[Rumour] Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice to relocate

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Bootsy

Fort Mac and Grande Prairie are both long over due a WHL team. While travel logistics are a problem, I am fully confident both cities and teams would both get huge support , would have long term stability and be moneymakers for the league. I'd argue the Prince George and Brandon roads trips are no worse.
Arenas upgrades may be needed in both cities but both have more than enough money backers to get it done if they were awarded teams.

To me it is a simple solution but would cost money. The teams would bus to Edmonton then charter a flight to Ft Mc or GP. The teams based in Ft Mc/ GP would fly to Edm then bus to the other cities for games. There would be the odd occaison when both teams may be flying onto Ft Mc on the same plane. I would think they would have to fly in officials as well. There is no way the league goes to either commnity untill 2 lane hiways exist which will take 10 or more years for Ft Mc.

Dawson Creek has a facility and a lot of people within an hours drive but everything would have to be fly in fly out. Maybe an AHL could fit there but can't see Dawson Creek as being a target city for any league.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Azure

I can't believe the WHL hasn't stepped in and forced the sale of the Hurricanes to a private owner a long time ago.

Unreal how badly that organization has been run.

they're bleeding money now too.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

they're bleeding money now too.

This has only been an issue for the past two or three years, and you hear so much talk it is hard to tell what to believe or not. But I do think they are stuck with the current GM and coach because they don't have the means to pay out their existing contracts and hire new guys. It also came out late in the year (from the business manager I believe) that they were saving money by having three guys to a room, no wonder guys were leaving the team and asking for trades.

[Sylvanfan]

Fort Mac would be pretty dangerous travel wise for the WHL. I doubt the league wants to start moving too far North. The Fort Mac team may be able to afford to fly in and out, but I doubt the other teams are willing to do so.

Really Fort Mac might make for a better potential AHL city.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Fort Mac would be pretty dangerous travel wise for the WHL. I doubt the league wants to start moving too far North. The Fort Mac team may be able to afford to fly in and out, but I doubt the other teams are willing to do so.

Really Fort Mac might make for a better potential AHL city.

With a pretty impressive arena project in the works Fort McMurray will get a WHL team soon enough. Like mentioned above the solution is flying teams to and from Edmonton then busing there. A bit costly but an expected cost.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

This has only been an issue for the past two or three years, and you hear so much talk it is hard to tell what to believe or not. But I do think they are stuck with the current GM and coach because they don't have the means to pay out their existing contracts and hire new guys. It also came out late in the year (from the business manager I believe) that they were saving money by having three guys to a room, no wonder guys were leaving the team and asking for trades.

the article I linked in the OP suggests the WHL has been helping the Hurricanes pay their bills.

Meantime, there is the disposition of the Hurricanes. Sources have confirmed that, indeed, the WHL is helping the 'Canes meet their expenses.

[fastpuck]

I am hearing from a Cranbrook season ticket holder that a good friend is a minority owner of the Ice and definatly wants a larger piece of the ownership and that would be to keep them in Cranbrook. This would be a serious disaster for the community if they lost the ice.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

I'm not sure Winnipeg can support a NHL and WHL club. I read that despite the Edmonton Oil Kings performance, crowds haven't been that great. Edmonton is more populated, and has more disposable income than Winnipeg. TNSE has their work cut out for them.

Doesn't matter if crowds are that great. If the NHL squad owns the WHL team, there is little to no overhead. You own the building and the facilities and you can leverage your current staff for promotions and ticketing. I suspect that the Hitmen have, from an administration perspective, a handful of full time employees including coaches and trainers. You don't pay the kids and you travel by bus. I think it's basically a license to print money.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Doesn't matter if crowds are that great. If the NHL squad owns the WHL team, there is little to no overhead. You own the building and the facilities and you can leverage your current staff for promotions and ticketing. I suspect that the Hitmen have, from an administration perspective, a handful of full time employees including coaches and trainers. You don't pay the kids and you travel by bus. I think it's basically a license to print money.

Family friends with Mike Moore (current GM of the Hitmen) who used to be on the business side of things. He said the Flames make nothing but money off the Hitmen and the cost to keep them is extremely low. Saying they're a license to print money is bang on. That's why a team would work in Winnipeg, so long as the Jets own them. Without the Jets ownership, I don't see a WHL team working there though.

[UpperLoge]

Smartest move in the history of time would be for the Oilers to move their AHL affiliate to Fort Mac. It's a fly-in league and that would solve a lot of issues with buses on the highway. Flames should strongly look at Thunder Bay if not Saskatoon, and leave Abby to the Canucks which just makes sense.

Winnipeg can definitely do a WHL squad and make it work. They're better positioned than the Flames or Oilers even as they own the rink. A LOT more synergy there as it fills more event nights and they won't get pillaged on the rent like some of the other W clubs in larger markets do. But realistically with no roster payroll to speak of and mostly bus/hotel costs to contend with, if they were drawing 3000 a night in the MTS (they'd probably get more, easily as a 'family alternative' to the N) they'd bare minimum break even, if not clear some solid cash. Not to mention the jersey sales and merch etc etc and the chance to job share a bulk of the office staff means less overhead overall.

Lethbridge would not want an A squad. W markets are W markets. Once you've seen that kind of hockey, you get pretty spoiled. AHL just doesn't have the same buzz.

I'd love to see Lloyd get a team based on the routing alone. They'd need a new rink first. There's money there and the town has started to be pretty progressive. Their AJ squad could easily slide up to Cold Lake that already has an arena ready to go, and the Bonnyville/Cold Lake rivalry would be nothing short of epic.

[Resolute 14]

No, the AHL is not a fly-in league. It is predominantly a bus league, except for teams in wildly remote outposts like Abbotsford.

And Lloyd has come close to losing its AJHL team more than once. That is not a city I would put a WHL team in.

[pylon]

This seems too complicated.

Why not just move the Ice to Winnipeg, and save a step?

[Resolute 14]

Because the situation in Lethbridge cannot continue. After that, it's simply a matter of how you want to describe it. It's either two sales and a relocation, or one sale and two relocations.

[Vulcan]

Flames should strongly look at Thunder Bay if not Saskatoon, and leave Abby to the Canucks which just makes sense.

The Jets have already made a deal with Thunder Bay.

The rumour is that the Flames are looking at Adirondack as the Flyers are pulling out.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by UpperLoge

Lethbridge would not want an A squad. W markets are W markets. Once you've seen that kind of hockey, you get pretty spoiled. AHL just doesn't have the same buzz.

What?

AHL is much better hockey than WHL.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

the article I linked in the OP suggests the WHL has been helping the Hurricanes pay their bills.

The media guy who tweeted "...the league is footing the bills now" later retracked his statement and re worded it . They are relying on money from the league (which is money all teams get from the league, not sure how it all works but though, merch sales , sponsorship etc... I presume.) to pay some bills. That is how it all came out. It was basically a local media guy looking for headlines and creating more drama.

The board of directors did confirm that the team had secured a line of credit for a 100,000 to finish out the season. Though that isn't a whole lot of money in the grand scheme of things, the reaction was certainly not positive. The outlook is not any better either as ticket sales tanked as bad as the team did and there has not been a lot of talk about renewals for seasn tickets. In fact they did not announce renewals untill the last week or two of the season which prompted even more speculation about relocation.

[BigT112]

I foolishly bought Canes season tickets at the beginning of the year. Stopped going in February, it was too painful and too boring to watch them lose night after night. I hope change happens, for the sake of WHL fans in Lethbridge. The city will support a team, attendance is dropping because the Canes are horrendous year in and year out.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

What?

AHL is much better hockey than WHL.

Certainly a higher calibre, but I would not trade the WHL for the AHL.

Though it is contradictary that he argued that "W markets" are loyal to the brand (they typically are), but that it would also be a good move for the Flames to move the Heat to Saskatoon.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Certainly a higher calibre, but I would not trade the WHL for the AHL.



Though it is contradictary that he argued that "W markets" are loyal to the brand (they typically are), but that it would also be a good move for the Flames to move the Heat to Saskatoon.

The main difference is that the WHL is the best players of their age group. The AHL doesn't have the same allure. WHL teams would lose to virtually every pro league team out there, as well as NCAA and CIS teams, but none of them would come anywhere near the WHL in attendance in one of their markets.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

What?

AHL is much better hockey than WHL.

The AHL may be better hockey in terms of an AHL being able to beat a WHL but it is second tier hockey where are the WHL is the best of the 16-20 age group.

As well the WHL league has a history in the city and people are familiar with it and already have an attachment to it.

I know personally as a former season ticket holder and likely future season ticket holder if the ownership is changed I would have no interest in going to the AHL and certainly wouldn't get season tickets Flames affiliate or not.

I think many in Lethbridge would be the same. A lot of the crowd is seniors and they seem to like to support the "kids" based on conversations I have had with some that I know/sit by. Possibly these people still go to AHL but they are often WHL fans more than even NHL fans.

Lethbridge is also far from a Flames town so the draw of the Flames affiliate being here wouldn't have a big impact.

WHL makes way more sense here than the AHL unless Flames are willing to subsidize a team with ~2,000 fans a night. I would say the same thing for Saskatoon can't see the AHL working better than the WHL there.