OHL Commissioner says Battalion shining example of Community Team

OHL Commissioner says Battalion shining example of Community Team

By Richard Coffin

The new commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League says the North Bay Battalion are one of the best examples of how deeply engrained their clubs are in their community and how important they are to the community.  

Bryan Crawford was in the city Thursday.  

“That’s part of what is really our superpower as a league is that connection. It’s so authentic, it’s so meaningful, it’s a place where people gather, especially during the dark days of the winter,” Crawford says. “These arenas are the places that the community grows stronger and that’s what’s special about our league as a whole. Certainly, North Bay is one of the smaller communities in the league and it’s just that much more prevalent here.  It’s shone through pretty brightly.” 

Crawford’s visit also included meetings with community partners, city and tourism officials.

“It’s really wonderful to see how supportive the city staff, both the elected members of municipal government as well as the staff members are to this club and to our league,” he says. “That is such an important starting point to have success.”  

The current economic climate was another talking point with Crawford saying they do have to work hard to have fans feel the league is worthy of their resources, both time and financially.  

“We are a very, very family friendly and very fan friendly option for people when you think of what it takes to attend a professional sporting event,” he says.  “That’s one of the things that we play to as a strength.” 

On top of seeing future NHL stars, fans also see their communities being represented.  

“To me it’s about the name on the front. You’re coming out and supporting your community and the guys that are representing your community in that particular game or that particular season,” he says. “We’re selling that civic connection.”  

Other issues Crawford touched on included NCAA player eligibility rule changes, filling the shoes of former Commissioner David Branch and his decades-long tenure, putting his own stamp on the league and possible expansion.  

“For us it’s really about exploring all the opportunities we have before us to grow our brand, to grow our league, to grow the business to expand and invest in hockey and bring our league and sport to new fans in different places,” he says, noting it’s also about expanding media, broadcasting and partnership opportunities.  

Crawford was joined on his visit to North Bay by Cole Butterworth, OHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Brodie Barrick, OHL Director of Player Recruitment and Player Services.  

Host Jennifer Tocheri

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