Northern Colorado Receives CHL Club
Published on August 14, 2002 under Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release
The Central Hockey League is coming to Northern Colorado in October of 2003. At a Tuesday press conference held at the Larimer County Courthouse, team owners Ralph Backstrom and Bill Stewart were on hand to officially sign a lease with county officials. Also on hand for the announcement were Mayor Ray Martinez of the City of Fort Collins, Global Spectrum Regional Vice President Dean Dennis, Global Entertainment President / CEO Rick Kozuback and Director of the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex, Jay Hardy. The new facility is being constructed at Crossroads Boulevard and I-25 east of Loveland, Colorado.
The Budweiser Events Center is a major component of the 243-acre Fairgrounds and Events Complex development, and is currently under construction. When completed, the Budweiser Events Center will host approximately 5,100 hockey fans for CHL contests. Owners Backstrom and Stewart officially signed the arena lease with County Commissioner Chair Glenn W. Gibson.
Backstrom enjoyed an outstanding playing career, first captaining the Ottawa-Hull Junior Canadiens to the 1958 Memorial Cup Championship, and then advancing to the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, where he was a key component of six Stanley Cup championship teams. Backstrom was also honored as the recipient of the Calder Cup trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in 1959. After concluding his 19-year professional career, Backstrom turned to coaching at the University of Denver, and led the Pioneers to the WCHA Title and the NCAA Hockey Final Four in 1986. Currently, Backstrom serves as a Special Assignment Scout for the NHL's St. Louis Blues. Stewart, a graduate of the University of Denver and a former player under Backstrom, is a successful stockbroker in the Denver area and also played professional hockey.
"We feel strongly that all of the necessary ingredients are in place to establish a very successful franchise," said CHL President Brad Treliving. "We have a strong and committed ownership group, an excellent demographic, and a state-of-the-art facility which will give the team every opportunity to flourish."
The team is in the immediate process of establishing an office and hiring staff, and is expected to begin a name-the-team contest in the coming weeks. For more information, please contact the Central Hockey League or Deni LaRue, Community Information Manager for Larimer County, at (970) 498-7150.
The 2002/2003 Central Hockey League season is slated to begin Thursday, October 17th, and concludes Sunday, March 16th of 2003. Each CHL club will play a 64 game schedule this season, totaling 512 regular season contests. The CHL enjoyed a 16% attendance increase during the 2001/2002 regular season, and led all North American minor professional circuits with a per game average attendance of 4,356 in post-season play.
Central Hockey League Stories from August 14, 2002
- Northern Colorado Receives CHL Club - CHL
- Van Volsen returning to Brahmas - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Lubbock Signs First Goaltender for 02/03 Season - Lubbock Cotton Kings
- Tulsa Oilers Sign Mike Johnson - Tulsa Oilers
- Blazers Add to Defensive Corps - Oklahoma City Blazers
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