With the current stoppage in the National Hockey League over a lack-of a collective bargining agreement, West Michigan Phantoms' Kevin Wootton has issued the following statement concerning the Phantom's upcoming trip to the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, February 19th to watch the Blackhawks take on the Detroit Red Wings:
Over the past several weeks, I have been asked by many of the Phantoms what our plan will be in the event the NHL and NHLPA can not come to an agreement in time to allow the Phantoms to travel to Chicago on February 19th to watch the Wings vs. Hawks. After spending the past week to think about alternatives, I have determined that we will NOT come up with a similar 'Free' event to take the place of the Wings/Hawks game. The chartered bus trip, in which was suppose to honor 10-Years of Phantom Hockey, will be postponed until the time comes that the NHL returns to play and the Chicago Blackhawks can fill the Phantom group outing at the United Center against the Red Wings. Currently, 22 tickets were purchased and paid for back in August for the game in an event that took four months of discussions between the Blackhawks and I to pull off. Having enjoyed numerous games at the United Center, I can not think of a greater atmosphere to bring the Phantoms to nor a better 'guys-night' event for a team that has been so important to me. As times change, so does the Phantom roster, and once a new date is set (those invited to join the Phantoms in this FREE event) will be based on current team members and those who have played an important role with the team. During the balance of 2012 and early part of 2013, the team has already scheduled other events open to all players and friends including a Windsor Trip in January, Griffins@Wolves Trip in January, Carload Night in March and will be announcing a Griffins Night in the near future along with a complete new idea for PhantomFest in the Summer of 2013. We hope that all members of the Phantoms understand the reasoning behind this decision and look forward to bringing a group to the United Center in the future.
