Rick LeLacheur (born 25 August 1948) is a Canadian football executive and former ice hockey player who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
| Edmonton Elks | |||||||||
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| Position: | President and CEO | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | 25 August 1948 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Early life and hockey career
editAn Edmonton native, LeLacheur was born on 25 August 1948.[1][2] Playing at the right wing position, he was on the roster for the Edmonton Western Movers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) for the 1966–67 season.[2] LeLacheur then played two seasons for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL), later renamed the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). He was the captain for the Oil Kings.[3] LeLacheur's final season playing ice hockey was for the Edmonton Monarchs of the Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) in 1969–70.[2]
Executive career
editFollowing his hockey career, LeLacheur pursued a business career path, working for his family's Western Moving and Storage business for 25 years.[3] He became Western's president in 1982, serving in the position until the company was sold in 1992.[4]
In 1984, before becoming involved with any Canadian Football League (CFL) team, he was the chairman of the Grey Cup festival.[3] He was a board member of the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos in the 1980s.[5] From 1992 to 1998, LeLacheur served as the head of Economic Development Edmonton (EDE), also known as the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).[6][7][8] In 1994, LeLacheur brokered a deal that gave Peter Pocklington full control over the Northlands Coliseum.[9]
LeLacheur became the president and CEO of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, hosted in Edmonton.[3]
LeLacheur then served as the team president and CEO of the Eskimos from 2002 to 2011.[1] He began his tenure with the team as the chief operating officer (COO) of the franchise.[3] Edmonton hosted the 90th Grey Cup in 2002, with LeLacheur serving as the game's managing director.[10] During his tenure with the Eskimos, he oversaw new building additions to the team's Commonwealth Stadium.[10] LeLacheur won two Grey Cup championships with the Eskimos, in 2003 and 2005.[7] In 2010, he publicly criticized the team as they started the season 0–4.[11] Edmonton would again host Grey Cup festivities in 2010.[8] LeLacheur was named the winner of the Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award for the 2011 CFL season.[8] He left the team due to health concerns, after experiencing complications stemming from surgery for prostate cancer.[3]
In December 2011, he was appointed as the chairman for a three-year term for Horce Racing Alberta (HRA), a private, not-for-profit organization.[10] In December 2017, LeLacheur was named the President and CEO of the CFL's BC Lions.[1] At the time, he was still serving as HRA's chairman of the board.[1] His tenure with the Lions began in January 2018 and ended following the 2022 season.[1] During his tenure with the team, he was tasked with finding new ownership.[7] He was named the Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award winner for a second time for the 2022 CFL season.[12]
Though he retired following his Lions tenure, he was lured out of retirement and named the interim president and CEO of the Edmonton Elks on 22 August 2023.[5] This marked his second tenure in those positions with the franchise.[13] During this second tenure, the Elks reviewed their ownership structure; the team has been notably community-owned since 1949, though the Elks have been discussed in Canadian football media as potentially moving toward private ownership.[14][15][16] LeLacheur mentioned the team's financial struggles over the few previous seasons as a factor that "can't be overlooked".[15]
Ice hockey career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1966–67 | Edmonton Western Movers | AJHL | Statistics unavailable | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1967–68 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WCJHL | 50 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WCHL | 52 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Edmonton Monarchs | ASHL | Statistics unavailable | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "B.C. Lions name former Eskimos executive Rick LeLacheur as club's president". The Canadian Press. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2024 – via The Globe and Mail.
- ^ a b c "Rick LeLacheur Hockey Stats and Profile". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Van Santvoort, Albert (7 November 2018). "CFL veteran pushes long-term game plan". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Rick LeLacheur – President". bclions.com. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ a b Barnes, Dan (22 August 2023). "New and former president Rick LeLacheur back to guide Edmonton Elks". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Mole, Rich (2006). "For Sale: One Former Championship Hockey Team". Edmonton Oilers: Against All Odds. Altitude Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 1-55439-227-6.
- ^ a b c Sandor, Steven (22 August 2023). "Rick LeLacheur returns as interim president, CEO of Elks". CBC.ca. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Elks name Rick LeLacheur as interim president and CEO". CFL.ca. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Scherer, Jay; Mills, David; Sloan McCulloch, Linda (2019). "The Blue Line and the Bottom Line". Power Play: Professional Hockey and the Politics of Urban Development. University of Alberta Press. p. 57. ISBN 9781772124934.
- ^ a b c "HRA Appoints New Chairman Of The Board". Standardbred Canada. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Stay of execution for Eskimos". Red Deer Advocate. 7 January 2017 [31 July 2010]. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Baker, Matt (17 November 2022). "Rick LeLacheur Wins 2nd Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award". bclions.com. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Interim President and CEO Rick LeLacheur". goelks.com. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Struggling Edmonton Elks to review ownership structure amid mounting losses". The Canadian Press. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024 – via CBC.ca.
- ^ a b Miller, Anthony (24 November 2023). "Edmonton Elks Create Committee to Review Ownership Structure, Ensure Future". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Miller, Anthony (26 November 2023). "Elks Want New Stadium in Edmonton". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 4 August 2024.