Steel being purchased by the Wirtz Corporation, owners of the NHL Blackhawks
- Thread starter No Fun Shogun
- Start date
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
I do wonder if there will be a conflict of interest since we haven't had a team in the junior ranks owned by a pro team in their area since the Detroit Jr. Red Wings. Yes, Karmanos owned the Plymouth Whalers (who were the Jr. Red Wings) but he was obviously out of market.
Barclay Donaldson
Registered User
I'm guessing you haven't looked into the ownership groups of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Calgary Hitmen.
Zero conflict of interest. Different teams playing different levels of hockey which have no relation to each other.
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
It's rare in the US, largely due to the geographically limited nature of major junior teams in the US and by it being a much smaller game here, but NHL teams owning major junior teams in their maket is really nothing new. The Flames and Oilers have owned their WHL counterparts for a while now, after all.
Nanabijou
Booooooooooone
Yeah, I don't see a conflict of interest. Good to have stable ownership with relatively deep pockets.
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
In Canada, it's pretty common, but I'm talking about from the perspective of us dumb Americans.
JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
We're just slow hockey learners. It's become increasingly clear in recent years that U.S. junior hockey is where the most fruitful pool of talent lies to feed NHL rosters. The Hawks are starting a trend for the coming years.
Barclay Donaldson
Registered User
I wouldn't say it is common in Canada by any stretch. Only 2 teams out of the entirety of the juniors landscape from major juniors through Junior A and on down share ownership with their local NHL team.
Only 2 others out of the entirety of the juniors landscape share ownership with any NHL, with Dallas's Tom Gagliardi owning the Kamloops Blazers and Ottawa's Michael Andlauer owning the Hamilton/Brantford Bulldogs.
There are rumors about Vancouver's David Aquilini attempting to enter the race for a BCHL team, but seeing NHL owners owning Canadian junior teams is certainly not "pretty common."
mk80
Registered User
- Jul 30, 2012
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Overall there's a lot of smaller connections between NHL and various junior teams, with some players, coaches, management, etc. having ownership stakes in teams at various levels. Ex. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon owning the Brandon Wheat Kings or Johny Gaudreau owning a stake in the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
Whalers Fan
Go Habs!
Neither the Red Wings nor the Illitch family ever owned the Junior Red Wings. Pete Karmanos owned the franchise as an expansion team in Windsor, and then relocated them across the border to Detroit, where they initially played in Joe Louis Arena as the Jr. Wings. After Karmanos and Illitch had a falling out, the team was forced out of JLA. The team name was changed to Detroit Whalers, and eventually the Plymouth Whalers after Karmanos built Compuware Arena here in Plymouth. The facility was renamed USA Hockey Arena after being purchased by USA Hockey to house the NTDP.
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