Dr. Charles Allard and Zane Feldman

Dr. Charles Allard and Zane Feldman were the original owners of the Alberta Oilers when the team began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972-73.

Franchise founder Bill Hunter would change the team’s name to the Edmonton Oilers in 1973-74.

Dr. Allard, a local investor, sold the WHA club in 1976 for $300,000 to Nelson Skalbania, a real estate magnate from British Columbia. The two had previously done property deals through the Allard family’s North West Trust Company.

Diverse interests

In 1948, Dr. Allard received the Fellowship in the Royal College of Surgeons for Canada. He would also be appointed chief of staff at the Edmonton General Hospital.

Dr. Allard’s medical practice led to his diversified business interests. The first occurred when he could not find office space and decided to build the Northgate Building.

He subsequently obtained real estate holdings and the controlling interest in North West Trust. Dr. Allard also had stakes in Seaboard Life Insurance of Vancouver, Chrysler, restaurants, a construction company and fitness centres.

In addition, Dr. Allard was the founder, chairman of the board and director of International Jet Air Ltd. In 1972, he became the founder, director and a chairman of the board of Alberta Gas Chemical Ltd. In 1983, he played a major role in establishing the Bank of Alberta.

Media man

The founder of the Edmonton Free Press, Dr. Allard’s media experience actually began in high school as a correspondent with the Edmonton Journal.

In 1965, he started the radio station CHQT, and in 1974 he founded the Edmonton independent television station CITV, of which he was chairman. He also founded Studio Post and Transfer, which became one of Western Canada’s top post-production facilities.

The next time the Allard name emerged on the local hockey scene came in 1997, when a pair of local groups stepped forward with proposals to buy the Oilers. Cathy Roozen, the daughter of Dr. Allard, led one of the groups, while local developer and restaurateur Robert Proznik spearheaded the other.

"Neither group…had a credible proposal or anything close to a firm offer," wrote Douglas Hunter in The Glory Barons. "Each was contemplating a purchase at the $70 million level."

Worthy of an Award

Zane Feldman, who died on April 7, 2003, was instrumental in getting Northlands Coliseum constructed. In his honour, the Oilers present the Zane Feldman Trophy annually to the team’s most valuable player. Tommy Salo and Todd Marchant were co-winners for the 2002-03 season.

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