Kootenay Ice move to Manitoba not confirmed, but looking more likely
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$19 $0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then billed as $19 every four weeks (new subscribers and qualified returning subscribers only). Cancel anytime.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/11/2018 (2137 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Western Hockey League hasn’t confirmed the Kootenay Ice is relocating to Winnipeg next season but there are obvious signs a move to Manitoba is already a done deal.
On Wednesday, a community group organized to help team owners boost ticket sales and thereby help to keep the team in Cranbrook, B.C., announced it had suspended operations and would return all the money it had raised during a recent ticket drive.
John Hudak, who served as the marketing director of the Green Bay Committee until its dissolution, said his volunteer group had lost faith in majority owner Greg Fettes and minority partner Matt Cockell, who also serves as president and general manager of the club. The committee, which received no feedback from the club, sent a letter to Cockell Tuesday expressing disappointment in the team’s ownership.
Fettes and Cockell, both from Winnipeg, purchased the franchise from the Chynoweth family in the spring of 2017. Fettes is the CEO of 24/7 Intouch, a vast global call-centre company founded by Fettes and his brother Jeff Fettes 18 years ago.
“It’s out of our hands, it’s up to the owners,” said Hudak via telephone. “Like somebody asked me, ‘What do you think?’ Well, the last time I checked I wasn’t a psychologist and I wasn’t a mind-reader. I don’t know what’s going on the minds of Matt Cockell and Greg Fettes. They’re the people that have to answer that.”
Late Wednesday, a planned team-hosted media event failed to materialize but sources told the Free Press that an announcement is being planned for next week.
Moving the team requires two-thirds approval — or 15 of the 22 member teams — in a vote of the league’s board of governors. Neither Fettes nor WHL commissioner Ron Robison were available for comment.
The Ice, currently 7-12-2-1 and fifth in the WHL’s Central Division, have experienced a significant decline in attendance in one of the league’s smallest markets. HockeyDB.com lists Kootenay’s average per game attendance at 2,244, which is dead last in the WHL.
Hudak was asked if he now feels the current ownership group always intended to move the team to Winnipeg.
“It’s out of our hands, it’s up to the owners. Like somebody asked me, ‘What do you think?’ Well, the last time I checked I wasn’t a psychologist and I wasn’t a mind-reader. I don’t know what’s going on the minds of Matt Cockell and Greg Fettes. They’re the people that have to answer that.”
– John Hudak, who served as the marketing director of the Green Bay Committee
“Well, I’ll put it to you this way, there are certain people in town who feel that way,” said Hudak, who said he personally sold approximately $15,000 worth of tickets in 10 days during the recent drive. “I’m not going to dodge the bullet on that one but as far as the committee was concerned, we felt that if we went out and did our work and helped the present ownership out here, that we could sit down and be able to keep the team here.”
Upon relocation, the Ice are expected to use the cramped quarters at the University of Manitoba’s aging Wayne Fleming Arena as a new home for up to two seasons while a new arena, seating between 4,500 and 5,000 spectators, is constructed on a parcel of land next to The Rink Academy’s new digs on South Landing, near the corner of McGillivray Boulevard and Loudoun Road.
It is believed the 1,400-seat Fleming Arena would need some renovations to be suitable for major-junior hockey.
The league has a lengthy, often troubled history in the Manitoba capital.
The Winnipeg Warriors were tenants at Winnipeg Arena beginning in 1980 but had their own attendance problems and a poor on-ice product that resulted in the franchise being sold and moved to Moose Jaw, Sask., in 1984.
Before that, a franchise began as the WHL’s Winnipeg Jets from 1967 to 1973, became the Winnipeg Clubs (1973-76) and then the Winnipeg Monarchs (1976-77). That team moved to Calgary to become the Wranglers and is now called the Hurricanes, who have since relocated to Lethbridge, Alta.
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @sawa14
jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
Mike Sawatzky
Reporter
Mike has been working on the Free Press sports desk since 2003.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Letter of displeasure
The Green Bay Committee’s letter to Ice president and general manager Matt Cockell:
Matt:
During the spring of 2017, we were pleased to welcome you and Greg as the new owners of the Kootenay ICE, fully expecting that you planned on making Cranbrook and the Kootenays your home.
During Season 1, we enjoyed working with you as partners. Attached is an ICE article dated October 31, 2017 entitled, “ICE Partner with Green Bay Committee for Reachout and Support a School Programs”. The article states, in part, as follows:
“The Kootenay ICE are excited to announce a partnership with the Green Bay Committee whose focus is to create opportunities for students and adults who may not normally have the opportunity to attend ICE home games. The partnership reflects the collective will of a volunteer group that is aligned in both short and long-term goals with the ICE.”
We were also pleased that last year’s Season Ticket sales increased from about 1,300 to about 1,900. We understand that the Season Ticket sales for this year dropped to about 1,700. Therefore, in September, 2018, we started working with you to help increase attendance at ICE home games. On October 19, 2018, we finalized our new Reach Out Ticket Campaign, and we booked the Heritage Inn for a Town Hall Meeting on October 25 to launch the Campaign. We looked forward to your attendance at this meeting and your active engagement with our initiative.
On October 20, 2018, we became aware of the attached article in the Winnipeg Free Press that is entitled, “Winnipeg Could Ice Another Team – Kootenay’s WHL Squad May Be On Move.” This article states, in part, as follows:
“The Western Hockey League’s long-rumoured return to Winnipeg could be only months away from coming to fruition.
Owners of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice are believed to be considering a plan to move their franchise to Winnipeg in time for the start of the 2019-20 season, sources have told the Free Press.”
Obviously, we were greatly concerned about this article. We were hoping that you and Greg would deny this story and that you would remain actively engaged in our sales initiative.
On October 22, 2018, you advised us that you would not be attending our scheduled Town Hall Meeting. You further advised us that you and Greg would not be involved in our sales initiatives and that you would be monitoring the situation.
We were surprised and disappointed with your position; however, we decided to carry on with our Campaign and other initiatives to increase attendance. We expected that you and Greg would join us, especially given the fact that we were at an early stage in Season 2 of your new ownership. For the past month, there has been considerable engagement between our Committee and the community. Our overall strategy included the following:
a. Phase 1: Finding Sponsors to fund our Reach Out Ticket Campaign.
b. Phase 2: Creating a Steering Committee of relevant stakeholders, which will include representatives from the ICE, the City, the business community, and other relevant organizations. The mandate of the Steering Committee will include:
• Working with the ICE to distribute thousands of Reach Out tickets.
• Promoting and selling ICE tickets for the remainder of the 2018-2019 Season to individuals, families and businesses, with a focus on finding new ticket-holders.
• Planning the promotion and sales of Season Tickets for the 2019-2020 Season, with a focus on finding new season ticket-holders.
• Making the ICE a model WHL small market franchise.
We have made considerable progress in respect to Phase 1 and Phase 2. However, the absence of active engagement by you and Greg with our committee has become a major issue in our community. We believe that this failure has become the biggest obstacle in our ability to achieve a highly successful sales campaign and to create an effective steering committee. As a result, we are terminating our Green Bay Committee effective immediately. However, we will consider re-activating our committee if you provide us with a real commitment that you and Greg: are prepared to immediately join us and work with us, as partners; and have no plans to move “Our ICE” from Cranbrook.
Green Bay Committee:
Allan Rella
Bre Tironese
John Hudak
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
Mike Sawatzky
Reporter
Mike has been working on the Free Press sports desk since 2003.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Related Articles
WHL team relocation the centre of ambitious development plan
Advertisement Advertise With Us
Advertisement Advertise With Us
History
Updated on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 10:02 PM CST: Fixes email address.
