NAHL tournament loses national designation

The Ice Zone seating doesn't meet USA Hockey's requirement.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- Despite a sanctioning issue, the North American Hockey League is going to hold its championship tournament at the Ice Zone from May 9-13.
The tournament will have the sanctioning of USA Hockey, even though the Boardman arena will not meet the NAHL's seating capacity requirement for a national tournament.
That's the word from Stu Hackel, director of information and communications for the NAHL based in Frisco, Tex., who said that the only change to the amateur tournament for players ages 16-20 would be removing the word "national" from its name.
Hackel said that because the current 800-seat Ice Zone would not meet the 1,500-seat capacity required for NAHL national tournaments, the tournament now will be called the NAHL 2006 Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, eliminating "national" from the name.
He pointed out that if the 1,500-seat requirement had been met, it could have been called the NAHL 2006 Robertson Cup National Championship Tournament.
Wanted tourney at Centre
Bruce Zoldan, owner of the Mahoning Valley Phantoms of the NAHL and host for the tournament, and the NAHL wanted to have the tournament at the 5,700-seat Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown.
But Herb Washington, owner of the Youngstown SteelHounds of the Central Hockey League, denied their request. Washington has a 10-year lease with Global Entertainment, which manages the city-owned Chevrolet Center, that gives him exclusive hockey rights to the facility.
"USA Hockey still wants to be associated with the tournament and I have received an email from them to that effect," Hackel said. "What they have recently brought up is the use of the word 'national' in connection with it."
Hackel added, "It is the opinion of the chairman of the junior council of USA Hockey, Mr. Dave Tyler, that the size of the arena --the seating capacity -- somehow should matter in whether or not it is a 'national' tournament or not."
But Hackel said that Tyler's e-mail clearly means USA Hockey still is sanctioning the tournament.
"Mr. Tyler emailed me late last week, and said, 'I would hope you would want to make and use reference to 'USA Hockey', and be proud of that affiliation.' "
So, said Hackel, "it is not correct to say or imply that this tournament does not have USA Hockey's sanction or blessing or whatever."
Disagreement
But Hackel also pointed out that there is disagreement within NAHL about whether or not the seating capacity of a tournament site should determine its right to be called "national" or not in name.
"I do not think [Tyler's] opinion on that is shared by the executives of the NAHL, who feel that one should have nothing to do with the other and do not quite understand the rationale behind his thinking," Hackel said.
"But USA Hockey is the governing body of the NAHL, so we will comply with [Tyler's] wishes. Which is fine; we can call it the NAHL 2006 Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, if that is what Mr. Tyler wishes, and as far as we are concerned, nothing really has changed."
Last week, Zoldan said the Ice Zone will add 700 seats before the tournament begins.
kovach@vindy.com