For the first time in their history, the Calgary Roughnecks are under different ownership.
The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Calgary Flames announced the purchase of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) franchise from Okotoks’ Brad Banister on Tuesday, June 14. Terms of the sale will remain confidential.
Following a tumultuous season off the floor, the finalizing of the sale came as a surreal moment to the Roughnecks’ founder and former general manager.
“I was prepared for it. It’ll probably kick me in the butt here in a little bit but right now… really, it’s just kind of expressionless,” Banister said.
The Okotoks businessman founded the Roughnecks in 2001 and won NLL titles in 2004 and 2009.
However, financial difficulties plagued the team in recent years leading Banister to issue a dire plea for corporate support during the middle of the 2011 season.
The Roughnecks found the financial backing to limp through the remainder of the season, but a long-term solution to the Roughnecks’ financial woes needed to be found.
Thus the Flames stepped up to acquire the professional lacrosse franchise.
The purchase by the NHL club will open up more avenues for revenue and sponsorship, Banister said.
“It adds more validity to it. The infrastructure at the Calgary Flames is fantastic,” he said. “They’re a lot stronger with their hockey connections than we could ever be or ever could imagine to be.”
With the Calgary Flames being the primary owner of the Scotiabank Saddledome, the arena will now become a more permanent home to the Roughnecks as well.
With the added financial capital and resources, the sale of the team will ultimately serve as the best possible scenario for Roughnecks fans, Banister said.
“Realistically they’ll be much better off,” he said. “It was the only option. It was the right move.”
The importance of keeping the team in Calgary also weighed heavily on Banister, who stated that it was a top priority to find local ownership.
“The Roughnecks are an integral part of the city,” he said, particularly when it comes to minor lacrosse in the area. “It’s super important to have it here because kids need something to aspire to.”
The NHL parent-club ownership model has worked well in other NLL markets.
The Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche currently own the lacrosse teams that share their facilities and it has demonstrated profitable results.
“They consistently draw upwards of 15,000 people a night,” Banister said.
While he will no longer operate in any official capacity with the Roughnecks, Banister explained he will assist in the ownership transition to make it easier on the Flames.
This will include coordinating with the board of governors, assisting the new general manager, Mike Board, in player relations and contracts and accompanying personnel on scouting trips.
“I’ll still remain active in some regard but just not all the time,” he said.
John Bean, the Chief Financial Officer for the Calgary Flames, will be representing the Roughnecks at the NLL board of governors.
Bean will be working with Board and Mike Moore, who is the Roughnecks’ new director of business operations, to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
Bean said Banister’s expertise and willingness to help as the Flames assume day-to-day operational control of the franchise is definitely an asset.
“It’s obviously very helpful. Brad’s got lots of knowledge and he’s demonstrated the ability to field very successful teams so we’re happy that that’s going to be made available to us and it is important,” said Bean.
Once the transition is finalized, Banister will step simply into the role of a fan.
“I think it will be nice to be able to sit and have a beer for a change and watch a game instead of pacing around and worrying about everything else that goes around the game,” he said.
With his ownership tenure now at a close, the former Roughnecks owner said he was satisfied with the current state of the franchise in terms of its roster.
The Roughnecks finished the 2011 season with the best record in the league (11-5) and are set up with a young core. In addition, the Roughnecks will have two first-round picks (fifth and eighth overall) in this year’s NLL entry draft.
“They’ve got a great team set up for the next four or five years at least,” Banister said. “It’s not like I left the cupboards empty. It’s loaded with talent.”
Bean agreed with Banister’s assessment of the Roughnecks’ personnel.
“We’ve got a great group of players,” he said. “Brad has put together, really, year after year after year, great teams and he’s also got a good solid coaching staff that we’ll be reaching to see if they’re interested in continuing on in that role.”
With his focus now able to deviate from solely Roughnecks matters, Banister said he will have more time to give to upcoming Okotoks lacrosse events, particularly the 2011 Minto Cup.
“Obviously I’ll be involved in the Minto Cup stuff as well. Right now I might be able to get more involved,” he said.
The outgoing owner said he emphasized to the Flames the importance of having the Roughnecks be visible at the Minto Cup, given their importance in the regional lacrosse landscape.
“They’re going to look at that and see if they can jump on board there. It would be fantastic, I think they need to have a presence there,” he said.
As a long-time supporter and coach at the local level, Banister said he is pleased he will be able to return to his roots and enjoy the thing he loves the most — the Okotoks Mustangs lacrosse program.
“The Okotoks Mustangs were my number one priority 15 years ago and now I can roll back into that,” he said.
