Bob Boughner finds his days as co-owner and head coach of the Windsor Spitfires a lot longer than his days as defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche.

``Ten times longer,'' Boughner said this week from Windsor, Ont. ``You don't come home until it's dark.

``It's a little harder than putting just a couple hours in at practice.''

Boughner played his last game with the Avs on April 17. He and Warren Rychel, another former NHL player, bought the Spitfires franchise earlier that month.

Instead of being an absentee owner and continuing his NHL playing career, Boughner has stepped to the other side of the bench and taken on the development of teenagers who are hoping to get where he has just been.

Major junior hockey has been invaded in recent years by former NHL players and coaches at the ownership, management and coaching levels.

Former Chicago Blackhawk Cam Russell is the new head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads.

Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy is the coach, general manager and part-owner of the Quebec Remparts.

Montreal Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau is an owner of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Brothers Mark and Dale Hunter, both NHL veterans, own, manage and coach the London Knights as does former Islander Brent Sutter with the Red Deer Rebels.

Dave Barr, a former Detroit Red Wing and New Jersey Devil, is coach and GM in Guelph.

NHL executives Brian Burke and Glen Sather are part of the expansion Chilliwack Bruins' ownership group.

Pat Quinn and Gordie Howe are minority owners of the Vancouver Giants and the team is coached by Don Hay, once a head coach of the Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes.

The NHL's Calgary Flames own the entire Hitmen franchise, which is coached and managed by 13-year NHL veteran Kelly Kisio.

The Edmonton Oilers will be the second NHL team to own a major junior franchise next season.

Those are just a few of the NHL connections across the CHL and there is a combination of reasons why major junior hockey has drawn current and former NHL players, coaches and executives.

The Canadian Hockey League has expanded by 21 teams since 1990, creating a demand for qualified hockey people.

The CHL has also become big business. Expansion fees have increased six-fold since 1990 with the current rate about $3 million and teams selling for more than that.

There are fewer community-owned teams and more owners like businessman Robert Irving (Moncton), pharmaceutical giant Eugene Melnyk (Toronto and Mississauga) and restaurant mogul Ron Toigo (Vancouver).

NHL players and execs can afford to be involved in the ownership of a team. Major junior teams do not have the expense of professional player salaries, but they also don't have the big-money television and sponsorship deals.

Roy doesn't expect the Quebec Remparts to make him rich.

``It's not like playing hockey, I can tell you that,'' he said.

But Boughner says owning a major junior team can be a money-maker.

``You can have a nice return on your money if things are run right and you have a great facility to play in,'' he said.

He and Rychel got good news last week when Windsor city council voted to build a new arena for the 2008-09 season.

For those who come from the NHL to coach or be a general manager of a major junior team, the pay isn't in the same ballpark.

But salaries have changed a lot since Hay made the switch from firefighter to head coach of the Kamloops Blazers in 1992.

``I had to take a pay cut in Kamloops from the fire hall to go coach,'' Hay said. ``Obviously the pay scale is improving.''

With expansion comes increased competition for players and one way to attract them _ and also create a buzz among fans _ is to have a big-name coach.

Owners with deeper pockets can afford to pay their coach a six-figure salary.

``Our owners have come to recognize it's a very important area for them to invest in, to have a program that kids wish to report to, a program that the kids deserve for their development purposes,'' CHL commissioner David Branch said.

``Our teams are investing to a more significant extent in terms of making it more financially feasible for a coach to come back.''

Roy has his reasons for wanting to ride the bus to places like Val-d'Or and Baie-Comeau.

``I think it's a great level,'' he said. ``For myself, I couldn't find a better situation.

``For a lot of coaches who were in the NHL and come back, it's a great opportunity to work with younger players who have the dream to play in the NHL, plus it's become a great business. The level of play has increased a lot over the years.''

Boughner wasn't ready to quit hockey cold turkey and coaching the Spits has helped his transition out of the NHL.

``I still like being in a dressing room and around the assistant coaches and on the ice and behind the bench,'' he said. ``I've still got that hockey-is-in-my-life kind of thing on the competitive side.''

There tends to be more job stability in the major junior ranks. While winning is still the name of the game, fans and management tend to be more patient as junior hockey is cyclical.

``It is less stressful because the NHL isn't a development league, it's a results league,'' Hay said. ``You have to get results and if you're not getting results, there's a lot of pressure.

``At the junior level, you can have an off year.''

The workload isn't any lighter running a junior team and in some ways it's heavier because major junior teams don't have the support staff that NHL clubs do.

``There's more time involved coaching junior than pros because you have to do curfews, you have to discipline them and usually one coach is making the travel and meal arrangements,'' Hay said. ``It seems like your day just flies by.

``It's very hands-on and I really like that aspect of it.''

A coach as successful as Hay in Vancouver can count on living several years in one city and that kind of stability is rare in the NHL.

``I think lifestyle is playing a huge issue now too because we all think (NHL) players have this glamorous lifestyle,'' Branch said.

``It's tough, it's demanding and tough and it takes you away from family for periods of time.

``Coaching at our level allows you to get that hockey fix, stay in the game and also to be there with your family and watch your children grow up.''