According to a story by reporter Jim Jamieson in yesterday’s Vancouver Province, “[Chicago Wolves GM Wendell] Young admits he expects there is something to the rumours that the Canucks may be looking to move their farm team to Abbotsford, but says the relationship between the NHL club and the Wolves has been business as usual.”
The report comes after rumours circulated on hockey comment boards across the internet earlier this week that the Calgary Flames will move the Abbotsford Heat to Utica, New York for the 2013-14 season and that the Canucks will purchase the Peoria Rivermen franchise, which is owned by the St. Louis Blues, and move it to Abbotsford.
Neither the Flames nor the Heat have confirmed the rumour nor have the Vancouver Canucks but speculation is mounting that the rumours may be true because the Canucks deal with Wolves expires at the end of this season and, despite the ten-year revenue guarantee Heat owners have from Abbotsford taxpayers, no one in Abbotsford would be sad to see the Flames farm team replaced by a Canucks farm team.
“where there is smoke, there is fire”
I think, there have been negotiations going on for awhile. now.
When you see top attendance for a game day at 10,000+, while the lowest attendance is 5000+, except for Abbotsford Heat, who trail
with 2600+, the lowest in the league for that game day, it clearly
tells you that the market interest in the team is just not there.
The flames have nothing to loose transferring elswhere, because
if “The Heat” are moved to Utica, there will be no enormous travel expense burden for the team and in Abbotsford, the team’s travel expense are paid by the taxpayer.
Either way, the Abbotsford Heat do not pay for travel expenses. The
move would be a win situation for the Flames, Abbotsford Heat,
the cash strapped, Abbotsford City Hall and most importantly, the taxpayer’s of Abbotsford, who have been paying the travel subsidies.