Windsor favoured to be centre ice for Hockeyland

BY FRED LAWRENCE

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com



Any confusion about the proposed International Hockey Centre being built in Windsor can be swept aside as the movement to create the $20-million facility gains financial momentum and the attention of heavy hitters in the hockey world.

Ralston McDonnell, CEO of the McDonnell Group of Halifax and project manager, said in a recent interview that plans for the new Hockeyland Centre are moving forward steadily. The new National Board of Directors has attracted some well-known hockey greats and other major players from the business community to help drive the project.

McDonnell said, “very positive discussions have been taking place between the board and government and we have a great cross-section of business owners, politicians and community leaders. We have also just received official endorsement from Hockey Canada, which is very encouraging for us,” McDonnell said.

Fundraising efforts are well underway, he said. “We have some major sponsors secured already and we’re working hard to bring new sponsors to the table. A lot of sponsors are waiting to see if we can target the local businesses in the area and want to gauge how much community support there is. We need the community to stand up now and say, ‘We want it’ to help the project gain more credence.”

Breaking through ‘defeatist’ attitude

McDonnell said once the community realizes the significance of this project, the merits will become self-evident, particularly the spinoff for local business owners.

“I grew up in rural Nova Scotia and the issue of ‘it can’t happen here’ never set well with me because we can do this, and we will do this. It’s looking extremely good for Windsor as the future site for the centre, but we need solid community support to bring it to reality.

“If the people want it, the money will come,” McDonnell said. “This project is extraordinarily huge. To-date we are primarily focused on raising funding from the private sector and we are now at the stage where we need major media sponsorship to let Canada and the world know this is happening.”

The National Board is a virtual ‘who’s who’ of Canadian hockey and includes such names as Hockey Night in Canada TV commentator/host Ron MacLean, Hockey Canada COO Scott Smith, past president of Hockey Canada Wayne Russell, and former NHL star Mike McPhee to name a few.

“The board has decided they want to do this for Canada. They’re all volunteer members and are working very hard to create a strategic plan and incorporate all of the relevant organizations and bring them on board,” McDonnell said.

Official plans will be completed and released by the middle of next year. “Planning for the centre will be a lengthy process because it’s a very sophisticated facility with many facets to be incorporated,” McDonnell said.

“But just looking at the members of our board, their proven track record and amazing abilities will create something great for Canada, for Windsor and for all of Hants County. Can you imagine what it will be like to bring in over 100,000 visitors per year to the town? The economic benefits cannot be underestimated, as it will be good for everyone, not just the business community.”

Scoring local support crucial component

McDonnell said without the support of the local community, including municipal government, the project would not be happening here. Windsor Mayor Anna Allen said she’s proud to have been asked to join the National Board of Directors and she is very encouraged by the initiative.

“I’m extremely excited and can see it coming closer to reality due to the large investments from corporations and the support we’re receiving from around the world. This is absolutely going to happen; there is no doubt about that. Those of us who have been working here have never lost hope and don’t see anything that would stop it at this point,” she said.

However, Allen said support from the local level is integral. “There should be local support. I’m honoured to represent the interests of Windsor and I know our CAO is extremely excited about this and is behind the project 100 per cent.

“We need local people to know they can have an impact and that their help is needed. To build something of this magnitude will take a lot of effort from everyone involved, but the impact will be amazing. Can you imagine a $20-million international Hockey Heritage Centre right here in Windsor? It will be one-of-a-kind in the world – how many towns can say that?”

Allen said it’s important for residents to support the Hockey Heritage Museum to help secure Windsor as the official birthplace of the game of hockey. “Many history books show Windsor is the birthplace of hockey, but people need to know that and we need to claim that as our own.

“Hockey is Canada’s game,” she said, “and we need to show the rest of the world that the origins of the game started right here in Windsor, the Little Town of Big Firsts. So hang on to your hats because it’s going to be a wild ride for the next few years.”

So much potential

Lisa Drader-Murphy sits on the National Board as co-chair and said the project is one of the biggest opportunities to ever come to this region. “There is so much potential for this massive project and it will put Windsor on the map forever. What this will do for the local business community cannot only be measured in the amount of spinoff from tourists, but also the international exposure this will bring,” she said.

Any naysayers who don’t believe the centre will be constructed in Windsor will be mistaken, Drader-Murphy said. “The only thing holding us back is us,” she said. “We want to show the world we can do this, but we need the community to be behind this in a big way, and to believe Windsor is the rightful place for such an incredible facility.”

David Howell has been involved with the Hockey Heritage Museum since its inception and is also a member of the National Board of Directors. Howell said the proposed centre has been slow coming, but noted momentum is building right along with the excitement. “This is as positive as I’ve felt since this project was first announced. I’m looking forward to when the board makes its official announcement and that day is not too far off,” he said.

Howell said the work by volunteers has been extraordinary and the new centre will be a major drawing card for the region. “This will create a very significant economic boost to the area. This is a world-class facility that will bring international attention to the entire region and bring 100,000 to 150,000 people to the greater Windsor area, and that will have a very positive impact for everyone,” he said.

Howell said the centre could also help stem the tide of youth leaving the area for job opportunities in Western Canada. “We hope that through building the centre we can create a sustainable and substantial local economy that will create a lot of jobs. Maybe our young people won’t have to head west for work and can instead look forward to long-term sustainable employment right where they live.”

Members of the community need to look at how the project will affect the area, Howell said. “The community should really start thinking about what they want to see happen because this project is going to turn the Windsor/West Hants area on its ear.”