Advice: Owning a junior hockey franchise

Resolute

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Mar 4, 2005
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discostu said:
I'd also suggest talking to people in the industry. If you contact some of the owners of Junior franchises near you, you could probably get a lot of your questions answered from them directly. Ideally, you may be able to convince them to hire you in some capacity. Learning the ropes from behind the scenes would probably be invaluable. If they can't afford to hire you, and, you have a big bankroll to support yourself, heck, volunteer to work for free.

Was going to suggest the same thing. Get involved with an existing team first. Learn the ropes, learn how the teams operate. Move up the ladder. Such a thing would also help you build your reputation within such hockey circles, which could be invaluable to your future success as an owner/executive.
 

MiZZZike*

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Buying a Major Junior team (WHL or OHL) would be one of the first things I would do if I won the lotto.
 

Resolute

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MiZZZike said:
Buying a Major Junior team (WHL or OHL) would be one of the first things I would do if I won the lotto.

Good luck with that. The Edmonton Oilers tried for about four years to buy a team before the Tri-City/Chilliwack mess created an opening for the league to expand.

I'm not so certain that either league would be in favor of approving the sale to "that Lotto 6/49 winner". ;)
 

Slats432

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Jun 2, 2002
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I think the buyer is looking a step down from the CHL.

I think you can get a team in the MJHL, SJHL, AJHL, BCHL, OPJHL for some decent coin.
 

Twist and Shout

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Dec 30, 2003
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Resolute said:
Was going to suggest the same thing. Get involved with an existing team first. Learn the ropes, learn how the teams operate. Move up the ladder. Such a thing would also help you build your reputation within such hockey circles, which could be invaluable to your future success as an owner/executive.

Thanks discostu and Resolute. That's a great idea .. any suggestions as to what I can volunteer to do for one of the Junior A clubs near my city? I had an opportunity to tag along with a Junior A team's chief scout on a few occasions several years ago, but what can be done to be closer to the management side of junior hockey?
 

Twist and Shout

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George Bachul said:
I think you can get a team in the MJHL, SJHL, AJHL, BCHL, OPJHL for some decent coin.

Yeah, a team in the OPJHL would be ideal. I think I'm going to have to get in touch with a few teams in the league, and survey any potential options as far as volunteering with their team goes ..
 

Resolute

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It will depend on what your area teams are looking for, and what their practices are.

I'd probably avoid expecting any grandiose positions at the start. Offer to help with the game day operation. Even it it is just selling tickets at first, it gets you in the door, and also gives you an idea of what kind of fan interest you are getting, and what revenue you can expect to generate.

If I was looking to own a team, I'd probably focus my interest in the marketing of the team, and try to work my way up to a front office position in that area. Depending on your market, that may be the most important aspect of your organization, as Jr A teams rely heavily on fan turnout.

I know in Fort Saskatchewan, the difference between 400 fans per game and 550 per game is the difference between staying put and moving to St. Albert. It seems like such a small difference, but it can have a massive impact on a team's future.
 

discostu

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sevenSteen said:
Thanks discostu and Resolute. That's a great idea .. any suggestions as to what I can volunteer to do for one of the Junior A clubs near my city? I had an opportunity to tag along with a Junior A team's chief scout on a few occasions several years ago, but what can be done to be closer to the management side of junior hockey?

When in doubt, start at the top. See if you can get a meeting with the president of the club. Explain your situation, saying that you want to be involved in junior hockey, and are looking to volunteer. Ask for his advice on ways you can break in, and listen to any suggestions he may have. You can probably learn more from his experiences on the subject than you can from a message board.

You may have some difficulty in trying to get that meeting, but, it should be possible. Most successful people I know enjoy the opportunity to help youngsters out in this regard. It gives them a chance to give back, and, at the same time, strokes their ego a little. You just need to make sure you present yourself well over the phone if you do talk to him.

As for volunteering, it becomes tough proposition sometimes, even if you're willing to work for free. Your task would be to convince him that you're willing to do any job that is required, not just the glamorous ones, and, that you're willing to stick around a while, and dedicate the time. Training someone, even they are not getting paid, is an expensive endeavor, with all the time it requires, and, people want to make sure they'll see a return on their investment. In my job, I've turned down people looking to do the same thing with our company, since, they couldn't dedicate the time required to really learn the job.
 

Jumptheshark

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Oct 12, 2003
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a buddy of mine who ran a JR team years ago set out some rules for a new owner

1) It is a business and not a toy
2) You will do business with people you do not like
3) You will lose money even if you win
4) You need to be good at building relationships
5) Be prepared to deal with politicians you do not like
6) Everyone will lie to your face
7) Remember they are kids
8) The only thing worse then parents are agents( an agent once set up a protest outside his office building because the player was playing on the 4th line-he released the player and no other team picked him up)
9)You will lie to people
10)You need to treat the community with respect year round--
11) Understand the difference between booster and support clubs
12) Never take anything for granted

after getting the list the new owner fired him and within 2 years the club went nearly bust
 

DieSendungmitderMaus

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Apr 14, 2018
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Great necro bump :laugh: was proper confused reading the first page

OP has been active on these boards as late as four years ago but you can't see any threads or posts he made for clues on wether he's gotten into the biz :(
 

discostu

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When I saw this thread title, I actually thought to myself that I recall a similar thread from the early days of this forum. I never would have thought it survived or have been easy to dig up after all this time.

If the OP did get involved with owning a team, I hope he's survived this past year. This would be a tough time to be involved with Canadian junior hockey.
 
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patnyrnyg

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Sep 16, 2004
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Not now .. just looking to learn more about ownership and hopefully purchase a Junior A/Junior B team in 10-12 years.

Do you have any approximate figures of what would annual budgets for Junior A teams be now?
My advice to you would be to go to college and take classes (or major) in Sports Management with a focus on the business side of things. If money isn't an issue for you right now (you said you have been financially blessed) then look to get a job with a team on the business side. If you can, try at different levels (Jr B, Jr A, Major Jr, even the AHL/NHL if you are close enough to one of those teams). Get experience in as many different departments as possible.

edit: Did not realize the original post was from 15 years ago.
 
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PCSPounder

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Apr 12, 2012
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Got thrown for a loop reading this thread before accidentally checking the date.

Chuckling.

I chuckle partly because the last nine WHL transactions before the Winterhawks sale this year were in the $5-12 million range. The sad part is that the fire sale nature of the Winterhawks transaction probably put them at the low end of the range.
 

WarriorofTime

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Jul 3, 2010
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Before you go about making it your life goal to buy a Junior A Hockey team, make sure to get in with enough people to know the finances and cash flow of how a Junior A team operates so that you're not in a position someday when you are just bleeding cash as part of an ownership group and regretting your decision.
 

hockeyguy0022

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Feb 20, 2016
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Saskatoon Blades sale awhile back was rumoured to be in the 8-9 million range.

Which is a WACK price for a team that gets 2-4K people per game. MAYBE the Vancouver giants or Calgary hitmen from 05-11 could have got that with their attendances, but that's too much for the revenue.

No offence, but its' more of a "Labour of love" type of hobby for someone who's a 25-100 millionaire, with a few million in revenue personally.... IMO.

You aren't buying it to make money, just for status/clout/hobby.
 

golfortennis

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Oct 25, 2007
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Saskatoon Blades sale awhile back was rumoured to be in the 8-9 million range.

Which is a WACK price for a team that gets 2-4K people per game. MAYBE the Vancouver giants or Calgary hitmen from 05-11 could have got that with their attendances, but that's too much for the revenue.

No offence, but its' more of a "Labour of love" type of hobby for someone who's a 25-100 millionaire, with a few million in revenue personally.... IMO.

You aren't buying it to make money, just for status/clout/hobby.

You really believe someone who is worth that kind of money is spending millions on a CHL franchise as basically a charity case?
 

Voight

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Feb 8, 2012
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Gagner and Tavares recently "bought" / assumed control of the board the Toronto Marlies (Marlboros) minor hockey organization. Technically you cant "buy" AAA teams (Hymans dad at one point owned 61 :amazed: ) but it happens all the time.

Friedman/Marek talked about it on their podcast a couple months ago and said they are surprised more NHLers didnt do the same. Good way to give back to where you started and help the community.
 

golfortennis

Registered User
Oct 25, 2007
1,878
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Gagner and Tavares recently "bought" / assumed control of the board the Toronto Marlies (Marlboros) minor hockey organization. Technically you cant "buy" AAA teams (Hymans dad at one point owned 61 :amazed: ) but it happens all the time.

Friedman/Marek talked about it on their podcast a couple months ago and said they are surprised more NHLers didnt do the same. Good way to give back to where you started and help the community.

Give back, my you-know-what. There's gold in them thar hills.
 

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