Corner Brook -
With the team in financial trouble, businessman Ross Coates has stepped up to become a major investor in the Corner Brook Royals.
He is now president of the storied franchise.
Coates said changes in the hockey operations side of the business were necessary as the team slipped into the basement of the West Coast Senior Hockey League and fan attendance at the Pepsi Centre spiralled downward.
Coates, owner of the Meineke Car Care franchise in the province, said it's no secret the Royals have been struggling both on and off the ice the past few seasons and he wants to control the bleeding. He believes the Royals have a good hockey team and can contend for the title, despite being in the cellar.
"I am going to run the team as a business," Coates said Monday. "We have to account for what's going on and we have to cut our costs where we can cut our costs. We have to bring things under control financially because, in this league, we have to do it."
Coates has talked to coach Juan Strickland about the team's roster and both feel the team isn't as bad as their record suggests. According to Coates, both are quite pleased with the young group of players assembled and things can only get better with time.
"Our core players are still high-calibre players," he said. "They're in a bit of funk right now, but I think that will turn around in the new year. I think everybody is going to come back with a clear head and fresh start, hopefully."
Coates said the coaching staff is back and there wouldn't be any roster changes heading into the weekend. However, the team is looking for a goalscorer, and another defenceman to join the mix.
"We're like every other team, we're looking for missing links right, but as you know, they are getting harder to find in this league," he said.
As part of the restructuring, Coates has named Gord Pennell as the new GM for the Corner Brook Royals. Coates believes Pennell's business experience and passion for the game will help in his new role.
"Gord brings with him a wealth of experience in the field of business, which is vital in the successful running of a hockey team in this league," Coates said of his new GM. "Gord has been in executive and managerial positions most of his life, serving recently as the vice-president of the Central/West Junior Hockey League."
Another critical piece of the puzzle for Coates is finding a hockey mind to be responsible for player recruitment and development. He hasn't had any luck securing somebody for the long-term just yet, but he has a couple of guys who are interested in doing some scouting for the team. He is willing to talk to anybody who could help the team forge ahead in this department.
Keeping a competitive team on the ice comes with its challenges and Coates isn't overly concerned about it. He is willing to take on the financial burden by himself, but is eager to talk to others interested in becoming an investor.
"I would like to have other people come on board and share the responsibility of the team," he said. "Create a new board of directors and do it so there are more people involved, because the more's around the better your chances of survival is, right? I don't think no one person can run or control an organization nowadays with the operations that's needed for a hockey team."
Meanwhile, Coates is also taking care of the faithful fan base by easing the burden on families who attend home games.
Starting this weekend and effective the remainder of the regular season, children under the age of 12 who are accompanied by an adult will be admitted free of charge to home games at the Pepsi Centre.
"We're going to try and make it a little easier for people to come out and cut some of the cost back for them," he said.
The Royals entertain the Clarenville Caribous Saturday 7:30 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. at the Pepsi Centre.