After being reported for the last several months and rumoured for much longer before that, a new championship for the four western Junior A hockey leagues finally became reality on Monday.
As reported by the Mercury in October, the new event will bring together the champions of the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL and MJHL, along with a host team.
It will replace the Anavet Cup and Doyle Cup, the previous seven-game series contested between the Saskatchewan-Manitoba and B.C.-Alberta winners, respectively.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League announced Monday that the as-yet unnamed tournament will be hosted by the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers in 2013, the first year, from Apr. 26-May 5.
It's worth noting that this is essentially the same week that the RBC Cup normally takes place.
As part of this change, the four leagues will push back the beginning of their regular season by at least a week, which will have a trickle-down effect throughout the playoffs.
This is a good thing. It removes a few games with lower attendance due to warm weather and harvest, and adds a few games during prime hockey-watching season in late winter.
The new tournament will rotate evenly amongst the four leagues, going to Manitoba in 2014, Alberta in 2015 and Saskatchewan in 2016.
I have no idea how that rotation was determined, but Estevan has to be considered the front-runner for that 2016 tournament and the fact that the SJHL drew the short straw could affect how the team maps out the next few years.
The Bruins should be near the top of the SJHL pile in 2014 and 2015, but they won't be able to take advantage of that by hosting the western championship in that period.
That could complicate things if the team is aiming at a league championship in those years, presenting the need to balance the "go for it now" mentality with making sure a solid core is back for 2016.
That said, with the likes of director of player personnel Rick Oakes in tow, it's unlikely the Bruins would ever sell the farm Melfort Mustangs style, circa 2010-11.
What does this change mean for the individual leagues? Well, the top Alberta teams are likely rejoicing. They've been stuck playing B.C. powerhouses like Vernon and Penticton for practically forever, but now there is a second seed available for them to grab in this tournament.
That said, it's a short event, with six games in total if you make it to the final. That will likely minimize any uneven playing field between Saskatchewan and Manitoba teams and their western neighbours.
This move should be a financial winner. For one, awarding a host community a year or more in advance allows that city and team to plan, line up sponsors and maximize the revenue to be made, which is a major contrast from the Anavet Cup.
Getting away from Hockey Canada's rigorous sponsorship standards, which is believed to be a driving force behind this change, is also no small feat.
This will allow host committees to chase whatever sponsors they want, for as much money as they want, without dealing with possible conflicts with Hockey Canada sponsors.
This year, for example, Humboldt apparently lost a major sponsor when it didn't wash with the national governing body.
This is a new adventure for the four western leagues, and new pros and cons will likely emerge once the machinery sets in motion.
One thing is for sure - Spectra Place now has its biggest hockey event to date in its sights, unless the World Junior A Challenge comes first.
Josh Lewis can be reached by phone at 634-2654, by e-mail at sports@estevanmercury.ca, on Twitter at twitter.com/joshlewis306 or on his Bruins blog, newly located at estevanmercury.ca/bruinsbanter. How about those Niners?
