Minority owner of the Golden Knights one of many St. Thomas, Ont. ties to Stanley Cup champs

St. Thomas’ connection to the Stanley Cup champs A St. Thomas native is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who just clinched their first Stanley Cup win. Brent Lale reports.

The short time frame from expansion team to Stanley Cup champions came as a big surprise for Las Vegas Golden Knights minority owner Cyril Goddeeris.

“I think the dream of me winning a Stanley Cup probably faded when I was nine years old,” said Goddeeris, 45, who grew up as a goalie in St. Thomas, Ont. “So to get an opportunity to find a different path there, it's pretty exciting.”

After graduating from Queen’s University, Goddeeris has lived and worked in New York for years. He bought a small stake in the franchise when Bill Foley was awarded the expansion team.

“He looked to find some investors and a few friends of mine got around the idea. We spent some time on it, we spent some time with him,” said Goddeeris. “We were impressed by the way he was thinking about building the team, the franchise, and we knew that this hockey in Vegas was going to be risky, but we thought we were investing with the right person.”

They were correct, and it has paid off. He watches the team from afar, but he does attend the board meetings.

“You understand the process of how we think about budgeting players and all the pieces that come together and as well as the complexity of all the number of people involved in running a hockey team,” said Goddeeris.

At his family’s sports bar in St. Thomas, the celebration was on Tuesday night.

“I have never been so excited about a game,” said Jean Goddeeris, Cyril’s mom. “I waited right to the end, watched the finale after [the game]. Go Vegas!”

And thanks to his family, Cyril has kept ties to the city where he was born and raised.

He recently made a $442,000 donation for recreation improvements.

“He's always been active in sports through high school and grade school,” said Gary Clarke, his former elementary school principal and current city councillor. “He loves sports and he loves the city, and now he's donated money to re-do basketball courts and pickleball courts.”

The donation will also include the purchasing of six professional-level basketball courts. Four will be installed at 1Password Park, and the other two at the Joe Thornton Community Centre.

Work is underway right now at Burwell Park to construct the courts, with fresh asphalt laid.

“I was talking to one of my best friends during COVID and his basketball club was struggling to find indoor space to use,” said Goddeeris. “We were trying to find ways to get kids more court time, and we talked to the city and started a project.”

He added, “I think we're making good progress in terms of paving the courts now and hopefully end of summer we'll have something new for the city.”

Goddeeris also owns a stake in an Italian soccer club, Venezia F.C.

“Our team in Italy has been exciting and it's fun,” he said. “My kids are involved in engaged in it, so it's a lot of fun.”

However it’s the Golden Knights who have delivered him and his family their first championship.

When Bill Foley spoke during the expansion draft, he stated he planned to win a Stanley Cup title in six years.

“He had ambitions of winning the cup in six years and it's impressive that he's able to deliver that,” said Goddeeris.

He's not the only St. Thomas resident with ties to the club. Scott Luce is the Knights’ director of amateur scouting, and Scott Jones is the skating and skill development coach.