Pats Sold!!!

[nivek_wahs]

http://cjme.com/story/regina-pats-have-been-sold-new-ownership-group/321186

Regina Pats have been sold to new ownership group
Sale still needs WHL approval
Reported by Jamie Nye
First Posted: Apr 22, 2014 4:13pm | Last Updated: Apr 22, 2014 4:30pm
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The Regina Pats will soon be under new ownership.

As News Talk Radio first reported Tuesday, a group of local businessmen has teamed up to bankroll the purchase. The deal still needs to be approved by the WHL's board of governors.

Sources tell The Green Zone that owner Russ Parker has been listening to multiple offers.

An official announcement will be coming very soon.

[patsdude114]

SWEET MOTHER OF YES!!!!!

I don't even know how to react to this besides with a huge smile on my face like I just won the lottery

[SectionNDeserter]

Speaks volumes of the previous ownership, if you are excited about a completely nameless, faceless entity at this point. ;)

[patsdude114]

Speaks volumes of the previous ownership, if you are excited about a completely nameless, faceless entity at this point. ;)


ha our previous owners have ran this franchise into the ground (on ice product) for years. They have done wonders with marketing this team since owning the team but the on ice product is where it counts.

[Hkyguy]

Sources say a group headed by Todd Lombard, including Shawn Semple will be the new owners.

Interesting to see if a guy with his company name on the building can get a new score clock installed.

[chopper]

Speaks volumes of the previous ownership, if you are excited about a completely nameless, faceless entity at this point. ;)

:) I tend to agree with this poster! The names of Todd Lumbard and Anthony Markwart (connected to Nevin Markwart?) have been identified. There are supposedly two other investors.

I guess we will need to wait and see. The last consortium of local owners didn't exactly set the world on fire. In fighting and power struggles were the order of the day.

I was hoping for a sale. I hoped it would be a single owner with real deep pockets, and a strong hockey background. Pleased but very very reserved about this news at this point.

[west coast]

Anthony Marquart part of new owners group as well - but I wonder why would the Parker's sell now ?

[patsdude114]

Anthony Marquart part of new owners group as well - but I wonder why would the Parker's sell now ?

why wouldn't they sell now? should of been sold long ago, its not like we are going to have a very strong roster next year anyways so chances of making the playoffs are prob even slimmer then they were at the start of last season.

I had mentioned before that I had a feeling the Parker's were behind not allowing Stephenson to be traded as they wanted some playoff revenue even if only 2 games... still would of easily put 250k-300k into his pocket from ticket sales & advertisements. Russ was prob thinking he would of gotten into the 2nd round easily had we not got those late injuries that effected our team greatly. A healthy Wapple & Stevenson prob would of meant BRN not even making the playoffs, as the Pats wouldn't of lost our final home game to BRN with our late collapse.

Either way its all in the past and hopefully this ownership lets Lang continue with his rebuild and hopefully stresses to get even younger for this upcoming season.

[RWAH]

PD114 get those friends of yours that were waiting for new owners to buy season tickets. The more tickets the more money the more scouts the more talent the more wins and the snow ball rolls. Look ahead to 2019 and the 100th anniversary of the M Cup to be hosted in the WHL

[patsdude114]

PD114 get those friends of yours that were waiting for new owners to buy season tickets. The more tickets the more money the more scouts the more talent the more wins and the snow ball rolls. Look ahead to 2019 and the 100th anniversary of the M Cup to be hosted in the WHL

yep a buddy of mine already said he will be getting his season tickets as soon as this sale is approved by the WHL BOG

[RWAH]

I wonder if the paper work is far enough along that the WHL Governors can decide at the meeting before the Draft this May 1st (only a week away) or will it be at the June meeting before they decide. I'm thinking it will be June as the governors will need to do some home work on the new owners.

[chopper]

I wonder if the paper work is far enough along that the WHL Governors can decide at the meeting before the Draft this May 1st (only a week away) or will it be at the June meeting before they decide. I'm thinking it will be June as the governors will need to do some home work on the new owners.

You bet! the WHL will exercise due diligence with respect to the group, it's composition, experience, suitability, business model, but moreover it's financial stability over the long haul. Paying 10 million give or take means these guys had better not be in it for the money.

It will be interesting over the next while to listen and read as to how this unfolds. Who all the players are, what % they each hold, who is the spokesperson, who is the majority partner (if there is one), who will be the decision maker, how will it be run, what type of management structure will be in place, goals and objectives etc etc.

As I stated before I've seen this movie before and it wasn't a runaway success. I hope the results will be different this time, but again only time will tell. Sometimes there is the old adage of too many cooks in the kitchen.

The next little while should prove interesting.

[Madmax]

SWEET MOTHER OF YES!!!!!

I don't even know how to react to this besides with a huge smile on my face like I just won the lottery

I have no ties to the Pats other than being friends with some past players. I have a huge smile on my face this morning also. As a hockey fan it hurt to see a franchise with the rich history that the Pats have to be run into the ground like they have . Buying teams for your kids so they think they will be someone important doesn't work. Will be nice to see this franchise stand up again. Congrats to the Pat fans who have stuck with them. Your pain is over.

[RWAH]

Chopper the suspected new owners are Todd Lumbard and Anthony Marquart Kelly and Nevin is spelt Markwart so I do not think they are related. Interesting though is Nevin and Todd Lumbard played together on the Pats.

[chopper]

Chopper the suspected new owners are Todd Lumbard and Anthony Marquart Kelly and Nevin is spelt Markwart so I do not think they are related. Interesting though is Nevin and Todd Lumbard played together on the Pats.

Yup I caught that..LOL. It was just a type-o in the CJMR press release. Your right about Nevin and Todd playing together back in the 80's but also Nevin's name surfaced as an interested party at one time. Very convoluted for sure

Madmax is right about buying a team for a son to run is a kin to buying a business for your son who has no experience in that business. Doomed to fail and Parker did as a GM. I remember Russ saying a few years back he would have fired the GM but if he did, he would just have to find him another job. Pretty sad indeed. It appears Saskatoon may be heading down that road and if so, it won't end well.

Names I've heard so far are Lumbard, Marquardt, Semple, and maybe Sillinger?. The sale of this franchise is long overdue and I'm hoping for the best. I am a little apprehensive considering I supported the team through the Hicke group era, and that was far from successful.

There needs to be a clear line of reporting and responsibility. Apparently Lumbard is to take over as Governor but after that who knows the structure. These things work best when you have a clear corporate structure and when owners stay at arms length. For example a GM can't answer to all the owners should they decide to call him up to put a bug in his ear. Any GM worth his salt has to demand full autonomy when it comes to running the hockey operations.

New ownership brings new ideas within every aspect of the organization. Since it's already being reported that Lumbard will assume the Governors position right away, it seems to suggest that he is poised to take on a big role within the team's day to day operation.

What this means to the status of the current GM, Coaches and residual staff is far from certain. I guess things are very much in a state of flux for them at this time. I hope these guys have a clear "game plan" and are in it to win it. At least here's hoping.

[Madmax]

I wonder if the paper work is far enough along that the WHL Governors can decide at the meeting before the Draft this May 1st (only a week away) or will it be at the June meeting before they decide. I'm thinking it will be June as the governors will need to do some home work on the new owners.

Looks like the vote will be done on April 30th at the league meetings. Also Prince George will be voted on that same day to accept/reject the new owners there as well.

[patsdude114]

What this means to the status of the current GM, Coaches and residual staff is far from certain. I guess things are very much in a state of flux for them at this time. I hope these guys have a clear "game plan" and are in it to win it. At least here's hoping.

anyone with half a brain can see that the coaching staff we do have is the right 1 moving forward. Im sure these local business men have attended games this season at some point. If they want to see attendance figures go up keeping an offensive minded coach (puck possession) is key.

As for the GM spot if they allow Lang to rebuild how he knows how too there will be no problems going forward. If they clean house when they come in I see a major set back coming instead of continuing with what we have been doing the past couple years with building our 50PL and drafting some quality kids the past 2 drafts, another solid draft coming up (hopefully).

Also maybe a new ownership group can help with getting some of these prospects committed to our club players like Liam Schioler (who hasn't signed yet) possibly maybe luring Nikolas Koberstein & Liam Finlay into the WHL.

[sbtatter]

I saw a rumour on twitter that Molleken would resurface as Pats GM, I gotta believe that's not going to happen

[chopper]

I saw a rumour on twitter that Molleken would resurface as Pats GM, I gotta believe that's not going to happen

I don't see that happening. I've heard his name in connection with PA and perhaps Lethbridge but it's all speculation. I think Molleken will be out for a while before something happens. Likely after some team fails horribly and a house cleaning takes place.

I think the new ownership will give Lang a reasonable amount of time to put the framework in place to ensure deep success. It is long standing belief in these parts that Lang has been interfered with by the current ownership. It's reported he couldn't make certain trades, and had to make others to stay in line with ownership demands.

Now he will have to swim or sink on his own. I don't think the new ownership will remain static too long if high end results don't occur or at least appear on the horizon. I don't think they will allow things to go on indefinitely like has happened in the past.

[RWAH]

Knowing one of the owners and the way he changed the other company he purchased IMO the changes in the hockey operation and the office side will be minor and well thought out. Both owners desire to have the franchise at the top of the WHL but that is true of all 22 owners.
I am interested in how many owners there are of Queen City Sports and Entertainment. If it is only Todd and Anthony this is a great day for Regina Pat fans.

[patsdude114]

From the audio on Phil's blog with Lang and his conversation with the new owners that the new owners like the direction the team is going and Lang will be retained to finish what he started. I truly think this will be the end of the Klimchuk saga in Regina as well, it may not happen until a month or so into the season but I do believe just how Lang was talking in the audio clip that Klimchuk will get moved (without him actually touching on it).

Our new owners can learn a lot from the mess that is going on in Saskatoon, after clearing out everyone there in the hockey operations side and starting from scratch I do believe that has set the Blades back even further. They had a solid coach in place but the new owners failed to see that as they based it on the wins & loses of this past season's team.... I mean come on with that roster Scotty Bowman himself couldn't of put together a better season.

With our situation we have a great coaching staff finally in place prob our best staff we have had since Preston was here...I really do hope the new owners stress us to be as young as possible and bring in quality youth be it 16 or 17 year olds from our 50PL, this is why I really do hope Klimchuk is traded for a couple quality prospects to add to Steel, Smith, Kroeker, Cole, Ulmer...being a true fan I would have no problems having a losing season like the Warriors had if we have a very young roster, obviously would be nice if they could have some success along the way maybe actually put up a fight for the final spot (even if missing playoffs) its time this franchise started to build right and what better year then the 1st year of new ownership.

[chopper]

I agree that the only way to win consistently is to develop from within. Edmonton and Portland do that and they are on the verge of meeting for the third time in three years. Now these are great organizations that we should model after.

In 2008 the owner of the Winterhawks dismantled the team top to bottom. He rebuilt with with money, high end staff and upgraded facilities. Most had NHL backgrounds and Johnston may be the brightest GM/Coach in the business. They rebuilt on talent, speed with great defence. There is nothing wrong with cleaning house as long as there's a plan in place, and hire the right people. This ownership will take time to get the lay of the land before changing I assume. I don't think they will let this be a forever situation like before.

The thing that concerns me most is that it's still Parkers organization with all his people i.e. GM, coaches, scouts, office staff etc. Those looking for a breath of fresh air might be disappointed. It's much like putting a new engine in a tired old car. Good but not great.

I like Lang and Cameron but they still have much work to do. I like the idea of building with young talent. I don't like trading away draft picks every year just so we can be a bit competitive. Lang has shown a tendency to do the same things that BP did, and you can never excel in that way. I also believe he was under orders when it came to trades. The new ownership will have expectations and he will need to meet them, and the window could be fairly limited. Otherwise probably a house cleaning like Portland is required.

[RWAH]

I'm all for going young, we have some talent that is very promising but with that we will need a few older players to show the way and some muscle to protect them. You want them to build skill and confidence not regress. Its a balancing act.

[patsdude114]

Of course you need to have some older guys around to show them the way and we will have that regardless. Guys like Hunt, Gay, Williams, Burroughs, McVeigh, Klimchuk will be the key guys in the leadership group.

I think a guy like Hansen and mumby will beloved at the draft to free up a couple roster spots for the young core knocking on the door for a spot.

[chopper]

This is shaping up to be one really interesting off season. You have the direction of the old ownership and now presumably the direction of the new ownership. It should be fun to see what the final product looks like.

I think we may see a ton of moves designed to allow our young guys to grow into their roles. Likely a bigger defence capable of puck moving. A couple big genuine tough guys who can play some but know their role.

We need to have a couple very capable veteran offensive guys so that Sam Steel can develop his immense skills. We did for Eberle and Weal, so we need to have someone for Steel to play with.

The Bantam draft is the next big thing coming for the Pats. I think Lang will need to make some nifty moves to acquire a couple of extra draft picks since we're pretty short this draft. I don't know who but I see some trades happening, maybe surprising ones.

The import Draft, the overage situation, possible free agents, meaningful trades etc should all be interesting topics going forward. I think Cameron will be back but for the other guys, who knows. They are evidently both wanting HC jobs.

Since we are not very deep or experienced offensively will Klimchuk be moved to get us some of the pieces we need for a young team? Do we need him to work with Steel until deadline day? Will a couple vets be moved? I'm thinking that some will be moved.

[patsdude114]

well its official the Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars both have new ownership groups after being approved by the WHL Board of Governors.

A great time for both franchises now lets hope that our beloved Regina Pats can finally turn the page in the coming years, something that the Parker's could never do with us

[RWAH]

I have no doubt that the new owners will set long term goals (be in the M Cup) set plans to acheive that and evaluate staff and plan by the results and movement towards the long term goal. This is a great day for this franchise will now take the next step and join the top franchises.