CEBL moves Nighthawks to Calgary ahead of 2023 season
The Canadian Elite Basketball League confirms Calgary will have a team in the 2023 season, as the Guelph Nighthawks will move west to Alberta's largest city.
The league announced the move Wednesday afternoon, adding that the team will play its home games at the WinSport Event Centre.
"Calgary has been one of our target markets for a long time and relocating a franchise from our smallest market to Canada’s third-largest city will allow the team to remain financially competitive as our league continues to experience tremendous growth," said Mike Morreale, CEBL commissioner and co-founder, in a statement. "Several potential ownership groups have expressed an interest in bringing a team to Calgary, but none has been able to meet our criteria for ownership.
"The league will continue to own and operate this franchise as we do nine of our 10 teams until a qualified individual or group emerges."
Ticket details, as well as the team's name, logo and colours, will be announced at a later date.
This isn't the league's first foray into the Calgary market. Three Basketball Champions League of the Americas qualifiers — including the CEBL's Edmonton Stingers as well as the Cangrejeros of Puerto Rico and Real Esteli of Nicaragua — were held at the WinSport Arena in March as the CEBL gauged local interest in the game.
Cameron Kusch, president of the Guelph Nighthawks, issued a statement to 'Nighthawks Nation' and the community of Guelph on Wednesday afternoon in which he said:
"While we close this chapter in Guelph you are and always will be part of our Nighthawks family. Thank you for everything that you gave to our organization. I will be forever grateful for each and every one of you that I encountered in our time in Guelph, the relationships that were fostered, and the lasting impact you made on me and our team. I hope you can say that our organizations did the same in creating lasting memories and making a positive impact on our community during our four seasons in Guelph."
Kusch added that Guelph was the smallest market in the CEBL and that fact presented challenges that "are far too significant to overcome while continuing to grow the CEBL into one of the premier professional basketball leagues in the world."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Body of Quebec man who died in Cuba found in Russia, family confirms
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Saskatchewan isn't remitting the carbon tax on home heating. Why isn't my province following suit?
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
RCMP officers had no legal authority to enter man's home, make arrest: B.C. court
A B.C. man has been found not guilty of assaulting two RCMP officers – with the court finding he was resisting an "unlawful entry and arrest" in his home before he was tasered, taken down and hauled away in handcuffs.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.