More from the WHL commissioner . . .

WHL commissioner Ron Robison was in Kamloops on Wednesday and appeared at an informal news conference — informal because it wasn’t held to announce anything, rather it was a simple question-and-answer session.
I have posted a story in which Robison discusses the WHL and the economy, along with a few other tidbits.
Among other things he discussed . . .
Where did things go wrong in the approval process when Ken Hodge and Co. sold the Portland Winter Hawks to the group that has since sold to Calgary businessman Bill Gallacher:
“Any time you make decisions on an emotional basis . . . you’re not making sound business decisions. There was a little bit too much compassion attached to the Hodge group who had been partners in this league for 30 years. They were strongly in favour of this particular group. We’ve learned from that experience.
“Those who came in after (Robison mentioned the Tom Gaglardi group in Kamloops and Gallacher) . . . I think they were surprised. Even Daryl Katz was surprised in Edmonton with the due diligence we did around the transfer of ownership from the Edmonton investor group. (Katz, who purchased the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Oil Kings from that group) commented several times that he couldn’t understand why there was such a difference between the NHL level of due diligence and our level of due diligence.
“What it comes down to . . . . you can do the financial tests, you can do a
lot of the business-plan evaluation but it really comes down to the quality
of people you’re dealing with. (With the lastest Portland sale) we went more on character references and business references that were presented to us and less with the documents that were necessary to be filed with the league at that time.
“Our due diligence has changed dramatically since (the earlier Portland sale).”
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An update on the situation involving a new arena in Moose Jaw:
Robison said it was about seven years ago when he spoke to the then-mayor of Moose Jaw.
“He said (the Civic Centre, aka the Crushed Can) was an engineering marvel. The best part about it, he said, is that when you’re from Moose Jaw you don’t have to look across the ice and see the Regina fans. They all saw some humour in the whole thing, but I didn’t.
“Quite frankly, the most important thing for us is the player experience. We have worked so hard in the league to create a competitive balance situation . . . when you look at it from a player perspective.
“Art Hauser, who just passed away in Prince Albert, put up $1 million within months of the league adopting new arena standards. They raised all that money in the community and have now renovated that facility to our standard.
“From a player perspective, when you’re an organization . . . you want to make sure that when you look at the other teams in the league and the standards they have created for facilities . . . we lost Jonathan Toews and I believe we lost him for one reason — the (University of) North Dakota trianing room. He went down and saw that facility and it was enough to convince him.
“Facilities are critical to our success and Moose Jaw understands that. (A new facility there) is part of a $150-million downtwon development. They are on track and are moving forward with everything but they have the community challenges that are there that they are going to have to deal with.
“My understanding is that they are close to getting the necessary levels of government together to support that facility. Subject to the plebiscite going well, they’ll be in the ground by the spring.”
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What about the WHL’s future on Vancouver Island?
“We think very highly of the Victoria market. It has changed with the new building and if we had the ability to go further and supply a team for that market we would. Clearly. Without question.
“But it has to be a right fit from an ownership perspective and it has to make sense as far as Nanaimo is concerned, too, because we believe strongly that we need two teams on the Island. Eventually we need a commitment from both Nanaimo and Victoria in order to have a schedule that makes sense given the travel challenges that exist getting on and off the island.
“But the market . . . is very important to the WHL and perhaps one day we will be there.”
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Any concerns about the possibility of a new building in Abbotsford ending up as the home of an American Hockey League team?
“Obviously, if it’s an American Hockey League team . . . we aren’t too concerned about any other level of hockey. But the American Hockey League is a real concern.
“One of the most attractive markets for us has been Winnipeg for many years and we have agreed with the American Hockey League not to enter that market because we don’t believe two teams of similarly equal leagues could co-exist in that market.
“Bring a team into Abbotsford and combine that with the (WHL’s) Chilliwack franchise, we believe both would be impacted.
“We are monitoring that very closely and are in discussion with the AHL and they certainly know our views on that.
“(We’re really not concerned with) leagues that really don’t have a plan, don’t have a strategy, are all over the map . . . the ECHL being the best example . . . it has now lost two franchises this season alone. We talk about the economic downturn effects . . . there you go.
“Those are the things we are trying to guard against. That is why we want to keep our business model in place and stay within our currrent budget.”