The co-owner of the Sarnia Legionnaires says they're actively working to sell the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) club once again.
Theo Bet made the comment to Sarnia News Today after he and the former ownership group were reinstated following a devastating 0-50-0-0 season in 2025-26.
"We're not 25-years-old anymore," said Bet. "I've been doing this for 30 years and the guys that are with me are all 25 year veterans of this game. After a while it just gets tiring. When you're on the downward hill of life, sometimes other things take priority. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to run a junior franchise. Is the team for sale? Absolutely. We take some responsibility as to what happened last year. We will certainly do more in depth diligence when we move the team on to somebody else, for sure."
Bet, Paul Hurtubise, Cliff Smith and Terry Lilley sold the historic franchise to Jon Periard before the season and Periard also served as the General Manager.
In a statement, Commissioner Greg Spada said outside complaints led to an investigation by the league which found Periard was "unable to fulfill his obligations to finalize and purchase the team."
He said league officials were forced to help with things like retaining players and getting them billet families, and many players left part way through the season.
Bet, who served on the board of directors this past season, said he realizes how hard it is for one person to operate a team.
"It was a perfect storm this year," he said. "We thought we had sold the team and the coach from the year before (Brian Irwin) had recruited a bunch of players but he got transferred out east. The kids just maybe weren't feeling the new ownership direction and decided to play some place else. He (Periard) was caught short trying to recruit players. It was just a perfect storm for him, and it was what it was. It takes a lot of people to run a Jr. B franchise and one person can't do it alone."
Bet said despite the frustration, there's no where to go but up.
He said there are some positives to take from the experience.
"Winning is not all that it's cracked up to be," said Bet. "That's not the reason why we play this sport. The kids at 16-years-old, they're trying to develop their hockey skill levels and trying to grow into mature young men. How you handle losing helps develop that character."
Bet gave credit to Legionnaires captain Owen Hey, the only 20-year-old on the team, for helping keep the club together.
He said Mike Bondy will continue to serve at the Legionnaires' head coach moving forward.
"Mike had an unbelievable resume," he said. "He coached in Strathroy and had a winning team there for many years. He's well respected throughout the league and his hockey knowledge is unbelievable. He knew what he had to work with here, and he tried to do his best as did the kids. We're glad to have him and his team. They're great guys and probably a reason why the team didn't implode at 0-40. We always came with a full roster and a desire to win. They gave a 110 per cent effort every time."
Bet said the fan support never waivered, and he thanks everyone for their patronage all season long.
"We were drawing 400 people on average and during our last game we had 1,500 people at the barn," said Bet. "There are teams sitting in first place that don't even draw half of that."
Bet admits it will likely be tough to attract and recruit new players for the 2026-27 campaign.
"A lot of parents, they look at what's happened and start laying blame on the coaching staff so they're a little more reluctant to send their kids to Sarnia," he said, "At the same time, all eyes will be on Sarnia for the upcoming year. Let's see what we can do. Mike (Bondy) is certainly prepared to take on that challenge. Our camp is set for the second week in May. Let's see what kind of kids come out. My email inbox is filled with different scouts and kids that are interested in coming to this franchise. Let's see what happens. We're reaching into the US markets and trying to get four 16-year-olds into our league to help with the OHL recruitment process."
The GOHL said moving forward, it will work with local stakeholders to reestablish the organization's operational structure and prepare for a strong return next season.
“Sometimes the right decisions take time," said Commissioner Spada in the statement. "By allowing the proper process to run its course, we have now positioned the Sarnia Legionnaires for stability and a strong future in the Greater Ontario Hockey League.”
The statement went on to thank fans, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners who stood behind the Legionnaires throughout what can only be described as challenging season.
