Cardiff Devils: The story of how the club was saved 10 years ago

In the spring of 2014, the Cardiff Devils were in dire straits.

Once a powerhouse in British ice hockey, the Welsh club had just endured what many supporters considered their worst season ever.

The Devils finished ninth in the elite 10-team league, players were leaving, some with unpaid bills, and the relationship between then-owner Paul Ragan and the fans had completely fallen apart.

Concerns about whether the club could survive were becoming real.

But one phone call was about to change everything.

Searching for a solution to the club's dire situation, Devils assistant coach and former player-coach Neil Francis called Todd Kellman, general manager of a rival team, and asked for advice.

“At the time I was running Belfast Giants and was also on the Elite League board and Neil Francis contacted me with some information about what would happen if Cardiff wanted to find an investor and get new ownership,” Kelman recalls of the conversation in May.

“So I said, ‘Do you have anyone in mind?’ And he said, ‘No,’ and I said, ‘Well, I guess there is.’”

For years, Kelman had been in loose discussions with Steve King, an old friend from Calgary who runs a business finance company, about buying a hockey team of their own.

“Steve's interest in British hockey first began when Belfast hosted the Boston Bruins to play against an elite league all-star team in 2010 and Steve came to watch the Bruins,” Kelman explained.

“Steve said, 'This is a phenomenal league. I never thought the rink would become what it is. Let's buy a team together. I'll get some guys together, put up the money and you find a team.'

“Then I got a call from Neil Francis and that was the first time we really looked at it. I called Steve and said, 'I think we've found the team.'

King also approached three other hockey-loving Canadian businessmen, Brian Parker, Kelly Hughes and Craig Szostak, to invest in the venture.

On 28 June 2014, documents were signed transferring ownership of Cardiff Devils to their consortium, with Kelman appointed managing director and given a stake in the club's franchise.

It was a big step forward, but tough times still lay ahead.

Essentially, all the group purchased was the rights to use the Devils logo and access to the Big Blue Tent, a prefabricated rink that has long since outlived its original lifespan.

They also inherited just one player on their roster: Ben Bownes, a 23-year-old goalkeeper from Yorkshire.

With preseason just a few weeks away, Kelman needed 19 more players and a coach to lead them.

This time it was Francis who came up with the solution. He suggested Andrew Lord, who had been with the Devils the previous season but was heading to Northern Ireland, as a potential player-coach. And the proposal turned out to be an excellent one.

“Andrew Lord has effectively signed a contract with Belfast Giants to come to our team as a player, not as a coach,” Kelman said.

“When I started this, Frannie [Neil Francis] He told me, “You stop talking to Andrew Lord, and I'll start talking to him.”

“I had to tell Steve. [Thornton] Andrew Lord, who takes over from me as manager at Belfast Giants, said: “The reason Andrew Lord has gone quiet is because he is going to be our manager.”

Lord accepted the challenge and worked with Kelman to quickly organize a force.

“We put the team together within four weeks,” recalls former Bracknell and Belfast defenceman Kelman.

“We were telling people we liked that we would give them a reference sheet or two and have them sign it.”

“It was shared between two married men. None of us had our own apartments, so it was a quick fix.

“When I speak to Josh Batch, Mark Richardson, Joey Martin and Ben Bownes, all of whom have been with the team since that first year, they all laugh about it.

“It's a lot more professional now, the rink is a lot better, the business and fan base is bigger, but in terms of fun, nothing will beat that first year.”

And that first season was a memorable one.

Less than nine months later, the Devils would face the Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup final in front of over 7,000 fans at Sheffield Arena.

No one expected the team to be a threat in 2014-15, finishing third in the league, just two points behind the eventual champion Steelers.

Under Lord's guidance, Cardiff re-established themselves as one of the top teams in British hockey, winning two Elite League championships, two play-off finals and one Challenge Cup in the next four seasons.

Ten years on, the team is based at the £19m Vindico Arena but it's a world away from when Kelman ran the club from a shipping container and the players used bin bins instead of ice baths.

“Some of the things we did were completely unprofessional,” he admits.

“It was truly minor league as a minor league sport goes, and it was the most fun year I've had in my hockey career so far.

“I never thought 10 years would pass so quickly, but I also never thought I'd no longer be here 10 years later.

“When I came here, I told everyone who asked me, 'This is my last job.' I'm never leaving.”

“It's what people who played sports want to do. Think about all the people who become billionaires. What's the first thing they do? Buy a sports team! Not the NHL, but our little NHL.”