Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by craner

I assume you’re referring to the new Rangers stadium (not the Cowboys stadium). That Rangers stadium looks atrocious from the outside.

Was the roof originally supposed to be glass or were the renders just very misleading? People who got a chance to tour the inside of the stadium before the pandemic hit say it's very nice and has great views everywhere. Best of all they say it has AC.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Looks like the new arena being built in Trois-Rivières will be home to an ECHL team. Affiliated with the Habs.

Interesting news. For a city of its size and stature, I always found it a bit odd that it TR hasn't had a major junior or affiliated minor pro hockey team for a long time.

Originally Posted by craner

I assume you’re referring to the new Rangers stadium (not the Cowboys stadium). That Rangers stadium looks atrocious from the outside.

Yes, I was referring to the Rangers stadium. It is not pretty.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

Interesting news. For a city of its size and stature, I always found it a bit odd that it TR hasn't had a major junior or affiliated minor pro hockey team for a long time.

Lack of a suitable arena and Shawinigan in the Q held them back for a while. ECHL makes logical sense.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

How about an E-Sports arena in Toronto?

https://twitter.com/blogTO/status/1161366926746107904

Whilst this ended up being a marketing ploy for Wealthsimple - an actual e-sports arena might be on the way.

https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_...-arena-toronto

OverActive Media will build a 7,000- to 10,000-seat esports arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto, according to a memo sent to Canadian government officials by company CEO Chris Overholt and obtained by ESPN.

The new arena will be adjacent to BMO Field and Hotel X Toronto and will serve as home to the Toronto Defiant and Toronto Ultra, the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League franchises owned by OverActive Media. OverActive Media also owns MAD Lions, the Spanish esports franchise.

OverActive Media has hired former Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment vice president Bob Hunter to coordinate with government officials on the venue. Hunter has been involved in the development and expansion of several other Canadian sports venues, including B.C. Place Stadium, Rogers Centre, Scotiabank Arena and BMO Field. The new esports arena deal was negotiated between the Kimel family -- the majority owners of OverActive and a well-known Canadian real estate and hospitality industry family -- and Library Hotel Collection owner Henry Kallan, who owns Hotel X Toronto.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

Whilst this ended up being a marketing ploy for Wealthsimple - an actual e-sports arena might be on the way.

https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_...-arena-toronto

What would make a Esports arena functionally different from a similarly sized concert or other performance venue?

[JHikka]

vIdEo GaMeS aReNt SpOrTs!!

This reminds me a bit of the Fusion Arena project in Philadelphia - a $50M eSports arena directly between the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL facilities in South Philly. I assume COVID slowed that project down considerably.

Originally Posted by jonny24

What would make a Esports arena functionally different from a similarly sized concert or other performance venue?

It's just event specific so logistics and amenities are setup to support the requirements (console setup, staging, etc.). It's true that standard arenas can host eSports events but it's mostly about right-sizing the facility for the event.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by JHikka

vIdEo GaMeS aReNt SpOrTs!!

They aren't... that's why we call them esports and not just sports

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Lack of a suitable arena and Shawinigan in the Q held them back for a while. ECHL makes logical sense.

They were in the Q at one point (the Draveurs) but for some reason they've often tended to do things differently in terms of their hockey teams there. For example, taking a CIS/U Sport university hockey program and effectively treating it like a major junior team for many years. I am not aware of any other city in Canada where you had this.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

They were in the Q at one point (the Draveurs) but for some reason they've often tended to do things differently in terms of their hockey teams there. For example, taking a CIS/U Sport university hockey program and effectively treating it like a major junior team for many years. I am not aware of any other city in Canada where you had this.

Fredericton.

[esquire]

I assume that the UQTR team just filled a vacuum as opposed to being the team of choice over a QMJHL club, though.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

I assume that the UQTR team just filled a vacuum as opposed to being the team of choice over a QMJHL club, though.

This is 100% what happened. It's not as if T-R is some super pro-USports town, it's just that UQTR is the highest level of hockey viewable in the city and they were successful for a few years.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

This is 100% what happened. It's not as if T-R is some super pro-USports town, it's just that UQTR is the highest level of hockey viewable in the city and they were successful for a few years.

Correct, but lots of cities lost major junior teams and never saw U Sport teams pick up the slack and become a big(ish) thing.

Though your example with Fredericton is a good one, though that's a former AHL city in fact.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Correct, but lots of cities lost major junior teams and never saw U Sport teams pick up the slack and become a big(ish) thing.

Because many towns that lost CHL teams were too small to have attractive USports programs or were in larger cities anyway (Beauport, Verdun, etc.)

Originally Posted by Acajack

Though your example with Fredericton is a good one, though that's a former AHL city in fact.

The point still stands IMO.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Because many towns that lost CHL teams were too small to have attractive USports programs or were in larger cities anyway (Beauport, Verdun, etc.)



The point still stands IMO.

It's OK, it's not a competition!

[SteelTown]

Deal for Hamilton’s entertainment venues expected Friday

Teviah Moro
Spectator Reporter
https://www.thespec.com/news/council...ed-friday.html

City council is expected to announce the successful proponent of a multimillion-dollar revamp of Hamilton’s entertainment venues on Friday.

Two groups made public pitches in February to refurbish and operate the downtown arena, convention centre and concert hall.

Behind closed doors, council told economic development staff to keep working with the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group and Vrancor Group on their proposals.

Confidential negotiations have continued and an announcement is expected Friday.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Coun. John-Paul Danko said about deal without offering details. “It’s a big deal.”

Coun. Jason Farr said to expect a statement from Mayor Fred Eisenberger on Friday.

Springing from a motion by Coun. Sam Merulla in 2018, the city’s goal is to have a private-sector investor redevelop the three aging venues owned by the city in order to generate more property tax revenue and end public subsidies to support them.

Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group includes the Mercanti family’s Carmen’s Group, LIUNA Pension Fund, Fengate Capital, Meridian Credit Union, Jetport Inc. and Paletta International.

They’ve proposed a $500-million plan to equip FirstOntario Centre with expandable seating, building a new convention centre at the location of a renovated City Centre, a mixed-use tower where the existing convention centre sits and an enhanced concert hall.

Carmen’s Group operates the convention centre on behalf of the city.

Vrancor’s proposal — which it has cited as a minimum $200-million investment — is for a renovated and expandable arena with two office towers, a new hotel, a larger convention centre at the existing site and an upgraded concert hall.

Vrancor Group is owned by Darko Vranich, one of Hamilton’s biggest developers of hotels and apartment buildings in recent years.

Representatives of the competing bidders didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

On July 6, councillors met in camera for an update on the talks and voted publicly to instruct staff to declare the properties surplus to unload them through sale, lease or easement.

As well, staff were told to firm up a memorandum of understanding and other agreements. There was no public mention of the winning proponent. Related documents and reports weren’t released.

On Friday, councillors are expected to sign off on the final details.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group, which includes the Mercanti family’s Carmen’s Group, LIUNA Pension Fund, Fengate Capital, Meridian Credit Union, Jetport Inc., dpai architecture and Paletta International won the bid and City Council has approved the deal.

Total value is $500 million. After this afternoon the Mayor will release more information. This will probably be Hamilton's biggest private sector project ever.

[Calgarian]

Sounds promising for Hamilton!

[SteelTown]

https://twitter.com/HamiltonsMayor

Bigger size image:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdIoNUzW...name=4096x4096

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

https://twitter.com/HamiltonsMayor

Bigger size image:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdIoNUzW...name=4096x4096

are they getting rid of the upper deck or just using tarps like at BC place from that image?

[SteelTown]

Seating capacity doesn't change, that tarp is used for OHL games to cover the upper bowl.