Trouble Brewing in Kootney's

[Scout]

Jeff Bromley's Ice Chips
HOCKEY - KOOTENAY STYLE

Sunday, July 13, 2008
Deja vu all over again....
No, it's not the summer of 2004, it's 2008 and the summer of clauses are back.

The Kootenay Ice have exercised their 'escape clause' contained within their 15-year lease with the Cranbrook Rec Plex for the second time in the contracts eight-year lifetime. The clause enables the club to serve the City of Cranbrook, now the sole owner and landlord of the facilty, notice that the club's attendance has fallen below the paid 2800 benchmark over the past season.

Once the club has informed the city of its intentions the notice triggers an escape clause enabling the club to leave the city or at least explore any possibilities of such if there are two consecutive seasons of attendance below 2800. If the club's attendance stays below the 2800 watermark next season the team could get out of its lease with the Rec Plex and move.

The 2800 figure is paid attendance of all 36 regular season home games plus playoffs and reports are that the number is 30 below the line.

For you attendance number crunchers out there there is some conflicting figures. www.mib.org an attendance website that tracks almost all hockey leagues states that the club's attendance for this past season was 3026.5 for the regular season, a .44% drop from the season prior. Those numbers are however taken from the WHL website which include three of the team's games that were ticket nights - aka - freebie night - in which an average of 1200 exchanged tickets were given out.

If you take out the inflated numbers of those three games you get 2964 per game. Add in the four playoff games of an average 2906 per game and you get 2958.

Well above the magical 2800 figure, right? Not so fast, you also have to subtract the comps or complimentary tickets given to players families, billets etc. which brings the number down further to about 2770.

Number crunching aside, the results are alarming in a world of spiralling expenses for major junior hockey clubs and a market that is the second smallest in the WHL and third smallest (Swift Current; Acadie-Bathurst, New Brunswick - QMJHL) in the CHL. Owen Sound (OHL) is only slightly bigger than Cranbrook, according to Stats Can.

The numbers don't lie and the club's not drawing what it used to, with the gaudy numbers of 3500 per game when the facility opened to even 3300 in 2003-04 long gone.

There is talk of the two parties rejigging the agreement but those are preliminary and at the early stages.

I'll have more in a story late tomorrow...

[Chipper]

While its true that the Ice can relocate after two consecutive seasons of less than 2800 fans, I read a couple of days ago in the Cranbrook daily Townsman that the Ice and City Council are in negotiations that will set a new agreement and take the fan base from the picture. It will set up a long time contract between the Ice and the City I do not no the terms yet but the City can rent the plex for as much or little as they have to to protect the city and the major impact this team has on the economy of the Kootenay's. This is a major business in the area and the Mayor acknowledges this and will do what is needed to secure the future of the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. I also have to think that Scott & Rob Niedermeyer nearing the end of their playing carrier's and forty nine percent owners of the team will like to take on more of a roll in the team and future. They both live in the area when in the off season. I guess the bottom line is we need to get more fans in the seats and we should do more to fill the seats. On the flip side the marketing management of the Ice could do more to sell there team to the public and promote the entertainment value of the game. Only time well tell what the future of the team is but I get ticked off when I here people telling me that they are leaving. They are going into the eleventh year here and if I believed every rumor about the team leaving they would have been gone ten years ago.
We believe!!! Go Ice Go!

[fightstrap50]

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Kootenay invokes attendance clause
For the News-Advertiser

Ice invoke attendance clause once again

by Jeff Bromley

The Kootenay Ice are not leaving Cranbrook, at least not yet.

Informed of by the club some 30 days following the conclusion of the playoffs but only surfacing last week the Kootenay Ice notified the City of Cranbrook of their intention to invoke a clause in their 15-year lease at the Cranbrook Rec Plex that allows the club to be released from it should the level of attendance drop below the 2800 paid mark. Though the number wasn’t announced reports have put the actual paid attendance for last season at 2770 per game, including playoffs.

“It’s a big concern to us,” said Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth after his club invoked the clause for the second time in the eight-year history of the team’s Rec Plex lease. “We’re down 11% the last two seasons and that’s after a 49-win season and a 42-win season. If you’re down that much and you’re winning, what does that say when we have an off-year? Everyone knows that junior hockey is a cyclical business and we’re all going to have off-years at one time or another. Fortunately, we haven’t had that yet during our ten years in Cranbrook.”

“We think we have 2500-2600 of the best fans in the entire CHL, unfortunately it’s not enough to make a go of it.”

Though the announced attendance brings the club’s average to 3026, according to figures compiled from the WHL website - that number includes three ticket nights averaging around 1200 freebies for the three nights this past season – as well as the club’s complimentary tickets given to players’ families and billets. Take away those tickets and the average attendance including four playoff games this season drops below the line of 2800 per game.

The notification of the club’s use of the clause means that if two consecutive seasons are below that threshold the team can get out of its 15-year lease with the City-owned facility and explore options of relocating the team to another city, something that wouldn’t be good news for the $22.5 million, 4264-seat facility or the city itself.

Chynoweth was adamant that the clause is not a “gun to the head of the city” but instead strictly a business decision that protects the team should the fan base completely fall off. When asked how the lower attendance affected the club’s bottom line - whether or not the club lost money this past season - he chose not to comment. When asked if the club had held talks with other markets about possible relocation Chynoweth offered an emphatic no and instead focussed on the optimism of talks between both the club and the city to help secure their future in Cranbrook. “None whatsoever,” he said about relocation rumours, specifically to Victoria and to a lesser extent, Penticton. “We’ve stated from day one and it’s no different from the last time this clause was activated, we want to be here for years to come.”

“We are in lease negotiations with the city right now and we’ve had some good conversation. Hopefully we’ll have something at the end of the summer that we can announce that will work for both parties.”

Chynoweth does admit that having to deal with the city over this issue and other concerning the Rec Plex has been a pleasant surprise compared to what they had to deal with when Keen Rose ran the facility. The public-private-partnership that built the complex in 2000 ceased to exist when the city took sole control of it last year. “Right away we aren’t dealing with people out of Toronto and that’s where the entire decision making was based when Keen Rose ran the facility. Quite frankly I don’t think they cared that much about Cranbrook,” said Chynoweth. “That hurt everyone in the building but from our end it’s been great since the city took over last year. We have a great relationship and that’s what you want in a partnership.”

In a city of 20,000 – the second-smallest market in the WHL and third smallest across major junior hockey – are the expectations of a small centre in a big centre league too high? “We, as a city, have set that bar,” he said. “The on-ice success, a rich hockey history that’s based in this region (the fans) expects good teams and they’ve had that at all levels of hockey over the years. Look at the numbers. We’ve got a great season ticket base and a great marketing base. What we’re missing is that casual fan of 800-1000 fans a night. How do we get that back? That’s the question.”

Fast Facts – Kootenay has had six, 40-win seasons since relocating to Cranbrook in 1998... Attendance when the Rec Plex opened in 2000 was 3641; 2001 it was 3473, the year of the Memorial Cup win; while 2002-03 topped 3442. In 03-04, the first year the club invoked the clause, attendance fell a whopping 15%... Based on the given numbers average attendance in 2006-07 was 3064 a differense of 11% over 2007-08... Over the ten seasons that the club has been in Cranbrook the Ice are the WHL’s leading franchise in regular season wins... According to the announced numbers four clubs finished behind the Ice in attendance in the 22-team WHL. In order, Swift Current, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Prince George all sported lower average attendance. The first three do not have buildings that can support crowds over 2900... The City of Penticton, which currently has a BCHL team, the Vees, is currently constructing the 5100-seat Southern Okanagan Events Centre, thus the speculation a WHL team could move to the city of 32,000.
Posted by Contact - jeffbromley_@hotmail.com at 10:49 AM

[shushu]

i heard the same thing about the pg cougers the other day. a friends son got drafted to the cougers and the rumor is that they will play one more year in pg then move the team to,( for so reason bellingham comes to mind).i know it was somewhere south of the border.......whether it true or not is another matter............................that definately has to suck for the diehard fans......................

[Chief Jeff]

I doubt that Bellingham is a legit area...It can't be more than 40-50 miles from Everett and therefore would infringe on their fanbase. Besides we already have 5 teams in the US division.

[Purple_Monkey_Dishwasher]

I doubt that Bellingham is a legit area...It can't be more than 40-50 miles from Everett and therefore would infringe on their fanbase. Besides we already have 5 teams in the US division.

Would Victoria be a viable option for movement?

[Big Torro]

i heard the same thing about the pg cougers the other day. a friends son got drafted to the cougers and the rumor is that they will play one more year in pg then move the team to,( for so reason bellingham comes to mind).i know it was somewhere south of the border.......whether it true or not is another matter............................that definately has to suck for the diehard fans......................



I have heard this same rumor and it was Bellingham that I had heard. Bellingham is just across the border south of Vancouver.

[Big Torro]

Not sure if Bellingham would have an arena to house a WHL franchise, but I see they are building a new arena in Wenatchee, Washington that is suppose to be available for the 09/10 season.

[PLAYER]

Wenatchee's new facility opens this October with a New NAHL team The Wenatchee Wild. I think the arena holds 3500... but I could be off. PG in Wenatchee, that would be wild (no pun intended). Wenatchee is a couple hundred miles from Spokane and 120 miles from Seattle- much further away than Bellingham to everett ( I believe bham is around 60 miles from Everett).... could be an interesting option. :karate:

[PGFlyfisher]

... PG in Wenatchee, that would be wild...

I understand how many fans can get caught up in the excitement about a new expansion franchise in the league, but not too many fans like to lose their team.
Don' t be too hasty in moving our beloved Cougars. ;)

Keep the faith Kootenay fans. Here' s hoping everything works out for the best.

[Pete76]

If Bellingham or Wenatcheee want a team ... red rover, red rover, send Portland right over! ... as far as the ice, or any team N. of the 49th parallel, I think moving them to the states is a bad idea

[LifelongChiefsFan]

I made a post in this thread yesterday, or so I thought, but apparently it didn't work.

Everything I've seen lists Wenatchee's arena as having a capacity of 4500-5000, but I'm not sure if that's the actual capacity for hockey or the total number of seats in the arena. I don't think either Prince George or Kootenay are actually going to move, just a gut feeling I guess. I actually don't expect to see any teams relocating in the near future. When the WHL expands (I know some people already complain about the league having too many teams, but it's going to happen at some point) Wenatchee would be an ideal city to add to the US division. Being right in the middle of the state means that there would be minimal added travel costs. Expansion would also mean the league has the option of adding a BC team, or moving Kootenay back to the BC division and adding a team in the east, possibly Winnipeg.

[3rebels]

What about Grande Prairie, Fort MacMurray or Yorkton ??
Winnipeg has an AHL team which I don't think will be moving in the near future !!

[Spungy]

I don't think that Kootenay is going anywhere.

somehow somewhere, the Ice office is going to figure out a way to fill the seats. It is the best hockey in the area and our town just stinks sometimes at coming out and supporting things.

[Mats]

Heavy rumor has it new 15 year lease has been signed.
Magic attendance number now toast.
City gave more concessions-apparently a sweet deal for the Ice.
May rumors now hopefully stop.
Now if they get a marketing person...........

[Spungy]

Thanks for the update Mats!

yes, let the rumor mill die down....

[patsdude114]

What about Grande Prairie, Fort MacMurray or Yorkton ??
Winnipeg has an AHL team which I don't think will be moving in the near future !!





First off the league doesnt want to go that far north due to travel expenses, Grande Prairie and Fort MacMurray. As for yorkton there is no way they could support a WHL team, when a home playoff game you only draw 1042 people those numbers arnt nearly high enough to even consider moving a team to yorkton.

As for Winnipeg, it seems like AHL teams dont stay in city's longer then 5 or 7 years. Lots of places in the USA want a team even if its for a short term basis just to prove they can support a team. Im not so sure that the Winnipeg franchise is a 100% forsure for the future. Winnipeg would get more of a guarantee with a junior team then a AHL team. When the Wheat Kings go to Winnipeg to play a game or 2 during the season they draw good attendence. Winnipeg is on the WHL radar may not be right in the near future but i do feel within time maybe around 2013 there could be a team there. These community owned teams are having problems supporting a team with the riseing costs to operate a team. Teams like Prince Albert, Swift Current, Moose Jaw all have small rinks that dont even hold 3000 (yes MJ is in the process of building a new rink, but has a shovel went into the ground yet??) It would not surprise me in the near future that Prince Albert may not be around. Prince Albert's economy isnt as strong as it once was, mainly due to the pulp plant being closed down, lots of jobs were lost. There isnt much industry in PA which keeps/brings people to that city. This isnt meant to be bashing PA in anyway (being a fellow person from saskatchewan) just being realistic is all. MJ just scraped by to land a new rink and MJ is alot bigger then PA and has industry there that will bring some people to MJ.


I wanted to keep this short... but im sure you all know me i tend to go off on somethings just a tad... So coming from me Grande Prairie, Fort Mac and Yorkton are all no's due to travel and attendence support.