Abbotsford Pro Team

[events]

Ok,so lets do a little bit of prediciting.Then we could look back and see how accurate we were(werent?)
What is everybody's prediction on what or if a pro hockey team will reside in the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre for the 2009-10 hockey season.
Since the Q.C Flames/AHL story broke about 3 weeks ago there really hasnt been much to support that idea come out in the media.
Any ideas any one?

[PigOut]

Abbotsford, BC Newspaper -
http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/theprogress/sports/36349864.html

Abbotsford Chasing The AHL

Published: December 17, 2008

Abbotsford is eyeing the American Hockey League as a possible tenant for their currently vacant hockey arena. The question is, does the AHL have any interest in Abbotsford?

The commissioner of the AHL called Abbotsford “an interesting market for any league,” but pointed out that the city’s bid for a franchise would have significant geographical hurdles to overcome.

In an interview with The Abbotsford News on Monday, David Andrews confirmed that the league’s board of governors heard a presentation from an Abbotsford group during the league’s all-star weekend last January.

“Our board thought they made a very good presentation of the market itself and of the building that is going to be there – all of the aspects that make Abbotsford an interesting market for any league,” Andrews said. “But Abbotsford would still be somewhat of an outpost relative to the geography that we have right now.”

At present, the AHL is primarily based on the East Coast, and the minor pro league’s westward reach extends only as far Winnipeg, Man. and San Antonio, Tex.

If Abbotsford businessman Lane Sweeting has his way, that would change. In an exclusive interview with The Abbotsford News on Friday, Sweeting confirmed that he’s spearheading an effort to bring an AHL team to anchor the city’s 7,000-seat Entertainment and Sports Centre, which is slated for completion in the spring.

Andrews said that in years past, certain West Coast-based NHL teams have expressed interest in bringing their top minor league affiliates closer to home.

“Our response to that has been that we probably would have an interest if there were a cluster of teams that made sense from a travel point of view and a rivalry point of view,” he said. “We would work with those NHL clubs over time to make that happen if it was a priority. But I don’t know how much of a priority it is at this point.”

For the AHL to arrive in Abbotsford, Andrews said that Sweeting’s group would first have to secure a deal to purchase an existing franchise, as the league is not in expansion mode at the moment.

Then, they would have to nail down affiliation with an NHL team. At that point, they would need three-quarter approval from the AHL’s board of governors in order to transfer ownership and location.

For an Abbotsford bid to be greeted warmly by the rest of the league, Andrews said it would be “critical” that the pitch include a full travel subsidy for visiting teams.

“My general feeling would be that if there were no negative economic impact on each of our teams, and if our board believed that this was a viable new market for the league that could lead to future growth on the West Coast, then it would have a chance,” he said. “I give them (the Abbotsford group) full marks – they’ve been very persistent. They believe, and I think they’ve been able to convince others, that this is a very viable market and a terrific new facility.”

Down the road in Chilliwack, the Western Hockey League’s Bruins are the Fraser Valley’s most high-profile hockey team at present.

Bruins president Darryl Porter said that his junior franchise would fare well against increased competition from a potential AHL neighbour.

“At the end of the day, will it make our job harder? Yeah,” Porter said. “We’re going to have to be better than ever.

“But I’ve known ever since they decided to build that building that they were going to do something (hockey-wise) there. We’ve been preparing for that for a long time, and we trust our brand.”

The Bruins, like most CHL teams, have struggled at the gate this season, with an averaged announced crowd of 3,887.

In their first year, Chilliwack averaged 4,467 fans per game and last year the team drew an average of 4,529 fans per game.

According to Porter, 30 per cent of the Bruins’ season ticket base comes from outside of Chilliwack. About half of those out-of-town fans are from the Abbotsford-Mission area.

“We’re not going to change anything we do,” Porter said. “We advertise up and down the Valley with a focus on Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Mission, and that’s going to be the same. We will always target the Abbotsford fan, just as we do the Chilliwack fan.”

[events]

Can't realistically see an AHL franchise in Abbotsford.Just doesnt make any sense geographically or financially?

[Pounder]

By playing the AHL card, they're setting themselves up for ECHL. The WHL is probably unrealistic anyway, since Portland's new owners provide a bit of stability (or at least gives Nanaimo first dibs), everyone else is relatively solid (which means nobody's moving, unless Moose Jaw remains problematic), and there's really very little room for expansion.

[events]

I think the WHL idea is completely impossible.The Abbotsford market must be within the territory of either the Giants or Bruins.Im sort of amazed that the Bruins were able to be established.They must be on the very fringe of the Giants territorial area etc.
On a related note,I saw a media report that the Giants will play there displaced 2010 home games in Langley.It was reported that the Abbotsford arena people were too busy seeking a AHL franchise to negotiate with the Giants etc.Seems like thhey missed a chance there?

[events]

Abbotsford News
Abby frontrunner for AHL Flames

By Joe Millican - Abbotsford News

Published: January 28, 2009 6:00 PM
Updated: January 29, 2009 10:19 AM

2 Comments Abbotsford is the priority destination for the Calgary Flames’ American Hockey League team, should the organization move from its current home in the U.S. before the start of the 2009-2010 season.

Calgary Flames president Ken King told The Abbotsford News yesterday that the local ownership group, being led by businessman Lane Sweeting, has made a “very compelling” case for AHL hockey in Abbotsford for the past two years.

That has now prompted King to state that should the Quad City Flames move next season from Moline, Ill., Abbotsford is at the top of his list.

King said the Flames have “three good options” for next season.

One is to stay in Quad Cities, another is to move to a location other than Abbotsford, and the third is to relocate to Abbotsford.

“But if we were to move I would certainly be putting Abbotsford’s presentation at the top of the list from a priority standpoint,” he said.

Discussions continue between the Calgary Flames and the Quad City Flames.

However, King acknowledged that the crowds in Quad Cities have been less than was envisaged when the team moved there in 2007.

The Quad City Flames currently have the second-lowest attendance of all 29 AHL teams, with an average of 2,751 fans per game.

“From our perspective we have an existing arrangement with Quad Cities, we have our partners there . . . but it is not going as well as anybody would have forecast or would wish,” he said.

On the other hand, King was full of praise for Abbotsford and for the investor group.

Recognizing the popularity of hockey in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, King also complimented the new Entertainment and Sports Centre on King Road.

That facility, which will have 7,000 seats for hockey when it opens in May, would be the home of any AHL team. King has already toured the facility.

“They are very thorough and have done a very good job. The building is really quite ideal for the purpose, and they have the ingredient that’s the most important and that’s a group of local citizens passionate about the idea,” said King.

“As in all business, you need a real commitment to succeed, and from what I have seen they are very serious people who love the sport, love your city and want to marry these two loves.”

King’s comments follow a series of meetings held by the AHL’s board of governors in Boston over the weekend, during the AHL All-Star weekend.

There was no official Abbotsford application on the agenda for that meeting, meaning there was no vote from the board of governors. Abbotsford first needs the written commitment from an AHL team in order for a vote to be held.

Sweeting was in Boston to answer questions about the Abbotsford bid, and flew back on Tuesday night.

The businessman told The News yesterday that he is hoping for a deal to be finalized inside two months, due to the “tremendous amount of work” that would need to be completed before the start of the 2009 to 2010 season.

That being said, Sweeting explained he and the rest of the investor group is prepared to wait to hear from the Flames.

“We can’t push anybody any harder than we have done, so we are sitting back and letting everybody take a breath,” said Sweeting, who owns the Ramada Plaza and Conference Centre in Abbotsford.

Sweeting acknowledged that he has been involved in “significant discussions” with Calgary.

“Although Calgary is working very hard with the folks in Quad Cities, should Calgary decide to look at another option we believe the preferred option for Calgary would be Abbotsford,” he said. “We believe we have made a compelling argument should they choose to move.”

Due to the reaction Abbotsford has received from the AHL, even if Calgary falls through, Sweeting said he and the other members of the investor group are “definitely committed to continuing our pursuit of the AHL.”

In his annual state of the league address on Tuesday, AHL president Dave Andrews confirmed there was “serious interest” from Abbotsford.

That being said, Abbotsford would be the first team on the west coast, and Andrews reportedly said that ideally, the league would go “with a cluster of teams at the same time.”

“One team is an outpost, which is not to say Abbotsford can’t happen, but if it does happen, it will clearly be with a significant travel subsidy being paid by the operators of that franchise to the teams coming in,” Andrews said.

Sweeting acknowledged that stipulation made by the league.

“For us to convince the board of governors to approve this, we have to have a travel subsidy and we have to build that into our [business] model,” said Sweeting.

Sweeting said the ownership group in Abbotsford would not be the first to offer travel subsidies to help pay for visiting teams.

“And we believe the market is strong enough for us to pay the travel subsidy,” he said.

On the potential geographic challenges, King said the Abbotsford delegation had “dealt with that” in the presentations he had seen.

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Quad Cities brass expect to keep Baby Flames
Abbotsford group keeps pushing for AHL franchise

Scott Cruickshank
Calgary Herald


Thursday, February 12, 2009



CREDIT: Archive photo
Feb12-Lundmark.jpg

The Calgary Flames are busy shopping around for new digs for their American Hockey League affiliate.

Everyone knows that.

And, of course, the folks in Quad City, where the Flames' minor-league club has been based for the past two seasons, are keenly aware of the tire-kicking.

"We've talked to them about it," Quad City co-owner Dennis Voss said Thursday evening. "I know they have looked at other cities. Right now, they're just seeing what other options are out there for them.

"But we're expecting to have the Flames in Quad Cities next year."

Which is a reasonable assumption given the five-year agreement that was struck before last season.

"Either party would have to release the other from the contract - we would both have to agree to a move," said Voss, insisting that there's no bitterness between the local owners and the Flames. "I mean, they've been a great partner."

Kevin Murphy, another member of the Quad City group, had told reporters in December: "It is a two-way contract. They can't just pick up and dump us. There is a substantial cost for them."

Undaunted, a collection of Abbotsford businessmen, led by Lane Sweeting, is trying its darndest to lure the Flames to B.C. for the AHL's 2009-10 campaign.

Flames president Ken King has already made at least one visit to Abbotsford.

General manager Darryl Sutter popped in Monday to check out the fancy new rink.

"I think he was very impressed with the building and the layout," Sweeting told the Abbotsford News on Tuesday. "We think we have sold Calgary on Abbotsford, and at this stage, unless they find something they don't like, I think the ball will keep rolling to an agreement."

Whatever the sides decide, it should happen quickly. The AHL schedule-makers are set to go to work in mid-March.

"As each day passes," said Voss, "it makes it harder and harder for a team to relocate."

At the centre of the Quad City dissatisfaction - for both the local investors and the Flames - are the terrible turn-outs.

It was bad last winter. Now it's worse.

Playing out of iwireless Center, with a capacity of 9,435, the Flames average less than 3.000 fans per night, which puts them near the bottom of the AHL attendance table.

"So, obviously, the financial results have been disappointing," said Voss. "I think it's both of our concern. It's a concern for us, as a partner with them. And it's a concern for them as well."

On top of that, the club's on-ice results are poor. At 18-23-10, the Baby Flames are one of only four outfits that hasn't reached the 20-win plateau this winter. Only Springfield, which recently sacked its coach, has fewer victories.

"Obviously, the attendance and the team's performance on the ice have been disappointing," said Voss. "But we have a very good relationship with Calgary."

[Minor League Man]

I have a formula that could work this all out (though likely only in my dreams):

1. Change the Baby Flames' name to the Quad City Mallards (fans recognize the name like the Rivermen or IceHogs), and restore the imagery or put up some new ones.
2. Canucks should move the Manitoba Moose to Abbotsford (it's in the province)
3. Coyotes should move back to Winnipeg and use the old Jets name and logo brand.

Like I said, it's wishful thinking, but a fan can dream...