Extra IIHL Vacation Time Good News to Soo Fans
January 16, 2004 - International Independent Hockey League (IIHL)
Soo City Mavericks News Release
The International Independent Hockey League (IIHL) is giving players a bit more vacation time, and that's good news for Sault Ste. Marie fans.
The Soo City Mavericks need an overhaul. They were ordered to forfeit their last two home games before the league's post-holiday break because they've continued using illegal players. IIHL rules prohibit teams from using more than 6 foreign-born players and the Mavericks have been using 14 Canadians all season.
The team is in last place with a 1-9 record and could get new ownership in a deal being worked on with city officials, according to IIHL President Mike Killbreath.
The Mavericks play at the historic Pullar Center and attracted 590 fans for opening night with little promotional effort and have sold no season tickets, according to City Parks & Rec Director Dan Wyers. Killbreath said he's confident fans in the Soo will see IIHL action on the scheduled home dates there.
The next home date is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Killbreath made an announcement today that the league would be extending its post-holiday break for players. He expects to cancel only this weekend's games although only the Motor City Snipers and Lansing Ice Nuts may be in action next weekend.
Killbreath said he and Commissioner Dan Monacelli are working on a revised schedule that is expected to be released on Jan. 20. Monacelli, who serves as Chief Referee, will issue new assignments to officials as soon as possible after reviewing schedule changes. Players will be notified by their respective team owners on when to report back for duty.
The IIHL is a new A-level league serving as the first rung on the minor league ladder in the hockey world. Most players are paid only about $500 monthly and the league restricts rosters to no more than 6 foreign-born players to provide more opportunities for Americans in a pro game where rosters are currently dominated by Canadians and Europeans.
A 10-day break was originally built into the schedule from Jan. 5-15 to allow league officials an opportunity to evaluate operations and steer the IIHL to a successful first season. Various proposals with AA-level leagues had also been discussed during pre-season planning in regard to putting together an all-star team of USA players from the IIHL to play exhibition games for added exposure during the break.
The all-star team idea was scrapped when officials from the AA-level leagues talking with IIHL officials backed down from the original offers to pay for the exhibition tour.
"Players are on a 10-day vacation and won't go back to work today as planned," Killbreath said. "We need some time to make sure we have adequate financing in place to allow each member team to finish the season."
Killbreath said it was decided statements needed to be released to clear up various rumors circulating because of internet web site message boards and untrue published reports in one newspaper.
Killbreath confirmed that IIHL officials are looking at the possibility of shortening the season and possibly going with a 4-team or 5-team format instead of a 6-team format for the rest of the season. "We have a combined $75,400 owed to the league right now," Killbreath said. "We need new financing to move forward and steps have been taken to secure it will be in place by next week. Quite honestly, I'm surprised at the debt owed to us right now. We didn't expect to be chasing money from people in January."
Killbreath is President of Xtreme Hockey International Inc., which owns the IIHL. The company is also operating three member teams owned by Family Advantage Marketing LLC. They include the Motor City Snipers, Ohio Valley Ice Cats and the first-place Lansing Ice Nuts. Killbreath is also President of Family Advantage Marketing LLC.
Contrary to published reports and rumors, Killbreath said the league and the three teams being operated by the league owe less than $7,000 combined and no bill is more than 30 days overdue.
The league's liability insurance policy is $49,400 for a 6-team format and the binder has been in place since Dec. 3 without the IIHL collecting from three teams. "The IIHL is on the hook for the insurance and we won't let teams play without paying league fees for us to operate this league," Killbreath stressed.
Killbreath stressed also that IIHL players were not scheduled to be paid during the 10-day vacation break. "We felt it was an opportunity for them to go home after the holidays and evaluate their dreams of trying to advance up the hockey ladder," he said. "It also offered them an opportunity to have some time to focus on finding a part-time job or to get ready to take college classes if they're interested in completing degrees while playing in the IIHL for the rest of the season. The nature of training camps and tryouts obviously didn't allow players an opportunity to do much pre-planning when taking a shot at pro hockey in the IIHL. Most had also been cut by AA-level teams before the IIHL started, with many paying their own way to six or seven camps before trying the IIHL as a last resort to keep their pro dreams alive."
Killbreath said most players are obviously getting financial help from families, similar to the situation in Junior hockey. "The contracts signed by players clearly explained what they were stepping into in hopes of keeping their dreams alive," Killbreath stressed. "There is no doubt, however, that the biggest part of the thinking behind building a 10-day break into the schedule after the holidays was to address how teams were doing financially."
IIHL teams have not yet been attracting enough fans to pay bills but Killbreath said he believes the on-ice product is good enough to fill buildings by March with the proper marketing and better coverage from local media in each city.
International Independent Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2004
- Extra IIHL Vacation Time Good News to Soo Fans - Soo City Mavericks
- IIHL Players Get Longer Vacation Break - IIHL
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