OHL Approves New Ownership Groups for Windsor and Barrie

The Ontario Hockey League today announced the approval of new ownership groups for two of the League’s franchises. The transfer of ownership of the Windsor Spitfires, as well as the transfer of majority interest in the Barrie Colts was unanimously approved by the Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors on Thursday April 6, 2006.

The Barrie Colts are pleased to introduce Howie Campbell as the new majority owner of the franchise. Campbell is an entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience as an owner and executive in the electrical distribution business. In 1994, in partnership with his brother Rick, Campbell purchased Superior Electric Supply (SESCO), one of Toronto’s oldest electrical distributors.

In January of this year, the Campbells sold SESCO to Home Depot Supply Co. Howie remains with Home Depot Co. as a Vice President responsible for mergers and acquisitions.

James Massie the Chairman of the Barrie Colts will remain in that position with the organization. Massie will also retain his minority ownership stake in the franchise along with fellow minority owners Larry Stuart and Ward Seymour.

The Windsor Spitfires are excited to introduce the franchise’s new ownership group of Bob Boughner, Warren Rychel and Peter Dobrich.

Boughner, who will assume the roles of President and CEO of the Spitfires, is a native of Windsor and product of the Windsor minor hockey association. He was drafted 6th overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and was the Captain of the Greyhounds 1991 OHL Championship team that won the J. Ross Robertson Cup.

Boughner was drafted into the National Hockey League by the Detroit Red Wings and is in the midst of a 10 year NHL career, currently playing with the Colorado Avalanche. He presently holds the position of Executive Vice President of the National Hockey League Players Association.

Rychel grew up in the Windsor area is a product of what is now known as the Tecumseh Minor Hockey Association, just outside of Windsor. He played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, prior to embarking on lengthy professional hockey career. He was a member of the 1996 Stanley Cup Champion, Colorado Avalanche. Warren has been employed as a professional scout by the Phoenix Coyotes for the past five years.

Dobrich is a local entrepreneur and lifelong Windsor area resident. He is also a graduate of what is now the Tecumseh Minor Hockey Organization. He earned an honours degree, in Commerce, from the University of Windsor, while enjoying a successful playing career with the University of Windsor Lancers Hockey Team.

All three men are actively involved in the community and over the years have performed vast amounts of charitable work in the Windsor area and have spearheaded numerous projects that have put hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the Southwestern Ontario Community.

“We are very pleased to have approved the transfer of ownership of the Windsor Spitfires and transfer of majority interest in the Barrie Colts,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “We are happy to welcome these new owners into our league and look forward to watching them flourish in their new capacity. In the case of Bob Boughner and Warren Rychel, we are happy to see the trend continue of our graduates coming back to the OHL in ownership and management positions. It speaks great volumes of the quality of the young men that graduate from our league and their desire to give back to the communities that supported them through their junior careers.”