| Edmonton Elks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | President and CEO | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1948-08-25)25 August 1948 (age 76) Edmonton,Alberta, Canada | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
As a staff member / executive: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| As an executive: | |||||||||
Ice hockey player
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Rick LeLacheur (born 25 August 1948) is aCanadian football executive and formerice hockey player who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) for theEdmonton Elks of theCanadian Football League (CFL).
AnEdmonton native, LeLacheur was born on 25 August 1948.[1][2] Playing at theright wing position, he was on the roster for theEdmonton Western Movers of theAlberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) for the 1966–67 season.[2] LeLacheur then played two seasons for theEdmonton Oil Kings of theWestern Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL), later renamed theWestern Canada Hockey League (WCHL). He was the captain for the Oil Kings.[3] LeLacheur's final season playing ice hockey was for the Edmonton Monarchs of theAlberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) in 1969–70.[2]
Following his hockey career, LeLacheur pursued a business career path, working for his family's Western Moving and Storage business for 25 years.[3] He became Western's president in 1982, serving in the position until the company was sold in 1992.[4]
In 1984, before becoming involved with anyCanadian Football League (CFL) team, he was the chairman of theGrey Cup festival.[3] He was a board member of the CFL'sEdmonton Eskimos in the 1980s.[5] From 1992 to 1998, LeLacheur served as the head of Economic Development Edmonton (EDE), also known as the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).[6][7][8] In 1994, LeLacheur brokered a deal that gavePeter Pocklington full control over theNorthlands Coliseum.[9]
LeLacheur became the president and CEO of the2001 World Championships in Athletics, hosted in Edmonton.[3]
LeLacheur then served as the team president and CEO of the Eskimos from 2002 to 2011.[1] He began his tenure with the team as thechief operating officer (COO) of the franchise.[3] Edmonton hosted the90th Grey Cup in 2002, with LeLacheur serving as the game's managing director.[10] During his tenure with the Eskimos, he oversaw new building additions to the team'sCommonwealth Stadium.[10] LeLacheur won two Grey Cup championships with the Eskimos, in2003 and2005.[7] In 2010, he publicly criticized the team as they started the season 0–4.[11] Edmonton would again host Grey Cup festivities in 2010.[8] LeLacheur was named the winner of theHugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award for the2011 CFL season.[8] He left the team due to health concerns, after experiencing complications stemming from surgery forprostate cancer.[3]
In December 2011, he was appointed as the chairman for a three-year term for Horce Racing Alberta (HRA), a private, not-for-profit organization.[10] In December 2017, LeLacheur was named the President and CEO of the CFL'sBC Lions.[1] At the time, he was still serving as HRA's chairman of the board.[1] His tenure with the Lions began in January 2018 and ended following the2022 season.[1] During his tenure with the team, he was tasked with finding new ownership.[7] He was named the Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award winner for a second time for the 2022 CFL season.[12]
Though he retired following his Lions tenure, he was lured out of retirement and named the interim president and CEO of theEdmonton Elks on 22 August 2023.[5] This marked his second tenure in those positions with the franchise.[13] During this second tenure, the Elks reviewed their ownership structure; the team has been notably community-owned since 1949, though the Elks have been discussed in Canadian football media as potentially moving toward private ownership.[14][15][16] LeLacheur mentioned the team's financial struggles over the few previous seasons as a factor that "can't be overlooked".[15]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1966–67 | Edmonton Western Movers | AJHL | Statistics unavailable | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1967–68 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WCJHL | 50 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WCHL | 52 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Edmonton Monarchs | ASHL | Statistics unavailable | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||