Leafs, fans, Falls benefit from team’s stay
Niagara Falls officials rolled out the red — or in this case blue and white — carpet as they hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend.
Not only did the National Hockey League club take over much of the city’s Gale Centre arena Friday to Sunday, but it was also treated to all that the Honeymoon Capital has to offer.
Rob McDonald, the city’s manager of recreation and customer service, said the municipality “put on a pretty good show for them last year” when the Leafs held their development camp at Gale Centre.
He said after last year’s development camp, city officials met with Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, and “they came to us and said we’d like to come back.”
“They had their training camp in Halifax the last two years, so they like to get out of Toronto, and … I think what they like about Niagara is, obviously, the destination — they really like the hotel at White Oaks, the facility is great, they need two (ice) pads, and they need the access in between the two pads, so I think everything, overall, kind of just works well for them here,” said McDonald.
He said it’s a “big team effort” to host a professional sports team for a weekend.
“Everything from our staff to some of the business owners in town.”
McDonald said the team got out into the community, including taking a Hornblower tour.
He said officials set the team up at different restaurants, and they had the opportunity to go golfing and fishing.
McDonald said Ford, one of the team’s major sponsors, donated 45 vehicles, wrapped in Leafs logos.
He said the city supplied volunteers that transported Leafs personnel to and from the hotel, to and from dinners, and every attraction they wanted to get to.
“It was a big undertaking,” said McDonald.
“It’s more than just what we’ve been able to provide here at the rink, but this is a key component, obviously, so our staff have been really working hard in the last couple weeks to make sure everything was perfect for them.”
Leafs forward William Nylander was one of players to take a Hornblower boat tour Friday.
The 21-year-old said he visited Niagara Falls when he was a kid for hockey tournaments. He said the players enjoyed the team-bonding experience this time around.
“Guys did different things. We went golfing, we went on the Hornblower …” he said.
Nylander described the city as “beautiful.”
“We’ve had great food, too, so it’s been nice, and the fans have been great, it’s been lots of fun.”
Mayor Jim Diodati said he had the chance to visit with players and team personnel as they were enjoying Niagara Falls.
“The buffet of fun and excitement that we rolled out, they were just eating it up,” he said.
“They had choices — do you want to go fishing? Do you want to go on Hornblower? Do you want to go on the helicopter? Do you want to go golfing? Do you want to go to wineries? Then when the guys would get back together at night, they were talking about their experiences, then all the other guys wanted to go back out and do everything the other guys were doing.”
Diodati said Niagara Falls benefits from having the amenities of a big city, yet the “cozy feeling” of a smaller, tight-knit community.
“A lot of the players come from small towns, and they really get that warm feeling, but they also get the fun, and the cosmopolitan feeling of a big city, so we kind of give a bit of everything here.”
He credited city staff and volunteers for making the Leafs stay a welcoming one.
“Our staff were outstanding. They took the personal challenge to see how great they could make it. Our volunteers were thrilled. We had a waiting list of volunteers that were willing to take time off of their jobs, time away from their families because they wanted to be a part of this Leafs Nation movement.”
Diodati said the plan is for the city to continue its partnership with the Leafs, and the objective is to get the team back again next year.
“We know they don’t stay anywhere forever (for their camp). But they were thrilled with the kind of service that they received from all of our staff and the volunteers, and the way they were given the respect of their privacy when they needed it … If they have another good season after having their training camp in Niagara Falls, it certainly doesn’t hurt our chances.”
Serge Felicetti, the city’s director of business development, said having the Leafs visit Niagara Falls two years in a row benefitted the community, both from a fan perspective and an economic development perspective.
“I think it’s first and foremost great for the community, to get to see the team up close and personal, and obviously they’re followed by a great deal of media, so you get some great media exposure for the Gale Centre, and for the destination, so it’s a real positive on many fronts,” he said.
“I think that the guys here at the venue did such a great job, and they got a chance to experience the area (last year), and they were really impressed. We were kind of talking about other things that we were able to provide the group when they were here, which I think helped push that decision (to come back).”
Felicetti also credited Diodati for “pushing” for the Leafs to return to the city.
He said it’s been a great year for Niagara Falls, starting off with the Live with Kelly and Ryan show at Oakes Garden Theatre in June.
Hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest showered praise on Niagara Falls, and showed clips of them, along with family members and crew, enjoying many of the city’s and region’s attractions and establishments.