[Rumour] Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice to relocate

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by stignasty

I'm quite fond of my hometown. I know lots of Flames fans.

No offense intended, and if you can manage to find anything redeeming about that place, all the more power to you. I hated almost every second in that town, from the never ending wind, to the nonstop Mormons at my door, to the unending belief that the Oilers were the best thing ever. Hated it. I mean it was better than the year I spent in Toronto, but not by much.

[BigT112]

Originally Posted by Lanny'sDaMan

No offense intended, and if you can manage to find anything redeeming about that place, all the more power to you. I hated almost every second in that town, from the never ending wind, to the nonstop Mormons at my door, to the unending belief that the Oilers were the best thing ever. Hated it. I mean it was better than the year I spent in Toronto, but not by much.

That's a shame. I think Lethbridge is a great place to live. To each his own I guess. Although the town is full of Oiler fans. It's not that bad though, watching them have insanely high expectations only to be crushed year after year is pretty fun!

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

my God, the Hurricanes are the major-junior equivalent of the Oilers!

In all seriousness, as much hate as I have for Lethbridge, it would be a shame if it lost the WHL again.

I don't think the league will abandon the market. The primary thrust of these rumours really seems to be to try and repair the damage - otherwise they'd simply move the Ice to Winnipeg and be done with it.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Buff

Both very good players, but Philips in the WHL was on another level. Philips played on a stacked team and looked like he was heads and shoulders above the rest.

He was before my time. I do remember Brandon Janes though, who as a 16 year old was pretty impressive.

[Azure]

Lethbridge is a great WHL market.

Would be a shame if they didn't get a properly run team.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Azure

He was before my time. I do remember Brandon Janes though, who as a 16 year old was pretty impressive.

Too bad that Janes decided to quit hockey.

[Barbecue]

Originally Posted by BigT112

That's a shame. I think Lethbridge is a great place to live. To each his own I guess. Although the town is full of Oiler fans. It's not that bad though, watching them have insanely high expectations only to be crushed year after year is pretty fun!

I knew that Lethbridge was full of mormons but I had no idea they were also full of hardcore Oiler fans...

Fitting, I guess...
Both groups are hardcore in their following and both are led with false promises by the organization

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Lanny'sDaMan

I mean it was better than the year I spent in Toronto, but not by much.

You thought Lethbridge was better than Toronto? LOL. I lived in Toronto in 2010 and, aside from the hockey world and the Maple Leafs fanbase, it was by far one of the most fun places to be in terms of my career, places to see, things to do and people to hang out with. Lethbridge doesn't compare to Toronto on any level. We have different opinions on this, I guess.

[Burke Salad]

I remember being blasted with F-bombs in Lethbridge because my wife and I were wearing Hitmen jersey's at a playoff game. It was a pack of young native males, they didnt seem to care that there was numerous children around either. Cool Story Bro!

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Buff

Very good point. They have been telling us for years that this team is young and going to be much improved next year. Since before Preston's time. A lot of fans have been patient and deserve something now, not in three years.

A lot of people will be ecstatic once we have a team, current or another franchise, that is not run by a Board of Governors. Some people will still not be patient enough to stomach a rebuild that has allegedly been happening for years now, but on the flip side, some people will be hurt that they've lost the lineage of the Hurricanes though.

Has there ever been any precedent where a city loses a team but in the same off season it loses their team they get a replacement team from another city in the same league? Seems kinda crazy.

I can say with certainty that if something does happen I will buy season tickets for next year and I have been to only a handful of games in the last several decade because of the BoG

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Muta

You thought Lethbridge was better than Toronto? LOL. I lived in Toronto in 2010 and, aside from the hockey world and the Maple Leafs fanbase, it was by far one of the most fun places to be in terms of my career, places to see, things to do and people to hang out with. Lethbridge doesn't compare to Toronto on any level. We have different opinions on this, I guess.

As you point out, to each their own. I like you cannot understand how anyone would prefer Lethbridge to Toronto, but anyone who does rank Lethbridge higher up than TO is clearly looking for and likely enjoys different things then I do, and there's nothing wrong with that I guess.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

What are the crowds in Abby like? How many go each game?

How many people go the Hurricane games? Would the Heat make any money in Lethbridge?

I rarely go to Hurricanes games. Haven't been to one in years, but if the Heat moved here I would probably go to every game.

[Pliddy]

I'm a native Calgarian who has lived the past 15 years in Lethbridge and I was also concerned about the obscene amount of Oilers fans ( I can handle the mormons and even the wind, but those I Oilers fans really get to me.) Legend has it, it is because of Mike Vernon,apparently he refused to play for the old Lethbridge Broncos and screwed over the team, so when he surfaced with the Flames the whole town became Oilers Fans. Not sure if anyone can add to this

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Pliddy

I'm a native Calgarian who has lived the past 15 years in Lethbridge and I was also concerned about the obscene amount of Oilers fans ( I can handle the mormons and even the wind, but those I Oilers fans really get to me.) Legend has it, it is because of Mike Vernon,apparently he refused to play for the old Lethbridge Broncos and screwed over the team, so when he surfaced with the Flames the whole town became Oilers Fans. Not sure if anyone can add to this

At the time, teams could add an extra goalie to their roster from another team in their league for the Memorial Cup tournament. Lethbridge won the WHL that year, but Portland was the host of the Memorial Cup (Vernon had played for the Winterhawks in the Memorial Cup the previous year under the same rule).

The Broncos invited him to join them, but he turned them down to play for the Winterhawks, and led them to the Memorial Cup championship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ve...hockey)#Junior

[automaton 3]

Lots of Flames fans in Calgary of course - but past that there seems to be Oilers fans all over Alberta - and even Southern Alberta which you'd expect to be in Calgary's sphere of influence.

[Resolute 14]

Given both teams' games are widely available all over the prairies, one should expect wide support for both teams throughout the province.

[Bootsy]

Originally Posted by automaton 3

Lots of Flames fans in Calgary of course - but past that there seems to be Oilers fans all over Alberta - and even Southern Alberta which you'd expect to be in Calgary's sphere of influence.

It goes both ways , while up north in the Peace Country has a majority of Oilers fans there is a bigger pocket of Flames fans up there than you'd think .

[JBR]

I grew up in Lethbridge watching the Broncos and vividly remember Vernon's snub. Lethbridge goalie Ken Wregget injured his knee in the WHL clinching game and was done for the year. It would have been nice to have Vernon as the new starter.

Oiler love began in Lethbridge a few years before Vernon surfaced with the Flames full time in 86. Most of my friends became Oil fans because they enjoyed success earlier than Calgary. I stuck it out bleeding for the Flames until my redemption day... After game 7 of the 86 Smythe final. Got kicked out of Chem 30 for refusing to take off the jersey. Teacher was a Oiler fanboy.

Originally Posted by getbak

At the time, teams could add an extra goalie to their roster from another team in their league for the Memorial Cup tournament. Lethbridge won the WHL that year, but Portland was the host of the Memorial Cup (Vernon had played for the Winterhawks in the Memorial Cup the previous year under the same rule).

The Broncos invited him to join them, but he turned them down to play for the Winterhawks, and led them to the Memorial Cup championship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ve...hockey)#Junior

[Buff]

I'd say the Flames to Oilers ratio of support in Lethbridge is roughly 50/50.

Based on observations from the Flames 2004 playoff run and the Oilers 2006 playoff run, there appeared to be more support for the Flames. Nothing to quantify that, just mere observations.

People in my age group who were born and raised in Lethbridge are likely more prone to be Oilers fans because they were young and impressionable when Gretzky and the gang was taking the league by storm. I was born in Calgary and moved to Lethbridge in '86 right when the Flames started to become strong after that first Cup run. I think the younger generation in Lethbridge has more support for the Flames. Of my kid's friends I don't know of a single Oilers fan. Lots of Flames and Leafs fans.

Observations though. You can't quantify it without the city doing a census and that isn't likely to happen. I certainly was shocked in '86 when I came to Lethbridge from Calgary and not everybody was a Flames fan.

[Alberta_Beef]

I've seen the same as Buff. Lots and lots of Flames fans that became hockey fans post-Gretzky.

Although when he says 50-50 I think he means equal amounts of Flames/Oilers fans. As this city is also a huge bandwagon town. So many Pens/Hawks and even Canucks fans its disgusting