Bret Hart Reflects On Being Honored By Calgary Hitmen Hockey Team

Bret Hart has long lent his nickname and image to the Calgary Hitmen, a team in the Western Hockey League that launched in 1994 with him as a minority co-owner. On Wednesday morning, the WWE Hall of Famer posted on Facebook (in two parts) about his link to the team, reflecting on a ceremony held to honor him at this past Saturday's home game at the Scotiabank Saddledome against the Red Deer Rebels. Though the Hitmen lost, 9-0, Hart was able to have some perspective after the tribute, which saw a banner raised to the ceiling in his honor.

"It's truly humbling and an honour to have a banner raised at the Saddledome," he wrote. "To me, it's a symbol of all the hard work, all the sacrifices I made, and all the bodyslams I took to proudly represent my family name, the city of Calgary, and the entire country of Canada." Hart recalled how the launch of the team was met with negative publicity because of both pro wrestling being "too violent" and/or critics finding the team name and logo to evocative.

"I'm proud to say that after 28 years and two WHL Championships later, the name and the logo still stands.This day and this banner are proof that those critics were wrong," he added. "Even when I no longer had ownership of the Hitmen, I still made it a point to represent the Hitmen any chance I got throughout my wrestling career. ... I wanted the whole world to know about a Canadian junior hockey team called the Calgary Hitmen, and I hope I helped accomplish that."

The Hitmen's 1994 arrival filled a void that had bee created in 1987 when the WHL's Calgary Wranglers became the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the years since, the Hitmen won the WHL's championship, the Ed Chynoweth Cup, in 1999 and 2010.