Puckmasters Hockey Training Center Franchise

Article from Small Business Opportunities Magazine, March 2007

Explosive growth for superhot hockey franchise.

Pete Fry began his hockey career when he was eight years old and living in Toronto. Some 17 years later when it came to an end after he had become a two-time Western Hockey League All-Star and a draft choice of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, the former goalie was at a loss.

“I was very passionate about hockey and suddenly it was gone,” Fry recalled. “I really didn’t know what I was going to do.”
But a motivational tape given to Fry by a neighbor proved his epiphany. The message was simple: “Find something you love and do what you love in a way that creates value for people.”

On Dec. 1, 1993, Fry opened the first Puckmasters Hockey Training Center in Victoria, British Columbia, and he’s never looked back.

Today, Puckmasters is North America’s first and largest hockey training center franchise with plans for 500 locations by 2012 throughout the United States and Canada. It currently has 25 training centers open in North America with 35 locations expected to be open by the end of 2007.

Puckmasters’ year-round, indoor hockey training centers provide high-caliber training—including unique one-on-one coaching—that is designed to develop the highest skill levels of youth hockey players ages 6 to 18 by focusing on the mental aspects of the game.

“One-on-one coaching has tremendous advantages over team coaching because a personal coach can focus specific attention to the students’ individual needs,” Fry said.

In addition, Puckmasters training rinks also feature exclusive, ProSpeed™ Resistance Skating Surfaces (R.S.S.) that provides natural resistance to improve skating, along with shooting simulators and core strength training programs. Skating treadmills are being introduced throughout the system. Biz is booming.

Puckmasters is primed for growth—about 300 of its long-range projection of 500 locations are expected to be in the United States—because it is the only international brand with a proven, systematic operating system offering hockey instruction in a highly fragmented market, according to Fry.

“There are a lot of one-man hockey schools and camps,” the 40-year-old Fry said. “Puckmasters offers franchisees a business opportunity that is built around proven systems of success. I see a lot of similarities to Blockbuster.

When it first began there was a lot of competition and most of it was from small mom-and-pop stores,” said the entrepreneur.

With cities such as Seattle, Phoenix, Orlando and Daytona, Fla., representing existing and soon-to-open Puckmasters locations, the popularity and diverse growth of youth hockey is easily demonstrated. For example, according to USA HOCKEY magazine, when the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993, “there were only about 250 kids playing hockey with just one rink devoted to it full time. By 2006, “there were close to 5,000 kids playing for a number of different local organizations, utilizing about 22 sheets of ice.” Such stories are commonplace throughout the country.

“In places such as Florida, California and Texas, hockey has taken off tremendously,” Fry said. “Hockey parents buy into the Puckmasters program very easily. They realize we are all about skill development and getting their children to become better hockey players.”

Fry has surrounded himself with an all-star management team, as well, including Vice President Darren Jensen, a successful businessman and a talented goalkeeper who played for the Philadelphia Flyers and franchise trainer Robbie Tallas, the first Puckmasters graduate to play in the NHL as a goalie for the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.

Prospective Puckmasters franchisees are strong, results-oriented leaders with proven sales, marketing and management skills. Past hockey experience isn’t necessary but franchisees must have a passion for the game and teaching it to children. About 20 percent of Puckmasters franchises are owned by individuals with extensive playing experience, including Mike Wilson, an eight-year NHL veteran who operates Puckmasters in Cleveland.

A typical day for a franchisee presents an array of responsibilities such as setting up marketing and cross-promotional opportunities with local rinks and sports stores and making presentations to youth hockey leagues.

Puckmasters realizes the reputation of its brand extends beyond what takes place on the rink. Its centers arealways clean and attractive and staffed by uniformed employees who are devoted to customer satisfaction.

“We’re looking for enthusiasts who have an entrepreneurial spirit or strong sales and marketing experience who want to be involved in a fast-growing concept,” Fry said. “This is an opportunity for them to live their passion. To me, there is nothing better than to be able to do something you love and know that’s it making a huge difference in the lives of our students while also having the opportunity to operate a profitable business.”

The website for Puckmasters is a wonderful resource for both consumers and those interested in the franchise opportunity. The site, www.puckmasters.com, is chock-full of wonderful hockey lore and games, plus a good opportunity to sit back with a cup of coffee and learn more about how you can open your very own Puckmasters in your area.

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