A junior hockey franchise that looked like it
was on life support, has got a brand new lease on life and a
bright future after Sudbury Wolves president Mark Burgess
announced the club has purchased the Sudbury Northern Wolves of
the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).
The Wolves also announced the Ontario Hockey
League franchise will be the exclusive sponsor of the AAA
program of the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association (SMHA).
The purchase of the Northern Wolves was
approved Saturday by the NOJHL.
Burgess said he felt the time was right for
the Wolves organization to step forward and invest in Junior A
hockey for the benefit of local youth.
"The Sudbury Northern Wolves have been very
helpful to the Sudbury Wolves by developing players like Bobby
Chaumont, Kevin Beech, Mike Mills and Jeff Christison, to name
a few," said Burgess, in a news release.
"I felt the time was right for our
organization to support the Tier II Junior A level in an effort
to ensure NOJHL hockey remains alive and well in the Sudbury
area. We have a vested interest in the game of hockey in the
Sudbury area and with the NOJHL."
The Wolves will now sponsor all of the
SMHA's five AAA clubs from minor peewee to major midgets.
The OHL franchise will provide Sudbury Wolves jerseys and the
coaching staff led by head coach Mike Foligno will provide
mentorship programs to the AAA teams during the season.
There are many OHL teams who sponsor minor
hockey programs and Burgess said he felt it was important for
the Wolves to support AAA teams so when they travel out-of-town
for tournaments, the Wolves logo and name will serve to
identify where these teams come from on a consistent
basis.
Wolves' vice-president Blaine Smith will
set up the Northern Wolves organization and the sponsorship
program with the SMHA. Smith has work for the Wolves in various
jobs for 20 years and was the former executive director of the
SMHA from 1981-86.
The Northern Wolves are expecting to continue
to play out of the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff this coming
season.
Burgess said he will be meeting with city
officials to try and arrange a deal to bring the Northern
Wolves to the Sudbury Arena in the near future.
Burgess said he believes fans will support an
NOJHL team playing out of the much larger Sudbury Arena.
Smith said he's looking forward to the
challenge of making the Northern Wolves a contender in the
NOJHL.
"It would have been disastrous if the
Northern Wolves would have folded this season," he said.
The Northern Wolves will not only provide an
opportunity for many young players to continue to compete at a
high level, but will allow the Wolves to develop players not
quite ready for major junior action, said Smith.