Well the long rumoured “Escape From Hockey Canada” movie was finally released on May 1st when the BCHL junior A league voted to leave Hockey Canada’s penal colony and become, as their press release says an “Independent League”
I think they spelled Outlaw wrong.
It would be cool to play in an Outlaw League wouldn’t it ... remember the song the Wild Wild West
Anyway, you can read their full press release right here
The BCHL wants to bring in players from anywhere in the world without restrictions. Currently under 18 players from other provinces can’t play in the BCHL.
But teams, even at the KIJHL level, circumvent that rule all the time by having a parent move here or by placing players in gramma’s house.
They also say the new BCHL will be a free to play league within four years. That’s code for we have too many teams and this will weed out the poorer teams so we’ll get all the best players for ourselves.
I bet the league vote wasn’t unanimous.
Leaving HC will also exempt them from wearing full cages, they don’t say that in their press release but it is believed to be a big factor. Even though Colleges (and the BCHL want’s to be called a “College Track League” ) use full face protection.
Notice how HC wouldn’t dare tell the WHL they have to wear cages or can’t bring in players from wherever they want.
We don’t know what that will mean for referees. Currently, if you play or ref in an unsanctioned or “Outlaw” league you can’t play or ref in a sanctioned league. Players and refs can’t go up and down or back and forth.
Sometimes BCHL referees do games in the KIJHL. Hopefully HC allows the refs flexibility as we clearly do not have enough refs in the province.
This could be a negotiating ploy, Hockey Canada and the BCHL have until June 1st to figure something out.
Not everyone thinks this is a good idea, read what an American hockey writer says here
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