Team and arena managers meet with WHL

There frequently are scheduling conflicts involving WHL teams and the arenas in which they play. Whether it’s because of a trade show, a concert, a curling championship or a fair, it seems that one WHL team or three or four can count on being bumped from their home arenas for a day or a week each season.
And, predictably, it almost always leads to a gnashing of teeth.
While the Brandon Wheat Kings have to be used to getting bumped out of the Keystone Centre by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair by now — after all, it has been around since 1906 — do you really think the Swift Current Broncos enjoyed playing their home games in Regina in the first-round of this season’s playoffs? Which is what happened when Swift Current played host to the world women’s curling championship a few weeks ago.
And, of course, there always are scheduling difficulties brought on by one-night stands; for example, the Kamloops Blazers and Everett Silvertips had to juggle one date this season in March because of a scheduling conflict with a show by Larry the Cable Guy.
The playoffs, of course, are another kettle of fish, what with teams having to schedule on short notice. Throw in lease negotiations and there are times when relationships between landlord and tenant sometimes are a little strained.
Which is why, in what can only be described as a terrific idea, the WHL summoned arena and team management to Calgary for a summit this week.
“The league wants to get relations going better between rinks and (team) management,” one WHL insider said.
There were at least 75 people at the meeting, including at least one representative from every team in the WHL. And each facility was represented by at least one person; a couple of arenas, I’m told, had three people on hand.
“It was getting together and talking about different challenges that both parties have,” Craig Bonner, the Kamloops Blazers’ general manager, said. “It was worthwhile . . . it’s trying to get everyone to communicate better.
“It was good. I thought it was really good.”