The fact that Väsby Hockey in Hockeyettan which became Brödernas Väsby IK HK has attracted a lot of attention.
Joachim Weklander, CEO of hamburger chain Brödernas, was surprised by such a strong reaction.
– There are a lot of misconceptions, we should have been more clear, he says.
Väsby Hockey entered Hockeyettan and Brödernas Hockey in Division 3 in cooperation ahead of the 2023/2024 season.
Väsby Hockey, which currently plays in Allettan norra, will be named Brödernas Väsby IK HK.
– We were ready to provoke reactions and thought we were being clear, but it seems we should have been more clear. We have not bought any club or club brand. We follow the 51 percent rule, and my wasbi is 51 percent. They are two non-profit associations that cooperate and merge. We will build the best we can for Hockey Stockholm. We don’t buy any team, but we have started a journey from Division 4. The Väsby logo is still on the jersey and our logo is on the jersey. Everything has been agreed with the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, says Joachim Weklander.
Discuss with the municipality
Brödernas got its name and was sponsored by the hamburger chain of the same name.
The club is in its second season in the league system and plays its home games at Ekhallen in Gustavsberg in Värmdö, in the archipelago east of Stockholm.
– We worked from scratch with a lot of people who gave a lot of their hearts. We went through Division 4 unbeaten and now lead Division 3 unbeaten. What we had problems with was not getting any ice time in Stockholm hockey, among other things by also starting the J18 team. We told the municipality that we wanted to help build an ice skating rink and others to use too, but then we found this collaboration with Väsby that we think could be absolutely magical, says Joakim Wiklander.
“It gives us lighter fluids.”
Many supporters of other clubs and foreigners criticized the cooperation.
Timrå IK Supporterklubb writes on social media: “Timrå IK Supporterklubb firmly protects the 51% base. We have therefore terminated cooperation with membership offers with Brödernas with immediate effect. We are looking for an alternative offer.”
When they know this is wrong, they may change their mind. We sponsor nearly 8,000 youth athletes, ranging from basketball, swimming, women’s hockey, and men’s hockey. We really make sure youth hockey grows. We want to cooperate with many youth associations abroad. It gives us more fuel to show our strategy and make something good out of this. We’re here to do something really good, says Joachim Weklander.
How do you think this storm of opinion will affect the burger chain?
– I think it’s only good for us in the long run. Maybe there will always be someone who will interrupt us, but at the same time give us this PR. It will subside in a week or so. We have to show that we have good food, good service and a nice environment. It’s great that it elicits reactions. We want to do something for Swedish hockey, that’s perfect and it’s fun when something happens. We want to contribute to Swedish hockey, and that’s great.
Long conversation with Mika
Mika Zibanejad, star of the New York Rangers, is one of the co-owners of the Brödernas hamburger chain.
He was in the video of the show announcing the cooperation and after the criticism he felt compelled to come out and defend himself.
– It was unfortunate and messy for Mika Zibanejad. I talked to him for a long time to see how he felt and everything was calm. It’s sad for Mika Zibanejad, and sad for those who got it wrong. He is a co-owner of The Brothers restaurants, but has nothing to do with any strategic decisions in hockey. He’s part of the branding and our marketing as a face, so he was also there and played a game with us against Arboga during pre-season. He has his hockey career to think about and is not interested in being involved with another hockey club, says Joakim Wiklander.
Väsby continues to be responsible for the organization and the sports part, while Brödernas, with its network of contacts, will take care of commercial development.
In the short term, the goal is for it to advance and become a stable team in Hockeyallsvenskan, in the long term, the club wants to be in the SHL before 2030.