National Post (National Edition)
Senators tap Anselmi to lead rink project
Ex-Leafs exec helped build ACC, BMO Field
There was a changing of the guard at the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.
And, by the time it was over, longtime sports executive Tom Anselmi brought his experience to the other side of the Battle of Ontario.
With the Senators’ negotiations to build a new rink at LeBreton Flats moving to a pivotal stage in the next nine months, owner Eugene Melnyk hired Anselmi, a former Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment executive, to take over as the club’s president and CEO.
Cyril Leeder, who is one of the three co-founders of the club along with Bruce Firestone and Randy Sexton, wasn’t offered another job with the Senators because believe they need Anselmi to help get them across the finish line with the LeBreton project and breathe new life into the organization.
The timing didn’t matter to Melnyk with the club just past mid-season, this move had to be made because the clock is ticking on making sure there’s a deal in place to get LeBreton built.
“These kinds of things, like LeBreton, don’t happen overnight,” Melnyk said. “We need to re-invigorate the brand. We need to reposition things and re-brand. There’s a ton of work to do.
“Cyril was here for 25 years. We came to a crossroads and it was simply time for change.”
Anselmi got a call from the Senators in mid-December and talks have been ongoing since then. Once the Senators won the LeBreton bid last January, Melnyk started studying the possibility of this kind of move and Anselmi brings a wealth of building experience with him.
While with the Leafs, he was part of the construction of the Air Canada Centre, BMO Field (home of Toronto FC and the Argonauts) and Maple Leaf Square (a multiuse public area outside the ACC). Melnyk noted that LeBreton is a $4- to $5-billion project and the club needs this experience.
“When you’re the CEO of an organization you’re responsible for everything,” said Anselmi. “I look at it like (working on) the business today, optimizing the organization (so that) we’re ready for what this future is all about — maximizing the business today so that until things change we’re doing the best we can.
“We’ve got a terrific hockey club. The long-term opportunity is to build the best arena in the world and I don’t necessarily mean the glitziest and most expensive, but I mean the best hockey experience for our fans and for our players.
“Ultimately, (the goal is) to win the Stanley Cup and grow the business. If you do that in the next five years, it’s been a pretty good run.”
Melnyk met with Leeder Tuesday night and let him know they had to move on.
“I don’t know exactly what was missing, but there was something missing,” said Melnyk. “That’s the best way I can answer it. We want to see everything succeed here, the fan experience, the players and all of the stakeholders we have.
“I’m more looking out for the next 10 years. Who is going to do all this stuff? Who’s experienced in it? We had Cyril build this arena. Absolutely, we had someone who could build an arena. But we’re talking about a mini-city that you’re responsible for. I can’t imagine. I wouldn’t want (Anselmi’s) job. It’s big and it’s so multifaceted. You not only have to run the LeBreton Flats development, you’ve got to run a hockey team, as well.”
Anselmi said he likes what he sees here and that’s why he’s taking over.
“I’m not coming in with any preconceived notions. To me, it was more about opportunity,” said Anselmi. “I just met with the staff and I said to them I spent 17 years on the other side of the Battle of Ontario and part of what I believe in is knowing (who) you are and what you’re good at and finding your niche.
“This will never be Montreal and this will never be Toronto, but nobody else can be Ottawa and the nation’s capital. That’s the sort of the spirit of the brand I see growth in. I’m personally about organization excellence, doing your best and it’s about being the best experience you can be for your fans.”
Melnyk said Anselmi’s construction background is important and what’s why he was right man for the job.
“It’s tough for me to appreciate the magnitude of what has to be done,” Melnyk said about the LeBreton project. “With the magnitude of the project, you have to put a team together and you have to know the team.
“I think Tom will go crosscountry to get people to join us in Ottawa, and there’s talent in Ottawa, but just the kind of construction projects that they have in Toronto, Montreal and New York are humongous. That’s what you need.”
It was a big decision on a big day for the Senators as Melnyk decided it was time to take the next step.