Musketeers Sold

It is being reported that the Sioux City Musketeers have been sold and the organization has called a press conference for tomorrow afternoon. Here is an article from a local radio station in Sioux City.

The Sioux City Musketeers have called a press conference for Friday afternoon at 2:00 at the Tyson Events Center. It was not disclosed what the purpose of this press conference is.

However, KSCJ has learned that the Musketeers hockey organization will be sold to a group outside of Sioux City. Anonymous sources have told KSCJ that Siouxland Sports will sell the team to a group that has never owned a sports franchise before. It should be emphasized that there is no indication that the team will leave Sioux City and the Tyson Events Center.

Numerous calls have been placed to Team President Jim Kronschnabel but have not been returned. A representative of the USHL did not have any comment on the story.

Kronshnabel is part of Siouxland Sports, which owns the team and has operated the Muskies franchise since 2002, 2 years before the Tyson Events Center was completed.

It is widely known that Kronschnabel has family in poor health but there is no indication whether that is a reason for the sale.

An update as the Musketeers have released a press release on their web site. I'm glad to see the first order of business was extending the lease to keep the team in Sioux City. I had also heard from a source that Quad City was interested in the league and was told the only way they could was to buy a franchise. I hope that the Musketeers organization stays in Sioux City for many years to come.

The United States Hockey League and Jim Kronschnabel, the principal owner of Siouxland Sports and the Sioux City Musketeers, today announced approval for the transfer of ownership of the Musketeers to a new ownership group headed by Donn Lux, Chairman and CEO of St. Louis-based Luxco, Inc.

A first order for new ownership was extension of the current lease agreement with the Tyson Events Center, which has hosted home games for the Sioux City Musketeers since it opened in 2003, for at least three future seasons. The organization will also host the USHL Fall Classic in September through at least 2011, having been awarded that extension by the USHL during its All-Star meetings. This coming September will mark the fourth straight season the "most scouted event in hockey" comes to Sioux City.