The Penticton Vees just swept the Alberni Valley Bulldogs to win their second straight championship, but they are not permitted to play against the Brooks Bandits (AJHL Champ) or move into in the Centennial Cup Tournament (National) because the league (BCHL) has chosen to leave Hockey Canada.
Apparently their main debate/beef is that they can't import players from outside BC unless their parents move to BC. *Something along those lines - maybe it's a limit on how many players they can have without parents in BC.
Hockey Canada will fuck this league and everyone associated with it as hard as they can. Do you think this trend will spread and that BCHL will attract better players? Or do you think that the BCHL will fade into obscurity?
Why bother actually leaving when you can just cheat. Do you really think teams like Brooks, Nanaimo and Penticton are that strong year after year after year without having players from out of province whose parents didn't move?
It seems unlikely... And Hockey Canada hasn't penalized those teams, so...
*Note that this has nothing to do with the rest of Minor Hockey in British Columbia. The BCHL is the Jr.A league in BC, on the same line as the AJHL here.