Toronto/GTA getting second NHL rink

[Ravin]

The Toronto area should be closer to getting a big-league arena this week, as GTA Sports and Entertainment Chairman and CEO Graeme Roustan will submit the GTA Centre Site Plan Application to the City of Markham on Wednesday.

The application will allow the City of Markham - just northeast of Toronto - to examine the design, the plans' sustainability and the technical aspects of the proposed GTA Centre. Once they get approval of the application, the City of Markham will issue a building permit and construction can begin on the $325 million venue.

Plans for the new arena were unveiled at a council meeting in June. The arena is expected to seat over 20,000 with the city responsible for $162.5 million toward the final tally.

"I have been on the road, and the buzz about the GTA centre here in Markham is all over North America," Roustan told the Toronto Star in June. "It's a very exciting project and I'm very excited to be a part of it."

Roustan had said he would like to begin construction in 2014 and have the arena completed in time to host the World Junior Hockey Championship in 2015.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=402561

Now obviously Canada in all of sports is a small market, but I see no reason for Toronto to not have a second NHL team. New York has 2 NFL/NHL/NBA teams, so I can't see how Toronto, the home of hockey in Canada so-to-say, can't produce another team.

A 20,000 seat arena would put them in the top 4 in terms of seating, and we know the GTA can handle that.

Of course, the big pink elephant in the room is the fucking Maple Leafs. As we know they will block any type of team from moving into the area. I would really hope the NHL would say 'f'u' to the Leafs on this and put a team there if the chance did come up. What is Toronto going to do, boycott the season, move to the KHL? Plus I'm sure some lawyer could come up with an anti-competition law the leafs are breaking, and say they have a monopoly on hockey on Toronto/Southern Ontario.

[leaffan]

MLSE tried for a few years to push this arena out mainly because its going to cut into the ACC's profit each year since the new arena is aimed at being more helpful for entertainment (concerts mainly). They have said since the begining they arn't interested in an NHL team right now but a team based out of Markham wouldn't be out of this world in the next few years since bettman has shown that if you already have an arena and a fan base it doesn't take much to move.

Another thing I read too is that of course MLSE wouldn't want this as it would be infringing on their massive profibility. One of the things supposibly being brought to the table is that if a second team were to show up in Toronto would the leafs still be on the hook for all the revenue sharing they've provided. They being the most profitable team since the last lockout have also paid out more in revenue sharing then any other team in the league. They would most doubtly lose money due to a markham team and might also have to pay them if markhams profits are in the bottom 15 in the league and their "market size" is less then 2.5mil (although this is being debated).

It's all well and great though to keep bashing the leafs while they end up forking out what will probably amount to being 15% of Shea Webers contract over the next few years or paying 2 or 3% of the hurricanes roster next year just so they can have their teams all the while they give out 5mil+ a year contracts to players that have only been in the NHL for 2 years.