WHL hockey was long thought of as nothing but a pipe-dream in Winnipeg.
For four seasons, the Winnipeg ICE turned that dream into a reality. But on Friday morning, that era officially ended, as 50 Below Sports + Entertainment sold the ICE to David White and the California-based Shoot the Puck Foundation.
White also owns the Wenatchee Wild, the southernmost team within the rapidly-changing British Columbia Hockey League.
Although the sale to White comes as a surprise to some, the writing has been on the wall for some time in Winnipeg.
Brought into Manitoba from Cranbrook, BC for the 2019-20 season, the ICE operated on the promise of a WHL-sized arena to be built in South Landing - a new neighbourhood under development in Winnipeg's west side.
That never materialized, as the ICE rather maintained their focus on yearly additions/upgrades to the 1,600-seat Wayne Fleming Arena inside the University of Manitoba's Max Bell Centre.
The rink, perfectly suitable for U-Sports competition, was not up to the WHL's standards. Despite owning the Canadian Hockey League's top producing team over the past two years, the ICE were unable to produce a suitable facility for themselves and visiting teams.
That ultimately cost president and GM Matt Cockell and governor Greg Fettes their shot at keeping the highly-productive team in Manitoba's capital.
"Today is a difficult day for Matt and I," Fettes shared in a statement. "...I'm sorry we let you down. Please know that we did our absolute best until the very end."
"We have invested significant time and money in bringing the best possible major junior hockey product to the Winnipeg market. I think we succeeded there. We are proud of what we were able to build as far as our organization both on and off the ice."
Although some may argue the team's front office staff did very little to help communicate within the media world and build those necessary relationships, one could not fault the team's on-ice production.
Putting up 53 wins in 2021-22 and topping that with a 57-win season this past year, the ICE were the very best major-junior team across all of Canada over that timeframe. They just couldn't quite get the job done in the postseason.
Despite having dropped 17 of the 28 games all-time between the former provincial rivals (going 1-19-1 over the past two seasons alone) the Brandon Wheat Kings were quick to chime in on social media in a since-deleted post following the league's announcement.
Brandon will now own the title as the WHL's easternmost club.
Failing to earn a league championship, the ICE never made it to the elusive Memorial Cup and leave Winnipeg for Washington after selling the farm without much draft day capital in their collective pocket.
But do the Wenatchee Wild care? Likely not. They're just happy to move up the ranks from a BCHL club to one within a suddenly jam-packed, six-team American Division.
“We are very excited as an organization to join the Western Hockey League,” White shared in a statement. “Our vision has always been to operate with the highest level of standards for our players, and we have a responsibility to develop players to the best of our ability and prepare them for the next level.
"For our players, our community and our organization, this is an incredible opportunity to provide the greatest overall experience in our great sport. The state of Washington is a great hockey state at all levels. We have a home now with an American division that finally provides us with the long-term sustainability we have been searching for."
Thanks to the shift from East to West, both of the WHL's conferences will now own 11 teams for the 2023-24 season, making standings, road trips and schedules significantly more even.
“The WHL and our member Clubs are delighted to welcome the Wenatchee Wild to the Western Hockey League,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said. “We know hockey fans throughout central Washington will be very excited to now be able to witness the world’s finest junior hockey league when the puck drops in Wenatchee this fall.”