OLDS - The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) stands by its decision that cancelled all Olds Grizzlys games for the rest of the season against five teams it says are “defecting” to a B.C. league despite the teams saying they’ve not entered any agreements to leave the league.
“Until such time as the AJHL is satisfied that there are no plans for the five clubs to depart the league to play unsanctioned hockey the current scheduling decisions remain in place,” an AJHL statement issued Friday said.
On Jan. 20, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that five AJHL teams – the Brooks Bandits, Sherwood Park Crusaders, Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints – had committed to terms to join the BCHL for the 2024-25 season.
Starting that Saturday, the AJHL began cancelling games between the five teams and the remaining 11 teams, confirming Thursday that would play out for the rest of the season.
In response, the five teams issued a statement that evening saying they remain members in good standing of the AJHL, Canadian Junior Hockey League, Hockey Alberta, and Hockey Canada.
“We have not entered into any agreement to leave any of those organizations, nor have we made any announcement to that effect,” the statement said, adding the teams have full intention of fulfilling their commitments to each of those bodies for the remainder of the 2023-24 regular season and post-season.
“We do not agree that any AJHL games should be cancelled or postponed. We share in the public’s disappointment in the current situation,” the post reads.
“We strongly believe that our players should be back on the ice playing hockey and competing for an Inter Pipeline Cup, and we will do everything we can to bring this unfortunate situation to a positive resolution.”
Friday’s AJHL statement said there is inconsistent and conflicting information coming from the five clubs, and it is calling on the BCHL and the clubs to provide immediate clarification.
“The denial made late Thursday night by the five clubs directly contradicts the BCHL itself, which said last Saturday that the unsanctioned league and the clubs had “committed to terms” for the teams to join the BCHL starting in the 2024-25 season,” the AJHL’s statement said.
“In addition to contradicting the BCHL, last night’s statement is at odds with earlier statements from the five clubs. This includes a media comment from Bandits president Paul Seaton who said two days ago that ‘nothing has been signed yet but an agreement has been reached and our board has agreed to it unanimously…The information wasn’t supposed to be out until May 1’.”
The league’s statement said it is aware of the negative impact that the contradictions are having on players and their families.
