End of an era for the IceDogs
Burke family says junior hockey team has been sold to Brantford’s Darren DeDobbelaer
Pending the approval of the OHL board of governors, Brantford businessperson Darren DeDobbelaer is the new owner of the Niagara IceDogs.
In a statement released Tuesday, Bill and Denise Burke said they had “mixed emotions” in announcing they have “decided to move on” from owning the junior hockey franchise based in St. Catharines.
“It was one of the greatest joys of our lives to be able to bring major junior hockey back to the Niagara region and see our fan base flourish as you all embraced us,” the statement said. “We are proud of the brand that we have built here and the relationships that have been forged in the community.
“One of our main goals was to make a difference in the Niagara region through our charitable endeavours, and our hope is that in that we have succeeded.”
Bill Burke didn’t respond to a request for an interview.
Reached by phone, DeDobbelaer said, “I can’t talk until the OHL approves it.”
DeDobbelaer owns and operates the Brantford Bandits, a junior-B eam in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, and the Brantford 99ers, a team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, the league just below the OHL.
OHL commissioner Dave Branch recently suspended the IceDogs’ head coach and general manager, the Burkes’ sons Billy and Joey, indefinitely after a league investigation revealed they made homophobic and misogynistic comments on an internal team chat app. The brothers can apply for reinstatement in two years. The team was also fined $150,000.
The sale caps 15 years of ownership by the Burkes, who moved the team from Mississauga to St. Catharines and began playing in Jack Gatecliff Arena, built in 1928 with only 2,800 seats.
Success off and on the ice set the stage for constructing the 5,300seat Meridian Centre for the 2014 season, which cost $50 million and was publicly funded.
In a statement, Mayor Walter Sendzik thanked the Burkes for having brought the OHL back to St. Catharines.
“Bill and Denise made an investment that helped play a role in the transformation of our downtown core with the IceDogs serving as anchor tenant of Meridian Centre,” he said.
“Their investments allowed us to sit front row to watch NHL stars like Dougie Hamilton and Alex Pietrangelo step on the ice representing our community, while also providing opportunities to watch greats like Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and others, in the formative years of their careers.”
Sendzik also welcomed DeDobbelaer to Niagara.
“The City of St. Catharines has made significant investments into bringing OHL hockey back to our community, and it is our collective priority to ensure that the Niagara IceDogs continue to call St. Catharines home for many years to come,” the mayor said.
Former forward Jordan Maletta, a St. Catharines native, played almost four seasons with the IceDogs from 2013 to 2016 and helped lead the team to the league finals in 2015-16. He is retired from hockey after injuries cut short a pro career and working in the local real estate business.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Maletta said of the sale. “I have so much respect for the Burkes. They traded for me early in my career when I was having a tough time at Windsor, and they treated their players well, like family.
“We had the best of everything, coaching, equipment and all the extras.
“What happened recently was unfortunate. I see people bashing the team and the owners on social media; to be honest, it upsets me.
“I have nothing but positive things to say. After just about every game, they would shake everyone’s hand and thank us for playing hard for them.
“If we lost, they would say, ‘We will get them next time,’ and be just as happy. You don’t often get that personal feeling from ownership.”
DeDobbelaer’s background is in the insurance business and, according to a story in Canadian Underwriter magazine in 2010, he sold 11 locations in southwestern Ontario to BrokerLink, one of Canada’s largest insurance brokerages.
Mike Naraine, an assistant professor in Brock University’s sports management program who has done work as a consultant for OHL teams, said the IceDogs franchise has been a success in Niagara.
“I won’t say the Burkes were trailblazers, but there is a bit of a pioneer-type spirit at work here,” he said.
“They moved the team to Niagara, and at the time, everyone was saying, ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ They invested in the community and gave us a hockey product that we’re happy with, at least on the ice.
“It’s a nice building and family entertainment and all that sort of stuff. So, it looks great on that front, but that doesn’t justify their toxic masculinity and the culture around the team that was pervasive and known in the hockey circles.”