Dear Editor,
I have been following the Alberta Junior Hockey League situation for a while now and have seen various news articles that have come out. I find it interesting that the management of the AJHL has indicated that to "protect the integrity of the AJHL, the safety of its member teams and players," it felt the need to cancel the games with the remaining teams involving the five teams that were indicated to have joined the BCHL.
This was all done on the basis of a social media post, by allegedly the management of the BCHL indicating that these five teams had joined the BCHL. No actual proof of this except the social media post. There was no communication between the AJHL management and the five teams before the games were cancelled.
The AJHL did all this without concrete proof that the five teams joined the BCHL, which they have not. The five teams have indicated to the BCHL that they are interested in their program, and would not do anything concrete in that regard until after the present AJHL season was completed.
With the social media post as a reason, that was apparently enough to make the AJHL take punitive action against the five teams, and cancel their games against the remaining teams, in what they say was in the interest of the league and team Integrity, as well as player safety.
Where is the integrity of this, as all five teams were members of the AJHL in good standing and still are?
Where is the integrity of the AJHL when it has violated its own bylaws by taking the punitive action in cancelling the games?
Where is the integrity of the AJHL when it has curtailed the season for the five teams, as well as the remaining teams, in the prime of scouting season? Did the players come into their thinking when they took this action? I think not.
The AJHL was "a development league for junior players wanting to take an educational route in hockey.” The AJHL has also put a curtailment on that as well. All this without any contact made with the teams themselves.
For the AJHL to talk about integrity, it needs to know what it means, and it apparently doesn't. If it felt the need to take punitive action against the five teams, tell it like it is, but don't hide behind innuendos and excuses. That, my friends, is cowardly.
If I was to tell Telus that when my contract was up I was thinking of going with Shaw, does that give Telus the right or authority to cancel my communication services at that time? I think not.
The AJHL has done itself no favours in its punitive, revengeful actions against the five teams.
Ted Davis
Okotoks
