I've Heard This One Before

December 21, 1983 should be a date that sticks in the minds of all hockey fans in Winnipeg. For those that have bveen around long enough to see the NHL's Winnipeg Jets leave the city and the WHL's Winnipeg Ice leve the city, there was a void left in Winnipeg hockey fans' hearts back in 1983 before it became reality in the summer of 1984. Today is the anniversary of the the announcement that the WHL's Winnipeg Warriors would be leaving Winnipeg for greener pastures in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan for the 1984-85 season.

Founded as an expansion team in 1980, the team struggled from the moment they went head-to-head with the Winnipeg Jets for a slice of the hockey fan market in Winnipeg. Attendance problems were evident through their first season of play, and that problem plagued the franchise until the packed up their bags and headed west. What I find interesting is that the Warriors had been warning people that low attendance numbers would force a move like this, yet it seems like no one bothered to listen in the early-1980s.

This article from the Brandon Sun sums up that situation.

As the article clearly states, the Warriors had "drawn about 1,900 fans at 16 home games" through the 1983 portion of the '83-84 season, and it was about 1100 fans short of 3000 fans needed to break even. As the author of the article pointed out, just 837 fans came out to watch the Kelowna Wins beat the Warriors 5-4 in overtime which meant that over 14,000 empty seats in the Winnipeg Arena watched that game. Yikes.

It would appear that the breaking point happened sometime in late November or early December as the Warriors were sold to a group of 25 investors from Moose Jaw who were moving the team to the Saskatchewan community after four woeful seasons in Winnipeg. In their four campaigns in the Manitoba capital, the Warriors made the playoffs just once, being swept by the Lethbridge Broncos in three games in 1982-83. The 1983-84 record of 9–63–0 stands as the second-worst record ever in WHL history, and three of the four seasons saw them finish with less than 60 points.

What is baffling to me is that at the time the article was written - December 21, 1983 - the Warriors had a 7-24-0 record, but would finish the season with a 9-63-0 record. That means from December 21 until the end of the season, the Warriors went an incredible 2-39-0 before the arena went dark. Goaltender Doug Lunney, who played 50 games that season, finished the campaign with a 9-36-0 record, a 6.91 GAA, and an .824 save percentage. His backup was Jamie Dubberley who went oh-fer the season in 36 appearances as he finished the 1983-84 season with an 0-25-0 record, a 9.68 GAA, and a .764 save percentage! Holy moly are those crazy numbers!

In any case, the Warriors announced they were moving on this day back in 1983, and it was because they went head-to-head with an NHL team for fans, it seems. Having a poor product didn't help them, but needing 3000 fans per game as a demand seems like a pipe dream back in the early-1980s. Heck, seeing those kinds of demands today is still a hope and prayer, but at least we know that hockey has learned from its own history when it comes to building successful franchises.

What's that line about not knowing history and being doomed?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!