Bret Hart Is A Founding Member Of A Major Junior Hockey Team

Bret "The Hitman" Hart may be most recognized for his contributions in the professional wrestling business, but he's also stamped his mark in another sport. 

In 1994, Hart found himself amidst the group of initial investors for the creation of a new hockey team in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The team would become known as the Hitmen, paying tribute to the gimmick and ring attire of the former WWF Champion, sporting pink, black, and gray on their logos and jersey — Hart's signature colors. "It's a big honor for me," Hart once told the Montreal Canadiens.

Before the Hitmen formed, Calgary had been void of a major junior hockey team for nearly eight years due to "a lot of guys who never thought a junior team would make it in an NHL city," Hart told "FlamesTV." Despite the doubts, Hart confirmed that he takes "great pride in being part of the group of people who brought junior hockey back to Calgary."

The Hitmen hockey team officially joined the Western Hockey League in 1995, according to the WHL. Nearly three decades earlier, the Calgary Buffaloes served as the first official junior hockey team in the respective region, later becoming the Centennials the following year. After relocating to Billings, Montana, the team was replaced by the Winnipeg Monarchs, later renamed to the Calgary Wranglers.

In 1987, the Wranglers flocked south to Lethbridge, becoming known as the Lethbridge Hurricanes of Alberta. Around the same time, junior hockey in Alberta often became overshadowed by the National Hockey League team of the Calgary Flames. Eventually, the Western Hockey League granted another team to Calgary. In partnership with eighteen original investors, including Bret Hart, the Hitmen arose.

Despite the ownership change to the Calgary Flames hockey club in 1997, Bret Hart still remains a pillar in the identity of the Hitmen.