Osoyoos Coyotes owner Randy Bedard is close to signing a new lease with the Town of Osoyoos that would keep the hockey team here for at least five more years. (Richard McGuire file photo)
Junior hockey fans in Osoyoos will be thrilled to know that Osoyoos Coyotes’ owner Randy Bedard and the Town of Osoyoos are ready to sign a new agreement that will keep the hockey franchise in town for at least five more years.
Bedard and Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community development, have confirmed the new five-year deal should be signed “any day now” and will ensure the successful Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) franchise will remain in this community for the foreseeable future.
Bedard became a part owner of the Coyotes five years ago and has been the sole owner the past three years.
“I don’t only plan on being here for another five years, but much longer than that,” said Bedard, who had a long career in sports broadcasting and was a former radio announcer who provided play-by-play coverage for the Osoyoos franchise more than a decade ago. “This agreement with the town is for the next five years, but my intentions are to be here much longer than that.”
The team’s last five-year lease has expired and negotiations have been underway over the past several weeks to sign another five-year deal as well as formalize an option to extend that deal for a further five years, said Bedard.
There is “no chance” the deal will fall apart and Bedard hopes to sign the new agreement within the next couple of weeks.
“The deal hasn’t been signed, but I think it’s a mere formality that it will be signed,” said Bedard. “I’m really excited about getting the deal signed and ensuring that the hockey club will remain a part of this community for many years to come.”
Since he became part of the ownership group five years ago, Bedard said his dealings with town council and senior administration has been excellent and without conflict.
“The town has just been great to us,” he said. “I like working with them and I know we’re going to work out a deal that is fair. You only sign five-year deals because the price of doing business goes up and you have to work out some financial details, but there has never been any doubt that we would be able to work out a new deal once the old one expired.”
The contract will finalize details relating to ice time the Coyotes rent at the Sun Bowl Arena, concession sales, practice time and advertising inside the arena, said Bedard.
Because the Osoyoos franchise had undergone numerous ownership groups and had left the community on more than one occasion over the past 20 years, signing the new deal with the town is important as it clearly indicates his desire to continue owning the hockey club and keeping it in Osoyoos for many years to come, said Bedard.
“I know I’ve talked to some people and they have told me they were worried that I might be leaving simply because it had happened so often in the past,” said Bedard. “I want all of the people who support this hockey club to know that I’m committed to this community and that the Coyotes are going to be a big part of this community for a very long time.
“I want owning this hockey team to be my career for the rest of my life until I retire. We all have an exit plan, but I know I still have many more good years ahead of me and I still enjoy what I do every single day. I basically love everything that’s involved in owning a junior hockey team and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Since becoming an owner and hiring Ken Law as coach and general manager, the Coyotes have arguably been the most successful KIJHL franchise on the ice over the past five years.
The Coyotes won the league championship in 2010-11 in Bedard’s inaugural year as an owner and have reached the conference finals four of the past five years.
“There’s not a team in our league that can match that record over the past five years,” he said. “I’m very proud to have been part of one championship and reached the conference finals four times in five years.
“The goal is obviously to get over the hump of the past couple years and get back to the finals and win another championship.”
Bedard is so confident the new deal will be signed soon that he’s been selling season ticket packages and signing corporate sponsorship deals from the day last season ended.
Davis said the town is just as excited as Bedard about extending the lease deal with the Coyotes.
“It’s excellent news knowing that the Coyotes are going to be part of this town for several more years to come,” he said.
Bedard works extremely hard to make the hockey team successful on and off the ice and the town wants that success to continue, he said.
“We have a very amicable and solid relationship with Randy and we’re looking forward to having the new contract in place very soon,” he said. “The Coyotes are a big part of this town and Randy has done a great job running the team for the past several years.
“This hockey team is good for the people of Osoyoos and consistently excellent on the ice, so we’re looking forward to the future.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
