Rumours of Ice departure fuelled by arena situation

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This article was published 08/06/2023 (1213 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Ice are at a critical crossroads, and there is a growing belief the Western Hockey League outfit could soon be on the move.

Some in the hockey world suspect they’ve already played their final game in the Manitoba capital, while others wonder if a short-term solution can be found to keep them around for at least one more season.

Answers could come later this month when the WHL board of governors gathers for its annual summer meeting.

The Free Press reached out to various stakeholders and sources seeking on-the-record information.

Repeated attempts to reach owner Greg Fettes through communications staff from both the hockey club and his business, 24-7 InTouch, were unsuccessful. President and general manager Matt Cockell has declined multiple interview requests over the last three weeks. A WHL spokesman didn’t return multiple messages seeking comment.

A media spokesperson for the University of Manitoba, which has a lease agreement for the Ice to play out of the Wayne Fleming Arena, said they didn’t “have anyone who could comment at this time,” when asked for details about the deal and whether it has expired, continues into next year and/or includes an out clause.

It’s not exactly breaking news that the long-term forecast appears bleak. Despite promises from Ice ownership in 2019 that a shiny new 4,500 seat facility would be built to house the team, no ground has been broken and there are no apparent plans to do so.

Instead, they have been confined to the approximate 1,800 seat “Ice Cave”, which has them ranked last in WHL attendance.

A deal was worked out last month between the Ice and True North to play a pair of playoff games out of Canada Life Centre. More than 11,000 fans took in the action between the Ice and the Seattle Thunderbirds, who went on to capture the WHL Championship Series and head to the Memorial Cup, where they lost to the Quebec Ramparts in the final last Sunday.

However, an official partnership between the two companies is unlikely. True North already has the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose playing out of the downtown rink, and a third hockey tenant — especially one that is in direct competition — wouldn’t make much sense.

Last December, the WHL released a statement which read as follows: “The Winnipeg Ice have assembled a highly-competitive team this season and the WHL continues to work with the ICE regarding a solution to the Club’s long-term plans for a suitable facility in Winnipeg.”

The league said more information would be released in the new year. No new information has followed since.

As recently as Wednesday, the Ice continued to market season-ticket packages on its social media platforms.

Adding to the intrigue are rumours swirling out of British Columbia that the Aquilini family, which already owns the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL, might be interested in bringing the Ice into the fold.

Journalist Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reported on Monday that sources have told him the Aquilinis could be looking into buying a WHL team and moving it to Chilliwack.

“Out of the blue (Sunday), a lot of people reached out to me hearing rumours again about Winnipeg moving to Chilliwack… A lot of people feel the Aquilini family may be involved. Sources in the Western Hockey League and the BC Hockey League have heard the same,” Dhaliwal said on Monday’s Donnie and Dhali program.

Dhaliwal said the 5,000-seat Chilliwack Coliseum, which is owned and operated by the Chiefs Development Group, “could also be a part of the deal.”

The Free Press contacted the Canucks organization seeking comment, but media relations staff responded a day later saying no one was available.

The Ice re-located to Winnipeg in time for the 2019-20 season due to dwindling crowds in Cranbrook, B.C., where they had been since 1998. Yet their average crowd size here, due largely to rink size, has actually been less than what they had in B.C.

They are coming off a memorable season in which they went 57-10-1, which was the best in the West. The Ice bowed to the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games in the WHL championship series.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg