Ice Announces Affiliation with Blackhawks
September 12, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Indianapolis Ice News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, IN-- The Indianapolis Ice announced today that the club has signed an affiliation agreement with the Chicago Blackhawks organization for the 2003-04 season. The Ice will be the Central Hockey League affiliate for the Blackhawks and the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. The Admirals are Chicago's primary affiliate.
"The Chicago Blackhawks are very pleased to once again be working with the Indianapolis Ice," said Blackhawks General Manager Mike Smith. "Working with the Admirals, the Florence Pride (ECHL) and the Ice will allow the Blackhawks to develop our many young prospects.
"This is obviously a big day in Indianapolis Ice CHL history," said Ice General Manager Larry Linde. "Securing an affiliation has been a priority of mine for some time now and the thought of once again working with one of the original six is almost too good to be true. This is confirmation that we've managed in a very short period of time to rebuild this franchise and earn the respect of the hockey community.
The agreement is a reunion of sorts for the Ice and 'Hawks as Indy served as the primary affiliate for Chicago for ten years during its International Hockey League days (1989-99). The previous decade with Chicago saw the Ice capture the Turner Cup Championship in 1990 and help develop future NHL'ers such as Dominik Hasek, Brian Noonan, Jimmy Waite, Todd White, Steve Dubinsky, Cam Russell and Keith Carney.
"We're certainly excited about working with both the Chicago Blackhawks as well as the Norfolk Admirals and look forward to cultivating this relationship over the next few years," added Linde. "We've always been committed to the development of professional hockey players and I think this speaks volumes about the credibility of our franchise and Ken McRae's ability to both teach and coach.
As part of the arrangement, the Ice will receive several players from the Admirals at the completion of Norfolk's training camp which is set to begin in the end of September.
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Central Hockey League Stories from September 12, 2003
- Ice Announces Affiliation with Blackhawks - Indianapolis Ice
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