A recent article posted on wkowtv from Madison WI by Jamie Hersch
MADISON (WKOW) -- Chances are you've never heard of the Madison Ice Muskies. The minor league hockey team came to town in October, but many players are hitting the road instead of the ice.
John and Gene Rudolph of Chicago decided Madison needed a team like the Ice Muskies and recruited hockey players from around the country.
Players tell 27 News they were promised $400 every month, plus full room and board, but they say the Rudolphs haven't lived up to the bargain.
Rich Jondo moved from Baltimore to follow his dream of playing hockey for a living. But after two months of playing without pay, that dream is on thin ice.
"That's what we do -- we play hockey -- that's all we want to do. And we were given a chance here, but now it's being taken away from us," said Jondo.
Most of the players got a paycheck in October. But by January, neither the players nor the coach had seen a dime since.
Dustin Henning even sold his car to pay for groceries.
"It's just a car. I'll replace it. This means a lot more to me, this is my family here, so whatever it takes," said Henning.
On Tuesday, the Ice Muskies received notice they were being evicted notice from the Regent Apartments in downtown Madison.
The apartment complex said it hadn't received a single rent payment for the Ice Muskies, and it couldn't get in touch with the team owners.
The team doesn't even have money to pay for ice time to practice. From time to time, the Eagle's Nest Ice Arena in Verona will let them practice here for free, but otherwise, that money has to come from their own pockets.
"We had games in Evansville, Ind., about 9 hours away, and Muskegan, Mich., and with no contact with our owners we had no money, so Coach shelled it out of his own pocket to get us to both places to play our games," said team captain Andy Cripps.
Coach Rod Davidson knows the team isn't generating much money, but he says that's no excuse for the owners to abandon the players.
"Even if their business plan is failed, they have an obligation that they committed to, and they should live up to that obligation," said Davidson.
"We're playing single-A hockey. We know we're not going to make millions, and we're here to play hockey. But at the same time, guys are selling their cars to get home or to eat, some guys' phones are shut off and they can't call home... so it's a rough time," said Jondo.
The team owner did not return calls from 27 News.
The Regent is in the process of suing the team's owner for failing to pay rent for the players.
Five of the players on the team qualified to play in the league's All-Star Game on Saturday, but they say there's no way they can make it to the game in Indiana if they have to pay for it themselves.
