'Q' TEAMS STAYING PUT

It looks as though all 18-teams making up the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season will be around this time next year.

The QMJHL announced today in a release that no teams had submitted to move or sell their franchise prior to yesterday's deadline. There had been lots of rumors floating around for over a month with the biggest of them being the Lewiston MAINEiacs departing for Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Another rumor had the PEI Rocket moving to Sherbrook, Quebec. Then, of course, there were the age old thought of whether a team would return to St. John’s, Newfoundland for the 2011-12 campaign. None of that will happening this year, at least.

Here is the QMJHL release:

The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, today announced that no official request for sale or relocation has been sent to his attention at the League office.

"Although a number of reports have been published over the past few weeks, not a single Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team submitted a request to sell or relocate on January 31st," said the Commissioner. "Guidelines are outlined in our Constitution and our members are well-aware of the process regarding these types of requests."

In essence, the Commissioner is responsible for evaluating any request and making recommendations to the League’s members, if deemed necessary.

"It is a long process without any guarantee of success since a sale or a request for relocation must be approved by our members," added the Commissioner.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is responsible for ensuring that its franchises operate within the rules outlined by the League while respecting the guidelines set forth in the Constitution.

Probably the best part about teams staying put is that the divisions won’t have to be realigned for millionth time.