EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — The city of Evansville has a contingency plan that would keep a new minor league hockey team from leaving the city.
Officials announced last month that a new Southern Professional Hockey League team would play at the Ford Center in Evansville. The ECHL’s Evansville IceMen said in January it was moving to nearby Owensboro, Kentucky, after failed contract negotiations with Evansville.
The Evansville Courier & Press (http://bit.ly/24Aq1qP ) reports that under a management contract the city approved Tuesday, if the new team’s owner wants to leave, the city has the option to take over the franchise.
Evansville Redevelopment Commission President Randy Alsman says the five-year lease agreement for the new team to play at the Ford Center mirrors the last proposal the city sent the IceMen in January.