Senior hockey on the west coast has taken a major blow.
The Corner Brook Royals of the Central West Senior Hockey League are going to sit this season out, partly because of the strike at the Civic Centre.
The team posted on its Facebook site this weekend that the club is not in a position to operate a competitive program. Given the significant travel costs associated with being in the league, the Royals are not prepared to take on the financial risk of committing to season without a source of revenue.
The closure of the Civic Centre is a major contributing factor, but not the only reason for the decision to fold up for the season. The league model itself is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, say the Royals.
The league was scheduled to begin play next weekend with four teams, but that has now dwindled to three.
