The Western Hockey League and The Winnipeg ICE have issued the following statements regarding the article written by Mike Sawatzky and published by the Winnipeg Free Press on December 14, 2022

Statement from the Western Hockey League

The Western Hockey League today issued the following statement regarding the article “No end in sight for ICE arena saga” published Wednesday, December 14 in the Winnipeg Free Press:

Reports of the Western Hockey League issuing a fine against the Winnipeg ICE and its ownership group are false and inaccurate. The Winnipeg ICE have assembled a highly-competitive team this season and the WHL continues to work with the ICE regarding a solution to the Club’s long-term plans for a suitable facility in Winnipeg. Further information will be available in the new year.

There will be no further comment on this matter at this time.

Statement from the Winnipeg ICE

The Winnipeg ICE were not and have never been fined by the Western Hockey League.

We would also like to clarify that, despite the clear implication by Mr. Sawatzky in the article, the Winnipeg ICE were not asked to comment or confirm any facts relating to these alleged fines.  For the Winnipeg Free Press to make such an explosive allegation without even attempting to contact the Winnipeg ICE or the Western Hockey League to confirm these allegations is deeply troublesome. It’s disappointing that the Winnipeg Free Press would choose to report this inaccurate information as a “confirmed” fact, as opposed to taking the time to be sure they had their facts correct.  Beyond this, we find it even more concerning that they would imply they took the proper steps to confirm their story when they clearly did not.

We continue to be excited about the team we have built and are excited for the Battle of Manitoba game tonight.