Winnipeg to get WHL team.. will have NHL,AHL,and WHL teams

Mightygoose

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Nov 5, 2012
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That does seem like a allot of saturation for the city.

IIRC, True North we're looking at the Ice at one time but decided against it for that reason and brought the Moose back instead.

Will they be called the Winnipeg Ice? Will be interesting to see how they plan on competing with TSNE
 

Barclay Donaldson

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Feb 4, 2018
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Looks like Winnipeg will be getting a WHL team with The Kootenay Ice relocating to Winnipeg.
Winnipeg will be home to a NHL, AHL, and WHL team in 2018/19....
Might be a bit much even for a hockey crazy town such as Winnipeg...
FRIESEN: WHL move to Winnipeg ‘a done deal’

The area is very saturated for hockey. There were rumors a few years ago about the Moose going to Thunder Bay that have since died down.

The Ice’s plan might be that a tiny share of Winnipeg is better than all of Cranbrook. They’ve had and are guaranteed 6 figure loses and low attendance in Cranbrook, so whatever Winnipeg could offer has to be better or at least the same. Whether they’re right or not we’ll see.
 

cutchemist42

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Apr 7, 2011
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Speaking as someone 1 year removed from living there.....WHY??

True North already covered the cheaper option with the Moose that I dont see the appeal here. Prove me wrong I guess...
 
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Wolf357

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That does seem like a allot of saturation for the city.

IIRC, True North we're looking at the Ice at one time but decided against it for that reason and brought the Moose back instead.

Will they be called the Winnipeg Ice? Will be interesting to see how they plan on competing with TSNE
It may very well be oversaturation but it’s also attracts a different type of fan. True North doesn’t nessasarily make money on The Moose but having their farm team play in a building they own and not having to worry about call-ups.. Owners of the ice apparently have a good working relationship with True North and don’t intend to be direct competition. There is also a new 5000 seat arena planned...might bode well for potential Eorld Junior tournaments or something similar.
 
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voyageur

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Jul 10, 2011
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Winnipeg is a hockey city. Pro. Minor League. Grassroots. Room for all 3. One is the big ticket. One is family entertainment. The latter is great affordable hockey for the fans. If Toronto and Montreal can do it. Winnipeg can too. Vancouver and Calgary may follow.
 

No Fun Shogun

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Winnipeg is a great market, but still fairly small. Having teams in all three does seem overkill, but that being said wasn't the talking point that the Jets were waiting on a Thunder Bay arena to move their AHL squad there eventually?
 

cbcwpg

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May 18, 2010
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Winnipeg is a great market, but still fairly small. Having teams in all three does seem overkill, but that being said wasn't the talking point that the Jets were waiting on a Thunder Bay arena to move their AHL squad there eventually?

The possibility of the Moose in Thunder Bay sounded good, but it fell through because all the public money people in TB were hoping to get to help build the arena, was based on the caveat that a "pro" sports team NOT be a tenant. Basically.. if a pro team wants to play in TB they have to pay their own way.
 

PCSPounder

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This is where I usually suggest that this move portends some knowledge that the Moose are planning to leave... and it might be fair to guess something other than Thunder Bay.

Or, in this case, it could be the WHL wanting to undercut the Moose as talk of possible encroachment further west starts to fester. The WHL has been known to be territorial like that.

So, having spewed all this, whatever option 3 is might be more accurate. (I shudder to think that Option 3 is "the buyers thought the Moose-to-Thunder Bay move was on when it's really not.")
 
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famicommander

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Aug 12, 2011
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Should have gone with maybe an NLL team instead. At least there's growth potential there. The Pegulas are about to own two, Joe Tsai (of Ali Baba/Brooklyn Nets) owns one, Comcast owns one, the Kroenkes own one, the Mohegan tribe owns one, the Flames own one, the Canucks own one, the former CEO of MSG is about to own one. Seems like the trendy thing for super rich dudes right now.
 

Tom ServoMST3K

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Nov 2, 2010
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This is where I usually suggest that this move portends some knowledge that the Moose are planning to leave... and it might be fair to guess something other than Thunder Bay.

Or, in this case, it could be the WHL wanting to undercut the Moose as talk of possible encroachment further west starts to fester. The WHL has been known to be territorial like that.

So, having spewed all this, whatever option 3 is might be more accurate. (I shudder to think that Option 3 is "the buyers thought the Moose-to-Thunder Bay move was on when it's really not.")

The current owners of the Ice are winnipeggers who are very close to True North.

I don't think 3 teams will work, but it appears the plan is to do that now.

They're planning on playing at the u of m rink while their building is finished, and that's just hilarious to me.
 

Wolf357

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Jul 16, 2011
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I think that the WHL will hold their own in Winnipeg... but history shows that the city of Winnipeg doesn’t support Junior Hockey well..Warriors didn’t draw well and Winnipeg has never supported the MJHL with only The Winnipeg Blues left in the city (and they play at the iceplex outside the Perimeter highway)
 

Frank Drebin

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How much are tickets to an AHL game? Was able to snag row 2 seats behind the goal for an Oil Kings game here in Edmonton for a little less than $25 a ticket. AHL are more/less/same?
 

the4thlinegrinder

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Jul 25, 2011
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How much are tickets to an AHL game? Was able to snag row 2 seats behind the goal for an Oil Kings game here in Edmonton for a little less than $25 a ticket. AHL are more/less/same?

I lived in Winnipeg the past 3 seasons, and the cheapest I recall a ticket costing at the box office after tax and fees was north of $30. If you want to sit between the blue lines it’s over $40. I was able to get seats through work for $10 or $15, otherwise I wouldn’t go.
 
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the4thlinegrinder

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As a side note, I went to a few Winnipeg Blues games and they were usually pretty small crowds. One was a playoff game where a good chunk of the crowd was from the opposition’s town.

Many/most of my coworkers were unaware of the Blues.
 

Wolf357

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Jul 16, 2011
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As a side note, I went to a few Winnipeg Blues games and they were usually pretty small crowds. One was a playoff game where a good chunk of the crowd was from the opposition’s town.

Many/most of my coworkers were unaware of the Blues.
This is true... MJHL is very well supported in Rural MB but non-existent inWinnipeg.
But I do think a WHL team might just do well... it’s a different level than the MJHL
 

cheswick

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Mar 17, 2010
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Winnipeg is a great market, but still fairly small. Having teams in all three does seem overkill, but that being said wasn't the talking point that the Jets were waiting on a Thunder Bay arena to move their AHL squad there eventually?

There was talk of moving to Thunder Bay whilst the team was in St Johns. That plan fell through (I believe Jones of Arizona Coyotes fame was involved somehow). When the Moose moved to Winnipeg TNSE said it was not a temporary decision, and they were planning on keeping the team there long term. So with that said, the idea is the WHL will be a third tier. I was dubious that Winnipeg could support both the AHL and NHL, so I'm super skeptical now. The Moose crowds have really dropped off already. They were averaging 7200 first year back., now theyre under 4500.
 

blueandgoldguy

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Oct 8, 2010
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WHL team relocation the centre of ambitious development plan

Sources say Fettes and Cockell, along with a number of other high-profile investors in the city, are in the midst of implementing a strategy that will see Winnipeg receive among the largest ever private investments for the game's development in Canada. The project is also said to include at least 20 acres of sports, recreational and commercial expansion.
Highlighting the project is an event centre where the Ice will play. The arena complex is expected to have about 4,000 seats. One source who had seen early renderings of the arena said the architecture of the proposed building resembles a huge snowdrift.

Sources said Fettes isn't asking for any public money. The project will be paid for privately by Fettes, his partners and new investors, along with debt financing. The financial viability of the project is not tied solely to the relocation of the junior hockey team.
The Rink, The Rink Hockey Academy and various other sports and entertainment businesses will operate under the same umbrella, re-affirming the project goes well beyond a WHL team, with a much bigger picture in mind. The business will be built upon the various tenants in the event centre (including the Ice and concert events) as well as other money streams, including what’s generated from the specialized sports programs across all ages, land development, sports and wellness clinics, restaurants and retail.
 
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voyageur

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There was talk of moving to Thunder Bay whilst the team was in St Johns. That plan fell through (I believe Jones of Arizona Coyotes fame was involved somehow). When the Moose moved to Winnipeg TNSE said it was not a temporary decision, and they were planning on keeping the team there long term. So with that said, the idea is the WHL will be a third tier. I was dubious that Winnipeg could support both the AHL and NHL, so I'm super skeptical now. The Moose crowds have really dropped off already. They were averaging 7200 first year back., now theyre under 4500.

The AHL is a tough sell. When you have pro hockey, minor league hockey is just that. But the bottom line in operating a franchise at arm's length, with players having access to pro facilities, and training, and cost savings from not having to fly to Newfoundland to scout your prospects makes sense. Even if the team operates at a loss, the organization as a whole benefits.
And for those who want to take their kids to a game, well the prices are a lot more reasonable.

A junior team is a completely different animal. Most people would agree that junior hockey is more exciting than AHL, just because of the intensity. I don't see over saturation. I would rather be in our situation than Edmonton and Calgary, or Vancouver, which have both NHL and junior teams, but AHL affiliates miles away.
 

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