The odds are stacked against a second QMJHL franchise moving to Prince Edward Island.
It seems Prince Edward Island isn't big enough for two teams.
Although the P.E.I. Rocket landed in Charlottetown in 2003, rival city Summerside isn't giving up hope of acquiring a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team. League commissioner Gilles Courteau visited Summerside last weekend, finally walking on the welcome mat that the city set out for him two years earlier.
But before the league can look into bringing another team to Canada's smallest province, it must first think of ensuring the survival of the team which already calls it home.
Rocket president and governor Serge Savard Jr., son of former Montreal Canadiens icon Serge Savard, has no illusions as to the outcome with two island teams.
"I strongly believe the two teams would die shortly," he said.
Summerside is only back in the equation after building a $40-million facility in 2006. This came after failed attempts to land a QMJHL team prior to the Rocket's arrival in the capital city.
A team in Summerside wouldn't need the Rocket's approval, as they fall within two to three kilometers outside of the current team's territorial rights. At the moment, it could all be a moot point.
"Certainly we have to have a team that's available or who wants to relocate in order to have two teams on the island," says Karl Jahnke, the QMJHL's director of media relations. "At this point, we don't have a team willing to relocate in P.E.I."
That, of course, only helped churn the rumour mill even more with the suggestion the Rocket could be a potential tenant in Summerside. But it's a notion Savard says is bred in rumours and not facts.
"I don't know where these (rumours) are coming from," he said. "All I can tell you is as far as the P.E.I. Rocket is concerned, the rumours are false -- you have my word on that. We never approached anybody at Summerside. They never approached me and we will not go to Summerside. That's impossible."
With the exception of the rink in Summerside, a potential move makes little sense. Charlottetown has more than double the population of Summerside and is more centrally located. Approximately 200 to 250 of the Rocket's 1,200 season ticket-holders are from Summerside.
While Savard claims relocation to Summerside is "out of the question," the state of his franchise is in unrest. The team has been operating at a deficit for the last three seasons with a dwindling fan base. He says the team would need to average 2,500 fans per home game in order to avoid losing money. The Rocket has the league's third-lowest average attendance at 1,658 this season.
Savard doesn't necessarily view the lack of fan support as an indication of fan apathy. While he acknowledges improving the on-ice product is the first step towards rebuilding the relationship between the fans and the team, a more fan-friendly environment is essential to ensure the long-term survival of the team in Charlottetown.
"It's a building if you come in the first time, it's pretty catchy," Savard said. "Meaning, if you look at the stands and everything, it looks good. You're saying, 'wow, that's not a bad building here for junior hockey.'"
The Charlottetown Civic Centre, however, doesn't live up to its first impression. One of the main disadvantages is the main concession stand is too small and located outside the rink, in the facility's main lobby. Fans need to have their hands stamped in order to visit the concession stand and re-enter the rink.
The lack of atmosphere for games has led to season ticket-holders referring to their home rink as 'the morgue.'
Not surprisingly, Savard feels strongly a new facility could be the team's solution. He met with government officials last weekend to begin negotiating a new rink and acknowledged the city is on the same page.
Savard used Shawinigan as an example of a franchise that gained financial stability with the arrival of a new rink. The Cataractes averaged no more than 2,700 fans per game in the 10 years leading up to their new rink.
Since it opened midway through the 2008-09 season, the Cataractes saw the attendance rise to an average of 2,824 and 3,211 fans per game in the two seasons that followed. The Cataractes are averaging 3,010 per game this season.
"It's more than just hockey now," Savard claims. "It's an event, it's a happening.
"It has to be an event where -- win or lose -- it's fun to come to the rink."
While the notion of two QMJHL teams in P.E.I. may be nothing more than wishful thinking, the stability of its current tenant will hinge on the ability to get a new rink.
"We need a new building in the years to come -- that's a must," Savard said. "This building is not adequate. It's tough. It's a struggle for us.
"At the end of the day, it's all about revenue."
