By Scott Roblin

WHL commissioner Robison provides playoff update on state of league

Apr 1, 2018 | 2:00 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It’s a hectic time of year for the Western Hockey League with the first round of playoffs in full swing.

Attending Friday’s Game 5 at the Canalta Centre, commissioner Ron Robison was on hand to provide an update on the state of the league.

The WHL is touting stability as their top priority in recent years, with new ownership in a number of markets reportedly quelling fears of team relocation.

“We talked about some of the markets we’ve had challenges with,” said Robison. “Prince George, Kootenay for instance, in the last five years or so we’ve been able to bring new ownership there. Of course, there’s new ownership in Regina as well, hosting this year’s Mastercard Memorial Cup.”

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

Apr 16, 2024

“I think when you look generally around the league, we’re in very good position.”

According to Robison, junior hockey fans are also willing to spend more money with the economy stabilizing over the last few seasons.

Not everything has been rosy for the WHL however, as the league has come under fire in recent weeks with allegations of academic fraud, emotional abuse, and exploitation from three former players in Oregon.

The debate surrounds whether Portland Winterhawks players should be considered amateur athletes, exempting them from paying minimum wage and other benefits.

Concerns regarding the WHL playoff format have also been made by both fans and members of the media.

Matching the NHL’s current system, the top three seeds from each division qualify for the post-season along with two wildcard teams from each conference.

Divisional winners automatically face the wildcard teams, which can create a situation like the Medicine Hat Tigers and Brandon Wheat Kings series, where the Tigers earned home-ice advantage despite Brandon finishing the season with a better record.

Robison said from the league’s point of view, the positives of the current format outweigh the negatives.

“We felt that to look at it, it was important to really emphasize divisional play in playoffs,” he said. “The NHL format appealed to us and it’s really worked well. We see, especially in the East Division, the type of rivalries we have now in Swift Current, Regina, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and so forth.”

According to Robison, the WHL also saw their record broken for the number of former players on U Sports scholarships across the country.

“This year we had a record number of 382 [players] benefiting from that scholarship,” he said. “Many of which, of course played in this year’s Canadian university and national championships.”

A total of 25 former WHL’ers won the U Sports University Cup with the Alberta Golden Bears in March, including seven former members of the Medicine Hat Tigers.