
Common Ground.....mmmmm.....nice. LOL
I still don't understand the timing of the message....
I don't expect you to answer it Snuff. You aren't running the IHL agenda of course....are you??? LOL
If they would have had someone on who made the comment that sounded like this "The CHL is a nice league, but how realistic is it for teams like Dayton and Fort Wayne to travel to Arizona, Texas, Colorado and places afar to be in a stable league that matters.....the smartest idea is to pursue Minor League Hockey Leagues willing to combine forces and re-align geographical divisions that make more sense financially, and for the sake of the fans involved."
I would buy that statement and back it.
But not the Hextall/Chase interview from last night.
Sorry.
Komets are the team to beat in the CHL
I want a Dave Schultz type player to the Komets for Christmas
Mrs.Mightbite to make a cameo tonight after surgery
Maybe the team to "beat-up"......
Watch Narauto score a goal against the K's tonight.....ouch.
On Bob and Hextall...if you were listening to the very beginning of last night's broadcast, I think I heard Chaser say that he forgot to bring his tape recorder with him...so...he interviewed whomever he could find.
Maybe start a new chant tonight...
"TRADE SOME KO-METS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)
Oh PLEASE Santa...don't bring us a "new" version of the IHL...I just started to get woozy thinking about it!! What we need are really hungry players in a legit league!!
We better fix what we have in front of us or there won't be any other options---
Hit: Didn't the Komets make it clear during the summer that the CHL and IHL were only dating? Okay, so the other teams were saying differently, but the Komets kept insisting that was the case. As I recall you were really bugged about that then too. But they never really changed their tune, now did they? And that was before they knew how they'd be doing in the CHL this year.
Really enjoy your discussion here Snuff and Hit! Yes the MHL sounds good as far as geographical travel goes. The IHL chat was pointless IMO. I belive good ownership is the base you need. You could call any new league whatever you want but just stay away from IHL as it now has a stigma attached to it that is not good. As for now what the heck happens to get the Komets at least to a competetive point?? The number of fans going to games will dwindle for sure! The interest drops. Lets make the moves and get players that WANT to play hard! Win or lose if they bust their butts then people show up. I wonder if the GOTW crew will be there tonight?????
Last person to leave, please turn out the lights. The party is OVER!
so is this season!
Guys, they can say alll they want that the IHL and thier "5" teams are looking for new partners; but the new owners of the Mallards are on record saying they would not have bought the franchise if it were still in the IHL and the Evansville franchise would not have gotten the lease on the new arena if they were still in the IHL and if I were a betting man there is probably contingencies built into the lease saying they have to be in a certain league or two to keep the lease... And I would also bet that the IHL is not one of those leagues. Also, I would say that the owners in Bloomington are not interested in the IHL3. I think they would lose 3/4 of thier fan base if that league should show its face again in Bloomington.
I dont believe for a second that this will be as easy as just finding 2-3 teams to resurect the IHL in its 3rd form... Unless there is some kind of movement from teams in Toledo, K-zoo, Cincy, and Chicago to finally form a midwest league that makes sense; but that would almost gave to signal that some of these leagues are ready to make sense of the AA landscape... Some of the eastern ECHL teams and the current SPHL would basically make up the original East Coast hockey league...
I also believe that if the Frankes spearhead a new midwestern league, it will be doomed to failure based on the negative feeling in the hockey community from the IHL2 debacle. They need some established owners to help with the "new" league...
I learned everything I needed to know about the IHL2 at the end of last season. Perani arena had to choose between awarding a lease to an IHL franchise, or an NAHL junior franchise. They selected the latter rather than deal with that version of pro hockey again.
Interesting discussion between Hit and Snuff. I think JR makes the better point though, to have an IHL3 they need teams and those teams aren't going to be there unless both the ECHL and CHL lose some. Yes, that kind of realignment could happen and with an improvement in the economy in Michigan it could even include some of the former teams but I'm not holding my breath for it to happen in the next two year.
And I'll admit, even though I didn't hear the interview, talk like this, if it was properly portrayed, does scare me. It's like Hextall is having a pipe dream. I really think he's still around because of contractual obligations, but who knows? If that is the case it's even scarier because he doesn't realize that.
JR, as much as I agree with you most of the time and respect your opinion I think your comment about a negative feeling towards the Frankes in the hockey community is incorrect. But I guess it depends on what "community" you're talking about.
In the general community of owners, GMs, coaches, and a lot of players across the whole spectrum of ice hockey the Frankes still have tremendous respect.
The fact that the IHL failed was not a personal failure on their part, they didn't cause it to happen. Mostly it was caused by an economy heading south. The fact that they did all in their power, including financially, to help struggling teams (something not at all new in minor league hockey) goes to their credit, not their debit. The fact that they could have bailed to the ECHL but stuck by their commitment to other teams that the ECHL didn't want also shows they are a stand up group. That doesn't go unnoticed in the hockey community. I'm willing to bet about anything that if they wanted into the ECHL next season they would be welcomed with open arms. The same for the AHL although that may take a season longer.
On the other hand if you're talking about the limited "community" of fans (both Komets' and others) who post comments on blogs and forums that are basically opinions with no or very little basis in fact then I concede, there always has been a lot of negativity towards the best minor league ownership in hockey.
hockeypalooza, yeah, they really showed they know what their doing and have an understanding of their fan base.
BTW, they are averaging 1000 fewer per game then they did in the IHL. I wonder how much longer the lights are going to stay on there? I don't know for sure but I bet 800 fans a game isn't enough revenue to pay the bills.
Steve,
You have some interesting comments too. But as for the hockey community, there are a lot of hard feelings. Talk to Kzoo, talk to Craig, talk to a lot of people who were burned by the Frankes at one time or another. They're not a bit unhappy about what's happening right now in Fort Wayne.
You see the Frankes as an ownership group from one side of the fence. They all see it from another. Anyone else wonder why no team, former IHL team or not, seems to not be interested in trading any players with Fort Wayne. Going to be tough to get better looking only for free agents and waiting for Chaulk.