Kootenay Ice

Kootenay Ice
CityCranbrook, British Columbia
LeagueWestern Hockey League
Founded1996
Home arenaWestern Financial Place
ColoursLight blue, black, white, brown
       
Websitewww.kootenayice.net
Franchise history
1996–1998Edmonton Ice
1998–2019Kootenay Ice
2019–2023Winnipeg Ice
2023–presentWenatchee Wild
Championships
Regular season titles1 (2004–05)
Playoff championshipsMemorial Cup: 1 2002
President's Cup: 3
2000, 2002, 2011

The Kootenay Ice (officially stylized as ICE) were a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, competing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and playing its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise, which began as the Edmonton Ice before moving to Cranbrook in 1998, was owned by Ed Chynoweth from 1995 until it was sold to Winnipeg-based company 50 Below Sports and Entertainment in 2017. The team won three WHL championships and one Memorial Cup title as Canadian junior champions. Despite the club's on-ice success, the Ice moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2019, where they were known as the Winnipeg Ice.

History

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The Ice franchise began play in 1996 as the Edmonton Ice.[1] The club was founded by Ed Chynoweth after he left his position as the Western Hockey League's president.[2][3] Chynoweth moved the Ice to Cranbrook in 1998 after two dismal seasons in Edmonton. The move to Cranbrook resulted in the folding of the successful local Junior A Cranbrook Colts and ultimately the entire Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League as the remaining five RMJHL franchises from the Kootenays dropped to the Junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League within years of the Ice coming to the region.[4]

The Kootenay Ice found significant on-ice success in their early years. The team won WHL championships in 2000 and 2002, along with the Memorial Cup in 2002 to become Canadian junior champions. The 2002 Ice team was inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.[4] The Ice added a regular season title in 2004–05 and a third playoff championship in 2011.[5] The latter title came under the direction of Jeff Chynoweth after Ed Chynoweth died in 2008.[6]

In 2017, the Chynoweth family sold the team to Winnipeg-based 50 Below Sports + Entertainment Inc.[7] The company's owners, Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell, were installed as the team's governor and president, respectively. A new logo was unveiled on May 1, 2017.[8] The team's on-ice success diminished after their third championship, with the Ice winning only one playoff series after 2011 and missing the playoffs altogether for four straight seasons between 2015 and 2019. Operating in the league's second-smallest market, attendance became an issue and the league raised questions about the team's long-term viability in Cranbrook.[9]

On January 29, 2019, the Ice announced that the team would relocate to Winnipeg after the 2018–19 season.[10] The Winnipeg Ice began play in the 2019–20 season.[11] In June 2023, after ownership failed to build a suitable arena in Winnipeg, the team was again sold and relocated to Wenatchee, Washington, where they became the Wenatchee Wild.[12]

WHL Championship finals

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Memorial Cup finals

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Season-by-season record

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Nathan Lieuwen played for the Ice between 2007 and 2012.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1998–99 72 30 35 7 — 245 276 67 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
1999–00 72 44 14 11 3 275 200 102 2nd Central Won Championship
2000–01 72 45 17 4 6 286 213 100 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2001–02 72 38 27 7 0 276 223 83 2nd B.C. Won Championship
Won Memorial Cup
2002–03 72 36 25 6 5 234 202 83 3rd B.C. Lost Western Conference semifinal
2003–04 72 32 30 7 3 183 200 74 4th B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2004–05 72 47 15 7 3 218 137 104 1st B.C. Lost Western Conference final
Season GP W L OTL SOL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
2005–06 72 45 23 1 3 233 177 94 3rd B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2006–07 72 49 17 3 3 267 189 104 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2007–08 72 42 22 5 3 229 214 92 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2008–09 72 35 29 2 6 220 224 78 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2009–10 72 43 24 3 2 252 215 91 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2010–11 72 46 21 1 4 272 218 97 3rd Central Won Championship
2011–12 72 36 26 6 4 222 201 82 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2012–13 72 35 35 2 0 203 221 72 5th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2013–14 72 39 28 2 3 235 209 83 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2014–15 72 37 31 1 3 245 248 78 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2015–16 72 12 53 6 1 155 319 31 6th Central Did not qualify
2016–17 72 14 46 10 2 177 335 40 6th Central Did not qualify
2017–18 72 27 38 5 2 215 275 61 4th Central Did not qualify
2018–19 68 13 45 7 3 181 324 36 6th Central Did not qualify

NHL alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "WHL History". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "CHL mourns passing of Ed Chynoweth". Soo Today. April 22, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  3. ^ "Ed Chynoweth Cup". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Coulter, Barry (August 9, 2022). "20 years later: Kootenay Ice back in the news". Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Kootenay down Portland to take WHL final". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. May 14, 2011. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Maki, Allan (May 17, 2011). "Kootenay run a family affair". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  7. ^ Greenslade, Brittany; Dacey, Elisha (January 28, 2019). "WHL to announce Kootenay Ice moving to Winnipeg – on the coldest day of the year". Global News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "Kootenay ICE unveil fresh look – WHL Network". whl.ca. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  9. ^ "WHL's Kootenay ICE to relocate to Winnipeg for 2019–20 season". The Province. The Canadian Press. January 29, 2019. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "WHL's Kootenay Ice to relocate to Winnipeg for 2019–20 season". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. January 29, 2019. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Winnipeg Ice Press Release". January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  12. ^ "Winnipeg Ice sold and will be moved to Washington". The Sports Network. June 16, 2023. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023.
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