Vees GM suggests West Kelowna lacks identity to back hockey team
The very nature of West Kelowna may have jeopardized the success of its hockey team, says the coach of a rival club.
Although West Kelowna has a population of 30,000, it might lack the strong identity that’s crucial to the success of junior hockey teams in other cities, says Fred Harbinson, coach and general manager for the Penticton Vees.
“Maybe West Kelowna is really just a suburb of Kelowna,” Harbinson said. “I know they probably don’t want to hear that. But I just don’t know if West Kelowna really has a community feeling all on its own.”
“In Penticton and Vernon, you know where downtown is,” Harbinson said. “It’s not like that in West Kelowna.”
Pending approval from the BC Hockey League board of governors, possibly as soon as next week, the West Kelowna Warriors are expected to move to North Delta for next season.
Warriors owner Mark Cheyne says he lost $300,000 on club operations last year, despite the team winning a national championship, and losses in previous seasons have been even higher.
The Warriors typically draw about 750 fans for a game. In Penticton, which is about the same size as West Kelowna, close to 3,000 people show up for Vees home games. The junior A Vees have been in existence since 1961, and are woven into the social and recreational life of Penticton, Harbinson says. It’s the only junior hockey team in the city, while Cheyne has said he felt his Warriors were competing with the WHL Kelowna Rockets for fans.
“When I came here 10 years ago, frankly, I was worried the Vees might be overshadowed by the Rockets just up the highway in Kelowna,” Harbinson says.
“But no one talks about the Rockets. Heck, hardly anyone talks about the (NHL’s Vancouver) Canucks,” he said. “That’s just how important the Vees are to the city.”
Nevertheless, the privately owned Vees take nothing for granted, he said, and always work to maintain and solidify relationships with the community.
“What’s happened with the Warriors is a good lesson for all of us in the BCHL,” Harbinson said.
“We know we’re always one day away from maybe starting to see things go sideways here, so we work hard at being successful, connecting with the community and being as transparent as possible.”
West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater, a Warriors season ticket holder, agrees the club has had trouble attracting fans at least in part because of the appeal of the Kelowna Rockets WHL team across Okanagan Lake.
“The Rockets offer a slightly better calibre of hockey,” Findlater said. “But if the Warriors do move, it’ll be a real shame. It’ll leave a hole in the hearts of a lot of people.”
On the other hand, Findlater said, some groups that have wanted to book ice time at Royal LePage Place and have been unable to do because of the Warriors might find it easier to make bookings.
And the arena could be used more often for special events and concerts.
The team pays the city $52,000 a year for use of the arena, which Findlater figures will be recouped through other bookings.
“I don’t think losing the Warriors will have an impact on the municipality’s budget, but there will be some suppliers in the community who will be losing out,” he said.