So CHRDANHUTCH you were wrong about the two season statement - Ft Wayne never announced an official affiliation or working agreement last season. You could either show where they did have an agreement, or just admit you forgot. No big deal, but instead you try to deflect by posting other dubious claims.
Can you confirm where and when they were told "flat out" they have to be affiliated? I must have missed that article.
Ft Wayne led the league in attendance last season with 7568 per game, so the have not "turned off all hockey fans". There are a large number of hockey fans in and around Ft Wayne who seem quite happy about how they are doing.
What do you mean by there are only 3 contracts up for grabs at the ECHL level? If you are talking about opportunities for affiliation, many teams are on one year agreements, and several teams only have "working agreements" or "handshake deals", so if an ECHL team were looking for an affiliation for next year they would have lots more than three options.