Community News

BURKE FAMILY SELLING NIAGARA ICEDOGS

LUKE EDWARDS

The dogs have a new owner.

In a press release sent out Tuesday morning, the Burke family announced they had agreed to sell the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Niagara IceDogs to Darren DeDobbelaer. The deal still needed approval from the OHL board of directors.

"After 15 years, it is with mixed emotion to announce that we have decided to move on. It was one of the greatest joys of our lives to be able to bring major junior hockey back to the Niagara region and see our fan base flourish as you all embraced us," owners Bill and Denise Burke said in a joint statement.

"We are proud of the brand that we have built here, and the relationships that have been forged in the community.

“One of our main goals was to make a difference in the Niagara region through our charitable endeavours, and our hope is that in that we have succeeded."

Bill and Denise purchased the team, then known as the Mississauga IceDogs, after the 2006-07 hockey season and moved it to St. Catharines to set up shop at the Jack Gatecliff Arena. The team played there for its first seven seasons before moving to the newly built Meridian Centre in 2014.

While the team had made an impact and was visible throughout Niagara, the franchise also experienced some turbulent waters earlier this year. Billy and Joey Burke, the team's head coach and general manager, respectively, were given two-year suspensions after the league learned about a group chat where the pair made comments that violated the league's harassment and abuse/diversity policy.

The pair are also partowners of the team, alongside their parents Bill and Denise.

In their statement, Bill and Denise thanked the people of Niagara for supporting the team over the years.

DeDobbelaer had previously been rumoured to have interest in the team. He owns and operates two junior teams in Brantford — the Brantford Bandits, a junior-B team in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, and the Brantford 99ers, a junior A team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, the league just below the OHL.

– with files from

Bill Sawchuk

OHL

en-ca

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281797107602479

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