The Utah Grizzlies have filed a suit in Dallas County civil court against their former NHL parent team, the Dallas Stars, alleging breach of contract.
Grizzlies co-owner David Elmore has not returned phone calls regarding the matter, but the Dallas Morning News recently reported that Utah's suit alleges Dallas did not honor wording in the three-year contract about to end that the NHL club would provide its affiliate with a team that had a "goal of competing for the (AHL) Calder Cup each season."
The Grizzlies were 27-42-6-5 and last in the AHL West last season.
The suit also claims, said the Dallas newspaper, that the Stars did not use "commercially reasonable efforts to conduct the operations of the Grizzlies in a manner comparable to the highest level of the AHL."
The newspaper has quoted Dallas management as saying it will launch a countersuit claiming Utah still owes $450,000 to the Stars as part of the last year of the agreement. The working agreement called for the Grizzlies to pay Dallas in the neighborhood of $1.2 million last season for players, coaches and administration.