To the WHL's credit, they (finally!) issued a statement on the Chilliwack situation today.
Basically, it's bad news for Bruins fans - the league says it has conditionally approved the sale of the franchise to an unnamed buyer. Note that they do NOT state that they have approved the franchise moving, which is another story altogether. But I think we can assume that a move is part and parcel of the deal here.
I'm glad they have broken their silence. But there is more to be explained yet - like Brian Burke's suggestion that the league (THE LEAGUE!!!!) is working to move another existing team to Chilliwack.
I do realize there are legal issues in what people can and cannot say on some matters. But in the meantime, WHL fans in 2, 3, 4, 5 or more cities twist in the wind, not knowing if their team is moving, whether they'll have WHL hockey next fall, or anything else really. The league really does need to make some more statements in the next few days and clarify what is going on as best as they can.
8 comments:
I really doubt anything will come out now until after the memorial cup which is an absolute joke for all involved. no matter what happens now the league is left with a lot of explaining, mending fences and damage control to do.
Too bad one of the league partners, the Calgary Flames who own the Hitmen, decided to drop an AHL franchise in the middle of WHL territory and next to Chilliwack. I for one am terrified of the NHL returning to Winnipeg. What if the Moose move to the 14,000+ seat building in Saskatoon. Good bye Blades and probably my Raiders as well. Hopefully the Abbotsford experiment will fail for the Flames and the AHL will not move in to other WHL markets.
What team owners would really be pondering a move. I'm not as familiar with the Eastern teams as I live out West. But if not Prince George or Kootenay I don't know who.... Figure all 5 U.S. teams, Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna are all in good situations. And if not P.G. then who else would really want to move thier team? Any insight?
Yeah, its hard to pin down other possible team besides the Cougars and Ice.
In the East, you can probably assume that Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Regina, and Brandon are locks to stay where they are.
Moose Jaw has a brand new rink coming in next year, no way they are moving.
That leaves Prince Albert and Swift Current, who are smaller market teams with older buildings and who struggle to be profitable every year. BUT, they are both community owned teams so buying them is much more complicated than buying a privately owned team. If anyone was trying to buy & move the Raiders or Broncos (or any other community owned teams like Moose Jaw or Lethbridge), you can be sure we would have heard about it long before now.
The choices are really slim in the East apart from Kootenay. No matter how many times the teams deny it (which means nothing), I think we have to keep coming back to Kootenay and Prince George as the only two possibilities here.
I can see Lethbridge or Swift Current moving if any team moves from the east or central division.
The league has handled this whole thing poorly, Chilliwack doesn't deserve to lose their team and the league better give good reasons why it allowed this to happen.
I don't get it really, they mess this whole situation up, they can't seem to hire qualified officials. The league better wake up.
The Winnipeg Jets will be back forsure. Which with those rumours of of the Moose moving to Sakatoon maybe it could be the Blades heading out west to Chilliwack.
This sucks.
I expected to get screwed over by Porter. I did not expect to get screwed over by the WHL. I thought they were better than this.
Laura nailed it! This is not just about the owners, but about the WHL screwing over fans in a city.
Don't think another team could move? Remember the rules have completely changed now. And after all the WHL will have to find a team for Kelly Hrudey and his bunch in Nanaimo too.
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