Fort Wayne, IN --- The Fort Wayne Komets are pleased to announce that a local retailer has been chosen to design and produce their 2008 IHL Turner Cup Championship Rings. Peter Franklin Jewelers designed the Komets 2002-03 UHL Colonial Cup Championship Rings and were selected again from a national list of potential vendors. The Championship Rings will be presented to the returning members of last season’s Komets during a special ceremony as part of the Komets’ 2008-09 Home Opener at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, October 18, 2008 vs. Flint with face-off at 7:30 PM.

Komet Executive Vice President Scott Sproat commented, "We were extremely pleased with the quality, craftsmanship, and value of the last set of our Championship Rings following the 2002-03 Season, and Peter Franklin Jewelers once again presented the best design and best proposal for the creation of our latest championship commemoratives. Since the 2007-08 Season was the inaugural season for the rebirth of the International Hockey League, we felt that it was extremely important that these first Turner Cup Rings were indicative of the long history and tradition of the original IHL and all the players that came before our 2007-08 Championship Team. We also felt that it was important to work with a local company like Peter Franklin that is active in our community. In the end… Peter Franklin Jewelers was a very clear choice."

The design of the top of the of the rings features six large orange stones commemorating the Komet Franchise’s six championships set in a field of diamonds. The six orange stones honor Komet Championships of 1963, 1965, 1973, 1993, 2003 and 2008.

The rings feature the Turner Cup and IHL logos on one side commemorating the new IHL’s inaugural season and the Komets’ logo and season record on the opposite side in honor of the K’s championship season that featured a record 56 wins, 12 losses and 120 points.

"Peter Franklin Jewelers is proud to partner with the Fort Wayne Komets. Their organization exemplifies tradition, excellence, and class on and off the ice. These are the same qualities that we try to maintain in the relationships with all of our customers," said Mr. James Ball of Peter Franklin Jewelers. "The Komets are important to the Fort Wayne area and it is important to us that the Fort Wayne area knows that we are a world-class designer of custom jewelry who still focuses on community first. Our partnership with the Komets as their Official Championship Ring Provider is a clear example of both of those commitments."