Cape Breton Eagles owner makes big changes, sets sights on Memorial Cup

Since Irwin Simon became the majority owner of the Cape Breton Eagles one year ago, he's made significant changes to the major junior hockey team with one goal in mind: bringing home the Memorial Cup.

The changes include hiring new staff, investing in new equipment and changing the team's name (from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles).

Simon spoke with the host of CBC Cape Breton's Information Morning, Steve Sutherland, about how he plans to make his Memorial Cup dreams come true.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

We know that we have a new name of our league franchise, a new logo, a new coach. What are some other specific changes that you made when you came on board?

We have a new general manager in Jacques Carriere. We have a new head of marketing and social media and strategic planning, Courtney Schriver-Richard, and then we have Gerard Shaw, our great president. We also have 10 scouts that are strategically located around the country and in Europe looking for players.

So we've really built out the infrastructure to support the growth of the team, the future of the team and the recruitment and drafting of players. 

We enhanced our whole billet plan in regards to making sure the boys have great homes to live with, great families. We've also looked at the education and making sure that they're getting the best education while they're in Sydney.

I think it was very important that when you came to Sydney, you were able to get good education, you are living with good billets and that there was really good training because their next step is getting drafted at the end here and going to the NHL.

We acquired a new bus for transportation because these guys spend a lot of time on the road. The bus cost over a half a million dollars that they're traveling on. You want to ensure the safety and health and wellness of these players.

The other thing is as you come in to Centre 200 today, you now have an Eagles store that sells all our merchandise. We've worked very much with the community in bringing on new sponsors and additional sponsors. Any team, for success, needs to have the community behind them.

Is there new money going into the Eagles? Is there more money being spent?

Myself being the largest shareholder, owning over 80 percent of it, yes. There's additional cash needed. There is absolutely some major investment that's gone into the team. I want to build a winner and we've got to invest to do that.

Cape Breton has never had a winner in 22 years. Ultimately, I'd love to host the Memorial Cup, love to host the draft.

I'm working with the city in regards to things we can do to upgrade Centre 200. So there's a lot happening in the background. There's a lot of investment that needs to happen to make sure we're able to bring these into Centre 200 and back to Sydney.

Where is the extra money coming from?

Right now it's coming from ownership. 

Meaning you?

Well, I'm a big part of the ownership. So I think that absolutely answers your question.

Would you say you're seeing returns on that investment and some of those changes?

You don't see the returns right away. I'm here for the long term. The returns will come when we're all standing here, centre ice, hoisting that Memorial Cup in a parade down Charlotte Street.

It's the long term returns in seeing four to five thousand spectators in the seats here.

And the big thing is what the Cape Breton Eagles are to this community. It brings the 120,000 residents of Cape Breton together. 

How would you characterize the situation with attendance? 

I like what I see. And the goal is bring more and more awareness to this team. And I think what we have to do is make it more accessible. There's 120,000 residents in Cape Breton.

Do we have bus service? What do we do to get people to games and get them home? How do we sell different packages?

Last week, minor hockey teams were there, and young kids were there with their minor hockey shirts on. So there's a lot more we have to do within the communities in regards to getting minor hockey involved, getting the schools involved, getting the college involved.  

It's just not those that live in Sydney. It's not those who just have cars should be able to come to the games.

What is the goal for attendance and where do things stand so far this season?

I'd love to have something with a "4" in front of it,  but you know we had the other day, 3400, 3500 at the game. We're above last year. Last year, average attendance was about 2400. We're at about 2700, 2800. So we're up already over last year, but we still have a lot of work to do.

In the standings right now, the Eagles are 5 out of 10 in the Eastern Conference?

Yes. And again, we're in a tough conference. We got some tough teams in there and we have a lot of work to do against those tough teams and you know, we're only going to get better.