Blue and Green
Out to lunch
- Dec 17, 2017
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Yeah. Penticton is close enough to Kelowna that such a move would cost the Rockets from a public/media standpoint and from a corporate partnership standpoint. Their owner just happens to be the chair of the WHL board, so if they raise objections, it’s a good bet the move doesn’t happen. But there is a lot of antipathy between the two leagues and you could see the WHL swallowing Penticton just out of spite.
I live in the region and I don't think that the Rockets get much of their corporate/media/fan support from Penticton. Kelowna's population is about 4x greater and it's the corporate and media hub for the Okanagan. Plus, the Vees are a big deal-- the perennial powerhouse of the BCHL. They draw around 3000 fans per game and are the focus for that city, not the Rockets. Adding Penticton would give Kelowna some easy travel games (< 1 hour).