Winnipeg Ice have been sold and are moving to Wenatchee, Washington

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Click to read more...

 

[hockeykid87]

Everyone knew it was coming. But I am surprised it was Wenatchee. Chilliwack was really picking up steam in recent weeks.

This is massive for the teams in the US Division. They are going to save so much money on travel, and they will get a huge boost in attendance. Fans in the US Division LOVE the rivalries with other US teams. This is so, so big for the entire division.

 

[majormajor]

I've been to Wenatchee. Growing city for sure. But only 30k some people. This feels like an American version of Cranbrook, where the team was before. I am also surprised they didn't try a larger market.

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

Good riddance. It was a bad ownership group. They made a play to take over all youth and junior hockey in Winnipeg, and it's good to see them fail given how they have treated people.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Congratulations to Wenatchee

 

[gstommylee]

So they go from a 1600 seat ink to a 4300 seat rink.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

This is awesome news

That situation in Winnipeg was pathetic... It was like the WHL version of the Coyotes playing in those absurdly small arenas

 

[gstommylee]

Western Hockey League

whl.ca

 

[gstommylee]

 

[BE Friend]

The SNATCH has good ring to it.

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[Al48]

What's this mean for the BCHL Wenatchee team?

 

[PCSPounder]

What's this mean for the BCHL Wenatchee team?

In the BoH thread, someone noticed a comment from the Wild thanking the BCHL for the last 8 years. So that looks gonzo.

 

[gstommylee]

In the BoH thread, someone noticed a comment from the Wild thanking the BCHL for the last 8 years. So that looks gonzo.

yea with BCHL going independent and restricting things BCHL wild owners saw an opportunity to bail out of that league and took it and transferred the brand name to the WHL team.

 

[GindyDraws]

Man, if Don West was still alive, imagine the hype.

 

[Al48]

In the BoH thread, someone noticed a comment from the Wild thanking the BCHL for the last 8 years. So that looks gonzo.

Wow, crazy. Hopefully the current BCHL players are able to find new homes quickly.

 

[PCSPounder]

yea with BCHL going independent and restricting things BCHL wild owners saw an opportunity to bail out of that league and took it and transferred the brand name to the WHL team.

I question whether any concerns about BCHL going independent were as weighty as THIS opportunity. The BCHL has been a bit rogue for a while. For the first time, Wenatchee gets a good Northwest travel footprint for most of their games and a bigger league.

 

[BE Friend]

So did league force sale?
Was the 1/2 mil$ fine true?
This team just can't stick. Unreal record of success still can't help.
Overall , win for DUB loss for BCHL

 

[hockeykid87]

So did league force sale?
Was the 1/2 mil$ fine true?
This team just can't stick. Unreal record of success still can't help.
Overall , win for DUB loss for BCHL

Did the league for a sale?

I'm sure we'll find that out in the coming weeks/months. My gut feeling is no, but perhaps the WHL threatened repeating fines if Winnipeg couldn't get their act together.

Was the 500k fine true?

Almost certainly yes. Of course the league and team would deny it, but it was most likely true, and enforced due to them not breaking ground on a new rink that they were contractually obligated to.

The team can't stick.

Attendance in Cranbrook started to dip because the entire city hated the owner. They didn't go to games as a protest for him to sell, which he finally did. And then new ownership, from Winnipeg, promised they wouldn't move. Which was a lie, of course.

 

[PCSPounder]

If the league was threatening any fines, IMO that’s pretty much forcing a sale. Especially the size of that fine, when you compare to team valuations.

I’m just left to hope that the league isn’t using Wenatchee for, say, Surrey or Nanaimo the way they used Chilliwack for Victoria. Which is why Chilliwack isn’t the news today.

 

[SI90]

Probably way easier travel for the kids now.

Basically smack in the middle of Portland, Seattle, and Spokane

 

[gstommylee]

Probably way easier travel for the kids now.

Basically smack in the middle of Portland, Seattle, and Spokane

Yea its in a good location.

 

[BE Friend]

I've been to Wenatchee. Growing city for sure. But only 30k some people. This feels like an American version of Cranbrook, where the team was before. I am also surprised they didn't try a larger market.

yes, small market, but seems like like good support. I suspect the tix cost might double for the fans. US fans are more passionate fans than the CAN's Cranbrook is a tough slog of a ride no matter where you start. This will be easier for all teams. The US road trip just grew by a couple days for the BC teams

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

Did the league for a sale?

I'm sure we'll find that out in the coming weeks/months. My gut feeling is no, but perhaps the WHL threatened repeating fines if Winnipeg couldn't get their act together.

Was the 500k fine true?

Almost certainly yes. Of course the league and team would deny it, but it was most likely true, and enforced due to them not breaking ground on a new rink that they were contractually obligated to.

The team can't stick.

Attendance in Cranbrook started to dip because the entire city hated the owner. They didn't go to games as a protest for him to sell, which he finally did. And then new ownership, from Winnipeg, promised they wouldn't move. Which was a lie, of course.

They were almost certainly forced to sell. This ownership group has developed a reputation for dishonest / questionable conduct. For example, they have refused to honor existing contracts, and they started a blatantly weak pay-to-play MJHL franchise (the Freeze) alongside their Rink Hockey Academy. Their tactics around youth hockey are deplorable, and there has been a lot of concern about a WHL franchise owning the RHA from which WHL teams draft Manitoba players (conflict of interest, anyone?). Junior hockey is in the spotlight enough without the problems that have and will inevitably come from that group.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Works perfect for numbers of teams in each conference. It was 12 in the East and 10 in the West but now it's 11 and 11.