International Independent Hockey League

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The International Independent Hockey League (IIHL) was an independent low-level professional hockey league that played in the Great Lakes Region of the US in late 2003 before falling apart in 2004. Several players used the IIHL as a launching pad to higher pro leagues.

Founded by Mike Killbreath of Grand Blanc, Michigan, the league was shaken with misconduct allegations.

The IIHL ceased operations in late January 2004 amid lawsuits and strife between team ownership and league officials.

The Northern Michigan Predators began play with the IIHL's smallest arena when a zoning issue with Harbor Springs, Michigan officials resulted in only 300 seats being allowed at Polar Bear Arena. Considine pulled the plug on the team after the IIHL office shut down the franchise known as the Soo City Mavericks because owner Shane W. Kelly didn't obtain workers' comp insurance, missed payments to the league office and missed payroll to players despite averaging more than 600 fans per game to lead the IIHL in attendance. Mark Williams, former successful operator of the ECHL's Huntington Blizzard, never began play with his team in Huntington, West Virginia because of unpaid bills to the league office by the Predators and Mavericks.

The IIHL had an affiliation agreement with the now defunct South East Hockey League (SEHL). The four-team SEHL ceased play following the 2003-04 season with portions of the league joining the Asheville, North Carolina-based Southern Professional Hockey League. Mark Williams quit as General Manager of the Winston-Salem franchise in the SEHL to begin his IIHL operation in Huntington with the Tri-State Hurricanes.

The first IIHL game was played in December 2003 at Polar Bear Arena in Harbor Springs, Michigan. It featured the Northern Michigan Predators and Lansing Ice Nuts. The Ice Nuts won, 3-2. Former NHL star Craig Coxe was the coach of the Predators and he stayed on to manage the rink in Harbor Springs.

Another former NHL star, Darren Banks, was GM and Head Coach of the Motor City Snipers who obtained a lease at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum under the ownership of Mike Killbreath and Bob Clouston. Banks took over leadership as GM when Clouston suffered serious health problems a week before opening night, eventually dying a few months later.

The Soo City Mavericks played out of the historic Pullar Center in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Shane W. Kelley was GM and Head Coach, in addition to owning the team. Jason Rapcewicz was his Associate Coach.

The Ohio Valley Ice Cats played out of Bird Arena in Athens, Ohio on the campus of Ohio University, and the original GM/Head Coach was fired after fewer than a dozen players showed up for training camp and the original ownership group never paid franchise fees or league fees. The league named a college student to help operate the Ice Cats with the team captain while trying to find a new ownership group that never materialized.

The Lansing Ice Nuts also played on a college campus, using a no alcohol approach at Michigan State University's Munn Ice Arena. They never drew more than 350 fans to a game because of the no alcohol policy, but the ban on drinking by players resulting in producing the IIHL's best club. GM/Head Coach Chris Blaisius was fired, however, by Killbreath after accused of stealing money and equipment from the club by his own players, then disappearing after a New Year's Eve game when players helped police find him for questioning about the missing funds and missing equipment. The Lansing Ice Nuts were 10-0 when Blaisius was fired. They finished 12-1 to stake claim to the only IIHL championship. The Predators finished second-best with a 6-6 record.

By the end of January, nearly every player on the Lansing Ice Nuts roster had moved on to play in Europe or a higher-level pro league with the help of Rosty Saglo. Players had credited Saglo with coaching the team instead of Blaisius.

Blaisius resurfaced as a coach in 2005 with a Junior B team in Dubuque, Iowa. His coaching stay there was also short-lived as players leveled various accusations that led to management removing him.