This past week, Toronto native and current Edmonton Oilers left-winger Zach Hyman was spotted watching his new team, the Brantford Bulldogs Hockey Club, practice at the city’s local civic centre. The Forest Hill local is now the new owner of the team after the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) approved the transfer of ownership of the Bulldogs to a group led by Hyman, along with his brother Spencer and father Stuart, last month.
Apparently, Hyman watching the team practice was all the motivation they needed — the Bulldogs went on to beat the Niagara IceDogs 10-1 on Friday and again 5-4 on Sunday afternoon, before defeating the Soo Greyhounds on Family Day Monday by 8-6. The wins have made the Bulldogs the no. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Oshawa Generals, with a record of 26 wins, 8 overtime wins, 5 overtime losses, 16 regular losses, and a total of 73 points in 55 games (scoring 226 goals while only allowing 186). The team is closely followed by the Barrie Colts (27-6-4-15, with 70 points) and the Generals (27-7-5-16), who also have 73 points overall, scoring 219 goals while allowing 181.
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Last Friday’s Valentine’s Day game against the IceDogs was the first live game Hyman attended since he and his family bought the team last month. According to the Brantford Expositor, he even skated a few laps with the team’s staff and their families before the game started.
When asked whether being in Brantford was part of his plan during the NHL’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament (Canada and the US are the final two teams in the tournament and will face off against each other at the TD Garden arena in Boston on Thursday), Hyman told the publication no — but admitted “…it’s really cool.”
“We know how passionate the people of Brantford are for the Bulldogs so it’s going to be pretty cool to see,” he said.
The Hymans have a long history with junior hockey — Zach played for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Hamilton Red Wings from 2008-2011 and Spencer played from 2009-2013 (their father purchased the club in 2003 until it was moved to Markham and became the Markham Royals in 2015).
For the Bulldogs, Zach will serve as president and governor of the team, his father Stuart is the CEO and alternate governor, and his brother Spencer is vice-president and COO.
“Hockey is more than just a game for my family. It teaches our youth about the importance of teamwork and it brings together communities” Hyman said in a statement after the purchase went through. “Thank you to the Ontario Hockey League for giving me this opportunity to give back to the game I love.”
The Bulldogs will next play the Peterborough Petes on Thursday evening at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
