11th hour negotiations should see showcase come to GM Centre
Sep 05, 2008 - 04:00 AM
By Brian McNair
OSHAWA -- It appears furious negotiations this week will see the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game land in Oshawa.
David Branch, commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League and president of the Canadian Hockey League, confirmed on Wednesday that the General Motors Centre was being strongly considered to host the event, which features the top 40 prospects for the 2009 National Hockey League draft.
The trouble was negotiations between the Oshawa Generals, the City of Oshawa and Global Spectrum, the company that now operates the GMC, were not moving along very well at the beginning of the week.
But all changed later in the week, according to Rocco Tullio, co-owner of the Generals.
"I can tell you we're in negotiations with the City and it's looking promising," he said Thursday. "We're hoping to finalize an agreement for Friday that's amicable for both... We're confident at the end of the day we can bring this home."
Tullio, who is still in the process of getting approval from the OHL to change the team's ownership structure, was far less optimistic earlier in the week.
But with the lines of communication now more open, he is hopeful a deal can be struck in a time frame that suits the CHL, which would like to announce the details this month, according to Branch.
Branch, while concerned on Wednesday the internal issues were taking longer than he had hoped, said Oshawa was deserving of the event, which rotates between the CHL's three Major Junior leagues.
"We've always been consistent in recognizing centres, communities that have built new arena facilities and/or made major improvements to their existing facility," he said, referring to the GMC, which opened in November 2006. "By placing the Prospects Game, this would be a way that we could in fact say to Oshawa, the City of Oshawa and the Generals, thank you."
Oshawa councillor Brian Nicholson said Wednesday morning that the City had yet to receive a proposal regarding the game and that the matter had not yet been scheduled to come before council. He said the Generals and Global Spectrum, with whom the City has contracts, would first need to negotiate dividing the risks and profits.
"I think at this point it's a matter between those two bodies," said Nicholson, the deputy mayor filling in for a vacationing John Gray. "If the City can help facilitate a positive response, then obviously we would consider what we could do, but I think it really comes down to a decision between two corporate entities."
City manager Bob Duignan, contacted later in the day, said things were starting to come together.
"We're thrilled that opportunity exists and we're very, very supportive of it," he said. "We're working through now with the Generals the submission process in the business terms so we can finalize all that... We're completely supportive of it. We're ecstatic that opportunity is there."
A major drawing point of the game being in Oshawa would be to further showcase John Tavares, the Generals star player who may be drafted first overall in the next NHL draft.
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