Dubuque officially announces it's back in the USHL

There's a 2 p.m. press conference in Dubuque today to officially announce what's been reported for awhile now - the city is getting back into the United States Hockey League.

Dubuque is building a 3,200-seat ice arena on Chaplain Schmitt Island called the Mystique Ice Center. The franchise, which will begin play next season, will be owned by several local investors.

Here's a story from the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald on the new/old team.

BY JIM LEITNER TH SPORTS EDITOR

Back in the USHL

Dubuque will officially return to the league today with the unveiling of the city's expansion franchise.

Photo by: TH file photo

Jack Barzee

Jack Barzee can't wait for his next business trip back to his old stomping grounds.

Barzee helped bring the United States Hockey League to Dubuque for the 1980-81 season, and it saddened him to see the Fighting Saints leave 21 years later.

Dubuque will officially return to the USHL today. Commissioner Skip Prince, as well as local and regional investors, will unveil the expansion franchise at 2 p.m. in the Mystique Casino's Harvest Room.

The team will play at the Mystique Ice Center, a 3,200-seat arena scheduled to open next summer on Chaplain Schmitt Island.

"I'm very excited about it," said the 68-year-old Barzee, who works for the National Hockey League's Central Scouting Bureau. "Any time you can add a city within the league's footprint, it's a no-brainer. And with Dubuque, you already have a history and great rivalries with Waterloo, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City . . .

"Dubuque is a very progressive city. With the new rink going up, I just know it'll be a great addition. I've been there lately, and I'm not just

talking with my heart. It's a no-brainer."

Barzee compiled a 156-80-4 record, two National championships, three playoff titles and two regular-season crowns during his five seasons as the Fighting Saints' head coach and general manager. His 1983 National championship team featured defenseman Gary Suter, who went on to a 17-year career in the NHL.

"I thought (Dubuque) was a great transition between high school and college," said Suter, who starred for his hometown Wisconsin Badgers before moving on to the NHL. "It's obviously a step above high school and a little below college. And, also, you play a lot more games than you play in high school and do more traveling, so you kind of get acclimated to what you can expect later on in your hockey career.

"I spent my senior year of high school there at Wahlert. It's tough to be away from home when you're still in high school, but the people there really made me feel welcome. I have a lot of fond memories of Dubuque."

After a steep decline in the late 1980s, Dubuque returned to glory in the early 1990s and won the third National title in franchise history behind Cary Eades in 1993.

The Saints produced future NHL players Peter and Chris Ferraro, Landon Wilson, Mark Mowers and Andy Wozniewski. Troy Ward, who coached two seasons in Dubuque, later worked as an assistant in the NHL.

But the Saints could not recover from another downward cycle in the late 1990s. An East Coast investment group headed by Brian Gallagher purchased the team in 1996 and struggled on and off the ice.

Dwindling attendance and the USHL's impending move to a much pricier Tier I status led Gallagher to relocate the franchise to Tulsa following the 2000-01 season. Financial troubles followed the team to Oklahoma, and it folded after one season.

"It's with sadness the USHL departs Dubuque, which has been a great USHL community for over 20 years," former USHL commissioner Gino Gasparini said at the time. "They have a great heritage in the USHL, and it is sad to see a great hockey city like Dubuque not involved in the league."

That will change with today's announcement.