ICE Uprooted From Kootenays
You don’t necessarily need fans in the seats to play a hockey game, but it sure helps.
You do however, need fans to support the business of having a hockey team, and that’s the problem the Kootenay ICE have been faced with the last number of years.
It’s a problem the Western Hockey League will soon see solved, as the league announced Tuesday that the Kootenay ICE will be relocated from Cranbrook to Winnipeg before the 2019-2020 season.
The WHL Board of Governors approved the move and made the announcement Tuesday in a press conference in Cranbrook. WHL Commissioner Ron Robison stated that “after many years of monitoring the operations of the Kootenay ICE, it is evident this franchise is not viable in the market moving forward. It is a difficult decision, but given low attendance trends and the support required to operate a WHL Club, it is necessary to move the franchise to a market where it can be sustainable on a long-term basis.”