The Ontario Hockey League announced in a release Friday morning that Toronto-area entrepreneur, investor and sports executive John Careri will become the new owner of the Barrie Colts Hockey Club. Careri also owns the Toronto Patriots, defending Buckland Cup champions, and a private athletic and academic school in Vaughan called Everest Academy. In a press conference at Sadlon Arena, Careri admits its a dream come true. “I woke up this morning and it was like Christmas morning,” said Careri. “So I’m excited to get up here and get to meet you all and excited to get the season started.” Howie Campbell will remain with the team over the next five years as a senior advisor to ensure a smooth transition. Careri along with Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall both reassuring the team will stay in Barrie. “The Barrie Colts will stay in Barrie, and that’s the ultimate goal,” said Careri. “So to me, it’s not even not even a question.” The Colts and the city signed a ten-year lease agreement last April. “We signed off on any of those transfers about two weeks ago and we’ve just been it’s been moving forward as fast as we can to support the growth of the Colts and the growth that it has in our community,” said Nuttall. “Whether it’s out on the ice or, the amazing work that they do with the Colts Foundation to support so many different local charities.” The mayor added the process to renovate the arena has already begun. “There’s been about three years of work into this already between Tourism Barrie, the Colts organization, and the city,” said Nuttall. “First step was to figure out what it would look like, what are the options? And I think the next step is to then, pick one of those options up and move forward.” With Careri adding he hopes to work with the city to provide the team with top of the line facilities to ensure success. “It’s a goal that they’ve been chasing for 21 years and we know how difficult it is and how this goes to build a team that can not only play at the highest level, but stay healthy and so on and so forth,” said Careri. “He’s (Campbell) had some unfortunate luck with players getting hurt but that’s part of the game so, I want to provide, the facilities that can make sure we can our kids can recover and where we can, you know, take it to the next level.” Careri ready to build off a strong season last year that saw the Colts make it to the OHL final, ultimately getting swept by the Kitchener Rangers. “The heart in this city and the fan base was just watching them enjoy that experience and got to see them go deep into the playoffs as is,” said Careri. Campbell said negotiations between him and Careri began in November and was originally not interested in selling the team, but Careri’s hockey background changed his mind. Specific details of the deal remain confidential. “He’s already in the hockey business, he owns a junior team and Everest Academy, so he was kind of the perfect fit because those two options will help bring us better players in the future as well,” said Campbell. “So he was the right guy on the wrong day.” Howie Campbell has been the president and majority owner of the Colts for the last 20 years, when he bought it from Barrie businessman Jamie Massie in 2006. “I know (he) will carry on the legacy of the franchise to the same standards that we’ve sort of set here,” said Campbell. “(That) was the main reason why I sold it.” In his final act of being a majority owner, Campbell on behalf of the Barrie Colts foundation donated $50,000 to Easter Seals to send children to camp. In a statement on the Ontario Hockey Leagues website, Commissioner Bryan Crawford said: “I’m pleased to welcome John Careri as owner of the Barrie Colts. He brings a passion and enthusiasm for the game and I know he’s eager to continue the tradition of competitiveness that the Barrie Colts have enjoyed for more than 30 years. John’s proven business leadership, commitment to developing student-athletes and passion for building strong organizations should benefit not only the Barrie Colts, but the League as a whole.”
