Hockey fans in Cold Lake are in luck, as they now have another team to cheer on throughout the season.
The Portage College Voyageurs hockey team will be moving into the Energy Centre after Cold Lake City Council accepted the college's proposal on Tuesday, May 9.
“The city's understanding is that financial considerations promoted the college to look for a new home for its hockey team,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We've built Imperial Oil Place for a very high level of hockey in this community, and we see the benefits of this partnership with Portage College. This will not only benefit sports fans, but enhance the experience for college students in our region.”
The Voyageurs, who play in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), has 28 full-time student athletes and two full-time athletic positions, who will now reside in Cold Lake.
The team was previously located in Lac La Biche where Portage College has their main campus.
After the college's initial business proposal to Lac La Biche County was denied, they started searching elsewhere to avoid shutting down the team.
Portage approached the City of Cold Lake in mid-March to begin relocation discussions.
However, just a few hours prior to the City of Cold Lake informing Portage of their acceptance, Lac La Biche County reversed their decision and was willing to reconsider the initial offer.
“We were in formal negotiations with the City of Cold Lake at the time of Lac La Biche County's reversal, and we had no knowledge of the county's renewed interest. We will honour the agreement with the City of Cold Lake. It's a business decision, not a political one,” said Trent Keough, president and CEO of Portage College.
Cold Lake City Council voted to authorize the purchase of the naming rights and a marketing proposal from Portage. The proposal will see the city provide $300,000 in financial assistance over three years, and includes a commitment to help with the infrastructure the team needs to make a successful transition.
“Council understands that it's expensive to run a sports program and we hope this arrangement will give the Voyageurs hockey team the financial security it needs,” explained Copeland. “This is a great investment for the future of sports and Portage College in our community. Together with the recent announcement of the help to plan for the expansion of the college, this is another building block in making Cold Lake the community of choice. We know the Voyageurs will find a warm welcome in Cold Lake.”
The Voyageurs men's hockey team has nine years of experience in the ACAC. Their regular season schedule consists of 18 home games each year, with seven other teams in the conference.
In the 2016-17 season, the Voyageurs finished with an overall record of 4-23-1.
“The students who play on the team come with a strong history of supporting local organizations and minor hockey through volunteerism, so we see this as a community benefit that will go beyond the economic benefits brought by visiting teams and fans,” said Copeland.
In the business proposal presented to city council, Portage boasted an estimated economic benefit of $850,000 annually from having the players and staff live in the community, as well as the money that will be spent locally by visiting teams and fans.
