The inevitable relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria reminds of a similar OHL situation.
There's an all-too familiar feeling as the Western Hockey League's relocation drama continues to unfold.
The league issued a statement on Tuesday confirming what everyone already knew: the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold. The two-sentence statement issued by the league isn't exactly a confirmation the team is heading to Victoria, B.C., but that will inevitably be the next official statement.
Many of the reports that are linking the Bruins to Victoria are also reporting another team could move into Chilliwack in the foreseeable future. The common theme amongst reports is the league would like an established team in Victoria, rather than the city enduring the long, slow process of building a franchise through expansion.
It's understandable why the league would like to usher in a competitive team in its newest city. Building a franchise through expansion is not only time consuming and expensive, but it takes several years to build a winner. Just ask the Chilliwack faithful about the Bruins' growing pains.
Sources indicate Chilliwack won't be without a team for long, and another expansion team isn't out of the question. In spite of the fact the league is already home to 22 teams -- two more than the OHL and four more than the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League -- the price for an expansion team is in the $7-million range, meaning this option can't be overlooked.
The more likely scenario, however, would see another established team return to the Bruins' old stomping grounds after they vacate the lower mainland for Vancouver Island. Some of the teams that surfaced as relocation possibilities for Chilliwack include the Prince George Cougars, Swift Current Broncos and Kootenay Ice.
But the question no one seems to be asking is if Chilliwack is in line for the next team after the Bruins head to the island, why not leave the Bruins in Chilliwack and give Victoria the next available team?
For the time being, this is one of many questions that will go unanswered since the league shut down the lines of communication with the media.
We feel your pain, Chilliwack.
The Bruins are heading to Victoria, but for many reasons, this game of musical chairs brings to mind shades of a situation that unfolded in the Ontario Hockey League in 2006. Five years ago, the Mississauga IceDogs were on life support until Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Toronto St. Michael's Majors and Ottawa Senators, stepped in and bought the IceDogs.
Melnyk held onto both for a season with the intentions of moving the IceDogs out of their current home at the Hershey Centre, and moving his Majors in. Bill Burke eventually bought the IceDogs and moved them to St. Catharines, Ont.
As a result of uprooting a franchise and moving in its division rival, the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors have never established the type of rabid fan base in Mississauga the IceDogs knew prior to the move.
The dwindling attendance figures in Mississauga after the Majors set up shop were hardly surprising. Imagine the public outcry the fans in Edmonton would have if the Calgary Flames set up shop in the capital city.
Attendance in Mississauga increased for games when the IceDogs returned for the first couple of seasons. Mississauga fans initially chose to support their former IceDogs over the Majors, but the fan base is beginning to unite in part because the Majors made the effort to integrate themselves in the community.
Time has a way of healing wounds. Attendance is increasing for Majors games, but it's still a concern even in a year when the team is hosting the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
While the Mississauga fiasco provides background into a similar situation, it isn't a clear indication of the type of response that can be expected in Chilliwack when another team returns. Obviously, the passionate fan base would love another team, but the Bruins faithful can't be blamed for feeling resentment towards the league right now.
The saving grace for fans in Chilliwack is that Bruins minority owner Moray Keith is saying publicly -- and he was the only one talking until a confidentiality agreement enabled him to do so -- that he would like to bring a team back to Chilliwack.
This shouldn't be surprising given that Keith and his business partner, Jim Bond, own the company that operates the Prospera Centre, the facility that used to house the Bruins.
At the end of the day, the big winners are both the Western Hockey League for finally re-integrating itself on Vancouver Island and the junior hockey fans in Victoria.
The biggest losers? Well, just ask hockey fans in Chilliwack how they feel. Unlike Mississauga, these fans won't have a team to follow when the dust settles next season.
