The acquisition of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan by the big boss of the Fix Auto network, Steve Leal, is conditional on the hockey team moving to the Montreal South Shore, learned The duty. The businessman is currently trying to find a city ready to build an amphitheater with more than 3,000 seats to host the franchise.
In a press release released on Monday, the CEO and founder of the Fix Auto network, Steve Leal, confirmed the signing of an agreement making him the majority shareholder of this franchise of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ). .
Wishing to calm the fears of the team’s supporters, Mr. Leal then said he wanted to keep it in New Brunswick for “the foreseeable future”; he also maintained that the franchise would remain in place for the next season.
However, the presence of the hockey team on the shores of Chaleur Bay is far from certain. On the contrary. The agreement to buy the franchise – the acquisition is not concluded – is in fact conditional on its moving to a city on the South Shore of Montreal, learned The duty.
Already, a company owned by Mr. Leal has taken steps with towns in the region to gauge their interest. In a statement appearing in the Registry of Lobbyists, where it has been registered for two weeks, Fix Auto writes that it wants to “receive letters of interest from municipalities” who would like to host the Titan. On the other hand, they must be “ready to finance the construction of a new stadium or the upgrading of an existing amphitheater”, we read.
The company notably targets Montreal and eight municipalities on the South Shore: Boucherville, Chambly, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Constant, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Sainte-Julie.
The duty briefly spoke to Gilles Cormier, CEO of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who declined to comment on the matter. He indicated that he was not aware of the steps taken by Fix Auto Canada to move the franchise.
The Fix Auto network declined our interview request. A representative of the company, however, ensures that the shareholders of the team are aware of Mr. Leal’s intentions.
If the acquisition by Mr. Leal materializes, the team would be on its second move, but also a return to the Montreal area. Before moving to the K.-C.-Irving Regional Center in Bathurst in 1998, the Titan played for more than 25 years in Laval.
Nothing guaranteed, says the QMJHL
The signing of a purchase agreement does not mean that there will be a move, explains Maxime Blouin, director of communications at the QMJHL: “The first step in this file is that the transaction be carried out and approved. by the commissioner [de la LHJMQ]. The transaction must also be approved by the other owners of the league. »
He adds in the same breath that “as long as the sale is not official, it is too early to talk about moving”. Especially since the internal processes of the QMJHL generally favor buyers who wish to keep a franchise in the market where it is established.
“But if we go [au déménagement d’une équipe]a city has to meet our standards,” he says, including “an arena with more or less 4,000 seats,” “enough hotels in the area” and “other characteristics specific to the infrastructure.”
Although he does not wish to comment on a transaction that has not been concluded, Mr. Blouin notes that any move would force the QMJHL to adapt. The Titan are currently one of six teams in the Maritimes Division, and “we would have to readjust the different divisions” if any team were to move.
The potential acquisition of the Titan is Steve Leal’s first foray into the world of major junior hockey. The businessman is the current CEO of Réseau Fix Monde, a Blainville company that presents itself as “a world leader in the automotive aftermarket services sector”. The company owns several brands and brands, including Fix Auto, Novus vitres, Carrossier ProColor, Service auto Speedy and SRP.