Kootenay’s move greeted with cautious optimism

By Jeff Bromley

Kootenay’s move greeted with cautious optimism When the notion of the Kootenay ICE moving to the WHL’s West Division surfaced, there were two main concerns, rivalries and cost. With the announcement this past week that Kootenay had been realigned by the WHL to the new B.C. Division of the Western Conference, the development of an unbalanced schedule would ensure that the ICE would maintain established rivalries with Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

Addressing the issue of cost with the increased travel into the B.C. Interior and the U.S. with its currency discrepancy however, is something that won’t be gauged until the end of the 2001-02 season.

In the eyes of ICE vice-president Jeff Chynoweth, the move is something that will benefit the league as a whole, even if all the benefits don’t immediately fall on the side of the Kootenay ICE. “It’s always been the way we’ve operated,” said Chynoweth of the hockey club. “I think it’s going to be good for the league. When you’re one member of nineteen teams, the old cliche applies in that you’re only as strong as your weakest link and if this will strengthen the whole chain then will all be better for it.”

Chynoweth noted that maintaining the already established rivalries of the ICE was key to any move of the ICE to the West. “For us, it’s always been the rivalries,” remarked Chynoweth. “We just can’t lose Calgary. If you look at our four games here last year, they were all sold-out. Their four games there against us were four of their best crowds of the year. Red Deer, especially with them being the Memorial Cup champions is also a big draw. Those are big numbers for us.”

The issue of monetary compensation for the ICE should they incur more costs as a result of the move was brought up at the league meetings in Spokane last week but will be addressed at the end of the season. “Right now it is the unknown. We don’t know what those costs will be so we’ll sit down at the end of the year and discuss it further,” offered Chynoweth.

With the league playing an unbalanced schedule, meaning that teams will face most of the clubs an unequal amount of times Kootenay actually ends up on top when it comes to variety of clubs played in the upcoming season. As it stands the ICE will face Tri-Cities and Medicine Hat five times, Spokane, Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge seven times, the five clubs of the Eastern Division and Swift Current twice, Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver and Prince George four times and Seattle and Portland three times each. The downside to that scheduling for teams at the opposite ends of the map such as Portland and Brandon for example, could only see each other once during the entire season. Chynoweth says that although he’s a traditionalist when it comes to scheduling, it is also a sign of the times. “I’m a traditionalist in that I like to see everybody play each other but at the same time I’m a realist and with the distance of travel between teams, a nineteen-team league and building unavailability, I just don’t think it’s possible.”

Although positive for the league, Chynoweth does have some reservations about the deal including the new playoff format that sees a divisional number one vs. four scenario as opposed to the conference number one vs. eight used in the past. “We want to look at it and hopefully it goes well. If it doesn’t go well, we hope it’ll be reviewed but time will tell on that.

“I’m not excited about the playoff format. I was hoping to go one vs. eight because if you use this year as an example, Calgary or Kootenay would have been out of the playoffs in the first round and that’s a pretty good hockey team that’s out of the first round. Being a divisional playoff format, Prince George and Vancouver are a long ways away…. there’s going to be some expenses, but it passed and we’re a member of the league and we’ll see how it goes.”

Quick Hits – The release of Calgary Hitmen coach Dean Clark surprised most across the WHL last week. I realize that the Coaches in this day and age are hired to be fired but this is bordering on the ridiculous. A five- season record of 192-118-23, 40 playoff wins, three regular season Central Division titles, two WHL regular season crowns and a Memorial Cup appearance (in which they lost in O.T.). Hitmen G.M. Kelly Kisio has got some very high standards and I hope he realizes that the new candidate will have some very big shoes to fill…. The Canadian Hockey Association announced that three Kootenay ICE players have been invited to the National Junior Team summer development camp and the Under-18 summer development camp. Both Dan Blackburn and Jarret Stoll will attend the World Junior camp while seventeen- yr-old Andy Thompson will attend the Under-18 camp.