Music: {allcanada} ROUSTAN, ANSELMI DISCUSS NEW ARENA IN MARKHAM, ONT

Friday, April 27, 2012

{allcanada} ROUSTAN, ANSELMI DISCUSS NEW ARENA IN MARKHAM, ONT

Following an 11-2 vote by Markham council that allowed for the borrowing of $162.5 million intended for a new arena in Markham, Ontario, the prospect of a second NHL team coming to the Greater Toronto Area has again been raised.

Graeme Roustan, chairman and CEO of GTA Sports and Entertainment joined the Bryan Hayes Show on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto and shared his thoughts on the arena project, the prospect of a second NHL team coming to the GTA and the possibility of hosting the 2015 World Juniors.

Roustan was asked why he thought Markham was the right place for a world-class arena.

"The town of Markham is almost at the geographic centre of the GTA," Roustan said. "Growth is going north. The arena will sit along the 407. It is the main artery from Pickering to Hamilton. It's the most multi-cultural diverse community in all of Canada."

Roustan said his goal in was to build an "international facility, hosting international events in the most international community in Canada."

But is it the first step to bringing a second NHL team to the market?

"It's really not. This facility was put together because of the demand for a second facility on this market. All I know is what I know and what I do know is that this facility is a facility that can certainly host hockey but it is not being built for hockey."

Roustan said at this point, there were no plans for a professional sports team to call the building home and the public shouldn't be expecting it.

"What I'm trying to do is manage expectations. I do not have any understanding or plan for a professional sports franchise to be in the building at this time. I don't want people to be disappointed if there's no professional sports franchise to open the building."

Roustan also addressed reports that he would be interested in hosting the World Junior Hockey Championship should the arena be built.

"We'll be opening our building in the fall of 2014, which is in time for the January 2015 World Juniors," Roustan said. "Yes I am very excited about the opportunity of hosting the 2015 World Juniors and you can be certain I'll be bidding on it."

MLSE Executive Vice President and COO Tom Anselmi also appeared on the Bryan Hayes Show on Friday and was asked about the possibility of a second team coming to the GTA. However, he deferred comment until if, and when, it is on the NHL agenda.

"To the extent that it gets brought towards the Board of Governors, we'll have a look at it at that time and comment at that time, but to speculate on it right now doesn't make any sense."

On whether the GTA could support two NHL teams, Anselmi said there have been mixed results in similar situations where there were multiple teams in a larger market.

"I don't know. In New York, there's three teams and it's a much bigger market and only one of them makes money and it's the other two that have won most of the Stanley Cups in the last twenty years, so I just don't know."