Well, the expansion deadline has been pushed back to June 29. The poorly-written press release mentions that potential markets are in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. That could mean Madison is still in play, and it likely means Indy is out (for now at least)...

As for West Michigan, it sounds like they'll be sticking around for a while. The Vitales (who own the team) have announced their intention to build a new 2500-seat single-sheet ice rink in Norton Shores, a southern suburb of Muskegon. They intend to call it "The Iceberg Arena" and current Blizzard head coach Sergei Kharin will serve as the building's GM. The facility is expected to carry a price tag of around $2 million, which is certainly a large investment and a good sign for the AAHL's long-term presence in the city - but I really don't see how the timeline is going to work for the upcoming season. The plan won't be approved by the city until July 13 at the earliest, and yet they hope to have it built and open by early October. I hope they have a backup plan in place for 2010-11.

Last Edited By: Shocker 06/18/10 5:28 PM. Edited 1 times.