Solution to Vancouver Canucks practice facility fiasco seems so simple
It seems so easy, so why is this so hard?
The Vancouver Canucks have been trying to build a practice facility for more than a decade. Soon, they’ll become the only team in the NHL without one.
It has made them the butt of jokes.
Jim Rutherford seemed bewildered at the difficulty of getting one built. Rick Tocchet and Patrik Allvin each praised the practice facilities in Philadelphia and Seattle, respectively, after leaving the organization.
The Canucks have met with so many people. They’ve had plans at the Plaza of Nations that fell apart. What about UBC? How about SFU? Would they go to Burnaby?
And now, it seems, they’ve settled on Britannia.
On the surface, it seems like a great plan. The East Vancouver location is close to downtown, where Rogers Arena is located and where many of their players live. They’ll build a facility next to the rink, where they’ll use the City-owned ice surface.
The new Canucks “training venue” would be built next to an existing rink. (Vancouver Canucks)
Just one problem: they didn’t get the support of the community first.
When the Canucks and the City of Vancouver announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, it was met with optimism from the fan base. It didn’t matter that the press release didn’t include much new information from what was reported in March. By going public, it seemed to finally cement the Canucks’ future plans at Britannia.
Then came Friday.
The mood among many fans totally changed after three local minor hockey associations expressed their concerns over the new practice facility, as it seems that it’ll come without a new sheet of ice. They say there’s already a shortage of ice in the city.
“We are disappointed by the report that the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Canucks are exploring building a practice facility that could leverage an existing community rink at Britannia without creating desperately needed new ice capacity,” the minor hockey associations said in a well-written and detailed statement.
How can the City of Vancouver, or the Canucks for that matter, proceed with a plan that takes away ice time from children?
The community is apparently getting something in return in this deal, though details so far have been vague. It’ll be up to the powers that be to determine if the trade-off is a fair trade. And maybe it will be.
But hopefully it’s not hard for the public to determine.
Another rendering of the proposed Canucks practice facility at Britannia. (Vancouver Canucks)
This is a billion-dollar organization we’re talking about here, and the City of Vancouver is prepared to give it land to build on. That already seems like an excellent deal for the Canucks.
And remember what the Sedins said when they took over as co-presidents?
“This was the No. 1 organization in the league when it comes to community involvement. We need to get to that point,” Daniel Sedin said in May, reflecting on his arrival to Vancouver in 2000.
“We gotta bring that back,” Henrik Sedin added. “Just to have the people in the city and this province to be proud to be Canucks fans again. And that’s part of it.”
The Sedins were talking about players getting out in the community more, not necessarily about ownership building new facilities for the benefit of others, but the principle is the same.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin are trying to change how the Canucks conduct themselves in the community. (Rob Williams/Daily Hive)
So here’s my proposal.
Give the Canucks land to build on, whether it be at Britannia or Hastings Park, as the minor hockey associations suggested. No need to worry about buying expensive Vancouver real estate. The Canucks get to build their dream practice facility, with all the bells and whistles that can help attract free agents. I’m talking a state-of-the-art gym, a players’ lounge with a view of the North Shore mountains — whatever they want. They can include a sports bar and a merchandise store that the team will profit from. They could name it the Aquilini family arena, or get a corporation to sponsor it instead.
Just one caveat: the facility needs to include at least one new sheet of ice. The Canucks can use it whenever they want, but when they’re not using it, the community gets to skate on it.
Are you telling me Canucks Sports and Entertainment can’t afford that? Because this is now a standard expense in the NHL.
The Canucks still have a chance to be the hero of this story.
Forget a vague press release; they can make a splash with a big press conference. They’d get a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with minor hockey players present. They’d be praised for their contribution to the community.