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Tailing the Komets

Hextall: One way or another we'll get through this

Just got off the phone with IHL Commissioner Dennis Hextall. Some highlights:

* Chicago Hounds owner Craig Drektrah is attending the ECHL meetings right now and will likely be invited to join.

* The Kinneys actually made money for McMorran Arena this year and then the arena management decided to change the terms of the deal, so the Kinneys said enough is enough.

* Hextall thinks the Kinneys will be back in the IHL in the near future but not next season, possibly putting up a building in Howell.

* Evansville is supposed to have a definitive answer on Thursday whether it will join IHL for next season.

* There are two or three potential expansion cities already looking at the IHL for the 2011-12 season.

* Hextall also thinks Flint and Muskegon could be back someday because he's not convinced those cities will support junior hockey.

* ``The IHL is not dead. I think this is a step back, but I think we may come out of this stronger than ever within a year or two years. This is going to be a real learning curve for both the IHL and CHL. We'll see what happens.''

* Why doesn't the IHL just merge with the CHL: ``We're dating, but we're not married. We want to keep our own identity for a couple of years and see how this works out. Both sides want to take a good, long look at

Posted in: Komets

Comments

Dschebig
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 12:45pm

Rob-I hate to disagree with you but I really do. The one "Business Model" that will work is the one the IHL has adopted. That is why the CHL wants to pick the brains of the Owners of the teams coming along. The old IHL was doomed because of the greed of all of the owners back than. That is why the Franke's got out. AA hockey is getting killed by all the travel exspenses. It simply must regionalize. Airfare will eat up a budget. Teams in the IHL do not own their own planes. It is a bus league for a reason. Greed and the desire for a new building chased Kalamazoo. Greed by the City of Port Huron caused the Icehawks failure. Flint is a problem unto itself.

I think you should mortgage your home, your business and buy a team and than run your own organization. If it's hockey they will come.

You have your opinion I respect that. I have mine and I really don't care what you think of mine!

JungleMonkey
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 12:56pm

How does playing in a league with Allen Texas cut down travel expenses?

The IHL model is the only one that works? Works for what? Have the teams have left.

JungleMonkey
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 1:15pm

*half the teams have left.*

Cyclones Rock
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 1:25pm

The much ballyhooed "IHL Model" isn't. It's as old as minor league hockey itself.

Wow! I mean, travel by bus to cities that aren't a million miles away. Whoda thunk it?

How about this "model"? Toledo, Kalamazoo, Cincinnati, Chicago, Fort Wayne, Quad City, and Evansville in the same division. Maybe Indy for that matter.

Oops! That could only happen if the Frankes would give up the notion of running (ruining) the show and join with the league that fits their alleged "model".

Have fun playing dying Dayton, the propped up Prarie Thunders and the mediocre Mallards 20 times each for the next year.

The great "saviors" of hockey in Fort Wayne seem to be hellbent upon killing the sport. Too bad someone won't buy the Komets from the silly Franke clan and give the Fort Wayne fans the quality of product they deserve.

Rob
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 1:43pm

Frankes were part of two failing leagues, excuse me, three failing leagues. The CHL wants to rival the ECHL, so what better way to do that than try to absorb the IHL. I don't believe that the Frankes hold the Holy Grail for minor league hockey business. If they did, they IHL wouldn't be in the shape it's in now. The AHL and ECHL don't follow their model. Why have they been in business longer? I would say because they don't watch Sesame Street to get stock tips and learn about mortgages, running businesses and franchises.

Blake Sebring
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 2:23pm

Right, because there are so many people out there stupid enough to invest their money in minor league pro sports of any kind right now. Let's face it, Flint and Port Huron and probably even Muskegon should have died years ago based strictly on declining attendance and Michigan's economy. It's not like any league is adding new franchises, or if they are, they are just recycling old cities or going to juniors to cut costs. That's why we'll be having this discussion year after year no matter what league the Komets are in. Some of you seem to think there's some magic elixer out there. If there were, they'd all be jumping over each other to grab it. There's not.

What's funny to me is to see all these owners making the same mistakes owners made 40 years ago and 30 years ago and 20 years ago. They all make the same mistakes because they think they can come in with all the answers because they were successful in another line or work to make their money -- and then they go out of business. The AHL and ECHL are failing, too, or the AHL wouldn't be cannibalizing the successful AA cities, the ECHL wouldn't be drawing such lousy playoff crowds and they wouldn't be playing coast-to-coast schedules. There are only about eight minor league franchises that are making any money, and truthfully, there's not one dang thing the rest of them can do about it because they are stuck trying to reinvent the wheel. Think about it? What have been the best minor league franchises over the last 20 years? I'll bet you can't name 10 that have made money every year because there aren't any more than that. As for the rest, they've all had different owners, same problems, same results. And if you're one of the eight teams making money, you have to pitch in and help the others if you want somebody to play.

You know what? It's always been that way and it always will be in minor league sports. That's real life. Nothing is going to change it, either. I would guess there might be 15 fewer minor league teams tomorrow if the teams weren't owned by the people who own their buildings. They'd probably love to get rid of them but they can't.

It will likely turn for the worse in Fort Wayne someday again, too. That's being realistic and not pessimistic, because that's just the way minor league sports are. Things are going well right now in the stands here, but there's a reason the Komets and TinCaps are the only minor league franchises ever to last 10 years in FW. You can't assume it will always be that way, or if you do, you must be under age 30, and have I got a business proposition for you.

This whole minor league sports system needs a reality check, but I wonder if some of the league officials or fans are smart enough to realize it. At least the CHL and IHL are trying something different. Maybe it will end up being a last gasp, but at least they are trying.

As your mother always told you, it's always easier to tear something down, but building something up is much, much harder. Hey, be thankful at least there's something to talk about.

RunningKomet
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 2:34pm

You are right in a lot of what you've said, Blake. However, I do not think the Franke's hold this elixir you speak of, either. Some who write on here are so wrapped up in the Franke blanket that they feel they can do no wrong. To me that is ignorance. I also will not go as far as to say that everything they have done has been bad. I've been entertained at many games, seen talented players, and have seen championships won.

With that being said, I do think it is a bit sad that the team can struggle for much of the season, but some can sit on here and act like prophets in saying the Komets will pull it out and win the championship. Well, duh. A team with better EVERYTHING than anyone else in the league is going to come out on top more times than not.

RunningKomet
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 2:46pm

You are right on a lot of the things you've said, Blake. However, I do not think the Frankes hold this magic elixir you speak of, either. Some who write on here are so wrapped up in the Franke blanket that they feel they can do no wrong. To me that is ignorance. I also will not go as far to say that everything theyve done has been bad. I have been entertained at many games, seen talented players, and have watched championships be won.

With that being said, I do think it is a bit sad that the team can struggle for much of the season, but some can sit on here and act like prophets in saying the Komets will pull it out and win the Cup. Well, duh. A team with the best EVERYTHING in a league will win more times than not.

Blake Sebring
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 2:50pm

And if they didn't, a lot of you would be griping up a storm. Can't have it both ways a lot of times.

I don't think they have the perfect answer, but I give them credit for trying something new to try to make it work for others. They could have just turned their backs on their partners, but they didn't.

Wendy
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 7:33pm

True, they went out on a limb to help Flint. I feel sorry for the Flint fans that they failed. Now there is only Bloomy, QC, Dayton and us. I tend to think that Bloomy and QC would have wanted to go the CHL anyway, and that they would have been happy to have them there. Dayton (as a different franchise) had been in the ECHL, so I do wonder if they would have preferred to just go back there. The only reason I can think of for Fort Wayne and Dayton to go along with Bloomy and QC is so that the IHL could stay together and hopefully throw more weight around at the bargaining table.

5 minute major
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 7:57pm

Sorry Dschebig,
You, and the IHL still fail to see why Kalamazoo left, it wasn't for greed and a new building,(why would leaving have anything to do with a new building?) a new owner was smart enough to see the hand writing on the wall and left the IHL mess to die it's slow death. And as for the CHL "picking the brains of the owners," that's the best laugh yet!

Five Minute Major
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 8:09pm

Person posting above not to be confused with me...

Hit Somebody!!!
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 8:16pm

Still a mess.

Rob
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 5:15am

The shape of minor league sports is always in peril. That's a given even before talking about it. Leagues and teams know this before they decide to invest. So, when we start talking about how all leagues are failing because minor league sports is always in trouble, let's just say that goes without saying. With that out of the way, why are leagues more successful than others, in this case hockey, as we see in the AHL and ECHL? I'm willing to bet all sports leagues are "failing" because of the economy. That's a crutch everyone will use. So if you were to strip it down by throwing the economy and the minor-league-sports-always-have-problems arguement out the window among other things, what makes the difference?

If people want answers, I think they should look at the top. I believe the NHL should come down and clean-up their minor league farm system and tell other leagues that aren't part of their affiliation that if their not with them, they're against them. Easier said than done, I know. I believe that's why the old IHL went down, too much competition for the AHL. I believe the problem was, and still is, is that the NHL stopped at the AAA level. Part of the AHL's success is dependent upon them as is the ECHL. I believe that if your team isn't part of that, then your team is just out there looking for some pick-up games, kind of like beer-league softball. So for arguement's sake, if the NHL is the end all and be all for players, why would players want to play in any other league? Developmental purposes perhaps. Because as far as the NHL is concerned, they think that their farm system is just fine, maybe they should bring their persuasive powers back down to the AA level and tell the other leagues that aren't affiliated with them directly to shut down or join (I know, easier said than done).

Dschebig
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 10:06am

Rob-The players play for the love of the game at the AA level. It is for sure not the money. I really don't care what league they are in IHL, CHL or ECHL.

Rob
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 11:07am

Money is second fiddle when it comes to playing for the Stanley Cup. All players want to win one and become immortalized. That's why they play. I'm sure guys at the AA level didn't dream of stopping at that level. It's obvious they love the game, otherwise they wouldn't be playing.

tim hoke
Sun, 06/27/2010 - 1:18pm

i agree with blake. but others do make good points too. i think the oil leak gets fixed first before we learn more a out the chl thing.

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