WATERTOWN — Collectively, the Watertown Wolves’ owners represent a diverse group with one common goal — to ensure the city continues to sport a professional hockey team.

The endeavor is coming to fruition as the Wolves franchise, purchased by a group of local professionals — all hockey fans in their own right, is on course to make its Federal Hockey League debut in October.

Just how varied are the backgrounds of the owners of the new team, which will welcome hockey back to the Watertown Municipal Arena after the departure of the Watertown Privateers in the spring?

Take co-owner Stan Tibbles, who has helped formed Top Shelf Hockey LLC and lead the effort.

“There’s all kinds of enthusiasm and we’re excited,” said Tibbles, who owns a roofing company in Watertown and used to be involved in local auto racing. “I think the team is going to catch on, and I think it’s going to go really well.” Before the past few years when he started attending Privateers games, Tibbles, a Watertown native, wasn’t even a follower of hockey, let alone a fan.

In contrast, co-owner Michael Wainberg is a dedicated follower of the sport and it’s part of his heritage.

A native of Montreal, Wainberg has followed the Montreal Canadiens for as long as he can remember and later was one of the original Privateers’ ticket holders when the team was located in Alexandria Bay.

“We’re just a little over a month away and there’s still a lot to do,” Wainberg said. “But it’s an exciting time.”

Both Tibbles and Wainberg are among the five primary owners of the Watertown Wolves, one of the FHL’s newest teams.

Also co-owners are local funeral home owner Cullen Lundy of Carthage, Ronald and Darlene London of Tylerville, and local dentist Vincent Cesario Jr. and his wife Jolie of Black River.

“None of us really knew each other very well before this,” Wainberg said. “We’d see each other at hockey games. But it became pretty clear that we had two similar connections — one for hockey and one for our community.”

As a group, they saw the opportunity to buy and run a pro hockey team here in the north country, an idea that dated back to last season.

“One common thread is that we’re hockey fans,” Cesario said. “We were involved with the players and their well- being and saw that the management needed to be solidified. We kind of came together with a common cause and we’ve been following towards this ever since.”
Wainberg, who works as a staff physiatrist at the North Country Orthopaedic Group in Watertown, moved to the area with his wife Rochelle in 1996 and has been on staff since 1999.

Wainberg comes from and is part of a hockey family as he serves as a youth hockey coach with Thousand Islands Youth Hockey in Clayton.

Tibbles, meanwhile, gradually warmed to the game of hockey while watching Privateers games.

The group gathered for their first meeting at the Ramada Inn in town last December.

“This group has been amazing,” Tibbles said. “We’ve already accomplished a lot.”

Not only does the group get along collectively, they also complement each other in terms of founding a new franchise.

“Most of us didn’t even know each other a year ago,” Lundy said. “We all get along and have different areas of expertise, so it makes running the operation that much more fun. Some are better organizers, some handle finance, others promotions and advertising. There are a lot of moving parts to running a successful team, and we all have a role to play in making sure everything goes smoothly.”

In contrast to Canadiens fan Wainberg, Ronald London is a longtime Boston Bruins fan. Owner of Ron’s Brake and Automotive in Watertown, London has been a sponsor for the Privateers.

“To tell you the truth, the year before we were in the stands at a game and Darlene mentioned how cool it would be to someday have a hockey team if anything ever happened to the Privateers,” said Ronald London, who grew up in Calcium. “We enjoyed those games that much ... and later as a group we all decided that it’s almost a necessity that Watertown have a pro team. People seem to enjoy it and they come out to the games. And hopefully we can make that experience a lot better.”

Lundy’s funeral home business includes the original location in Carthage, and is in Copenhagen and Philadelphia as well. He has also founded a transportation business.

“My daughter, Reagan, was a member of the figure skating club, so I had to endure many cold days at the ice arena,” Lundy said. “I decided to advertise there, and at that time the Privateers just moved to Watertown. The deal included season tickets, so I started attending hockey games, and I was immediately hooked on the action.”

The group knows it will likely lose money during the team’s first season, but that’s part of the challenge of owning a sports team.

“At one of our first meetings, something that I brought to everybody’s attention was we have to expect to lose money for some time,” Tibbles said. “If we don’t and we break even, that’s great. But we need to be prepared to be in it for the long haul. Our goal all along has been to do this for the community.”

“It’s really a labor of love,” Cesario said.

The team will unveil the team’s logo and uniforms, which include the team colors of royal blue and white, along with black and silver trim, at a press conference Thursday at the city arena.

The Wolves will host a tryout camp from Oct. 1-4 at the municipal arena and the team will host its main training camp Oct. 6-16 at the same venue.

Watertown’s season will reportedly open on Oct. 17, although the league has yet to officially release its schedule.

“Christmas is going to come early when the season begins,” Cesario added.