Nobody's talking officially or unofficially out of Muskegon, which kind of tells you something, doesn't it? It may be something, it may be nothing, but I would think if it was nothing someone would have said so by now.
Sorry, Alan, I was the one who got up on the wrong side of bed this morning. I should have just stayed there. I got upset because I HAVE been trying to track this down for more than a week with no luck. Believe me, lots of people are sick of getting voicemails from me. I can't print rumors or make statements without attribution. I think that you guys know me well enough to understand I try desperately hard to get things on the record, (as with Luke Stauffacher recently), but it's just not happening this time.
There are a ton of rumors going on right now, but it's like I told you guys two weeks ago, it's everybody in minor league hockey, not just the IHL, because it's the economy, stupid. I don't think anyone has any answers.
I think this summer everyone will look around, see who's still standing and then make a league out of that or maybe play inter-league schedules or form new leagues. Anything is possible at this point because no one knows the right answer. I think the economy in Michigan in particular, is holding the IHL hostage.
I don't think just jumping to the ECHL is the exact answer because I know that league is having some of the same problems. I don't think just going to the AHL is the answer because ditto and the ticket prices would have to go up. How does it make sense to go to a league with increased expenses right now? I think geography has to be a part of it, probably the main part. Maybe the most definititve statement I can make is I don't think there are enough cities out there that can support hockey in its current format, but maybe it all has to crash before it can be rebuilt.
Maybe the whole key right now is surviving until the dust settles and seeing who there is still to work with. This really reminds me of the Komets after International Harvester left in 1982. Sometimes you just have to hang on.
