The Hawks/Bears controversy over 5-rated player

There's apparently controversy brewing in the league over a 5-rated player who wants to play in the league, particularly for the Hawks.

Some of you may recall the guy--he referred in some games over the past 2-3 years. His name is Tony --he was the young, thin ref who, imo, was the best ref out there at the time.

Here's a summary of what I've been told (and Bears/Hawks reps can post corrections here as they see fit):

• Hawks 5-rated player Ben Westerman isn't able to play
• Hawks players, who already play with Tony at the Oaks rink league, talk to him about him coming on board as a Hawk to replace Westerman
• Hawks already have a 5-rated player -- Nate Beil (who, imo, is a high 4...Nate is not the same as Gorman, Barry, Sanford, JP Mitton, etc. And Nate knows I like him so this isn't a personal dig of any kind--I have great respect for the man who was once the little kid I coached back in the 90s--he rocks for the Hawks for sure)
• Hawks were rumored to be trying to get Hanruchuck (sp?) from the Stars in the off season, but I think that fell through
• Jon Pogera left the Hawks of his own accord, going to the Stars without any apparent return pick/player from the Stars (this will probably need to be corrected by the other team reps). I don't think this has anything to do with the Tony Bears/Hawks issue, but nonetheless, I listed it just in case
• Bears do not have a 5-rated player
• MDL historically tries to evenly distribute 5-rated players coming into the league to team's that do NOT aleady have 5-rated players...exception would be Matt Fangman issue of 2 seasons ago when Fangman apparently said he'd only play for the Phantoms and refused to play for the Ice Demons...Ice Demons waived rights to Fangman in exchange for Phantoms draft pick...this occurred all prior to that season's draft

From my POV, this is a case of "do you allow a guy to play with his buddies" vs. "do you strive to keep parity in the league and help out those teams who really need it." It's not an easy call, as I can see both sides. If it were me coming into the league and I had the talent Tony does (which I don't of course!), I'd like to play with my buds, but at the same time, I wouldn't mind playing against them too. They're my friends regardless, and that's what makes this league so special and different from all of the other sucky rink leagues out there. This league operates as a whole unit, for the betterment of the league (I would hope), and not just a collection of individuals who only care about themselves. I'm not sure where I'd vote on this, but I'd like to see a win-win of some scenario where both the Hawks and Bears benefit from whatever decision is made. I have friends on both teams (and likewise, there are guys I don't care for on both teams), so I have no personal bias one way or the other on this one. One word that is important to me though in all of this: parity. I don't want to see another "lop-sided" kind of scenario like the Crunch were in their first season. Nobody does. Even Hawks players who truly want good, evenly matched fair play don't want this (I hope). For those who want to win at all costs---this isn't the league for you. This is a fun, Saturday league where we all have a good time and enjoy *competitive* play. It's no fun to either blow somebody out or get blown out...and if you disagree, you're absolutely in the wrong league. In fact, you'd probably be a former member of the Coyotes, one of the a-holes who hopefully will never set foot on the MDL ice ever again. (Yes, I told you so....zebras don't lose their stripes...those 3 were criminals/thugs/punks).

Oh, er, uh, sorry...got off on a tangent there. Anyway, weigh in with your thoughts on this so that Fred or Nate can vote on behalf of the Ice Demons majority position on this matter.

Thanks!
--Babs