If there isn’t scandal, it wouldn’t be hockey. In the NHL, there’s the gambling scandal, which seems to have been swept under the rug. But in the UHL, you have the Danbury Trashers and the organized crime charges. From skirting the salary cap, to no-show jobs for players and maybe wives, the ramifications for the league should be at the least worrisome. But to this point, the league, and President/CEO Richard Brosal, have been quiet about it. They basically have said the problem was with the Trashers, and owner James Galante, and doesn’t affect the league. Strange, since making it to the Colonial Cup Finals with a team who violated the salary cap would be pretty troubling to me, and my team owners. Ask the Muskegon Fury, or the Quad City Mallards, both teams eliminated by the Trashers in the playoffs, how they feel about it. Playoffs for the minors is make or break money. If you make it, you might make your nut for the year, and if not, you may be the latest flop in the cities hockey history. Ask Richmond, who would have made it into the playoffs.

So, today, I popped by Sidearm Delivery, a blog dealing with hockey news from Russia, the Rangers, and (this is why I found it) the Hartford Wolfpack. You should check this blog out, regardless of your feeling about those topics. A few posts back, he was talking about the UHL and these problems, but he brought up something else. Galante (Trashers owner) was brought up on charges of assault for punching a linesman in a game that got pretty out of hand. The game was back on Dec. 1, 2004, and I don’t know where to find the scoresheet. I’m sure it would be a fun read. The punching seemed to happen in the penalty box, which is a strange place for a team owner to be in the first place. I’d guess it’s true, because it’s all too dumb to make up.

What really pissed me off was listening to the FBI taped phone calls that the Danbury NewsTimes has posted on their website. The last two are of Galante and an employee (who is under federal indictment) and the employee and President Brosal, talking about getting the linesman to change his statement. The ironic part is how often the callers say the phone calls never happened.

This is all small potatoes compared to the big charges pointed at Galante. This is easy to forget, but it shouldn’t be. This is awful, maddening crap. This all pisses me off to no end. It calls into question the league’s integrity. It makes the league President/CEO look like a criminal. It reminds you that hockey has it’s dark side, and can get pretty dark.

Last season, I took a road trip through the UHL, seeing a game in every city. I have some great photos, saw some great games, met interesting people, and the only downside was the shitty hotels I stayed in to keep costs down. I’m happy I took the trip, and it remains one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. I got to see a few games in my favorite place to see games (Glens Falls, NY).

But this is disgusting. Listen to the calls, it’s worth your time.

(Since nobody has been convicted of anything, everything posted here is considered “Alleged.” Because that’s the way things are.)