Just so that all of you know, nobody is being held hostage by us or any of the other clubs that have signed players. Mr. Black has obviously chosen one way of running his club and we have chosen another.
If the season plays, we will be ready with another championship team. We owe that to ourselves, our players, our staff and especially our fans who continue to support us through thick and thin. If the season does not go on, we would certainly let our players go elsewhere but I think a lot of people are overstating the differences between the EIHL and other leagues. I would suggest that if we don't play, then the vast majority of leagues will also not be playing. The players know that. They aren't giving up anything to commit to us. The few leagues that may play will be virtually impossible to get into because every player will be wanting to do the same.
So as with everything that we do, we treat the players as partners and we both understand that we'll do what is in everyone's best interest as information continues to become clearer. It's why so many of our top players felt comfortable signing contracts even in this environment. To me, that is the only way to responsibly run the club. As long as there's a chance, we'll be ready.