"Northern Michigan's Newspaper," the Traverse City
Record Eagle, ran a front-page story last Friday about Joseph Kolodziej, a 37-year-old Petoskey resident "who vowed to bring minor league hockey to Traverse City." It turns out he's a multiply convicted felon with a colorful record dating back to 1988.
Kolodziej is president of the IHA, a new minor league scheduled to begin play in five cities next month. (Check it out — the
IHA web site is "coming soon.")
Kolodziej told the
Record Eagle "I don't think this is a story," and that his "personal issues have nothing to do with the league, with the team, with the rink." A handful of potential IHA investors have already balked, though, after going over Kolodziej's resume. It beats all you've ever saw, he's been in trouble with the law since the day he was born — or since he was 21, in any case.
1988: Fourth-degree grand larceny (Erie County, NY)
1991: Check fraud (Washtenaw County, MI)
1993: Auto theft (Volusia County, FL)
Now: Awaiting sentencing on felony forgery
Kolodziej's current tangle with the fuzz comes over a credit card he allegedly opened in his employer's name. According to Michigan State Police, while Kolodziej was a manager at the Polar Bear Ice rink and GM of the now-defunct
Northern Michigan Predators (
IIHL), he told the Advanta Bank Corp. that he had power of attorney for his boss, Thomas Considine, whom Kolodziej falsely claimed was dying from cancer. The
Record-Eagle reports that Considine found out about the card when Advanta sent him a bill for overdue payments totaling more than $13,000. Five other felony charges were dropped in a plea agreement.
OK, sure. Mistakes were made. But jeeze, you steal one lousy car, get one lousy grand larceny conviction, commit one lousy check fraud, and defraud your employer for thirteen thousand lousy bucks, and it's like no one will give you a chance!
Kolodziej faces up to 14 years in the clink. The
Record Eagle is now reporting that Traverse City
might join the NAHL. NAHL director of information and communications Stu Hackel: "Regardless of whether we put a team in there or not, as a hockey fan I have to feel for the fans of Traverse City to not have a team. It's a tough thing."