Blackstreet Capital Holdings affiliate Black Bear to manage arena in Detroit
Hazel Park, MI – An affiliate of Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. (“Black Bear”) has taken over the operations of the arena commonly known as Hazel Park Viking Ice Arena (the “Arena”). The Arena features two ice sheets, a gym, and a concessions area. The Arena is home to the Little Caesars Hockey Club, International Stars Youth Hockey, the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, and various other local high schools and clubs. Black Bear, the largest owner-operator of ice rinks in the U.S., was founded by CEO Murry Gunty in 2015.
“We are excited to announce Black Bear’s continued expansion in Detroit,” said Murry Gunty, Founder and CEO of Black Bear. “The City of Hazel Park was fantastic to work with on this deal and we are looking forward to expanding operations and programming so the rink continues to serve as an important resource for the community.”
The Arena opened in 1999 and is centrally located near the intersection of Interstates 75 and 696. All existing programming will continue as planned and Black Bear is pleased to retain the employees at the rink. However, with the strong, central location in Detroit metro area, Black Bear expects this rink to serve as an important hub for events including hockey tournaments and showcases.
“We plan to make some improvements during the first year of operations,” said Ryan Scott, Vice President at Black Bear. “Many skaters rely on this rink for games, practices, and family fun, and we expect our operating team to begin implementing more introductory programming while maintaining quality ice and amenities for the Arena’s customers.”
The transaction closed on June 29, 2023.
About Black Bear Sports Group, Inc.
Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. is a privately held company formed by Murry Gunty and Blackstreet Capital Holdings, LLC in 2015 that seeks investments in sports and entertainment facilities, teams, and youth sports events. Black Bear arenas are clean, professionally managed, and offer world-class recreational programs. Black Bear focuses on ice arenas in metropolitan areas with compelling demographics, markets with a National Hockey League club presence, and arenas with existing youth hockey clubs. Black Bear not only features the ability to acquire healthy and stable arenas but also the expertise required to turn around mismanaged or underperforming facilities. The largest owner/operator of ice arenas in the U.S., Black Bear’s footprint totals 36 facilities across the United States with 68 sheets of indoor ice, four indoor turf fields, 34 youth hockey clubs, four hockey leagues (Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, Tier 1 Hockey Federation, National Girls Hockey League), a tournament business (Defender Hockey Tournaments), seven Junior “A” hockey franchises with membership in the United States Hockey League, North American Hockey League, USPHL NCDC, USPHL Premier and Elite, and the Eastern Hockey League, and Foundry Adult Hockey, the largest adult hockey organization in the USA.