By Canon Rath
North Platte Post
Las Vegas, NV - Former Tri-City Storm owner Kirk Brooks has passed away in a statement made by the Brook's family over the weekend. Brooks had been dealing with medical issues.
Brooks became the third owner of the Storm when he bought the team/arena in 2009 for $4.3 million from Joel Wiens. During his time as the owner, many players including current Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz went on to play at the collegiate and professional level. Tri-City would capture their first ever Clark Cup during the 2015-2016 season in front of a packed Viaero Center.
During his time as owner, the Storm made the playoffs six times and captured the 2018-2019 Anderson Cup which is awarded to the best team in the league during the regular season.
Brooks sold off the team/arena in 2019 to a new ownerships group from Chicago while remained involved with the team for the first few years of the transition. Brooks is a businessman from Las Vegas and was heavily involved with youth hockey in Vegas. Brooks owned the Las Vegas Ice Center where the Storm would hold their yearly camp.
The Tri-City Storm is a member of the United States Hockey League (USHL) which is the only tier 1 league in the United States. The USHL is an amateur league which allows players to move on to play NCAA hockey. This season marks the Storm 25th season in franchise history.
***Official statement from the Brooks family below
