BUSINESS OF HOCKEY: JUNIORHOCKEY.IO WELCOMES STEVE DONNER Sports marketing legend joins the team!

Hello, my name is Steve Donner and I am a sports executive/owner that has been in the sports business for almost 40 years.

I have worked at the Major League, Minor League, and Junior Hockey levels as a team owner or administrative executive and have managed ten sports start up organizations.

I am anxious to share with all of you my experiences in the sports industry and hopefully provide some insights that will help you in your sports organizations. I will pick a weekly topic that we all face in our year to year operations and share some ideas to help you operate on a more efficient level.

Those of us who have worked in sports and business know that learning from others and sharing best practices is a great way for us all to get better at what we do and it makes the sports industry stronger. I don't believe in secrets in this business and oftentimes we all learn hard lessons on the job that could have been prevented through better education in the business.

As I write about topics week to week I am very open to suggestions on topics you may want me to write about and discuss. I have found, over the years, that some topics which seem like hockey 101 to some are brand new to others.

The growth of Junior Hockey and Minor League hockey over the past ten years has been massive. That has brought with it many new operators and many challenges to compete in the Junior Hockey Landscape. It has also brought with it many new opportunities for coaches, players, parents, and owners to get into Junior Hockey.

Owners have come into Junior Hockey for many reasons. Many want to bring Junior Hockey opportunities to players in their area. Some have had family members exposed to the game with owners that did not provide a good experience for the player and want to start a team to do right by the players.

Some look at it as a pure business opportunity that is less expensive or risky than Minor Pro Hockey. I hope to educate parents what to look for in a quality organization and help organizations be the type of team players want to play for.

I will be happy to write about ways to help players and parents navigate through the gauntlet of Junior Hockey. I have had two sons come up through amateur hockey into Juniors and although I have always been in hockey it has been an eye opening experience for our family.

We learned many things the hard way and I have tried to help other friends with their children to guide their path through the game. Junior Hockey can be an amazing experience for young players and often life changing. It has also ruined a lot of players' careers and stifled their development playing in organizations who put the money first and the players second.

Tier III Junior Hockey is challenging for the owners, Coaches, and players who want to do the right thing but often drift off the rails due to money constraints, inexperience or greed. We all want to work together to provide legitimate opportunities for young players in a fair, safe and competitive environment.

I hope that I can help many of you achieve your player's or organizational goals with my weekly topics over the next few months.