United Hockey League - Motor City Mechanics

Motor City Mechanics Join UHL

By Justin A. Cohn
The Journal Gazette

The UHL has added another franchise to its ranks – this one in Fraser, Mich., giving the league 13 teams – and another expansion team will be announced in July, according to the UHL office.

It remains unclear if the yet-to-be announced franchise will be in Kansas City, under the ownership of Stephen Franke, the chief executive officer of the Fort Wayne Komets.

“We are thrilled to have the Motor City Mechanics join the UHL and look forward to a long and successful relationship with (the ownership group) Michigan Sports, LLC,” UHL commissioner Richard Brosal said in a statement Tuesday. “As the fifth Michigan-based team, the Mechanics will add a new level of excitement for the fans and the UHL.”

The Mechanics will play at Great Lakes Sports City Superior Arena. The rink, which seats about 2,500 people, will undergo renovations and then seat at least 3,500. The Mechanics will be coached by former Detroit Red Wings player Garry Unger.

“We’re hoping this turns out to be a good franchise (in Fraser),” said Michael Franke, president of the Komets and brother of Stephen Franke. “It’s got a great ownership group, people who are well-known in the community.”

This is the UHL’s second foray into the Fraser area. A team named the Michigan Falcons played there from 1991 until 1996, at which time it moved to Port Huron, Mich.

“The state of Michigan has a very strong hockey fan base,” said Mitchell Rosen, the principal partner of Michigan Sports, LLC, “and nowhere is that more evident than in the untapped market of Macomb County.”

The Mechanics will have to compete with several other hockey teams in the area, including the Detroit Red Wings – if the NHL has a season in 2004-05 – plus a World Hockey Association team that will play in Pontiac and the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers.

Brosal couldn’t be reached for comment, but the UHL’s news release promised a 14th UHL franchise will be added in July. Speculation has been rampant for weeks that the franchise will play in Kansas City, and sources have confirmed that for The Journal Gazette.

The sources, who refused to be identified, said Stephen Franke will be involved in some capacity, either as the sole owner or as a member of a group of buyers. The Kansas City Star had previously reported that Stephen Franke would be the owner of the team.

Stephen Franke is a Fort Wayne native who now lives in Chillicothe, Mo., and is the president and CEO of Midwest Quality Gloves, Inc. He couldn’t be reached for comment.

Michael Franke declined to comment on where the UHL’s 14th franchise will be and who shall own it.

“That’s going to be announced in July,” Michael Franke said.

But some UHL insiders have said officials in Kansas City have begun seeking players for the upcoming season and that the operations of the team, which will play at Kemper Arena, are under way.

Kansas City hasn’t had a professional hockey team since 2001, when the Blades folded with the International Hockey League. The Komets played in the IHL before moving to the UHL in 1999, and other IHL teams went on to join the American Hockey League.

What could be holding up the UHL’s entrance into Kansas City is the city’s plan to build a state-of-the-art downtown arena. Such an arena could draw the interest of the NHL, if voters on Aug. 3 approve a fee structure for the stadium.

The UHL, which had a team in another NHL city (Columbus, Ohio) fold in the middle of last season, might want some assurance that this franchise won’t be forced out if a new arena is completed.

Once the Kansas City team is introduced, an expansion draft will take place for it, the Mechanics and the expansion Danbury (Conn.) Trashers.

Other matters that need to be resolved by the UHL’s Board of Governors in the coming weeks include divisional alignments, the schedule for next season, proposed rules changes such as adding no-touch icing or eliminating the red line, and whether or not the veteran rules and salary cap will remain the same.

Elsewhere around the league, the Colonial Cup-champion Muskegon Fury announced their playoff MVP, goaltender Sylvain Daigle, has signed to play next season in London, England.

This article was taken from www.fortwayne.com.  All rights reserved.