Membership Approved For Kalamazoo

By Darryl Dionne  Published on: Wednesday June 10, 2009

PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Tuesday that the Board of Governors has unanimously approved the Expansion Membership application of the Kalamazoo Wings for admission to the ECHL.

Kalamazoo is scheduled to begin play in October when the Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League will play its 22nd season, making it the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

The ECHL is finalizing the schedule for 2009-10 and will release it as soon as possible.

“We are proud to welcome Kalamazoo to the ECHL,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “The city has a long hockey tradition, solid community-based ownership and this will allow K-Wings fans to renew rivalries with Cincinnati and Toledo.”

"We are excited and look forward to building new relationships with our new business partners while maintaining the deep hockey tradition in our southwest Michigan," said Paul L. Pickard, president of Wings Stadium and Kalamazoo Wings.

The K-Wings are owned by Stadium Management Company, who is also the owner and operator of Wings Stadium. Wings Stadium is home to the K-Wings while also hosting concerts, family shows and trade shows. The building capacity is 5,113 for hockey.

Kalamazoo will be a member of the North Division in the American Conference joining the Cincinnati Cyclones, the Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals, the Johnstown (Pa.) Chiefs, the Toledo (Ohio) Walleye and the Wheeling Nailers. Kalamazoo is 150 miles from Toledo which returns to the ice in 2009-10 in the brand-new Lucas County Downtown Arena.

Professional hockey has been played in Kalamazoo since 1974-75 including the last two seasons in the new International Hockey League, a reincarnation of the professional league that ceased operations in 2001 after more than 50 years. Kalamazoo ranked second in the league in attendance both years.