Steven Hill
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The Chilliwack Chiefs are finally moving. They just aren't moving to Squamish.
Moray Keith, co-owner of the BC Hockey League (BCHL) Junior A team, announced Monday (Feb. 27) his group had selected Abbotsford as the team's next home, and was seeking league approval for the move. By Wednesday it was all but a done deal.
"At this point in time the BCHL has approved the Chiefs to move to Abbotsford," said Keith. "That doesn't mean the BCHL and Squamish don't have an opportunity. What it does mean is we are moving the Chiefs to Abbotsford because of the proximity of the community."
Negotiations to bring the hockey team to Squamish had been ongoing over the past months, but when the municipality lost the opportunity to secure a sledge hockey arena as an Olympic legacy from the 2010 Games, the deal seemed dead in the water.
But Keith said although the Chiefs were headed to Abbotsford, there was still an opportunity for Squamish to get a BCHL team."We are still in great conversations with Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland and members of council," he said. "We hope to pursue both an arena and a BCHL franchise for the Squamish area in the near future. It certainly isn't a dead issue, but rather we think it is alive as ever."
Keith said the hard work done so far by the DOS in trying to get the Chiefs to Squamish shouldn't be wasted.
"In chatting with the BCHL board of governors, there was recognition that there was an opportunity in Squamish, whether or not it was The Chief's opportunity or someone else's', but we do feel Squamish has the desire and wherewithal to put together an arena that would be suitable for BCHL's standards," he said. "In Squamish we are going to continue to pursue working with Ian Sutherland and chat from the point of view of an arena."
But getting a team in Squamish is entirely dependent on building a new arena, said Keith.
"Once an arena has been confirmed then that allows us to move forward and seek approval from BCHL for a league expansion team," he said. "We really like Squamish. We think the demographics are great, we think the size of the community, its growth and its potential for the future speak very well for the viability of supporting a BCHL team. We are talking about having 2,500 people come out for every game, and we think for Squamish that is a reasonable number."
Mayor Sutherland expressed disappointment that the Chiefs would not be coming to Squamish, but said he still had high hopes for securing an expansion team for the town.
"In an ideal world we would have liked to have the Chiefs here next year, and I think Mr. Keith would've liked that too," said Sutherland. "But for all kinds of reasons the team is moving to Abbotsford. At the same time the league has expressed a strong desire to put an expansion team in Squamish. Mr. Keith has expressed the same desire. We now must turn our attention towards the plan that would get a new rink under construction."
Sutherland echoed Keith's statement that an arena needed to be built before a team would consider the move.
"They go hand-in-hand," he said. "One thing that is very clear about getting an arena is we have to be sure we have a tenant for that arena first. We are going to work with the province and others to look for the best possible way to bring an arena to Squamish. Part of that is securing a tenant, and hopefully a Junior A tenant, for the 2007-2008 season. And it would be much more than a hockey rink, as it could be used as a multi-purpose centre and a benefit to the whole community."
