There has been a delay on getting the podcast out and writing blog posts and there is a good reason for that. It’s hard to be motivated to write and talk about a team that is on the verge of leaving.
Crain’s Detroit now reporting that the Whalers are expected to announce a move away from Compuware Arena.
A statement is expected soon from Plymouth Whalers’ Governor Mike Vellucci about the minor-league ice hockey club’s possible relocation to Ontario.
That’s the word this morning from team spokesman Peter Krupsky, who deferred all comment on news that the team was moving to Vellucci.
How soon is soon? The team has to announce their intent to move by the end of the month.
This comes after rumors of the team being moved at the end of last season. Then the comments that team owner Peter Karmanos made in May when announcing changes with the front office. Follow that up with the announcement that the USA Hockey plans to buy Compuware Arena. We all could see the writing on the wall, yet there was the consistent thought that we would get at least one more season out of this organization.
While Whaler fans could maybe see one more season in a temporary location before the fully move to their new home, long time fans should not hold their breath. It looks like the 25th season in the OHL will be the last one in the USA before the Whalers are moved to Ontario.
Sadly the question was not “Who do you think will score first next game?”. Chatham being just over an hour away from Plymouth moves the team into a less sports saturated market with a population of 100k practically in between Windsor and London. I mean on paper it looks like a good place to move a team to. The Whalers are constantly drowned out by the likes of the Red Wings, Lions, Tigers, Pistons, MSU, and U of M.
That’s where I wanted this site and podcast to go. I wanted this to be an additional voice shouting that this is hockey worth watching, because to be frank, the Plymouth Whalers have been a part of my life since late 2005 and I have been lucky with what I was able to accomplish with this organization. I used my passion for the team to try to promote it to the fullest and became the go to guy for video.
I have been able to meet amazing people and got to see amazing hockey players and equally amazing hockey games. Each fall it was known that Compuware Arena was to be my home on the weekends during hockey season.
This affects more than just the players and staff. It affects the billet parents who take these players into their home and give them a family while they are away from home. It affects the season ticket holders whose passion kept them attending games even in the worst of weather conditions, who keep coming back regardless of the win-loss record the team is posting. It will also affect the people employed that work for the team. Maybe some will move with the team, but you know that a good number will be without a job.
In the coming days the facts will come out and the rumors will be put to rest. The Whalers will play somewhere else next season and a lot of us will be moving on with our lives while we hoped for a better ending.
Whalers On The Moon 