Quote:
Originally Posted by thurmas
Steinbach would probably be a much better fit for the ice as they would be a much bigger deal there and still close enough to Winnipeg for corporate sponsors.
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I don't think Steinbach is an easy answer for the ICE. Steinbach is still not that big (just shy of 18,000) and it's far enough from Winnipeg that I don't think they can rely on many Winnipeg sponsors or fans making the move. I mean, I'm a pretty big fan of the team, but if they moved to Steinbach I'd go from being a season ticket holder to a once or twice a season kind of fan, it's not a drive I'd be willing to make on a regular basis. I doubt many Winnipeggers would be making the drive out there, especially the legions of minor hockey teams that the ICE often use to fill up the seats behind the nets.
And if Steinbach is balking at the cost of a MJHL-calibre arena, it seems unlikely to me that they are going to be OK with suddenly doubling or tripling the cost of the arena to accommodate the WHL.
None of things are insurmountable on their own, but there is definitely a combination of obstacles that would be hard to overcome if the team moved to Steinbach.