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Kalamazoo Wings Leave IHL for ECHL


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The Kalamazoo K-Wings have notified the International Hockey League that the franchise is pulling-out of the circuit, effective immediately. The K-Wings have also indicated that the franchise will play next season, with specifics about the team's 2009-10 season to be announced in the near future.

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Can't really say I blame Kalamazoo leaving the Fort Wayne Hockey League. I know there has been rumors of Flint and Muskegeon leaving the IHL or folding altogether after this season. Maybe the CHL or ECHL is in the future

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From another board...

"What does it say when your league commissioner steps down to return to his old team and promptly moves that team to another league."

Ummm...abandon ship?

So the notIHL needs Flint to stay afloat now in order to survive? Ummm....they're :censored: ed. So much for the nostalgia fest.

Part of me thinks Juniors is in their future, though.

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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I could see the Wings in the OHL, NAHL or maybe even ECHL.

The ECHL is the most likely route, it would take the least amount of restructuring. The OHL, I doubt, would be interested in Kalamazoo as a market, especially taking a team that at one point in time was 2nd tier professional hockey.

The "I"HL was doomed to failure from the start, a handful of their 6 teams in financial trouble from the start, lack of talent, and poor organization.

From IHL-hockey.com

IHL Moving Forward As Planned

ROCHESTER, MI--- The International Hockey League (IHL) announced Monday that the Kalamazoo Wings have chosen to withdraw from the IHL. The IHL worked to engage Kalamazoo’s management team in discussions about many issues, unfortunately those efforts were unsuccessful. Kalamazoo’s decision to part ways with the IHL is both disappointing and perplexing to league officials due to the timing of league expansion possibilities.

“Additional expansion efforts are underway as the IHL’s geographical alignment is proven to be successful,” stated Michael Franke, IHL Chairman of the Board. “The League continues to field several calls about expansion possibilities with markets within the Midwest and new markets for the upcoming season. We, as a league, look forward to what is to come in the near future.”

League officials have been working diligently to secure the entry of new teams in new markets for the 2009-2010 season. The IHL fully intends to enter the 2009-2010 season stronger, with or without Kalamazoo as a participating member club.

For more information regarding this release, please contact Amy Stump, Director of Media Relations at (269) 492-3432, extension 105.

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So, Kalamazoo bails, Flint folds, Iowa and Quad City come in, and the fake I remains a barely-sustainable 6-team league, thereby ensuring another Fake Turner Cup championship for Fort Wayne.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12.

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So, Kalamazoo bails, Flint folds, Iowa and Quad City come in, and the fake I remains a barely-sustainable 6-team league, thereby ensuring another Fake Turner Cup championship for Fort Wayne.

I can't fathom the 6 teams playing against each other over a 80+ game schedule plus playoffs..

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So, Kalamazoo bails, Flint folds, Iowa and Quad City come in, and the fake I remains a barely-sustainable 6-team league, thereby ensuring another Fake Turner Cup championship for Fort Wayne.

I can't fathom the 6 teams playing against each other over a 80+ game schedule plus playoffs..

According to the standings from last season they play a 76 game schedule...still, a little ridiculous for a 6 team league. I lost count of how many times Fort Wayne played Bloomington (just as an example)

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So, Kalamazoo bails, Flint folds, Iowa and Quad City come in, and the fake I remains a barely-sustainable 6-team league, thereby ensuring another Fake Turner Cup championship for Fort Wayne.

I can't fathom the 6 teams playing against each other over a 80+ game schedule plus playoffs..

According to the standings from last season they play a 76 game schedule...still, a little ridiculous for a 6 team league. I lost count of how many times Fort Wayne played Bloomington (just as an example)

So then why doesn't Fort Wayne move up to the ECHL? Is it because they just want to win championships?

6fQjS3M.png

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So, Kalamazoo bails, Flint folds, Iowa and Quad City come in, and the fake I remains a barely-sustainable 6-team league, thereby ensuring another Fake Turner Cup championship for Fort Wayne.

I can't fathom the 6 teams playing against each other over a 80+ game schedule plus playoffs..

According to the standings from last season they play a 76 game schedule...still, a little ridiculous for a 6 team league. I lost count of how many times Fort Wayne played Bloomington (just as an example)

So then why doesn't Fort Wayne move up to the ECHL? Is it because they just want to win championships?

I believe it has something to do with Fort Wayne's owners owing significant sums of money to the Pro Hockey Players Association and therefore wanting to avoid being in a league that has that union.

/If that were not the case, they'd most certainly try for the AHL.

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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So, Kalamazoo bails, Flint folds, Iowa and Quad City come in, and the fake I remains a barely-sustainable 6-team league, thereby ensuring another Fake Turner Cup championship for Fort Wayne.

I can't fathom the 6 teams playing against each other over a 80+ game schedule plus playoffs..

According to the standings from last season they play a 76 game schedule...still, a little ridiculous for a 6 team league. I lost count of how many times Fort Wayne played Bloomington (just as an example)

So then why doesn't Fort Wayne move up to the ECHL? Is it because they just want to win championships?

The family that owns Fort Wayne also has alot of say in the "I"HL, why move to the ECHL when you can be champion every year and get your way

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As most folks expected, the Kalamazoo Wings have wound-up in the ECHL. Their expansion application was unanimously approved by the league's Board of Governors. The K-Wings have been placed in the North Division of the American Conference along with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Elmira Jackals, Johnstown Chiefs, Toledo Walleye and Wheeling Nailers.

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As most folks expected, the Kalamazoo Wings have wound-up in the ECHL. Their expansion application was unanimously approved by the league's Board of Governors. The K-Wings have been placed in the North Division of the American Conference along with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Elmira Jackals, Johnstown Chiefs, Toledo Walleye and Wheeling Nailers.

Further increasing the imbalance of the American vs. National conference (14 - 9). Glad to K-zoo in a decent league again. Hopefully Fort Wayne gets their head out of the ass and does the same.

This now gives me 2 ECHL options for next season within 45 minutes of me! Toledo and K-Zoo!

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As most folks expected, the Kalamazoo Wings have wound-up in the ECHL. Their expansion application was unanimously approved by the league's Board of Governors. The K-Wings have been placed in the North Division of the American Conference along with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Elmira Jackals, Johnstown Chiefs, Toledo Walleye and Wheeling Nailers.

Further increasing the imbalance of the American vs. National conference (14 - 9). Glad to K-zoo in a decent league again. Hopefully Fort Wayne gets their head out of the ass and does the same.

This now gives me 2 ECHL options for next season within 45 minutes of me! Toledo and K-Zoo!

Actually it's 12 - 8, Mississippi and Dayton from the American Conference suspended operations for the 2009-10 season (and it doesn't look like they'll be coming back as Biloxi, MS joined the Southern Professional Hockey League and the Interstate Hockey League is putting a team in Dayton to replace Kalamazoo) and Phoenix ceased operations entirely.

With only eight teams in the National Conference, it's going to be weird to see how they decide who makes it to the National Conference playoffs, I'm guessing top six in the conference get in with the top two teams receiving first round byes.

With the UHL going from 14 teams to 6 in five years (including four franchises leaving for better leagues: Rockford and Moline {Quad Cities} to the AHL and Elmira and Kalamazoo to the ECHL) mean that the league is not bound to survive to its 5th anniversary of its nonsensical and ridiculous rebranding?

HumanitarianBowl.png

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Press Conference Report

Here's my favorite quote from that press conference in Kalamazoo, from former IHL commissioner Paul Pickard:

?Now we are going to be able to plan three and five years out because we know that there?s going to be a league from year to year, that there are going to be strong memberships,? Pickard said.

:lol::blink:

Bloodhound.gif



felix_thinking_zps5e4863e9.gif?t=1380931

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On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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And this team's going to play in a thousand-seat rink?!? Man, Flint must really be near death right now.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12.

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