I think Fort Mac could be viable. No shortage of cash in that town, and if Prince George can make a go of it, for sure Fort Mac could. No doubt about it.
I wonder if a suburb of EDM like Sh Park or St Albert could support a team?
Seeing as the AJHL's Steel just moved to Whitecourt I doubt St. Albert is on the radar.
The nearest WHL city to Prince George is Kamloops......7 hours away.
The nearset WHL cities to Brandon are Regina at 4.5 hours and Moose Jaw at 5+ hours.
The nearest WHL city to Cranbrook is Calgary at 4.5 hours.
PG to Kamloops is 5.5 hours traveling time in a Bus.
Fort Mac's biggest hurdle would be the old boys network in the WHL head office. If one of the old boys wants to move a team there it will happen, if none of them do, a team will never go there. Its that simple.
It doesnt really matter how much money Fort Mac is willing to pay to buy a franchise, it doesnt work that way with the WHL. Local ownership groups in Prince George have been trying to buy the team for years, rumored offers of over double the value of the team but an absolute no from ownership.
Pretty sure the next destination on the WHL radar will be either Winnipeg or Nanaimo
I'm not sure If Winnipeg would be, It's pretty far East, I could see them slotting into the OHL over the WHL. Wouldn't be surprised if another US team emerges. Portland and Spokane have really strong fan bases, and Tri-City and Everett are still in good standing.
I'd love to see a team in Nanaimo. My uncle lives there and I'm going there in the summer but it looks a really nice place and I reckon that it could build a good rivalry with the nearby teams.
I'd love to see a team in Nanaimo. My uncle lives there and I'm going there in the summer but it looks a really nice place and I reckon that it could build a good rivalry with the nearby teams.
Im sure that the Ft Mac team could afford to have their own airplane. With sponsors like Suncor, Syncrude, Shell, Nexen, ect....this team would be weathier than some AHL teams. The fans in Ft Mac are rabid for the Barons. They could make it work if they wanted to. The transportation between Ft.Mac and Edmonton will have to get resolved. They will be forced to build a new highway. The talk of a high speed link between Edmonton and Calgary should be expanded to Ft.Mac. Thousands of workers commute every week and everyday between Edmonton, Calgary and Ft.Mac. I know....your gonna ask about the everyday comment. My boss up at Albian used to travel between Ft.Mac and Calgary everyday!
I'm not so sure about Winnipeg. Doesn't seem like the best destination for a WHL team at the time. The Oil Kings and Hitmen have struggled to attract good crowds at times, and that's even with the Oilers and Flames struggling. Maybe once the honeymoon period cools off, then the WHL could look at Winnipeg.
Grande Prairie needs a team first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fong p88
Seeing as the AJHL's Steel just moved to Whitecourt I doubt St. Albert is on the radar.
Support for the Steel was disgustingly brutal. Nobody cared at all about them. Rexall Place is only a 25 minute drive from my house on the north end of St. Albert. With the Oilers and Oil Kings playing so close to St. Albert, the WHL should never, and will never consider it as a possible location for a team.
Quote:
Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02
It's a WHL law that all teams must travel by bus, regardless of distance.
Took this picture at work today. That Canadian North flight going to Portland is actually the Oil Kings charter. I'm curious to know how they got permission to take out a charter.
Last edited by Lux Aurumque*: 05-11-2012 at 10:42 PM.
The absolute horrendousness of two lane Hwy. 63 to/from Fort McMurray cannot be exaggerated. Heavy truck/equipment traffic, brain-dead maniac drivers and brutal winter road conditions are just a few of the problems. Twinning of the road has been painfully slow (33 km out of 285 of the worst stretch completed since 2006) mostly because of the marshy terrain up there.
I'm not so sure about Winnipeg. Doesn't seem like the best destination for a WHL team at the time. The Oil Kings and Hitmen have struggled to attract good crowds at times, and that's even with the Oilers and Flames struggling. Maybe once the honeymoon period cools off, then the WHL could look at Winnipeg.
Grande Prairie needs a team first.
Support for the Steel was disgustingly brutal. Nobody cared at all about them. Rexall Place is only a 25 minute drive from my house on the north end of St. Albert. With the Oilers and Oil Kings playing so close to St. Albert, the WHL should never, and will never consider it as a possible location for a team.
Took this picture at work today. That Canadian North flight going to Portland is actually the Oil Kings charter. I'm curious to know how they got permission to take out a charter.
Playoffs may have a different rule, but regular season states that teams must take the bus regardless of if you're travelling from Portland, OR to Brandon, MB.
Took this picture at work today. That Canadian North flight going to Portland is actually the Oil Kings charter. I'm curious to know how they got permission to take out a charter.
Teams share a charter in the final. I believe, as long as both teams have access to a plane, flying is allowed in the playoffs.
Teams share a charter in the final. I believe, as long as both teams have access to a plane, flying is allowed in the playoffs.
Plus they both played last night and play again tonight in Game 7. A bus trip from Portland to Edmonton barely gets either team to the rink in time for the face-off tonight.
Im sure that the Ft Mac team could afford to have their own airplane. With sponsors like Suncor, Syncrude, Shell, Nexen, ect....this team would be weathier than some AHL teams. The fans in Ft Mac are rabid for the Barons. They could make it work if they wanted to. The transportation between Ft.Mac and Edmonton will have to get resolved. They will be forced to build a new highway. The talk of a high speed link between Edmonton and Calgary should be expanded to Ft.Mac. Thousands of workers commute every week and everyday between Edmonton, Calgary and Ft.Mac. I know....your gonna ask about the everyday comment. My boss up at Albian used to travel between Ft.Mac and Calgary everyday!
They would need a huge budget even with sponcers it would be tight and with a plane that would take up 10-20% with hotels etc.
Financially Fort Mac could support a team if there was an arena large enough and the WHL really wanted to add an extreme outpost.
The team would wind up being like the Flin Flon Bombers of yesteryear.
I'm from Flin Flon Manitoba actually. Such a great town with dedicated fans for their SJHL Bombers team now, but it's like a 4 hour radius of wastelands getting there from anywhere. Beautiful area though.
- Boise was trying to get into the WHL by buying the Brandon Wheat Kings. It was mentioned that the WHL would never let that happen because there's some quirk in the CHL policy (or whomever) saying that, if there were no Manitoba teams in the WHL, Manitoba's territorial rights (rights to players) would be ceded to the Quebec League. Sounds a little preposterous to me, but might be motivation to find someone to move to Winnipeg for "insurance" purposes.
What? Really? I want a link, and then I'm going to start trying to get the Wheat Kings moved.
I can't wait to have burly-ass Manitobans patrolling the Olympiques blueline.
I'm not so sure about Winnipeg. Doesn't seem like the best destination for a WHL team at the time. The Oil Kings and Hitmen have struggled to attract good crowds at times, and that's even with the Oilers and Flames struggling. Maybe once the honeymoon period cools off, then the WHL could look at Winnipeg.
Grande Prairie needs a team first.
Support for the Steel was disgustingly brutal. Nobody cared at all about them. Rexall Place is only a 25 minute drive from my house on the north end of St. Albert. With the Oilers and Oil Kings playing so close to St. Albert, the WHL should never, and will never consider it as a possible location for a team.
Took this picture at work today. That Canadian North flight going to Portland is actually the Oil Kings charter. I'm curious to know how they got permission to take out a charter.
I agree with the bolded part. They sell the most tickets in the Jr.A and that city is a pure hockey town. Their fans are also a lot more respectful than Fort Mac's fans
The only way I see Fort Mac, Grande Prairie getting teams is somehow if the WHL splits into two leagues to have 4 leagues in the CHL. Western Hockey League & Pacific Hockey League.
I think they might move Prince George already, its the least popular place to play apparently. I think Winnipeg or Nanaimo should get teams, but when you think about it Fort McMurray is like Playing for Brandon, would something like Bismark, Billings or Idaho work out.
Winnipeg (Good Rival W/ Brandon and good support) Nanaimo (Good Rival W/ Victoria or if Victoria Gets an AHL team Royals move there)
Chilliwack (Shouldn't have left)
Selkirk (Have the perfect WHL arena)
They need an arena. And I don't believe the city of Nanaimo has plans for an arena anytime soon. It's too bad Nanaimo doesn't have a facility even the size of Bear Mountain Arena. I believe they can cram close to 4,500 in there? That's bigger than some other CHL rinks, I believe.
Edit: nevermind, it's actually only 2,300. Still a freaking nice rink.
And I doubt very much the AHL ever comes to Vic. The WHL is perfect here.
Last edited by LeafErikson*: 09-17-2012 at 03:13 AM.
The only way I see Fort Mac, Grande Prairie getting teams is somehow if the WHL splits into two leagues to have 4 leagues in the CHL. Western Hockey League & Pacific Hockey League.
Grande Praire having a team is like P.G having a team for the Eastern division.
They need an arena. And I don't believe the city of Nanaimo has plans for an arena anytime soon. It's too bad Nanaimo doesn't have a facility even the size of Bear Mountain Arena. I believe they can cram close to 4,500 in there? That's bigger than some other CHL rinks, I believe.
Edit: nevermind, it's actually only 2,300. Still a freaking nice rink.
And I doubt very much the AHL ever comes to Vic. The WHL is perfect here.
WHL is Victoria is likely one of the most stable franchises they'll ever have.
After the scorn the league got for how they handled the Chilliwack to Victoria move before last seasons, pulling the plug on that team for whatever reason would cause huge embarassment for the league.
Nanaimo will get a team once the City figures out an arena, while Chilliwack, Langley (and even Abbotsford if they get rid of the Heat) have chances to get another WHL franchise somewhere in the Fraser Valley.
Why doesn't the perspective owner of the Fort M team just build a highway....
If the oil companies can't/won't do it I can't imagine the small $m millionaire owner of a WHL team could/would. Apparently the province is working on a highway expansion but it hasn't happened to date. I haven't ventured up there yet, but I understand it's treacherous as treacherous comes. There was a highly publisized crash that killed 7 people earlier this year...Anybody I know that has to visit Fort Mac from Edmonton flies to avoid that highway. I would imagine until they get that highway sorted a WHL team is out of the question.
Grande Prairie needs a new rink or expand the Canada Games Arena if they are going to get a WHL team. I have no idea who would own a team here as well so that would be another barrier.
They have the population and corporate support to make it happen. However its only 50% of the battle.
If they do get a team i will be first in line to buy season tickets.
