BARRHEAD - The Canadian-American Junior Hockey League (CAJHL) and Barrhead Bombers fans will have quite a wait to see their next game.
On July 23, the league announced on its website that it would be "dormant" for the 2024/2025 season.
"This decision has been made to refocus and collaborate with various stakeholders to develop a stronger owner-based and community-based presence within the league," stated CAJHL commissioner Norm Shaw in the release.
He added that despite receiving numerous expressions of interest from communities and potential owners, the CAJHL did not receive the necessary commitments in time to go forward.
"While it is regrettable that we find ourselves on this path, we firmly believe that this temporary dormancy will allow us to emerge as a better, stronger league," Shaw stated.
Shaw took the post in mid-June and is the second CAJHL commissioner in less than a year.
The Barrhead Bombers' webpage and Instagram account are no longer active and the last post on its Facebook page was on March 17, 2023.
The CAJHL is a Tier II Junior 'A' hockey league. It differs from traditional junior hockey leagues because it is tuition-based, meaning its players have to pay a fee to play.
It formed in January 2022 when all six teams of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL), also tuition-based, broke away from the league mid-season. The founding members of the CAJHL were the Barrhead Bombers, Hinton Timberwolves, Cold Lake Aeros, Edmonton Eagles, Vegreville Vipers and the Vernal Oilers out of Utah.
The WSHL is now defunct.
Since its creation, the league has had trouble gaining traction.
In its first full season, less than a month before the start of the season, the CAJHL was slated to have six franchises: the Barrhead Bombers, Hinton Timberwolves, Vegreville Vipers, Cold Lake Aeros, Edmonton Eagles, plus an expansion team in Calgary.
However, by the time the puck had dropped at the start of the season, the league had already lost the Eagles.
Similarly, prior to the start of the 2023/2024 season, the CAJHL was scheduled to have three new teams, Vulcan, Viking, and a team from southern Alberta based in Stavely, join the four remaining founding franchises in Barrhead, Hinton, Vegreville, and Cold Lake.
Yet again, before the puck dropped for the new season, the league lost Vulcan to the new National Junior Hockey League (NJHL). The CAJHL then announced its disassociation with the Viking Northern Lightening franchise, citing the team's failure to meet its financial commitments and adhere to league governance. That franchise also joined the NJHL after relocating to Mayerthorpe after the Town of Viking cancelled its ice agreement with the team. I
While the Stavely team did finish the season, they played only 28 games compared to the other team's 45, as the franchise later in the season had difficulty icing teams.
Support for the Barrhead franchise, whether in the WSHL or the CAJHL, has also been problematic, often playing in front of sparse crowds of less than 100 fans.
The Bombers first came to town in 2019, when the WSHL commissioner and owner of the Long Beach Bombers, Ron White, relocated the franchise, citing high American ice rental costs as the reason for the move.
Before relocating the franchise, White visited Barrhead and held two public information sessions to gauge interest and find volunteers. Less than a dozen people attended each event.
Success on the ice was also fleeting, with the Bombers winning 23 out of a combined 134 regular season games in three seasons and one playoff win.
