Skyhawks GMHL bound?

In a year where the NOJHL lost another franchise, fan attendance was down, and their lease is now up, Skyhawks General Manager Guy Blanchard is weighing his options.

One of those options could be leaving the NOJHL for the non-sanctioned Greater Metro Junior Hockey league where players pay to play and there are no limits on how many imports or 16 year-olds each franchise can have.

“Maybe that’s the way to go if parents are willing to pay for it,” said Blanchard.

Blanchard admits he hasn’t looked seriously into the matter of joining a league that already has two teams in the region – Temiscaming and Nipissing – as well as a possible third in Powassan for the fall of 2008. He says he may have to look into it if he’s not comfortable with the new arena lease deal.

Blanchard claims his hockey club pays a very high price for ice compared to some other NOJHL teams.

“I understand the city has to make money too,” said Blanchard. “But with fan support down it may be difficult for the two sides to meet. It’s (GMHL) not great hockey but maybe that’s all we can do to make the books balance.”

NOJHL Expansion

The growth of the NOJHL is another important issue for Blanchard. He says the two potential Michigan franchises must get all their paperwork done by May 1st.

“It looks like Soo, Michigan will be in but until you see the money and the application officially on the table it’s never a done deal,” said Blanchard, who says the Gaylord, Michigan franchise is in the same situation.

He adds that Rouyn-Noranda has been looking into joining the NOJHL as well, but the Ville-Marie application talked about last season is now dead.

New Commissioner?

With the resignation of commissioner Mark Seidel that came down in mid-March the NOJHL will be looking for another individual to help save the struggling league.

Blanchard believes the priority should be expansion.

“We are always looking for a good guy but it’s more important to have two more teams than having a commissioner,” he said.

Who knows what would happen to the six-team league if the Skyhawks were the next team to say good-bye.