The Portland Winterhawks situation may not exactly be a sign of things to come, but it's not great news, either.
The Western Hockey League club made news this week with a surprising announcement, confirming its ownership had filed for bankruptcy, meaning the club would be put up for sale. The news is concerning given that the Winterhawks are one of junior hockey's most successful franchises both on and off the ice. Portland averaged 5,540 fans per game this past season.
"This bankruptcy has more to do with owner Bill Gallacher’s issues in the gas and oil industry and having to file Chapter 11 for his parent company than anything to do with the Winterhawks," TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Insider Trading this week. While this may be a rare situation for the time being, there are still concerns about what the COVID-19 pandemic may do to some junior franchises.
"Junior hockey needs to put people in the stands for people to see the games and for junior hockey to be successful," said McKenzie. "If there’s no fans in the stands for 2021, there may not be any junior hockey to speak of and that could dramatically financially impact a lot of owners then. But, for now, it’s a one off."
CHL president Dan MacKenzie did a Q&A with Sportsnet this week and was asked about the possibility of teams playing games with no fans in attendance.
"We normally would not contemplate playing games without fans in our buildings as it would make the economics very hard for our teams," said MacKenzie. "Having said that, these are extraordinary times and we are going to explore all options and will re-examine whether playing with a limited number of fans is feasible."
The idea of playing in empty buildings continues to look like a non-starter for CHL clubs. MacKenzie's wording would seem to indicate that the idea of playing games with limited capacities is not an impossible idea, though. There's still tons of challenges with this concept - how do people get in/out of the building, how will the concourse work, etc. - but it's an idea that may be able to get junior hockey started again in the fall/winter if the coronavirus remains a threat.
MacKenzie didn't give much of an answer when asked about the league shortening its schedule, which continues to look like a likely scenario. The Guardian reported this week that the QMJHL "has sent a schedule with the normal start date to its teams, plus some other proposals in case the beginning of the year has to be pushed back due to COVID-19."
When asked about the 2021 Memorial Cup, MacKenzie said "the CHL is currently exploring various scenarios for when the Memorial Cup could be played and are working with our potential hosts to determine that feasibility. If we are talking about next Spring, then hopefully social distancing won’t be necessary."
Some other news and notes...
"This bankruptcy has more to do with owner Bill Gallacher’s issues in the gas and oil industry and having to file Chapter 11 for his parent company than anything to do with the Winterhawks," TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Insider Trading this week. While this may be a rare situation for the time being, there are still concerns about what the COVID-19 pandemic may do to some junior franchises.
"Junior hockey needs to put people in the stands for people to see the games and for junior hockey to be successful," said McKenzie. "If there’s no fans in the stands for 2021, there may not be any junior hockey to speak of and that could dramatically financially impact a lot of owners then. But, for now, it’s a one off."
CHL president Dan MacKenzie did a Q&A with Sportsnet this week and was asked about the possibility of teams playing games with no fans in attendance.
"We normally would not contemplate playing games without fans in our buildings as it would make the economics very hard for our teams," said MacKenzie. "Having said that, these are extraordinary times and we are going to explore all options and will re-examine whether playing with a limited number of fans is feasible."
The idea of playing in empty buildings continues to look like a non-starter for CHL clubs. MacKenzie's wording would seem to indicate that the idea of playing games with limited capacities is not an impossible idea, though. There's still tons of challenges with this concept - how do people get in/out of the building, how will the concourse work, etc. - but it's an idea that may be able to get junior hockey started again in the fall/winter if the coronavirus remains a threat.
MacKenzie didn't give much of an answer when asked about the league shortening its schedule, which continues to look like a likely scenario. The Guardian reported this week that the QMJHL "has sent a schedule with the normal start date to its teams, plus some other proposals in case the beginning of the year has to be pushed back due to COVID-19."
When asked about the 2021 Memorial Cup, MacKenzie said "the CHL is currently exploring various scenarios for when the Memorial Cup could be played and are working with our potential hosts to determine that feasibility. If we are talking about next Spring, then hopefully social distancing won’t be necessary."
Some other news and notes...
- We're starting to see some colleges and universities move their fall semesters to online only. The NCAA has said athletics programs likely will not operate on campuses if there are no classes happening. "All of the commissioners and every president that I've talked to is in clear agreement: If you don't have students on campus, you don't have student-athletes on campus," NCAA president Mark Emmert said last week. "That doesn't mean [the school] has to be up and running in the full normal model, but you have to treat the health and well-being of the athletes at least as much as the regular students. ... If a school doesn't reopen, then they're not going to be playing sports. It's really that simple."
- This could obviously have an impact on the college hockey season and potentially recruiting. Could we see more players like Peter Reynolds opt to stay closer to home if it means a better chance of getting games and practices in? College hockey could still, in theory, return before junior hockey... but it's something to think about anyways.
- It's worth noting as well just how financially scaring a cancelled college football season could be for many schools. A cancelled season could hurt a lot of athletic programs for years.
- The AHL is in a similar situation as the CHL: they need fans in the stands in order to survive. 19 of the 31 teams in the league are owned by their parent NHL club, but those remaining 12 could be in a tricky situation come the fall.
- The Moncton Wildcats had been pretty chill about the cancelled season, but yesterday owner Robert Irving told the Times & Transcript (paywall) that he's "very upset" the QMJHL did not provide any compensation for all-in teams. The Guardian reported that the Wildcats and Chicoutimi Sagueneens sent formal requests to the league for compensation but were denied.
- What the federal government decides to do with the CFL's request for financial assistance could set a precedent for other Canadian sports leagues - like the CHL. Whether you agree with sports leagues receiving funding or not, you have to think the CHL will be looking into it.
- Trois-Rivieres getting a QMJHL franchise has looked unlikely for a while - but there is still some hope. The city will have a new 5,000 seat arena ready for the 2021-22 hockey season but have not landed a tenant yet.
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