Investing In The Future?

While he's always been good with the press, one has to wonder if Zach Hyman is looking at the future where hockey players have to find something to fill their time. Sure, there will be autograph opportunities, player appearances, and alumni games, but a lot of players seemingly like being in the game in some fashion. Hyman seems to be on the verge of giving him something to focus on when he retires as reports today have him and his family in talks to purchase the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs from Michael Andlauer. While Hyman won't be the first NHL player to own a Canadian junior team, this sale will likely keep the Bulldogs in Brantford after the team left Hamilton in 2023 while the arena was renovated.

With Andlauer, owner of the Senators, and Hyman, forward for the Oilers, reaching a tentative agreement for a sale, it’s expected that an announcement will be made on Monday following an OHL board of governors meeting. Hyman has certainly made enough money in his career to be able to invest in something like an OHL franchise, and it seems that he'll not only get a team, but the privilege of having his team play in a state-of-the-art arena once construction of the new, $140-million complex in Brantford is completed in 2027.

Hamilton may have been expecting the team back, but it seems that's no longer the case either. Hamilton's renovations to First Ontario Centre were expected to keep the Bulldogs in Brantford for three years before they could return to the Hammer after negotiating a new lease agreement, but Brian Smiley of The Brantford Expositor reported today,

"It was learned by The Expositor on Friday that negotiations on a lease for the Bulldogs to remain in Brantford are nearing a conclusion. Parties were meeting early in the afternoon to continue down a path that would see Brantford become the permanent home for the Bulldogs.

"A high-ranking source within the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, 'The city and the Bulldogs are late in the third period of imminently signing a 15-year arena lease.'"

Clearly, this new development would open the door for Hamilton to pursue that AHL team they were seeking as there won't be an OHL eating up important weekend dates once First Ontario Centre re-opens. The other side of the coin, though, means that Brantford will have an OHL team in their new arena for the next fifteen years at minimum, and it stabilizes the OHL's schedule for the foreseeable future with the Bulldogs committing to Brantford.

Obviously, the Bulldogs don't publish public financial records, but it's no secret that Michael Andlauer is a rich man. The sale of this team has nothing to do with his financial situation as he owns, among other businesses, the Ottawa Senators, but he is pushing for a downtown arena in Ottawa which has consumed a lot of his time. For Andlauer, this seems like a divestment of a property he likes, but possibly doesn't have time to oversee any longer.

Some may question what experience Zach Hyman has in running a hockey franchise and the answer is "very little", but there is a person in his family who has managed a major hockey league and a team. Stuart Hyman, Zach's father, is the chairman and governor of the Markham Royals and the chairman of the OJHL, so he has some experience in running the day-to-day operations and the management of a major hockey organization. Zach may be the money at this point, but I expect that he'll get more involved once his career winds down.

From an outside perspective, this sale seems like a win for all the parties involved. The OHL wins as they have the Bulldogs in Brantford for the next fifteen seasons. The Bulldogs win as their entire existence becomes far more permanent in Brantford. Michael Andlauer wins as the team he has owned gets new, strong owners who will be committed to the franchise like he was. And the Hyman family wins as they take over a solid franchise, cementing their legacies in southern Ontario, and look to the future as they aim to win Memorial Cups while being a profitable junior franchise.

This might be one of those situations where everything comes out positive, and that's the kind of deal that shouldn't be hard to approve for the OHL. We'll see about that announcement on Monday, but it seems like a lock that a guy idolized by a lot of players will soon become the boss in Brantford. That's a nice plan for the future!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!