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HAF
03-31-2005, 05:07 PM
This is hot off the WHL site...


Tri-City Americans Application Denied
Created: Mar 31, 2005

Calgary, AB - The Western Hockey League Board of Governors announced today that they have declined the application by the Tri-City Americans to relocate the WHL Franchise to Chilliwack, British Columbia.

The Tri-City Americans WHL franchise has been based in Kennewick, Washington since the 1988-89 season.

Jovorock
03-31-2005, 05:31 PM
Now that Porter is a lame duck owner, will the Ams fans support the team if they get a new owner? I would imagine you guys won't support this jerk ever again, right?

rinkrat
03-31-2005, 05:53 PM
I would imagine you guys won't support this dickhead ever again, right?

dickhead? Are you a moderator,Jovo?

1.5 No "Offensive" Posts, Links or Images: Please do not post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, threatening, racist, sexist, discriminatory, or otherwise violative of any local or international laws. This includes links in your signature, profile, bookmarks as well as posted images, photos and avatars. Staff will ultimately decide if something is appropriate

Phuxy
03-31-2005, 06:18 PM
Congrats. Good to hear you're staying put.

Chipper
03-31-2005, 07:07 PM
Congrats to all Americans fans! a great day for your area and all the fans, I hope this sends out a mesage to team owners that you can't just get up and leave when you see greener pastures somewere else. All small market team fans can breath a bit easier with this decision and hold on to the hope there team has more long range hope of keeping there team.

HAF
04-01-2005, 07:53 AM
I am very happy to get atleast another year of Ams hockey. As for Porter, I really hate the thought of giving that guy a dime but I will support my team the way I always have. As far as everyone else, We arent as uneducated as people might think. I think we're all smart enough to see that this is just a temporary fix to the problem. If new owners came in that really want to make this team work there wouldnt be any problems at all. There were some posts on the other board about the sabotage that Porter has done to our team and i think there is a lot of truth to that. There is virtually no advertising or promotion done what so ever to try to bring new fans in. The reader board out front of the coliseum on Columbia center blvd(the busiest street in the Tri Cities) rarely says anything about the Ams at all. If the right owners would move in with the attitude that they really wantd to make it work here and would spend afew bucks on advertising and promotion then I think the attendance would take care of itself.
As far as Porter and his Yahoo's are concerned... They need to sell this team because nobody will ever trust or support them in this community ever again. I hope for the sake of our team that they sell to a local buyer that is willing to bust their butt for the communitie's support and trust.

Jovorock
04-01-2005, 09:59 AM
dickhead? Are you a moderator,Jovo?

1.5 No "Offensive" Posts, Links or Images: Please do not post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, threatening, racist, sexist, discriminatory, or otherwise violative of any local or international laws. This includes links in your signature, profile, bookmarks as well as posted images, photos and avatars. Staff will ultimately decide if something is appropriate
You caught me, sorry.

Read in the WHL discussion that Ams princess said some local business owners were teaming up to try and buy the Ams. Local ownership would be great, hope it happens.

ams fan
04-01-2005, 12:00 PM
that alone would help with their marketing problems. and the folks that run the coliseum could be part owners and write off the lease (and then quit whining).

GoChiefsGo
04-01-2005, 03:32 PM
I am so glad to see the Ams are not moving. My boyfriend and I love our roadtrip down there to see a game.
As far as "supporting" Porter, I think for some fans it might just come down to a love of hockey. When I go too a Chief game I don't think that I'm supporting Speltz, even though I am. I go to support the kids out there playing and the sport of hockey it's self. So glad to have you guys back next year. Hockey would not be the same without this rivarly! Hope you guys don't get Pat Smith calling your game tonight! I feel bad for any team that gets that guy...

GBG BLEED BLUE
04-01-2005, 05:20 PM
Hope you guys don't get Pat Smith calling your game tonight! I feel bad for any team that gets that guy...
I am really frustrated because I feel when Pat Smith called our Game #3 @ the CUC I was outraged because the Raiders were being very cheap and Playing Tackle football not HOCKEY. Other posters from P.A or posters that support P.A have said Stop blaiming the referees but somtimes they can make or break the the result of a game and I think that he broke our chances of winning game #3 and he did break our chance of getting back into the series. I guess things can not always go the way that u want them too :burningma .

CHIEFS-COP
04-01-2005, 06:00 PM
I, for one, am thrilled that the Yams are staying put in the Red Zone. It wouldn't be the same without this rivalry. Although it has not had the intensity recently (coaching trevails in both cities) the future is bright.

I hope that the fans can rally back, with the current ownership group in place. The organization as a whole has a ton of work to do to get the fanbase back and do the right thing.

Maybe the rumor I've been hearing lately should become reality..........a new LOCAL ownership group coming forward to infuse some life and $$$ into the club. This new ownership group is led by Oly the Goalie- ex Am and NHL goalie Olaf Kolzig, a Tri-Cities resident. That would be awesome

Good luck in healing the wounds and bringing back sucessful hockey to the desert...................we in Spoke look forward to it! :clap:

HAF
04-02-2005, 01:48 AM
The rumor at the game tonight was that Bill McCurly. owner of McCurly Chevrolet was another one involved in the deal. I hope its true!!!

Jovorock
04-02-2005, 10:48 AM
The rumor at the game tonight was that Bill McCurly. owner of McCurly Chevrolet was another one involved in the deal. I hope its true!!!
I even heard Kolzig and McCurly were two of the parties all the way here in Kelowna!

AMS Princess
04-02-2005, 11:46 AM
Bergstrom Aircraft is definitely in this too. Malin Bergstrom has been the main spokesperson for the group. Here is more information how us fans can support the local businesses to buy the team.

http://www.kndu.com/article.src?ID=33117&V=&Type=News&0424d64b1d

AMS Princess
04-02-2005, 01:10 PM
:skeptical Long from over I guess now...

================================================== ========

WHL Notebook

Stephen Snelgrove, with files from Iain MacIntyre
Vancouver Sun


Saturday, April 02, 2005



KELOWNA -- As improbable as it sounds, the proposed move of the Tri-City Americans to Chilliwack may not be dead.

A movement is afoot to try and convince at least three of the nine Western Hockey League governors who voted against the transfer of the financially troubled franchise to alter their stance. The WHL board of governors voted 11-9 in favour of granting the transfer application, but 14 were needed to formally approve the move.

The biggest dilemma now facing WHL is how the Americans' ownership group, which includes Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather, can go back to Tri-City and expect any form of public support following the ordeal.

They must also try and strike a new lease agreement with the owners of the Three Rivers Coliseum, who will be demanding at least a three-year agreement. The Americans' have lost money in each of the three seasons since Porter's group purchased the team for $2.2 million U.S., and they are leery of signing up for three more years of financial hemorrhaging.

The effort to resurrect the move is apparently being led by a pair of B.C. based owners -- Vancouver's Ron Toigo and Kelowna's Bruce Hamilton. The two spent considerable time Friday attempting to sway the rest of the league's governors to re-examine its decision. If those attempts are unsuccessful, Porter's group may be forced to sell the franchise. A consortium of local businessmen has stepped forward and indicated it is willing to pay $3 million U.S. for the team while the Edmonton Oilers have a standing offer of $4 million U.S.

Seattle Thunderbirds owner Russ Farwell said that the matter needs to be addressed sooner than later.

"I wouldn't say the issue is entirely resolved," Farwell told the Seattle Times. "The league would really like to see the team stay in the Tri-Cities, but that market will have to prove that it's viable in a short time. I don't see how the current ownership can stay there, so there needs to be some people serious about buying the team step forward."

That sentiment seems to be growing throughout the league.

"I don't know how they think they can go back there and sell tickets," Blazers' GM Dean Clark told the Kamloops Daily News. "We could be right back at the table. There'll be something happen -- and we might even be back there within a week."

The Spokane Chiefs led the charge against the move with the three other U.S. based franchises (Seattle, Everett and Portland) also voting no. The five Canadian-based teams casting no ballots were Prince George, Saskatoon, Brandon, Medicine Hat and Red Deer. Prince George owner Rick Brodsky was perhaps the biggest surprise among the no votes. Brodsky, who moved the Cougars' franchise to northern B.C. from Victoria in the '90s, may covet the Fraser Valley market for himself as he admits to holding talks to that extent with representatives of the Prospera Centre.

"We did have a discussion with them, but it was for ammunition in our negotiations," Brodsky claimed on Friday.

LifelongChiefsFan
04-03-2005, 12:14 AM
I don't think T/C is going anywhere. As it has been stated, the league is happy with the balance that they have going now. Also, if it is true that some of the franchises voted no because they themselves wish to move to Chilliwack (Prince George most notably), then there wouldn't be any reason for them to switch sides. But really, what kind of owner requests to move a team right before the start of the playoffs in the first place? That guy has no business owning a WHL franchise. Hopefully Porter sells the team and gets out of Kennewick soon, this situation has the potential to get really ugly the longer he stays there.