It's interesting that things 7,407 km away can change your view on the status of amateur sport.

This week a story came out that the St. John's Fog Devils, a junior hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will fold its tent and leave Newfoundland after three seasons. They'll move to Verdun, Que., in time for next season.

City officials in St. John's were flip about the team leaving, with one confidently stating the city doesn't need the team as anchor tenant in a money-losing arena.

"I don't think we had any one anchor," said Coun. Ron Ellsworth.

"We had a combination of different events and activities happening at Mile One [stadium]."

Soon-to-be former owner Derm Dobbin cited lagging attendance and difficulties with arena management as reasons for selling, but it indicates something I see as worrisome in this country: profit as a major part of amateur sport.

Most would argue the role of junior hockey is to develop the skills of young men and help them pursue educational opportunities for a life after hockey.

But in recent years, the focus has moved to "How can we make money at this?"

Expansion to major markets like Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Everett in the Western Hockey League has made it exceedingly difficult for smaller places to attract high quality talent.

Even in British Columbia, BCHL teams are crying poor. Williams Lake TimberWolves closed shop last spring citing low attendance and the fact the team was hemmorhaging money.

There is a movement afoot to bring the TimberWolves back as a non-profit society, similar to Powell River Kings and Quesnel Millionaires – other teams struggling to bring in fans.

Dave Sales, executive director of the BCHL, believes Williams Lake is a good market, but it hasn't gotten enough help from the community.

"[Williams Lake] is an interesting scenario," he said.

"Our first goal is to keep the team there, but we have to look at other options for relocating that franchise.

"Right now, they are on hold until after our meeting next month."

I spoke to a BCHL owner once who told me that, in order to break even, a team needed to draw 1,100 fans a game.

By that formula, currently less than half of the member clubs in the 16-team league have their heads above water - including none of the three teams in the Lower Mainland (Burnaby, Langley and Surrey, with Langley dead last in the Coastal Conference in attendance).

"Burnaby has always been a difficult market," Sales said.

"Our strength has always been in our small-and-medium sized markets.

"[Langley and Burnaby] have both been challenges."

In the case of the Chiefs, who are drawing a paltry 603 bodies (paid, not butts in seats) a night, Sales attributes it to the team's arena, the George Preston Recreation Centre, which is located far from the town centre.

"The location of the arena in Langley is in a difficult spot," he said.

"New and modernized facilities are important to the long-term success of the league."

None of the owners in the BCHL are making money; or at least, not WHL-style profit from their (often substantial) investment in their community.

The loss of regional rivalries has also hurt the league.

"Losing Chilliwack was a big blow," he said.

Let's be frank – BCHL teams are community organizations that rely on community support to survive, and they are becoming endangered entities in the Lower Mainland despite putting decent products on the ice (the team's sit second, third and fourth in the Coastal Conference standings).

In a time when people whine about rarely getting value for money, you really can't go wrong with tickets to a BCHL game.

And that support could keep a franchise in your town, and even kindle the dreams of a budding young star.