Nanaimo Clippers ownership change confirmation

The rumours of a Nanaimo Clippers ownership change, first reported Monday by Mira Laurence on A News Vancouver Island are no longer just that, they are confirmed.

What has been confirmed so far - Bill Bestwick is out as an owner.

 The new group own 1/3rd of the team.

The group is comprised by former NHL tendy and HNIC Personality Kelly Hrudey (loved the blue headband - apologies to Mr. Hrudey but as my father was drafted by the Habs I was a diehard fan growing up...I more liked the red light on the headband, especially in the '93 Cup Final)

Hrudey is joined by two more individuals - one of which is also a HNIC staffer -in a role that I'm told is a behind the scenes.The other individual is an Alberta based businessman.

This is somewhat interesting as Bill Bestwick was originally made an owner during the last ownership change to ensure the current structure retained a portion of "local" ownership. Maybe something has changed with league regulations/beliefs in this area, or something has possibly changed with the status of the remaining owners.

As I write this I see there is now an official update on the Clippers website HERE

For audio coverage on this story, tune in to our sister station 106.9 The Wolf in Nanaimo - online at http://www.1069thewolf.com/

Thanks to Dominic Abassi for chasing this in the WOLF newsroom and for keeping me updated!

Hammer