Just over seven months after winning a national champion, the West Kelowna Warriors are moving forward with plans to leave West Kelowna.
Team owner Mark Cheyne is currently in negotiations for a deal that would see the team move to North Delta for the start of next season, and play out of the Sungod Arena.
West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says watching last year's run to the RBC Cup was a personal highlight.
"It was just wonderful, and one of the more exciting things that's happened to me in a long time. And so there's a big hole in our heart, if the Warriors do make the move out of this community. If they are no more, I think that I'm not alone - there are many, many hundreds of people who love the team and appreciate everything they do," he said.
Back in November, Cheyne admitted to AM 1150 that he'd had the team up for sale for about a year, and was considering moving on from junior hockey after 30 years in the industry.
But at that time, he said he had distanced himself from proposals that weren't going to keep the team in West Kelowna.
Findlater says on-ice success aside, the loss of the Warriors would hit the community hard.
"In terms of community service, the Warriors have been second to none. (We've seen) the players being out in the community, being in schools, being at the Boys and Girls club type of events, being good role models," he said.
"I think of them at the Heart and Stroke Big Bike ride, and all of these things that they do to create a much more vital community."
In November, Cheyne revealed the team had lost $300-thousand dollars last season, and that the winning team still hadn't filled up the often half-full 1500-seat Royal LePage Place.
Back in the off-season, Cheyne re-negotiated a cheaper lease for his team to play out of Royal LePage Place, which led West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater to believe was enough to keep the team in town.
"I'd heard rumours that they were shopping the team, but nothing confirmed. And then when we signed the reduced lease, we reduced it significantly in my opinion - 17% - I thought it was settled and we were going to go forward for five years. But obviously that may not be now," he said.
As for the arena, he says the naming rights with Royal LePage have recently been renewed, and aren't contingent on a junior hockey tenant.