Any news?

[AMS Faithful]

WHL Board of Governors Review Tri-City Matter
Created: Apr 18, 2005

CALGARY, AB - The Western Hockey League Board of Governors held a conference call earlier today to review the status of the Tri-City franchise following a decision March 31, 2005 to deny relocation of the WHL Club to Chilliwack, B.C. for the 2005-06 season.

WHL Commissioner Ron Robison presented a report on options available to the League regarding the ownership of the Tri-City franchise and its long-term viability in the market. The WHL is encouraged by the interest that has been expressed by local investors in Tri-City and is exploring options which would preserve the franchise on a long term basis.

The WHL Board of Governors will reconvene on the evening on Thursday, April 21st to review this matter further and attempt to reach a resolution which serves the best interests of the League and its member franchises.

All inquiries regarding the Tri-City matter are to referred to WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.

[HAF]

That sounds like pretty good news. Hopefully the league will push for the local group to make the purchase.

[Rooselk]

I heard the WHL commissioner interviewed this afternoon on MOJO 730 out of Vancouver. While the commish didn't get specific, it did sound like he was hinting about new ownership for the Ams. He said that there were several proposals on the table and a decision will be reached on Thursday. My guess is that that the league is now looking seriously at the local group that has stepped forward to purchase the team.

[Chipper]

My personal opinion from someone looking in is that there will be an expansion given to the Tri City group of potential owners, and that the curent owners will be alowed to sell or relocate to Chiliwack. I hope Im wrong as I think its only fair to the people of the Tri City area that they keep there team. Let the curent owners be put into the Expansion role. This is just the gut feeling I get as some one who has nothing to gain or lose in this situation. If this is the case you may be with out hockey for a year but you will end up with owners that realy want to be there.

[Rooselk]

Chipper, you may be right. But during the interview the WHL commish more than once mentioned that this week the Board of Governors would be looking at their future plans. Wouldn't surprise me if they granted new ownership to the Ams and then granted the Porter group an expansion team in Chilliwack, giving the city there a year to expand Prospera Centre.

[Chipper]

Chipper, you may be right. But during the interview the WHL commish more than once mentioned that this week the Board of Governors would be looking at their future plans. Wouldn't surprise me if they granted new ownership to the Ams and then granted the Porter group an expansion team in Chilliwack, giving the city there a year to expand Prospera Centre.

That would be awsome for all of you there and justice! for there unsucessful move out of Tri City. I hope and pray that this is what happens Let the Current owners sit a year with no income and start from scratch. STAY AMS STAY !!!!!!!!!!!

[AMS Faithful]

WHL sees Thursday as key in Ams future
This story was published Tuesday, April 19th, 2005

By Annie Fowler, Herald staff writer

Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison and the league's Board of Governors held a conference call Monday morning to review the future of the Tri-City Americans.

The nearly three-hour session came three weeks after the Board of Governors denied the Americans owners' -- Darryl Porter, former Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke, New York Rangers GM Glen Sather and Tri-City GM Bob Tory -- petition to relocate the franchise to Chilliwack, British Columbia.

During Monday's meeting, Robison presented a report on options available to the league regarding the ownership of the Tri-City franchise and its long-term viability in the market.

Robison said the WHL is encouraged by the interest that has been expressed by potential local investors and is exploring options that would keep the franchise in Kennewick on a long-term basis.

"Without getting specific, we discussed creative solutions to preserve a franchise in Tri-Cities," Robison said. "We have been encouraged by the local interest ... in the club. The concern with the March 31 meeting was that a decision was made, but we didn't talk about how to go forward. That's what we are doing now."

Selling to the local interest group, accepting a reported $5 million offer from the Edmonton Oilers or moving the team to Chilliwack -- despite a vote by the governors last month that denied the move -- are among the options still under consideration.

A gag order was being placed by the WHL on all participants. Robison said he is the only person allowed to provide details about the meeting.

The Board of Governors will hold another conference call Thursday evening in an attempt to reach a solution. At that time, the Board of Governors is expected to vote on one of the options provided by Robison.

"After today, we feel we need to attend to this matter more," Robison said.

Notes: Tri-City Americans goalie Carey Price watched from the bench as Team Canada beat Denmark 15-1 at the U-18 World Championships in Cesk Budejuvice, Czech Republic. Dan Bertram had three goals for Canada (2-1-0), which will finish round-robin play today against Russia (3-0-0). ... C Jonathan Toews, selected No. 1 overall by the Americans in the 2003 WHL bantam draft, last week signed a letter of intent to play for the University of North Dakota. ... The Everett Silvertips extended coach Kevin Constantine's contract through the 2008-09 season.

[AMS Faithful]

Big leaguers enter WHL talks
With NHL backers, Tri-City could stay put and Chilliwack could get expansion team

Stephen Snelgrove
Vancouver Sun

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Junior hockey fans in Chilliwack may have National Hockey League stars Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes to thank should the Western Hockey League finally come to the Fraser Valley.

Kolzig and Barnes, who both played in the WHL for the Tri-City Americans and continue to make their off-season homes in the area, have stepped up to the plate in an effort to save the troubled junior franchise.

The pair are part of a local investment group poised to purchase the franchise from the current owners, who include Vancouver businessman Darryl Porter, former Canucks GM Brian Burke and New York Rangers GM Glen Sather.

When the WHL board of governors reconvene Thursday evening via conference call they are expected to approve the tentative sale of the franchise as well as the awarding of an expansion team to Chilliwack for the 2006-07 season.

The expansion team would be controlled by Porter, Burke and Sather, but would also include local investors Moray Keith and Jim Bond, who own the British Columbia Hockey League's Chilliwack Chiefs and operate the 3,700-seat Prospera Centre.

This is one of a number of scenarios presented to the board by commissioner Ron Robison during a conference call Monday morning.

It is not without precedent in the WHL, as Vancouver Giants majority owner Ron Toigo was involved in a similar scenario five years ago. Toigo, who then owned the Americans, was prepared to move the team to Vancouver but was offered an expansion franchise while other investors were found to keep the team in Tri-City.

As amenable as Keith and Bond are to whatever decision comes from Thursday's board meeting, they are also very concerned that time is becoming a factor. It would take at least three months to undertake the renovations required to bring the seating capacity of the Prospera Centre up to a minimum of 5,000, which means that building materials would need to be ordered by at least the first week of May in order to have the construction completed by the end of summer.

Given the tight time-frame required to get a team up and running Chilliwack in time for this coming season -- whether it be the Americans or an expansion franchise -- Keith said he would be quite happy to wait a year for the WHL to arrive in Chilliwack.

"The one [scenario] that I certainly like is keeping the BCHL team where it is at the moment, allowing whatever is going to happen between the WHL and the Burke group to happen, and then working for the WHL in Chilliwack in a year's time," said Keith.

"This is definitely pushing the time frame on it. To me a natural is to sit dormant for a year and hopefully be able to put a WHL team into place in one year's time. It would allow us to generate some momentum over the next year with people knowing that the WHL is going to come to Chilliwack."

A number of factors could still derail this scenario prior to Thursday's conference call, including negotiating the purchase price for the Americans and the ensuing expansion fee to be paid by Porter's group.



BCHL's Chiefs moving full speed ahead

Stephen Snelgrove
Vancouver Sun

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The Chilliwack Chiefs are moving full speed ahead towards next season, despite the uncertainty that surrounds the British Columbia Hockey League franchise.

As the Western Hockey League continues to ponder the future of the Tri-City Americans and the potential of Chilliwack as a viable market, the Chiefs' ownership group is covering all of its bases.

Moray Keith, co-owner of the Chiefs along with Jim Bond, remains fully committed to having a major junior franchise play out of Chilliwack's Prospera Centre, but he also realizes that life will go on in the Fraser Valley with or without the WHL.

The Chiefs have started their season-ticket renewal program and are just days away from a major push.

Keith and Bond would own approximately 20 per cent of the WHL franchise in Chilliwack, with current owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather controlling the rest.

"I think everything is open; it's out of our hands in terms of what the WHL allows," said Keith. "We've said to the City of Chilliwack that we would try and do the best for everybody that we can possibly do and I think, based on what we were told by the WHL on Thursday, we are going to have to make a decision then on how everything fits and what goes forward."

The WHL board of governors met via conference call on Monday to discuss a variety of options regarding the future of the Tri-City Americans, including moving the team to Chilliwack or awarding an expansion team to the city of 63,000. The board will reconvene Thursday evening with an eye towards making a final decision.

At stake Thursday is more than just the future of the WHL in Chilliwack. Depending on the decision, the future of the BCHL's Chiefs, as well as the Pacific International Junior Hockey League's Abbotsford Pilots, are also unclear.

Keith has said that should the WHL come to Chilliwack his first choice would be to move the Chiefs to Abbotsford.

"If we could build a rink in Abbotsford that would be ideal. They are the kind of community that should have a Prospera Centre, a bigger rink or multi-plex," Keith said.

[Beaner]

Well this sounds about right. Not a big surprise.

Expect the Ice to be moved to the Central Division if this all goes thru in 06-07.

Unless of course Edmonton is going to get an expansion Franchise in the near future. Then to keep the Divisions balanced, they would have to keep the ICE in the west.

[Stay-Puft]

There is a conference call scheduled for 9:30am today by the WHL to the media. Early word is the Americans will stay put and Chilliwack will get an expansion franchise in 2006-07.