Three hours after he arrived in Nashville on an unrelated business trip, W. Brett Wilson was offered the chance to become a part-owner of the Predators.
The former Dragons’ Den panelist had been interested in ownership for a while, but opportunities to get involved with an NHL club were few and far between.
“In the early 2000s, I had got into negotiations with the Calgary Flames, and then when the strike or lockout occurred in 2004, those negotiations went sideways,” Wilson said.
“Turns out someone had dropped out of the group that morning. I hadn’t been in Nashville three hours when the opportunity came along.”
READ MORE: The Jets vs Predators contest rages well beyond the ice in Nashville
The Saskatchewan-born businessman will be in Winnipeg Thursday night, watching his Nashville Predators take on the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of their second round series.
Wilson said it’s not often someone gets the chance to own part of a hockey team, and he’d been eager to get involved with one for a while.
“I jumped on it. Nobody expected the turn in a southern market like we achieved, but I knew that it was a worthwhile effort,” he said.
READ MORE: Winnipeg Jets rally to beat Predators in Game 3, lead series 2-1
Under the new ownership group, the fan base in Nashville grew dramatically.
“We’ve sold out over 100 games in a row. We’ve had no trouble filling the arena for the last five years,” Wilson said.
“But it took three or four years of grassroots efforts, constantly going out — as our management said — to Rotary clubs and high schools to explain what hockey was. And it worked.”
Wilson was on his way to Winnipeg Thursday morning, but couldn’t be baited into any friendly chirping ahead of the game.
“Remember: there’s two things we want,” he said.
“One is to keep it safe and healthy, the second is to have fun. And that’s really all we’re about.”
Comments