St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe says he feels as if he's been toyed with.
At Monday's city council meeting O'Keefe outlined the events of the last week in relation to negotiations between the organization that operates Mile One Centre, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team and city council.
"When you have a proposal that all sides agree to, you kind of figure that you're across the finish line," O'Keefe says.
At the meeting, O'Keefe described everything from the first phone call asking if the city was interested in bringing hockey back to St. John's, to the e-mail he received saying the owners hadn't made a decision yet, just four hours prior to the announcement that the Acadie-Bathurst Titan would stay in New Brunswick.
There was a tentative agreement in place between the city and hockey team as of Friday at 9:30 p.m., but by Sunday the team's owner, LÉo-Guy Morrissette, had called a news conference in Bathurst for Monday afternoon to discuss the future of the team.
"It was a very good agreement for the city. We wouldn't have made money, really. There were certain attendance levels at which we might have made some money, but the key was that we were bringing hockey back to the city of St. John's, back to Mile One," O'Keefe said of the deal, which wouldn't have included a city-paid subsidy.
At the Monday news conference, Morrissette announced he was selling the hockey team to his children, who had decided to keep the hockey team in the New Brunswick town.
Strictly business
Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth, who serves as the city's representative on the St. John's Sports and Entertainment (SJSE) board, says he doesn't hold a grudge and probably would have done the same thing if in Morrissette's position.
"It's business," Ellsworth says. "We're disappointed, there's no doubt ... but he made it very clear that he had two or three offers on the table and, to be honest, I wouldn't want him to come here if the business model wouldn't work for him, because I wouldn't want to be back in the same boat again in four, six or eight months."
If nothing else, the city can take the experience of this attempt to bring in a hockey team and use that in its next bid, Ellsworth says, adding that St. John's probably has one more good chance at developing a hockey strategy.
"Unfortunately, today we don't have a hockey team, but today we're in a better place to work with somebody else."
O'Keefe says he would hope that there would be more than one more shot at hockey for the sake of fans in the city.
"We'll always have opportunities ... we're a great city. We are a prosperous city, we have a booming economy and we have one of the best facilities in Eastern Canada," he says. "We always have more than one chance."
amorrissey@thetelegram.com
City will have other chances to get hockey team, mayor says
- Published on March 10th, 2009
- Published on July 1st, 2010
-
Alisha Morrissey
The Telegram
St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe says he feels as if he's been toyed with.
At Monday's city council meeting O'Keefe outlined the events of the last week in relation to negotiations between the organization that operates Mile One Centre, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team and city council.
"When you have a proposal that all sides agree to, you kind of figure that you're across the finish line," O'Keefe says.
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Comments
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- Robert
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:27:15
If DOC thinks we're gonna see another hockey team in the next 10 years, then he's proven he's living in a bubble. He should go to this link and see the REAL reason that team is in Bathurst today.
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/sports/article/598014 -
- Chris
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:24:09
Although the travel costs might be high in operating a team in St. John's there are many other reasons why the city would make a great base for a Major Junior Hockey team
- A culturally exciting city
-Excellent educational facilities for these younf players
-Amazingly warm and inviting people in St. John's
-A great facility with Mile One.
Hockey will be back at some point. St. John's is the type of city the Q needs. Remember these are players are still kids and this needs to come into consideration.
To the folks involved in trying to bring back a team......don't give up... your city has a lot going for it. -
- Concerned
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:22:34
Let's get going on contacting the only other forseeable option for hockey in Mile One.
Lewiston MAINEiacs Hockey Club
190 Birch Street
Lewiston, Maine 04240
U.S.A
Tel: (207)333-FANS (3267)
Fax: (207)783-3347
Email:info@lewistonhockey.com
Web: www.lewistonhockey.com -
- Rob
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:21:04
Mr. Ellsworth, I agree with everything you said but if you think we are in a booming economy you have proved to me either you are the biggest bluff that walked the planet or you just don't have a clue. My guess is the biggest bluff. Its ok for you to say it you have a booming business along with a municipal salary. Some of us are not that lucky. The city of St. John's deserves a councillor like you.........
-
- Stephen
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:20:33
Why wouldn't the city try to get the Maple Leafs ECHL team here because its going to be hard either way of an AHL or QMJHL, if you tried for the TML ECHL team they may let us have it for the years we supported there AHL team its just a thought.
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- Barry
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:09:02
Hopefully the others chances will come when we have a council with the common sense to know when they are being had and not the same bunch of wannabes we have now. In order for hockey to come to back to Mile One there needs to be hockey minded people running SJSE, until then we will be taken for fools like we were this past weekend.
-
- Robert
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:14:35
If DOC thinks we're gonna see another hockey team in the next 10 years, then he's proven he's living in a bubble. He should go to this link and see the REAL reason that team is in Bathurst today.
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/sports/article/598014 -
- Chris
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:09:35
Although the travel costs might be high in operating a team in St. John's there are many other reasons why the city would make a great base for a Major Junior Hockey team
- A culturally exciting city
-Excellent educational facilities for these younf players
-Amazingly warm and inviting people in St. John's
-A great facility with Mile One.
Hockey will be back at some point. St. John's is the type of city the Q needs. Remember these are players are still kids and this needs to come into consideration.
To the folks involved in trying to bring back a team......don't give up... your city has a lot going for it. -
- Concerned
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:06:58
Let's get going on contacting the only other forseeable option for hockey in Mile One.
Lewiston MAINEiacs Hockey Club
190 Birch Street
Lewiston, Maine 04240
U.S.A
Tel: (207)333-FANS (3267)
Fax: (207)783-3347
Email:info@lewistonhockey.com
Web: www.lewistonhockey.com -
- Rob
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:04:17
Mr. Ellsworth, I agree with everything you said but if you think we are in a booming economy you have proved to me either you are the biggest bluff that walked the planet or you just don't have a clue. My guess is the biggest bluff. Its ok for you to say it you have a booming business along with a municipal salary. Some of us are not that lucky. The city of St. John's deserves a councillor like you.........
-
- Stephen
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:03:22
Why wouldn't the city try to get the Maple Leafs ECHL team here because its going to be hard either way of an AHL or QMJHL, if you tried for the TML ECHL team they may let us have it for the years we supported there AHL team its just a thought.
-
- Barry
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:44:06
Hopefully the others chances will come when we have a council with the common sense to know when they are being had and not the same bunch of wannabes we have now. In order for hockey to come to back to Mile One there needs to be hockey minded people running SJSE, until then we will be taken for fools like we were this past weekend.
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