RCH puts up website

The battle -- and this will be a battle before it’s done -- over ownership of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers took another twist Monday with the debut of rivercityhockey.ca, a website operated by River City Hockey Inc., the group that is trying to purchase the hockey team.
RCH is headed up by Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi and features four ex-Blazers players, all of whom are big names in the NHL -- Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor.
Included on the website are letters of support from Brian Burke, the executive vice-president and general manager of the Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks, and Ron Toigo, who owns the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.
“I support River City Hockey’s quest to purchase the Kamloops Blazers of the
Western Hockey League," reads a letter signed by Burke, who also is a co-owner of the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins. “The Chilliwack Bruins, and Brian Burke personally, endorse this ownership change. We believe in private ownership generally, and in this group in particular.”
A letter signed by Toigo reads, in part: “I am very supportive of your pursuit of the purchase of the Kamloops Blazers.
“I believe you and your group of former Blazers -- Darryl Sydor, Jarome
Iginla, Shane Doan, and Mark Recchi -- is a group that the community of
Kamloops should be proud to have as the owners and operators of their hockey
franchise.”
RCH attempted to purchase the Blazers for $6 million a year ago but was rebuffed when the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society voted that its assets weren’t for sale.
On Wednesday, RCH had letters delivered to the society’s nine directors stating its intent to make another offer to purchase.
Gaglardi told the Kamloops Daily News on Thursday that the offer will be for $6 million and that it may be made at some point this week.
Gaglardi also said that a website would be set up as RCH works to improve its public relations, something it did very little of a year ago. That website -- rivercityhockey.ca -- quietly came online sometime Monday.
Included on the website are sections titled The Vision, which offers up something of a mission statement; The Facts, which provides questions and answers; The Partners, with bios of the five partners; and, You Say, where the aforementioned notes of support appear.
As of Monday night, no details of a potential offer appeared anywhere on the
website. Gaglardi has said that once an offer is made, details will be posted on the website.
The Blazers' board of directors is scheduled to meet today.
Stay tuned.