THUNDER BAY – Ice Edge Holdings, LLC has announced that the company has entered into formal talks with the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) regarding an expansion team for Thunder Bay.
“Ice Edge has concurrently been focusing on several opportunities in professional sports during the past year. We are here in Thunder Bay today because we are beginning the official process of working with the ECHL to bring an expansion team to the city that both Anthony and I are proud to call home,” stated Keith McCullough, the CEO of Ice Edge Holdings.
“The ECHL is regarded at the premier double “AA” professional hockey league in North America and along with the NHL and AHL, is one of three groups recognised by the National Hockey Leagues’ Players Association.”
Anthony LeBlanc, the CEO of Ice Edge said, “Many things need to happen between now and the reality of a professional ECHL team in Thunder Bay. We will be working closely with the City of Thunder Bay regarding the potential of a new multiplex in the city, as well as working closely with Brian McKenna and the Board of Governors of the ECHL to ensure our expansion application meets all the necessary requirements”.
“Ice Edge has been quite public about our desires to bring a high level of professional hockey to Thunder Bay, and more broadly to grassroots hockey regions of Canada,” added Daryl Jones, Chief Operating Officer of Ice Edge.
The City of Thunder Bay has been exploring a multi-plex, and holding initial consultations with citizens over the past six months.
Caption to Photo: Left to Right; Brian Wyatt local sportsbroadcaster, Professor Doug Thom (Author of The Hockey Bibliography), and Keith McCullough, Chair of Ice Edge Holdings and a former Yale University varsity hockey team captain (similar to Canada’s Governor-General appointed, Dr. David Johnston, being a former captain of the Harvard University team).