Medicine Hat sports magnate wins first WHL title
Bill Yuill captures the Ed Chynoweth Cup after 38 years in junior and minor league sports ownership.
Nearly four decades after he first bought a Western Hockey League franchise, Bill Yuill has his first championship trophy.
The Medicine Hat sports magnate's Everett Silvertips capped a first-place regular season with a playoff title win over the Prince Albert Raiders last week. The team now heads to the Memorial Cup tournament in Kelowna, which begins this weekend.
For Yuill, who sits in his downtown Medicine Hat office alongside World Series replica trophies and sports memorabilia, the win represents a milestone in a career that has spanned minor league baseball and hockey. Through his company Consolidated Sports, he's operated more than 10 teams across various leagues since 1977.
The Silvertips are led by top NHL prospects Carter Bear and Landon DuPont and top-scoring forward Julius Miettinen. The team, based 870 kilometres west in Washington State, has consistently ranked high in league attendance and hasn't missed the playoffs in 23 years.
"Everybody's jacked up. Everyone is excited," Yuill told CBC News. "We finished up with a lot of wins and a good group of kids out there. We're delighted to be where we are."
Yuill credits his success to hiring strong people and letting them lead. He leaves hockey decisions entirely to WHL Coach of the Year winner Steve Hamilton and rising-star general manager Mike Fraser. "I've got a lot of good guys around me," he said. "That's really what it takes."
Long-time league observers describe the Silvertips as a model franchise. Yuill has stayed largely out of the limelight, focusing on business results and enjoying the on-ice product. After selling his television, radio, and cable businesses in Western Canada, which made him a major shareholder in Shaw Communications, he's applied the same hands-off, long-view philosophy to sports ownership.
"Right now, Everett is likely the model franchise," said Gregg Drinnan, who covered the WHL for 40 years. "That's due to shrewd hires, adapting to changes in the game, and a lack of drama."
For a lifelong sports owner who measures success by building relationships and finding sound business opportunities, the Ed Chynoweth Cup sits as tangible proof that patience and smart management deliver results.