West Kelowna Warriors 2016/2017

[occasional thoughts]

So I started going to West Kelowna Warriors games last weekend, and tonight, to keep me up later at night. Boy what a difference a season makes. They lost both last weekend and were losing midway through the 3rd tonight when I left, but they don't look like the Jr. A national champions of last year; very sloppy, very Midget Rep if that. Rebuilding I guess.

[JayByrd]

So I started going to West Kelowna Warriors games last weekend, and tonight, to keep me up later at night. Boy what a difference a season makes. They lost both last weekend and were losing midway through the 3rd tonight when I left, but they don't look like the Jr. A national champions of last year; very sloppy, very Midget Rep if that. Rebuilding I guess.

Rebuilding is right. The Warriors' top six scorers from last year, as well as both goaltenders, are no longer with the club. I noticed that Paul Coffey's son Blake is playing there this year. It'll be interesting to see how they finish this season. They seemed to be in flux for much of last year too (just look at the laundry list of goalies who played for them) but pulled it together in the end. It's great that you're going out to games and supporting junior hockey though. I do some volunteer work in junior and minor hockey so I'm at the rink often enough, but I miss being able to watch games just as a fan.

[dmctighe]

Not a bad game tonight Vs Penticton in spite of the score. The Warriors made some costly mistakes, and the Vees are quick to capitalize. One Terrible situation was both of the Coaches F-Bombing each other at the end of the 3rd, We could hear it up at the top of section 113, was that really necessary :-(

[GordonH]

If true ouch to the fans of the Warriors
http://www.castanet.net/news/BCHL/18628 ... aving-town

[JayByrd]

I had no idea that the Warriors had been for sale. What's telling in the article is that Mark Cheyne didn't deny the suggestion.

The Warriors have been over .500 for 8 of their 11 seasons in West Kelowna. Average attendance this year has been the lowest it's been, despite coming off BCHL and RBC Cup championships. If that's not enough to rally the community, then I don't know what will.

I wonder if what's happening in West Kelowna is the same as what happened in the early years of the Kelowna Rockets. People in Kelowna didn't identify with the Rockets, and didn't feel they were "ours". Some pretty mediocre seasons on the ice didn't help.

Either way, I'd say the hockey fans of West Kelowna have had every chance to embrace this team, and they just haven't.

[gman313]

I had no idea that the Warriors had been for sale. What's telling in the article is that Mark Cheyne didn't deny the suggestion.

The Warriors have been over .500 for 8 of their 11 seasons in West Kelowna. Average attendance this year has been the lowest it's been, despite coming off BCHL and RBC Cup championships. If that's not enough to rally the community, then I don't know what will.

I wonder if what's happening in West Kelowna is the same as what happened in the early years of the Kelowna Rockets. People in Kelowna didn't identify with the Rockets, and didn't feel they were "ours". Some pretty mediocre seasons on the ice didn't help.

Either way, I'd say the hockey fans of West Kelowna have had every chance to embrace this team, and they just haven't.

the population is not enough to support rockets and warriors.

[JayByrd]

the population is not enough to support rockets and warriors.

Do you mean that hockey fans in West Kelowna continue to support the Rockets, and not the Warriors?

Having nearby alternatives for one's hockey fix never helps, and I doubt someone from West K who was a regular Rockets attendee would have dumped the Rockets in favour of the Warriors. Though some would appreciate not making the drive.

But if it's a simple question of population, West Kelowna is of similar size to Penticton and Vernon, and is 3x bigger than longtime BCHL cities such as Trail and Merritt.

[JayByrd]

A couple of days pass, and I guess Mark Cheyne isn't "blindsided" anymore:

http://www.castanet.net/news/BCHL/18633 ... nfirm-move

There is a letter of intent to purchase the team, and the prospective buyer intends to move the team to North Delta. If the sale falls through, Cheyne will likely fold the franchise rather than operate next season.

Even teams that draw poorly have a core of dedicated fans. I feel for them, as well as the players, volunteers, billets, and staff who've put a lot of time and effort into trying to make the West Kelowna Warriors a success.

[GordonH]

One issue with community support is, with the Rockets the only playoffs that is not played in Kelowna is for the Memorial Cup unless Kelowna hosts it.
Once Warriors won BC championships they did not play another game in West Kelowna until Fall last year. Even though they won National Championship, all the cheering was not in a group setting of the arena.
I'm not sure if that has anything to with it or not, just knowing how community came together for Kraft Hockeyville. Root support is there I believe.

[canvan]

Another issue that could of came into play was the lease with City of West Kelowna and the god awful design of the arena they play in Royal Lepage Place

[JayByrd]

Here's their yearly reported attendance figures. Click on the bar for each year to bring up a graph of league-wide attendance. There are a number of teams drawing fewer spectators than the Warriors, but they're nowhere near the top. Ticket sales are not the only source of team revenue, and I have no idea what the break-even point for the Warriors is, but it is worth noting that attendance has dropped over time.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/ ... ?tmi=11055

[Steve-O]

What is wrong with the design of Royal LePage? Feels pretty much like any other arena of that size to me, curious what your perspective is.

[mexi cali]

What is wrong with the design of Royal LePage? Feels pretty much like any other arena of that size to me, curious what your perspective is.

It feels like a minor hockey arena. Compare it to SOEC and there is no comparison. The arena was underbuilt and in my opinion is way under utilized.

Prospera has the atmosphere of a big league facility but RL feels like some of the arenas I played in when I was playing.

[GordonH]

Bumped

Not moving
http://www.castanet.net/news/West-Kelow ... not-moving

[JayByrd]

The new owners will need to find a way to turn this around and make the Warriors more profitable, or at least get them losing less money. I wish them well.