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By Kevin Iole
Review-Journal
The race is on for the rights to Hartford.
Owner Peter Karmanos announced the Hartford Whalers will pay a $20.5 million escape clause fee to the state of Connecticut to relocate the franchise for the 1997-98 season.
That announcement spurred the International Hockey League and the American Hockey League into action. Only hours after Karmanos' announcement, IHL commissioner Bob Ufer wrote to Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland and expressed the league's interest in Hartford.
But the AHL has several teams in the New England area, and Hartford would be a logical stop. And the Pittsburgh Penguins own a dormant AHL franchise in Cornwall, Ontario. Sources say the Penguins want to place that franchise in Hartford.
In his letter to Rowland, Ufer wrote of the IHL's "sincere interest in having Hartford represented in our league." He pointed out that Winnipeg and Quebec, which previously lost NHL franchises, have joined the IHL and been successful.
But three IHL team officials expressed doubt about Hartford's viability.
One said, "Hartford's just not a hockey city ... period," and predicted an AHL or IHL franchise would last no more than three seasons.
Another said the league would be better off letting Hartford go without hockey for a year to whet the fans' appetite, but said he doubted that would happen because of the AHL's interest.
-- AFFILIATION SWITCH -- The IHL figures to have a dramatically different look next year from an NHL affiliation standpoint.
The Los Angeles Kings are cutting their affiliation with the Phoenix Roadrunners and will send their prospects to an AHL expansion franchise in Lowell, Mass.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will drop Cleveland, and the Chicago Blackhawks are expected to withdraw partially from Indianapolis.
Indianapolis likely will go from being a full affiliate to having a partial affiliation with three or four of the Blackhawks' older prospects.
And don't be surprised to see the Thunder severe its ties with the Phoenix Coyotes. Phoenix didn't help the Thunder when it was besieged by injuries, instead sending players to its divisional rivals.
-- THOMAS SIGNS -- Cincinnati forward Scott Thomas, the club's leading goal scorer with 30, signed a two-year contract with the Cyclones.
Look for the Cyclones to be aggressive in signing free agents. An AHL team is expected to move from Baltimore to Cincinnati next year, going head-to-head with the Cyclones.
The Cyclones, who have been one of the league's more successful franchises on the ice but have lost millions off, want to have a top-flight team next year so it doesn't lose fans to the new AHL team.
-- TIGHT EAST -- The Detroit Vipers are running away with the Eastern Conference championship, but don't think it is a given the Vipers will breeze to the Turner Cup.
Grand Rapids general manager Bob McNamara said the East is as strong as he has seen it in years.
"Detroit is a smart, veteran club and they're deep," McNamara said. "And, they're getting great goaltending from Jeff Reese. But there aren't going to be any easy series in the playoffs on this side with Orlando, Indianapolis, Quebec, Cleveland, Cincinnati ... you're going to have a battle every series. You will have to play your best in each of them to win."
-- GOOD POINT -- Many have complained about the Utah Grizzlies' acquisition of veteran goaltender Don Beaupre from the AHL's St. John's Maple Leafs and the Kansas City Blades getting goaltender Eric Fichaud from the New York Islanders.
Neither player will report to his IHL team until the playoffs. Detractors don't see the equity in allowing players who haven't taken part in the regular season to compete in the playoffs, but Utah general manager Butch Goring had a positive reaction.
Regarding Beaupre's acquisition, Goring said, "If it was so wrong and everybody saw it as such a problem, why were 16 other teams in this league talking to the Leafs about him?"
Of Fichaud, Goring said, "I think we have to be real careful about saying we're going to turn down players from the NHL. The NHL teams want places for guys like that to play, and they're going to not look too kindly upon us if we legislate against that.
"We're asking them to give us players throughout the year, so I don't see how we can tell them we don't want somebody they want to see play in the playoffs."
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