ATTENTION: All those who are after a Toronto hockey franchise please take a number for quicker service.
There was a press conference today where a band of venture capitalists calling themselves The Toronto Legacy Group announced their intention to acquire a second NHL franchise in Toronto for the 2012-2012 season. Just like that.
The team, to be called the Toronto Legacy, plans to build an arena (price unknown) at Downsview Park, with no help from the public purse. The arena who hold 30,000, 50 percent of which would be sold for $50 or less. Another notable part of the plan is the group's charitable priorities, which say that 25 percent of the team's annual profits would go to a selected group of international charities. Never mind that the largest NHL arena holds 21,000 and an 30,000-seat arena would likely have terrible sight lines.
Yup everyone wants a hockey franchise in Toronto. So soon we have a hockey team in Hamilton, Vaughan, and North York. What's next, Scarborough, Leaside, Barrie or maybe Pickering. Afterall this is the centre of the hockey universe. We can support 6 NHL teams. Maybe the NHL can create a GTA division.
So the geniuses behind this plan - have they had discussions with the NHL? No. Have they spoken to the federal government regarding Downsview Park? No. Do they have an arena design? No. How about the capital to make this project work? No. Do they have any big names to front their expansion bid? No. Well what have they developed so far? A name and logo.
Good Luck with that.
