It’s official.
Come what may, the Quesnel Millionaires are vacating the Vault.
Owners of the Quesnel Millionaires received an offer from Moray Keith and Jim Bond to purchase the franchise and relocate the team to Chilliwack.
The Mills owners group decided unanimously to accept the offer at a meeting May 7, a meeting team president and co-owner Bob Sales said was not without emotion.
“We were all pretty sad about it,” Sales said.
The offer from Chiefs Development Group is subject to approval by the British Columbia Hockey League board of governors who will consider the business plan submitted by CDG and the viability of a BCHL franchise in Chilliwack.
Adding to the difficulty of the decision for the owners, was the commitment they received from volunteers, including billet families, security personnel, off-ice officials, the souvenir booth and the concession stand.
“That is our biggest disappointment,” Sales said.
“We know how hard they worked.
“Mills hockey was their life.”
The Mills owners were hoping to find a new set of owners willing to keep the Millionaires in Quesnel. That scenario was not an easy sell, Sales admitted.
Several potential owners commented on the state of the Vault and the less-than-enthusiastic fan support.
“If you go to a playoff game and there’s only 400 people, there’s a problem,” Sales said.
Should the BCHL governors not approve the sale and relocation of the Mills to Chilliwack, Sales said the current group of owners would voluntarily withdraw the Mills from the BCHL.
As for the likelihood of the BCHL returning to Quesnel, Sales said there was a good chance if there was a new arena and the owners put together a good business plan.
“They want to keep the BCHL in the north,” Sales said.