The Innisfail Eagles have suddenly been given a chance to stand in the national hockey spotlight for their 70th anniversary in 2017.
The local senior men's team, which hosted and won the 2013 Senior Men's AA Provincial Championship, may be given a golden opportunity this week to go one big step higher as the 2017 Allan Cup Senior AAA National Championship tourney is now up for grabs.
That opportunity came when Ontario's Kenora Thistles, previously selected in 2014, suddenly forfeited its opportunity last month.
As a result of Kenora's withdrawal, Hockey Canada may award the AAA national championship to Alberta. The national organization will make that decision this week. If Alberta is chosen, the four teams from the province's Chinook Hockey League (CHL) will be invited by Hockey Alberta to submit bids to host the weeklong tournament, which will be played in April of next year.
“If it is coming to Alberta we have a very good chance of hosting it,” said Vern Loughlean, a director with the Eagles team. He noted 2017 will not only be the Eagles' 70th anniversary playing senior hockey, but the Bentley Generals were a recent host for the Allan Cup tourney in Red Deer in 2013, while the Stony Plain Eagles had the national event in 2007, 1999 and 1995. The only other Alberta host of the Allan Cup tournament since 1950 was Calgary in 1966.
If Innisfail should win the provincial bidding process, it would land the most high-profile hockey event since 1995, when it was given the chance to host just one game of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, a tourney that was officially hosted by Red Deer.
But there is a lot of work to do for all teams, and the Eagles have quickly approached the town for support.
At council's regular meeting on Jan. 26, Henry Wong, the town's director of community services, presented a report stating that the Eagles needed written confirmation that the blue rink at the Arena would be available in mid-April of next year to host the event.
Wong, in responding to a question from Mayor Brian Spiller, said the tournament would not conflict with the annual Tournament of Champions Novice/Atom Hockey Tournament, which is typically held during the last weekend of March.
Council was told the town usually takes the ice out of the Arena on the Monday following that tournament, but there was a user that wants to use the ice 40 to 45 hours a week for spring hockey until the start of the Allan Cup tournament. The precise dates for the tourney are not known at this time, but the round-robin event will have a total of 11 games, and run from Monday through to Friday with two games each day. The championship game will be on the following Saturday.
“If they (Eagles) are successful in their bid we have some time to promote and market the ice time that is available, so conceivably there could be other teams that are interested in taking some,” said Wong.
Council unanimously passed Wong's recommendation to provide the Eagles the necessary support.
“It would grant us great exposure for Innisfail and Central Alberta if we were able to host the Allan Cup, and it looks like it is going to be somewhere in Alberta, and we will be one of two or three communities that are applying for it,” said Spiller. “They will have to do some fundraising, sell some programs and board advertising and TSN usually televises the finals for that one.”
Matthew Burton, secretary for the Eagles hockey team, said due to the sudden withdrawal of Kenora, it will mean a “quick turnaround” process for the four CHL teams to bid on the tournament. He said the Eagles, if Alberta is chosen by Hockey Canada, will have two to four weeks to get their bid in order. The team will know by the end of February whether they are the successful Alberta site to host the Allan Cup tourney, said Burton.
He added the town would not be on the hook for any of the tournament expenses, noting the Allan Cup tournament organizing committee, along with competing teams and local sponsorships, will cover the cost.
Mayor Brian Spiller
"It would grant us great exposure for Innisfail and Central Alberta if we were able to host the Allan Cup."
