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October 13, 2004HOCKEY: NAHL considers a TC teamDecision could come by Oct. 24ByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - It might take a year, but junior hockey may return to Traverse City. An application is being reviewed to bring a North American Hockey League (NAHL) team to Traverse City for the 2005-06 season. "Those are true rumors," said Stu Hackel, director of information and communications for the NAHL. "We have an application from a group that would like to put a team in Traverse City. It's undergoing due diligence by our attorneys right now. "We have lots of (applications), but things are looking pretty good from what I understand. It doesn't mean it's a slam dunk or anything." A decision on a possible junior hockey team in Traverse City could come as soon as Oct. 24, the second day of the annual NAHL Governor's Meeting in Blaine, Minn. "It could come that quickly, but it may not come that quickly," Hackel said. The NAHL was founded in 1975. It has 20 teams in three divisions that play a 56-game regular season schedule, which is already under way. Currently the North Division has teams in Cleveland, Sault Ste. Marie, Springfield (Ill.), Toledo (Ohio), Youngstown (Ohio) and the USA National Developmental team, which is based in Ann Arbor. Hackel said the NAHL, which formerly had its league headquarters in the Detroit, would love to bring another team to Michigan. "That's a good market," he said. "Our roots are in Michigan. Our league was in Michigan in a big, big way." Detroit Compuware was the NAHL's "cornerstone franchise" in the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s. Hackel said teams have relocated during the season before, but added, "I don't think that's on the agenda" for this season. So if the NAHL comes to Traverse City, it would likely be next year. If northern Michigan doesn't have a junior hockey or minor league professional team, Hackel said he sympathizes with area hockey fans. "Regardless of whether we put a team in there or not, as a hockey fan I have to feel for the fans of Traverse City to not have a team," Hackel said. "It's a tough thing."
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