Front picture: David Moir, left, Kelly Hrudey and Ken Wagner address fans and media at Frank Crane Arena Sunday. Greg Sakaki/Nanaimo News Bulletin
Nanaimo Clippers fans were eager to meet the team’s new owners who recently bought partial ownership of the club and had to be happy with what they heard during a meet-and-greet session on Sunday.
And from the sounds of it, the new owners liked what they saw and heard at Frank Crane Arena.
Attendance was announced at 2,220, a crowd bested only by the Clippers’ meeting with Sweden’s Malmo Redhawks in early January. Many were intrigued to meet the new ownership group which includes former NHL goalie and current CBC hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey.
“We were pleasantly surprised,” said Hrudey, who spent 15 years in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. “It was the second-largest turnout of the season so it was rewarding to see.
“I brought along my wife (Donna) and she was right into the game. It was special to meet a lot of fans and we met the volunteers and billets. You can’t run a team without them.”
Hrudey is one of three new owners. The others are Dave Moir – who has worked with Hrudey on CBC hockey broadcasts as a statistician and researcher – and Paul Colborne, who was not able to be there as he was watching his son Joe, a 2008 first-round pick by Boston, play for the Providence Bruins. The three have been interested in the Clippers for some time but things only came together recently and Moir says he and his partners are happy it worked out in Nanaimo.
“Basically for the last two-and-a-half to three years, we’d been looking at different opportunities,” said Moir. “We sat down with (current co-owner) Ken (Wagner) in the last six months… and we felt it was a good fit.”
Moir was also happy to see fans flocking to the game and acknowledged the interest that Hrudey draws.
“I’ve been working with him for 14 years so I’m used to it. Kelly’s a little more visible and he’s good with the fans.”
Hrudey, Moir and Wagner were able to address the team briefly before they took the ice against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. A former major junior player with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Hrudey said the memories of being around the locker room came flooding back.
“Absolutely – my wife said, `Boy, they look so young,’ but they’re all such good kids,” said Hrudey. “You hear that kids are different today but I don’t find that at all.
“If we can provide some help and guidance, that’s what we want to do.”
