It was reported on Monday by Rod Pedersen that his sources indicate a potential private donor is set to arrive like a white knight and help teams and the WHL recover from the financial losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the source, this private donor is the reason why the WHL hasn’t entirely pulled the plug on the 2020-21 WHL season. The private donor appears willing to underwrite the cost of what can be salvaged for the teams to play this season.
Player development is primarily what is at stake, as well as the potential for the CHL to award a Memorial Cup, something it was unable to do last spring.
The Western Hockey League office isn’t willing to confirm the story at this point.
“The WHL is unaware of any company or family looking to underwrite the cost of a potential season. This is nothing more than a rumour.”
Regardless, there are a number of wealthy families and companies in Canada capable of assisting the CHL and/or the WHL, even some with a current attachment to hockey.
National Hockey League
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Certainly, the NHL has a massive interest in keeping the CHL afloat. The CHL is the number one feeder to the NHL, with players chosen from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL every season at the annual NHL draft.
At the 2020 NHL Draft, the CHL produced 78 picks, good for 35 percent of all selections.
The value of the average NHL team is $653 million. The CHL supplies several star players to the league every year, which assists in increasing the value of the franchises.
It is in the best interest of the NHL to lend a hand, whether through loans or a substantial donation, to allow the CHL, and specifically the WHL, to play a reduced schedule in 2021.
Brandt Industries / Semple Family
The Semple family has a stake in the Regina Pats as well as being the owners of Brandt Industries, which has an annual revenue of more than $1 billion. The family-run business has eight separate companies comprising the Brandt Group.
The Brandt Industries name already adorns the Pats’ facility in Regina. It seems apparent the company has a great interest in continuing to grow junior hockey and grassroots hockey in Saskatchewan and western Canada.
Weston Family
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Arguably the most well-known family in Western Canada, the Weston family owns Loblaw Companies Limited, which bought Shoppers Drug Mart for more than $12 billion back in 2014. Galen Weston and his family are worth at least $8.5 billion. They have been philanthropists for a number of years and recently surpassed over $1 billion in total donations.
There are no obvious ties to hockey for the Weston Family, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the potential for them to donate to the CHL or WHL in an effort to boost their profile.
Jim Pattison
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Another well-known business person in Canada, Jim Pattison has ties to hockey although currently, they are through his various media outlets. Pattison’s net worth is more than $6 billion which places him in the top 10 of Canada’s richest people.
The 92-year-old is mainly a philanthropist in the medical arena, donating millions of dollars to numerous hospitals, facilities, and charities including Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Saskatoon, SK.
Pattison also owned a franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1973-75, known as the Vancouver Blazers. The team did not attract a strong fan base in Vancouver and was moved to Calgary and became the Cowboys in 1975.
David Thomson
Thomson is known as Canada’s richest person and has ties to hockey through the co-ownership of True North Sports + Entertainment, owner of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Thomson’s love for hockey is well documented. From building Bell MTS Centre after the acquisition of the old Eaton’s Building in Winnipeg, to bringing hockey back to the Manitoba capital and reclaiming the Jets moniker.
Thomson’s net worth is reported at $39.9 billion. The chair of Thomson Reuters previously donated large sums of money to a number of hospitals and museums.
It remains to be seen if any of the above parties or someone else comes forward to help WHL teams offset the losses stemming from the abrupt end of the 2019-20 season and the upcoming, shortened 2020-21 season. If they do, it would assist greatly in finding a silver lining to a roller coaster year for the league and its teams.
*All monetary figures are according to an updated valuation released by Forbes on Dec 30 2020*
