Lynx notes: Red tape delays Lynx prospect

Web posted October 4, 1998

By Rob Mueller
Staff Writer

DULUTH, Ga. -- For most players invited to the Augusta Lynx's inaugural training camp, the trek to Atlanta proved uneventful. For others, like defenseman Jaroslav Obsut, it was a much different story.

The 22-year-old native of Slovakia, who currently lives in Canada, was detained for nearly 36 hours at the Toronto airport by overzealous Canadian immigration agents.

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In order to come from Canada to work in the United States, players invited to Lynx and other East Coast Hockey League training camps must obtain a B1 visa, which gives them 30 days in the U.S.

Players who make ECHL rosters then receive an H2B visa that enables them to remain in the U.S. through May 31.

After he was let go in training camp by the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League last week, Obsut agreed to try out for the Lynx. He flew from Winnipeg to Toronto on Tuesday, and was scheduled to board a plane bound for Atlanta that evening. But immigration agents said he could not cross the border because he did not have the proper paperwork, and claimed the visa he obtained to play for the Raleigh IceCaps last season was not legal.

``They were really giving me a hard time and weren't letting me go,'' said Obsut, who scored six goals and tallied 26 assists for Raleigh last season. ``I had the right paperwork, but they kept telling me I was trying to do something illegally.''

Lynx coach Dan Wiebe had to return to the team's offices in downtown Augusta around 10 p.m. on Tuesday to fax copies of Obsut's visa to Toronto. But after an overnight stay in Toronto, Obsut was denied again after trying to board a plane again on Wednesday morning.

Eventually, Obsut convinced the agents to let him go, but was only issued a B1 visa through Oct. 14, the day before the Lynx open the season at home vs. Jacksonville. Expecting Obsut to make the team, the Lynx are scrambling to arrange for an H2B visa to last through the season.

``It should work out OK,'' Wiebe said. ``We're looking for Jaroslav to be one of the leaders of our defense, and he has all the tools to go out there and make it happen.''

MORE DELAYS: Construction problems have again pushed back the grand opening of the Augusta IceForum on Augusta West Parkway, and the facility is now tentatively set to open its doors around Dec. 20.

Bad weather and problems with the soil are the two biggest factors in the delay, said Augusta IceForum general manager John Brien, a native of Canada who is currently working out of the Atlanta IceForum.

Brien will visit the construction site on Monday and hopes to have a better idea of where the project stands.

``It's disappointing but in the end, it's going to be a great facility for hockey,'' Brien said.

The delays shouldn't cause too much of a logistical problem for the Lynx, except for the first week in November, when the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center will host the National Barrel Horse Association championships.

The team will need to find ice elsewhere for practice, and Wiebe said he is looking into several rinks, including Macon and the Atlanta IceForum.

CIVIC SKATING: Civic Center general manager Pat Cumiskey says that public skating at the arena is still being considered. Once the IceForum opens, it could put a dent in the civic center's potential business, but Cumiskey feels people will like the idea of skating on the Lynx' home ice as well.

The main concern is cost of purchasing rental skates. In Florence, where the ECHL's Pee Dee Pride played its inaugural season, the Florence Civic Center incurred about $18,000 in startup costs, mostly for skates. But public skating sessions reportedly netted more than $23,000, after paying off startup costs. However, the Florence Civic Center has the only ice in town -- the closest privately-owned rink is in Charleston.

Rob Mueller covers hockey for The Augusta Chronicle. He can be reached at (706) 823-3425 or robm99@hotmail.com.