It appears that the book is closed on the Plymouth Whalers possibly moving to Chatham-Kent.
A news conference is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow in Plymouth, where the announcement for the teams re-location to Flint, Michigan is expected to be made.
Reporters in Michigan took to Twitter with the news:
#BREAKING Deal to move the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers to Flint appears done. Press conference called for tomorrow AM at Compuware Arena.
— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) January 13, 2015
Plymouth Whalers to hold press conference tomorrow to discuss future of team..all signs point to a move to Flint..pending OHL approval — Terry Camp (@ABC12Terry) January 13, 2015
At the beginning of December, the owner of the Plymouth Whalers Peter Karmanos said he was targeting a small Canadian city for relocation.
“Hopefully, Chatham,” Karmanos said.
Chatham-Kent officials had a sit down meeting with a hockey club just before Christmas.
Although details were not disclosed about who the meeting was with, reports indicate the meeting was with Plymouth officials.
The notion of an OHL team moving to Chatham is not a new one.
A closed session report from March 17 was released, stating that council directed administration about a “potential property acquisition by the municipality in the community of Chatham in regard to an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) sized arena.”
A staff report from 2013 stated that a brand new arena suitable for the needs of an OHL franchise, would cost between $45 million to $50 million.
The Perani Arena & Event Cente in Flint can hold 4,421 people.
