OT: Winnipeg ICE sold - Moving to Wenatchee, Washington renamed Wenatchee Wild

[Joe Hallenback]

Guys bought a team and tried really hard to get someone to build them a rink for free then be able to own it outright after.

They came at the Urban reserve group with a plan. That plan was you guys get the funding and build a 5000 seat arena complex with 2 side rinks at a cost of about 75 million then hand it over to us because we know how to run a business and you don't and we will pay you a fee after.

I know they run crappy call centers but these guys seem like really slimy car salesmen

 

[Zippity]

I'm gonna be mad if Craig Heisinger brings his son(s) into the Jets/Moose organization.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

I'm gonna be mad if Craig Heisinger brings his son(s) into the Jets/Moose organization.

Other than that, I think all the Ice staff are bound to be fired. But hey, at least Wenatchee is nice. I do see it being the Ice's last stop.

But other than that, all I wonder is what happens with the Blues/Freeze. But I could see TNSE potentially bringing in their own WHL team. If not, they shouldn't even bring one unless they open a WHL-esque rink in Winnipeg. Sad thing is the Ice had a very good hockey program with The Rink.

That should continue - theyll still produce top talent - look at recent drafts.

 

[Zippity]

Without a building they were doomed from the start. Thought they were close, i even saw drawings for a building out near ikea then the covid hit. You could make the argument that covid killed the ice

Wasn’t another set of millionaires making it difficult for them?

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

He used to work for True north ?

No, Jake Heisinger was the assistant general manager of the Winnipeg Ice. Literally didn't have to work to get the job.

 

[Jet]

Guys bought a team and tried really hard to get someone to build them a rink for free then be able to own it outright after.

They came at the Urban reserve group with a plan. That plan was you guys get the funding and build a 5000 seat arena complex with 2 side rinks at a cost of about 75 million then hand it over to us because we know how to run a business and you don't and we will pay you a fee after.

I know they run crappy call centers but these guys seem like really slimy car salesmen

This is so wrong. I know these guys personally and that's not what happened.

Tl;dr: Passionate hockey guys came up with a cogent plan to build a facility to ensure long term viability for the whl in Winnipeg, covid hit and f***ed everything up, and the WHL board of directors made it impossible for them to come up with a solution.

They tried really hard to make this work, this was a passion project, not a money making scheme. They didn't expect not need for the hockey team to make them a bunch of money.

As for the crappy call centre comment, they had 2 locations with net 450 employees just over a decade ago and are now in 10 countries with 30k employees and are competing with the biggest in the business. They have disrupted the industry and forced other companies to adopt their model, including more open, beautiful spaces for employees, dei initiatives, higher pay, and employee experience departments that uplift people. The company continually provides a path for people to come in with no skills and develops then into senior and executive roles.

You should avoid commenting on shit you have no idea about.

 

[sipowicz]

This is so wrong. I know these guys personally and that's not what happened.

Tl;dr: Passionate hockey guys came up with a cogent plan to build a facility to ensure long term viability for the whl in Winnipeg, covid hit and f***ed everything up, and the WHL board of directors made it impossible for them to come up with a solution.

They tried really hard to make this work, this was a passion project, not a money making scheme. They didn't expect not need for the hockey team to make them a bunch of money.

As for the crappy call centre comment, they had 2 locations with net 450 employees just over a decade ago and are now in 10 countries with 30k employees and are competing with the biggest in the business. They have disrupted the industry and forced other companies to adopt their model, including more open, beautiful spaces for employees, dei initiatives, higher pay, and employee experience departments that uplift people. The company continually provides a path for people to come in with no skills and develops then into senior and executive roles.

You should avoid commenting on shit you have no idea about.

1. the Ice were still selling season ticket packages up to a week ago

2. players were never informed the team was moving and had to find out ion their own

not exactly classy as you seem to think

 

[ps241]

Weird.
A team on the rise, try to get a championship then sell high?
I wonder how it worked out financially.

Who knows but that is allot of work for a flip. I appreciate the ambition of the original vision.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Who knows but that is allot of work for a flip. I appreciate the ambition of the original vision.

They went above and beyond the effort needed for a simple flip. If that was the only goal they never would have left Cranbrook.

Fettes and Cockell were hung out to dry by the WHL and I will never forgive them for that.

 

[ps241]

They went above and beyond the effort needed for a simple flip. If that was the only goal they never would have left Cranbrook.

Fettes and Cockell were hung out to dry by the WHL and I will never forgive them for that.

WHL shooting their foot off a bit I take it. Junior Hockey is not really a money making venture (but for the few markets) so not sure why they would blow up the relationship? I don’t know much about it so who knows I guess.

 

[Jet]

1. the Ice were still selling season ticket packages up to a week ago

2. players were never informed the team was moving and had to find out ion their own

not exactly classy as you seem to think

They were trying to work something out til the last second. That's a group dedicated to trying to keep it in Winnipeg.

But please, continue to bash people you don't know without being privy to any actual insight.

 

[Jet]

They went above and beyond the effort needed for a simple flip. If that was the only goal they never would have left Cranbrook.

Fettes and Cockell were hung out to dry by the WHL and I will never forgive them for that.

Thank you.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

This is so wrong. I know these guys personally and that's not what happened.

Tl;dr: Passionate hockey guys came up with a cogent plan to build a facility to ensure long term viability for the whl in Winnipeg, covid hit and f***ed everything up, and the WHL board of directors made it impossible for them to come up with a solution.

They tried really hard to make this work, this was a passion project, not a money making scheme. They didn't expect not need for the hockey team to make them a bunch of money.

As for the crappy call centre comment, they had 2 locations with net 450 employees just over a decade ago and are now in 10 countries with 30k employees and are competing with the biggest in the business. They have disrupted the industry and forced other companies to adopt their model, including more open, beautiful spaces for employees, dei initiatives, higher pay, and employee experience departments that uplift people. The company continually provides a path for people to come in with no skills and develops then into senior and executive roles.

You should avoid commenting on shit you have no idea about.

Hey I am involved in the urban reserve side on committee's I know what they were asking or demanding in this case

I am not sure why they couldn't pony up some of the money and made a real commitment but I was disappointed not just with their approach but how they treated everyone involved. It wasn't good and really turned me off from seeing them succeed with the Ice

 

[Jet]

Hey I am involved in the urban reserve side on committee's I know what they were asking or demanding in this case

I am not sure why they couldn't pony up some of the money and made a real commitment but I was disappointed not just with their approach but how they treated everyone involved. It wasn't good and really turned me off from seeing them succeed with the Ice

I'd put some weight in that if you didn't make the crappy call center comment in but clearly you don't like them so I'm guessing bias.

 

[jetsv2]

I'd put some weight in that if you didn't make the crappy call center comment in but clearly you don't like them so I'm guessing bias.

They run shitty call centers, I know from personal experience. If that offends you too bad.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

I'd put some weight in that if you didn't make the crappy call center comment in but clearly you don't like them so I'm guessing bias.

OK, so now you're basically just defending their call centers, not how they ran the ICE. I've always suspected the arena never happened because they wanted something for nothing (or little). And covid or not, their original plan to build the arena out in the boonies was horribly flawed. No supporting businesses nearby, on a major 80 kph truck route. What could go wrong with that?

 

[Jet]

They run shitty call centers, I know from personal experience. If that offends you too bad.

Generally speaking you get out what you put into it

 

[sipowicz]

They were trying to work something out til the last second. That's a group dedicated to trying to keep it in Winnipeg.

But please, continue to bash people you don't know without being privy to any actual insight.

I’m not bashing anyone but clearly knowing beforehand that the team wouldn’t operate in Winnipeg in 23-24 and not even telling the players is kinda of strange, no?

 

[BigZ65]

Perhaps not, but there has been no confirmation that that they even spoke to anyone at any level of government.

There's another 12 years or so on the funding agreement for the downtown arena that binds the Province and COW from investment into any competing enclosed facility.

 

[SCP Guy]

I know nothing about the owners and have no horse in this race….But I wonder how many millions of their own money they were ready to pump into a new arena? I hope it was at least 75% or GTFO…."

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

There's another 12 years or so on the funding agreement for the downtown arena that binds the Province and COW from investment into any competing enclosed facility.

We sold our souls to the Devil in that deal. If not for that, the Bombers could have had a domed stadium. OK, given who they picked to design and build IGF, the roof probably would have collapsed under the first light snowfall, but still...

 

[jetsmooseice]

We sold our souls to the Devil in that deal. If not for that, the Bombers could have had a domed stadium. OK, given who they picked to design and build IGF, the roof probably would have collapsed under the first light snowfall, but still...

I'd suggest to you that there's no chance the Bombers would have had a domed stadium whether or not there was an agreement with True North in place. It would have probably added close to 50% to an already steep budget that was getting to be a hard sell politically. No one was going to be on board with turning a $210 million project into a $310 million project just so playoff games could be played in warm weather. The existing facility is more than enough.

As for the ICE, it's hard to imagine that Fettes and Cockell were planning to build an arena entirely on their own without government help, or some other public sector help, to use the term loosely... whether a municipality, a university, a First Nation or something along those lines. It's tough enough to compete with TNSE and to some extent the Bombers, Valour, Goldeyes, etc. when you are the only one building your own facility without government help. But obviously it never came together.

It would be nice to hear an explanation from Fettes and Cockell about what went wrong. A lot of us bought into the team and did what was asked of us as fans. It would be appropriate to at least get a response from the owners on this instead of this absolute stone silence.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

I'd suggest to you that there's no chance the Bombers would have had a domed stadium whether or not there was an agreement with True North in place. It would have probably added close to 50% to an already steep budget that was getting to be a hard sell politically. No one was going to be on board with turning a $210 million project into a $310 million project just so playoff games could be played in warm weather. The existing facility is more than enough.

Oh I know that. I just couldn't resist an opportunity to take a shot at the stadium we got. Given how much better Regina's stadium is, and all.

Uh-oh, did I say that? Better run...

 

[jetsmooseice]

Oh I know that. I just couldn't resist an opportunity to take a shot at the stadium we got. Given how much better Regina's stadium is, and all.

Uh-oh, did I say that? Better run...

Regina's stadium is better??? What am I missing here?

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

I know I've said this before, but I wonder if Fettes and Cockell will put a little more effort into their MJHL teams. Honestly, if you moved


Regina's stadium is better??? What am I missing here?

LIST: Winnipeg Blue Bombers stadium owners cite 42 defects at IGF - Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca

The full list of 42 deficiencies at Investors Group Field as outlined in a statement of claim against the architect and builder.

globalnews.ca

And this doesn't even get into the outdoor press box that had to be enclosed so that the Bombers could host Grey Cup games in late November when it's like, you know, really f***ing cold.

Mosaic stadium was designed by a company that does stadium design all over the world.

Sports & Entertainment | HKS Architects

Portfolio Our portfolio features professional and collegiate venues for sports including football, baseball, softball, rugby, cricket, tennis and more. OUR UNIQUE DNA We deliver exceptional value through our seamless network of global experts. Ready to work together?

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IGF was designed by some local hack who had never designed a stadium before. The results speak for themselves.