The curious deposit of snow at the bottom left of the Abbotsford Centre perimeter might be the last proof there ever was a hockey team that called the “state-of-the-art” arena home. The City of Abbotsford used the mid-way point of its 10-year contract with the Abbotsford Heat to pay half the estimated losses the city would have needed to pay over five years ($5.5 million), releasing both parties from the deal. The Heat, Calgary’s AHL affiliate, will move to Glens Falls, New York, the former home of the league’s Adirondack franchise, and the Abbotsford Centre will be without a primary tenant for the forseeable future. The arena, once thought to be a draw to the city, will be a source of debate until the day it reaches the potential Abbotsford voters were promised when the project went to referendum. The Cascade will cover this story as it develops.
