The Prince George Cougars chose 10 players in Thursday's WHL bantam draft and Dan Hamhuis broke the news to most of them.
It's not hard to imagine what kind of a thrill that was for those 14- and 15-year-old hockey players when they realized the person calling was newly-minted Cougars franchise owner Hamhuis, a Vancouver Canucks defenceman and reigning Olympic champion with 10 years of NHL experience.
"We all kind of thought [at the draft in Calgary] that would be a neat way to start it off and make those kids feel important," said the 31-year-old Hamhuis. "It is a big deal that they're part of this and part of our franchise. I probably would have said as much as they did, they didn't say too much. Eric [Brewer] and I got a lot of one-word answers."
They were probably in shock.
And for those graduating bantams who weren't among the 240 players chosen by the 22 WHL teams in the draft, don't feel too bad, there's still hope for a pro career. Just remember, Hamhuis wasn't drafted either. The Cougars put him on their list after watching him play in a bantam tournament.
Born in December, Hamhuis was still only 15 when he came to Prince George in 1998 thinking he'd end up playing junior A for the Spruce Kings. He attended the Cougars' camp that year and was paired on defence with a then-19-year-old Brewer, who was preparing to leave the junior ranks to begin his rookie season with the New York Islanders, and Brewer's departure opened up a spot. Hamhuis made the Cougars that year and went on to make his mark as an NHL star.
Now that the sale of the Cougars has been approved by the WHL, Hamhuis and Brewer are minority partners in a business deal they hope will keep them involved in hockey long after their playing days are over.
"My contribution to the group of owners is definitely not on the business side of things but as far as knowing dressing rooms and knowing players and being able to help and encourage those young guys in their careers, that's something I can contribute and it's good to be a part of it," said Hamhuis.
"I really enjoyed the four years I played there. It was an outstanding city to play hockey in and a fun building. Unfortunately they've gone through some tough times over the last few years drawing the crowds. With local ownership now in this group, the big focus now is to make this a place to be again for fans and a place players want to play and are excited to be at when they're here."
Cougars majority owner Greg Pocock approached Hamhuis in early November to offer him a chance to buy a piece of the franchise after Rick Brodsky put the team on the market and Hamhuis suggested that same offer be extended to Brewer.
"We looked at it financially to make sure we weren't just donating money and financially it can work if we just get more people in the seats," said Hamhuis.
"Greg felt our group would be rounded out with another partner and I've known Eric for awhile and through the years being ex-Cougars and B.C. guys we've seen a lot of each other. I played with him in the 2007 world championships and worked with him in the executive board of the NHLPA and I know him to be a great person with family ties to Prince George."
Also involved in the ownership group are Prince George businessmen Ernest Ouellet, John Pateman and Ray Fortier. Hamhuis will get together with the group for the first time at the public introduction of the new ownership group on Tuesday, May 13, from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. at CN Centre.
"Greg probably could have financed this thing all on his own, but to have six guys with different backgrounds involved, you can lean on each guy for their area of expertise and that's probably how it will work," said Hamhuis.
Born and raised in Smithers, a four-hour drive from Prince George, Hamhuis considers Prince George his adopted home. His wife Sarah lives in Vancouver with their three daughters - Anna, 5; Morgan, 4, and Brooke, 2, but they spend quite of bit of the summer visiting family and friends in P.G.
"It's pretty special to be involved in the ownership of a team I played for in junior," said Hamhuis. "Prince George means a lot to me. It's always the big city for kids from Smithers, and to play junior there, meet my wife there, have a kid, get married, obviously I have a lot of personal ties to the city and to get this opportunity come up I was extremely excited about it."
Hamhuis plans to be in town for at least the first day of the Prince George Cougars Alumni Hospital Pro-Am golf tournament at Prince George Golf and Curling Club July 18-19, a fundraiser for the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation. He also plans to be around for the Cougars' training camp in August before he goes back to Vancouver to begin his 11th NHL season.
"I'll maybe skate with the guys, selfishly to get some icetime for myself, but also I just want to get to know the guys and be right at the front line," said Hamhuis. "I remember in junior we had a few guys getting ready for pro camps come back to skate with us and it's neat because you can see where you need to be and what level they practice at."
