About the only thing Randy Bedard loves more than owning his own junior hockey franchise is calling himself an Osoyoosite.
For junior hockey fans in this community, that is very good news as Bedard has confirmed that he and Town of Osoyoos administration are on the verge of signing a new five-year lease extension.
Bedard, who was a part owner of the Coyotes for two years before taking over as sole owner three years ago, says he has every intention of keeping the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) franchise in Osoyoos for the remainder of his working life.
Considering his young age, that means the Coyotes are going to be part of this community for many years to come.
Osoyoos has seen numerous incarnations of junior hockey and far too many ownership groups to mention over the past 20 years, so that is very good news indeed.
Since Bedard became part of the ownership group, the Coyotes have enjoyed remarkable success both on and off the ice.
Not only does the team get some of the best fan support in the entire KIJHL, but the Coyotes have managed to win the league championship during their return to town during the 2010-11 season and also managed to qualify for the conference finals (league semi-finals) four of the past five years.
Head coach and general manager Ken Law has been largely responsible for recruiting the players who have contributed so much to the on-ice success since his arrival five years ago.
Law and Bedard form a dynamic duo when it comes to running a successful junior hockey franchise as Law is allowed to make all of the hockey-related decisions without interference from Bedard.
Meanwhile, Bedard has proven himself to be a smart, hard working and successful business owner who has managed to gain tremendous support from the local business community.
When you run a hockey franchise in a small town like Osoyoos, literally every penny counts and you need strong support from fans and business owners alike and Bedard has managed to turn the Coyotes into the model franchise in the entire KIJHL.
There isn’t an abundance of things to do in Osoyoos during the winter months, but being able to watch quality junior hockey over seven months each year has proven to be just what the doctor ordered for hockey and sports fans in our town.
With Bedard in charge for at least five more years – and more likely 10 or 15 years to come – the future looks very bright for this franchise and for all fans and corporate sponsors.
Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community development, said he’s thrilled a new five-year deal will be signed within the next few days. He knows how much this franchise means to the community and it’s exciting to know there will be very good hockey played at the Sun Bowl Arena for many years to come.
Congratulations to Bedard on getting this new deal done and we have little doubt more KIJHL championships coming our way here in Osoyoos.
And there’s no doubt local fans and business owners will be a big part of the team’s success.
