I continue to hear that the IHL is concerned with teams, occasionally, confirming to reporters that players are about to be signed.

The gripe is that the league doesn't want any announcements to go out until signings are "official" or "approved by the league."

Fine, I have no problem with them not wanting things stated as definitive if that's not the case.

But let's use last week's signing of Justin Chwedoruk as a completely random example. The Journal Gazette reported that Chwedoruk had been signed, "pending approval from the IHL," with general manager David Franke being the one who confirmed what I already knew was happening.

What would be the problem with that, exactly?

If it doesn't end up happening because of something clerical, nothing false has been reported and the onus remains on the reporters to get their facts straight.

If Chwedoruk didn't get signed, I would be the one having the explaining to do. Not the IHL.

Again, that was just a hypothetical.

Those who have problems with teams that affirm that particular signings are on the way need to realize a few things:

• Most times, reporters know these things are coming from our contacts with sources, namely players. Or, they pop up on the internet. Or, we see the new players at practice. What is the use of denying something so obvious? Despite what the league may believe, general managers or coaches are not feeding us stuff.
• Teams such as the Komets and Quad City Mallards have multiple, aggressive reporters covering them, and the league needs to understand that if you want big-time coverage, reporters breaking news comes along with it, and that's a good thing.
• And this is the most crucial point: For a league like the IHL, which is trying to grow and gain credibility, getting coverage from the media is crucial. You don't want to clamp down.