Hi this is Fred Wallace with OFF THE WIRE..brought to you by Auto Logic- the Logical Choice !
Final thoughts regarding the departure of the Plymouth Whalers for Flint, Michigan.
Originally known as the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors, this franchise came into the Ontario Hockey League one season after the Guelph Platers moved to Owen Sound, that is to say, they’ve virtually existed for a similar amount of time.
Look at the level of success for the Michigan squad contrasted to that of the Attack…or almost any other OHL franchise.
They missed the playoffs in their expansion year. They’ll likely miss the playoffs this year. In between, the Ambassadors cum Junior Red Wings cum Whalers qualified for the post season every year.
As a quick comparison, Owen Sound has missed the post season 5 times.
The Attack have one divisional championship banner. The Whalers have a dozen
And while every OHL team can cite a large number of prominent graduates, how many OHL franchise Top 5 grads would equal Bryan Berard, Todd Harvey, David Legwand, Tyler Sequin or James Neal.
Truthfully, you could replace those 5 with 5 guys that were almost as good and still be miles ahead.
Yet in spite of what was massive success on the ice, the Whalers franchise, unable to draw fans and break even, let alone make a profit, is on the move to Flint, Michigan, where they will be hard pressed to duplicate the success of the past 2 & 1/2 decades of the Plymouth Whalers and their forefathers.
I’m Fred Wallace