Jeff Hunt
| Jeff Hunt |
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| Nationality |
Canadian |
| Known for |
Owner of the Ottawa 67's |
Jeff Hunt is a Canadian businessman who currently owns the Ottawa 67's hockey club of the Ontario Hockey League. He started a carpet-cleaning firm called Canway. His firm was in the Profit Magazine 100 seven times in the 1990s.[1]
OHL Hockey
In 1998, he purchased the Ottawa 67s and has seen his attendance quintuple. When Jeff Hunt purchased the 67’s, the teams previous owner had been spending just $25,000 a year on marketing costs. Hunt would spend that amount every week once he became its new owner.[1] His goal with the 67s was to provide an NHL-calibre experience, from the game and the music to the concessions and promotions. His goal was to create a fan experience that appeals to the whole family and connect the team with the community. One of the highlights of his ownership was in 1999, when he led the team's bid to host the 1999 Memorial Cup tournament. Despite that fact that in 1997 the tournament had been hosted across the river in Hull, Quebec, he was able to convince the Canadian Hockey League to host the event in the city of Ottawa and guarantee his team a berth in the tournament. The 67's did not disappoint, as every game of the series was sold out at the 10,550 seat Ottawa Civic Centre. The 67’s would go on to win the Memorial Cup.[2]
Jeff Hunt is a longtime fan of CFL football, he was a Rough Rider season ticket holder and has attended eight Grey Cups.[3] In 2006, Jeff Hunt was part of the Golden Gate Capital group that was regarded as the front-runner among three bids to land a CFL expansion franchise for Ottawa. But The group withdrew after a prominent group member was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.[4] In September 2007, Hunt confirmed that he was once again heading up a group of local investors to talk to the CFL about bringing the Canadian Football League back to Ottawa.[5] Hunt wanted to take over Lansdowne Park, home of Frank Clair Stadium, and operate football, hockey and sports entertainment out of it. His objective was to renovate the stadium itself, and add luxury suites and state-of-the-art facilities.[1]
On March 25, 2008, Hunt was awarded an expansion franchise. The team is expected to play at Frank Clair Stadium if the stadium can be remodeled and had been conditionally awarded the right to host the 2014 Grey Cup game.[6] A Can $7 million fee was reported to have been paid.[7] After originally being announced to begin play in 2010, its start date was pushed back to 2012[8], then 2013[9] and now 2014 or 2015, effectively placing the franchise firmly in development hell.
Hunt purchased the rights to the Ottawa Rough Riders name from the Rough Riders' last owner, Horn Chen. In order to install the Rough Riders name on his new team, Hunt would have to seek approval from the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[10]
Charity
Jeff Hunt is also the organizer of the Jeff Hunt Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament is in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. 90% of the tournament proceeds from the tournament are be donated to the Ottawa Heart Institute, while the remaining 10% are donated to the Ottawa 67's Foundation.[11]
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Category · Portal · WikiProject
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| Persondata |
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Hunt, Jeff |
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