February 22, 2010
Justin Abdelkader, former USHL player and Muskegon native, speaks during the event to announce the USHL expansion to Muskegon, Michigan. (Photo by Terry Sabo/Muskegon Lumberjacks)
With the announcement of the United States Hockey League expanding to Muskegon, Michigan for the 2010-11 season, the League does more than just grow to an all-time high of sixteen Member Clubs – it finds a home in a proud city with one of the country's richest hockey traditions.
This year, the Muskegon Lumberjacks celebrated the city's 50th year of hockey in various leagues and under various names – the Zephyrs, the Mohawks, and the Fury among them. "More than anything else, it was the city's passion for the sport that dramatically appealed to us," said Josh Mervis, who with his father Lou has brought the USHL's star-studded league to Muskegon. "We wanted to go to a place where hockey mattered. We turned over a number of stones looking for Muskegon. We could have gone a lot of places and were offered a number of incentives, but either we didn't believe in that marketplace or it didn't have the intangibles that we needed. Muskegon has all of those – plus."
The Mervis family has been a USHL owner since the League was recognized in 2002 as the nation's only Tier I hockey league. They have spent much of the past six years seeking a market that was the right fit for the next USHL Member Club. In Muskegon, they found a hockey-rich tradition, but one at a troubling crossroads. Just 18 months ago, brothers Jeff and Stacey Patulski, and Muskegon native Tim Taylor, had worked feverishly to save hockey in the city, purchasing its financially troubled minor league team and keeping the game there alive.
"Let's face it - if it wouldn't have been for Tim Taylor and the Patulski's, there would have been no fiftieth year of hockey here," said Muskegon mayor Steve Warmington. "For that matter, there would have been no forty-ninth year, either. We owe them as a community our gratitude for making certain that hockey stayed in this community."
Keeping the streak going was one thing – but making sure that the sport was made viable was another. "And that was a lot harder," noted Jeff Patulski. "We had a lot of thoughts and emotions about how to continue hockey in Muskegon for the next fifty years. That meant a lot of late hours and due diligence. When I first talked to Commissioner Skip Prince about the USHL model and how it could fit in Muskegon, I personally got very excited very quickly."
"Muskegon's fans should know that a lot of good people worked very hard to make this happen," said Prince. "From the League office and our Board of Directors, to the Patulski's and Tim Taylor, to the city of Muskegon, to the Mervis family. Every constituency worked overtime in the collective best interest of what is just an extraordinary fan base in Muskegon. I believe they're going to be rewarded by not just good, but great hockey at L.C. Walker, for a long time to come."
The USHL's entry into the Michigan market makes for two Michigan-based teams, as the Ann Arbor-based National Team Development Program, operated directly by USA Hockey, joined the League this year as a full Member. The League's growth in the Michigan market is appropriate, as this season, for the first time in its history, more players in the USHL hail from the state of Michigan than any other state (a distinction held until this year by Minnesota).
At the Lumberjacks' February 16th press conference in Muskegon, a certain local standout who still plies his trade in the state brought that point home, as Detroit Red Wings winger Justin Abdelkader (a USHL alumnus who played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), welcomed the new team. "When I played at Cedar Rapids, my dad and I always talked about how cool would it be if someday that Muskegon had a USHL team. The league is phenomenal and the talent is second to none," said Abdelkader.
"Fans will get to watch these players and many will end up in our backyard at Michigan State, Michigan, Ferris State, and schools all over this state. It's exciting times for Muskegon. People are going to see a lot of good players come through here, and you never know who is going to be the next player to come out of Muskegon and make it to the NHL."
Adbelkader admits to initial reservations about playing in the USHL after leaving his friends and family "and pulling up to a rink in a city [Cedar Rapids] I'd never heard of before." However, as he reflects back - just a few months removed from scoring his first NHL goal during the Stanley Cup Finals - he credits the USHL with getting him to this point in his career.
"It was tough, but the most important year of my life and hockey career," said Abdelkader. "That's what's great about the League, because it develops young men not only into hockey players, but individuals off the ice as well.
"Coming from playing high school at Mona Shores to the USHL was the biggest jump in my career - because in the USHL, I was playing against some of the best players around the U.S., Canada, and the world. It was a great opportunity and a 'no-brainer' for me."
"There's no better testimonial about this League than from the players themselves," said Prince. "We chose Muskegon - and Muskegon chose us - because of all the things that have to be in place to allow talented players like Justin to reach for the brass ring; an attractive city, a great building, the resources to allow young men could grow and develop athletically and academically, business-savvy senior management, and caring, committed ownership. When all those things come together, you have a chance to both do good and do well. That's what we're looking forward to in Muskegon."
Related News: USHL Expands to Muskegon, Michigan for 2010-11
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 31st season of elite junior hockey in 2009-10. With over 200 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 13 NHL Entry Draft picks currently on League rosters, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com.
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