After relocating from Cranbrook to Manitoba, the Winnipeg Ice have been sold and are relocating to Wenatchee, WAS, to play out of the U.S. Division, according to a WHL announcement on Friday.
The club was acquired by David White of California-based Shoot the Puck Foundation, the same owner of the BCHLB次元官网网址檚 Wenatchee Wild.
Formerly the Kootenay Ice that operated out of Cranbrook, the club was purchased by Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell, a pair of Winnipeg investors, in 2017 before the relocation to Winnipeg was announced in 2019.
The club played out of the Wayne Fleming Arena, a facility associated with the University of Manitoba, as the ownership group attempted to build a new arena.
In a statement posted on the IceB次元官网网址檚 social media channels, owner Greg Fettes said the team B次元官网网址渟imply ran out of timeB次元官网网址� amid efforts to build a new arena.
B次元官网网址淒espite our success in building the organization, we were unable to confirm our ability to build a new facility in Winnipeg that met the WHL standards on a timeline that was acceptable to the WHL,B次元官网网址� Fettes wrote. B次元官网网址淯nfortunately we were just never able to get the project on solid footing due to the changing landscape (during and post pandemic).
B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址B次元官网网址檓 sure many people in Winnipeg will be disappointed in this outcome. IB次元官网网址檓 sorry we let you down. Please know that we did our absolute best until the very end.B次元官网网址�
The WHL confirmed the arena issues were a factor in the sale and relocation.
B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, multiple attempts by the ICE ownership to construct an arena facility of acceptable WHL standards in Winnipeg, based on the agreed upon timeframes, were unsuccessful, leading to the relocation to Wenatchee,B次元官网网址� reads a section of the WHL news release announcing the relocation to Washington State.
By relocating the franchise to Wenatchee, the WHL will have 11 teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Originally founded in Edmonton by the late Ed Chynoweth, the Ice relocated to Cranbrook in 1998 under the auspices of the Kootenay Ice. Over the course of two decades, the club won three WHL championships (2000, 2002, and 2011), including a Memorial Cup championship in Guelph in 2002.
After the club relocated to Winnipeg in 2019, the City of Cranbrook filed a lawsuit against the Kootenay Ice, the Winnipeg Ice and the Western Hockey League alleging breach of contract. That notice of claim remains active, according to court records.
The BCHL acknowledged the sale and relocation of the Winnipeg Ice to Wenatchee, noting that the BCHL franchise will no longer play in the city.
B次元官网网址淭he Wenatchee Wild has been a strong BCHL franchise and we extend our best wishes for their continued success in the future,B次元官网网址� said Graham Fraser, Chairman of the BCHL Board of Governors. B次元官网网址淎s a league, we are assessing our next steps, including reviewing the best options for players currently on the Wenatchee WildB次元官网网址檚 roster and addressing schedule implications for the 2023-24 season.B次元官网网址�
The Wild moved into the BCHL in 2015, and have played in the league for eight years, winning a Fred Page Cup in 2018.
trevor.crawley@cranbrooktownsman.com
Like us on and follow us on
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation
