On Thu, 2 Jun 1994, Greg Sorenson wrote:
 
> The IHL is no creampuff league. Several teams maintain independence from NHL
> clubs, and have built impressive rosters using free agents. Remember that San
> Diego Gulls club of a few years ago, which lost something like 3 games? That
> team featured Dimitri Kvartalnov (a name I KNOW Tony knows) and a
> resurrected Clint Malarchuk.  Also, IHL teams' have generally done well at the
> gate. We'll have to see how the Detroit Vipers and Chicago Wolves do in their
> established NHL markets.
>
 
I'll second the strength of the IHL.  Not only have the teams commited
themselves to being a serious competitive league (in comparison to the
AHL's rules limiting the number of older players -- keeping the league a
developmental league for younger players), but they have decided to make
a move above their "minor league" status.  How else can you explain the
introduction of teams into two very strong NHL markets, Detroit and
Chicago?  By allowing Bill Davidson (Pistons, the Palace of Auburn Hills,
Pine Knob Music Theater) to purchase Salt Lake and move them to Detroit,
the IHL was serving notice to the NHL that it is no longer hockey's
version of AAA baseball.  Davidson, Tom Wilson (his CEO), and the Palace
are some of the best sport promoters and marketers around.  Intially,
they were interested in forming a league to compete against the NHL (a la
the WHL).  They took the time and cost to renovate the relatively new
Palace into accomodating hockey.  But that league fell through, and they
jumped at the chance to have an IHL team in the Palace.  In the first
week of season ticket sales, they sold an amazing number of tickets (the
excat figure escapes me, but I think it was around 3,000 -- I know it
doesn't sound big, but it is for the IHL, for a team that was still
playing in Salt Lake City at the time).  While the IHL has stated that it
doesn't want to compete directly with the NHL, I'd keep an eye on this
ever-expanding league.