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View Full Version : WHL Announces New Ownership for Tri-City Americans and Expansion



Beaner
04-22-2005, 10:58 AM
from www.whl.ca


WHL Announces New Ownership for Tri-City Americans and Expansion to Chilliwack, B.C.
Created: Apr 22, 2005

CALGARY, AB – Ron Robison, Commissioner of the Western Hockey League, announced today that the WHL Board of Governors have granted conditional approval for the sale of the Tri-City Americans and have awarded the City of Chilliwack, B.C. an expansion franchise for the 2006-07 season.

The current Tri-City ownership group consisting of Brian Burke, Glen Sather and Darryl Porter have agreed to sell the Americans franchise to a group of investors who include current NHL players and WHL Alumni Stu Barnes and Olaf Kolzig as well as current Americans’ General Manager Bob Tory and local businessman Dennis Loman. The new ownership group will continue to operate the club out of the Three Rivers Coliseum in Kennewick, Washington.

As part of the transaction, Brain Burke, Glen Sather and Darryl Porter together with Vancouver businessmen Moray Keith and Jim Bond will become the owners of the new expansion franchise in Chilliwack, B.C. The new Chilliwack franchise will join the WHL for the 2006-07 season bringing the total number of WHL member clubs to 21. The Chilliwack franchise will play in the new Prospera Centre, which will be expanded to 5,000 seats for the 2006-07 season.

Jovorock
04-22-2005, 11:14 AM
I'm glad the franchise will stay in the Tri area and will finally have local ownership. I really didn't want anymore teams, I wonder if they are going to give now a team to Edmonton?

Kootenay fans will you guys now goto the Central, or will Cheynowth want to stay in the BC div?

Beaner
04-22-2005, 11:33 AM
If they do not move the ICE into the central division in '06/'07, I would take that as a strong signal that Edmonton will be getting an expansion team in '07/'08.

Chipper
04-22-2005, 11:42 AM
If they do not move the ICE into the central division in '06/'07, I would take that as a strong signal that Edmonton will be getting an expansion team in '07/'08.
I'm sure that Ed Chenowth would have insisted to be moved back to the East division if there were any expansion, he has already been on record saying this. It dosn't sound like Edmonton is happening right now but I'm sure the door has now been opened with haveing a 21 team league. I can see the league moving to a 24 team league over the next 6-10 years.

Chipper
04-22-2005, 11:47 AM
I'm glad the franchise will stay in the Tri area and will finally have local ownership. I really didn't want anymore teams, I wonder if they are going to give now a team to Edmonton?


Kootenay fans will you guys now goto the Central, or will Cheynowth want to stay in the BC div?Jovo the only reason I would like to be back in the East is the unbalanced schedule. If we could play in the west and actualy play the teams there I would love to stay. We are now getting some great rivals in the west but just don't play them enough. I want to be in the div we play the most. :confused:

Beaner
04-22-2005, 11:55 AM
I'm sure that Ed Chenowth would have insisted to be moved back to the East division if there were any expansion, he has already been on record saying this. It dosn't sound like Edmonton is happening right now but I'm sure the door has now been opened with haveing a 21 team league. I can see the league moving to a 24 team league over the next 6-10 years.

The problem is that if they move the ICE to the East in '06-'07, then Expand in '07-08 or even 08-09 to Edmonton or some other Eastern City, like Winnipeg, then you would have a 12 team Conference and a 10 Team Conference, which would annoy a lot of Eastern teams, because their chances of not making the playoffs would be double that of the West.

Thus to balance it they would probably try to move the ICE back to the West destroying the ICE's chances for building some consistant Rivalries by continuing to flip their conference.

If they move the ICE to the East I would expect the next expansion team to be from the Western area, if they dont then it looks like Edmonton would probably be the next choice and the ICE to stay in the west.

Jovorock
04-22-2005, 12:08 PM
then you would have a 12 team Conference and a 10 Team Conference, which would annoy a lot of Eastern teams, because their chances of not making the playoffs would be double that of the West.

Thats the problem, it's easy to move Swift back to the east but then the 12 team east and ten west. Then if the Ice stay in the BC div you have six teams and five in US div, so two teams in BC don't make the playoffs and only one in the US? That creates a problem also, unless the fifth team in the BC div has more points and takes the place of the fourth place team in the US?

Either way it is going to be a problem?

Beaner
04-22-2005, 12:11 PM
Or they just go to Top 8 in the conference.

Chipper
04-22-2005, 12:18 PM
The problem is that if they move the ICE to the East in '06-'07, then Expand in '07-08 or even 08-09 to Edmonton or some other Eastern City, like Winnipeg, then you would have a 12 team Conference and a 10 Team Conference, which would annoy a lot of Eastern teams, because their chances of not making the playoffs would be double that of the West.

Thus to balance it they would probably try to move the ICE back to the West destroying the ICE's chances for building some consistant Rivalries by continuing to flip their conference.

If they move the ICE to the East I would expect the next expansion team to be from the Western area, if they dont then it looks like Edmonton would probably be the next choice and the ICE to stay in the west.I know that Ed has some influence but he still is only one vote out fo 20 I think that at least next year nothing will change. I don't think the league can keep pushing away the oilers especialy after Chiiwack got one sneeking under the raidar. The oiler organization will not be impressed and will push even harder now. Mabe what they have to do is buy an existing team,tell the people of that city that they plan to move them and end up selling them back to local ownership if the league will give them a expansion. Seems to be the only way to get one forsure.

Jovorock
04-22-2005, 12:23 PM
Either Edmonton people are screaming or they have already been promised a team for 06/07? I would bet a deal has already been done.

Nature Boy
04-22-2005, 01:42 PM
I think that Beaner is right. If Kootenay stays in the BC division when Chilliwack comes in that I think that Edmonton will get a franchise. They have had a few and they moved but that is because they were under private ownership. I think that if Edmonton gets one it will be owned by the Oilers. Just like the Hitmen are owned by the Flames.

Chipper
04-22-2005, 03:43 PM
I am new to this forum but it is only a matter of time before you recognize my genius. The divisions will look like this:

US: Tri City, Portland, Spokane, Everett, Seattle

BC: Vancouver, Chilliwack, PG, Kamloops, Kelowna

Central: Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton(if it even happens), Kootenay, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge (bottom two miss the playoffs)

East: Swift Current, Regina, Brandon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Saskatoon (bottom two miss the playoffs)

If you think it will be anything else you are foolish. I don't know if furback will like two genius's

Tipped Off
04-22-2005, 04:49 PM
According to the story in the Vancouve sun the Ice would move to the Central Division:

Governors grant expansion team to Fraser Valley, Tri-City to be sold to Washington investors

Stephen Snelgrove
Vancouver Sun


Friday, April 22, 2005

The Western Hockey League is coming to Chilliwack, and it won't be at the expense of the Tri-City Americans.

The Vancouver Sun has learned that businessman Darryl Porter, former Canucks GM Brian Burke and New York Rangers GM Glen Sather were awarded an expansion franchise for the 2006-07 season during a 70-minute WHL board of governors conference call on Thursday.

Porter's group has also agreed to sell the Tri-City Americans franchise to a local consortium led by NHL stars Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes.

The WHL will make it official today.

The new Chilliwack franchise will play out of the Prospera Centre, a 3,700-seat facility that opened last fall. The facility will be expanded to a minimum of 5,000 seats in time for the 2006-07 season.

The Prospera Centre is the current home of the British Columbia Hockey League's Chilliwack Chiefs, who will likely move to Abbotsford once the WHL comes to town.

Thursday's decision puts an end to a month-long saga that initially saw the Americans apply to relocate the franchise to Chilliwack in time for next season.

Their application went before the board of governors on March 31 and was denied after it failed to gain the necessary votes. Nine governors -- the four other American franchises as well as Brandon, Saskatoon, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Prince George -- voted no at that time.

Porter made it clear following that vote that his group could not continue to operate the Tri-City franchise after losing close to $500,000 over the past three years.

Two weeks of lobbying by some of the league's heavyweights, including chairman of the board Ed Chynoweth, resulted in commissioner Ron Robison presenting four different scenarios to the board of governors during a conference call earlier this week.

The awarding of an expansion franchise to Porter's group allows a number of things to fall into place for the league, including maintaining the status quo with five teams in the U.S. division. It should also pave the way for Kootenay to move into the Central division for 2006-07.

Thursday's decision should also be good news for the Edmonton Oilers as it seems logical that the WHL would now consider adding a 22nd franchise. The Oilers have been very vocal in stating their desire to acquire a franchise, either through expansion or relocation.

But it also opens up a can of worms as a number of governors were quite vocal Thursday in voicing their angst over expansion. Their concern is over the availability of players for a 21 or 22-team league that is already having difficulty attracting enough quality players.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005

RunTheGoalie
04-23-2005, 09:18 PM
It makes a lot more sense to ultimately have balanced conferences at 11 teams each, so moving Kootenay back to the east is rather shortsighted.

Quite honestly, if the league is going to give Chilliwack a franchise, it really has no choice but to grant one to Edmonton as well. Edmonton probably should have landed a team before Chilliwack as it is, though I think Chilliwack will be a great addition to the league.