What’s all the hubbub?
It would be meaningful for Edmonton to become an NHL hub city
The one question I get more than any other when it comes to the NHL’s ‘Return To Play’ plan is this: ‘Why in the world has Edmonton been so aggressive and so determined to become one of the two so-called hub cities?’
I mean, the games would be played in Rogers Place with no fans in the stands. Why bother to bid on a sports event that nobody is going to be able to attend?
Why bid on an event where nobody is likely to eyeball any of the players on the 12 teams or many of the famous faces in hockey or in the broadcasting business anywhere around town?
It seems silly to some to work so hard to bring 12 teams to town to perform in what would amount to one giant, glorified television studio.
It makes sense to bid for a Grey Cup and have a budget of $14 million because the event brings thousands of people to the city and has a huge economic impact.
Edmonton organizers had a budget of $13 million to produce the postponed World Triathlon Series Grand Slam & World Championships here this summer because it would have brought 3,500 age group (eight to 80) to town as well as family members to total 6,500 visitors to watch the featured men’s and women’s WTS Grand Final but also because of the international TV component.
But so much hubbub for this? No fans. No visitors. So why?
This city has well-funded organizations such as Events Edmonton that work hard to attract events, especially outdoor summer events with big television reaches to show off the summer splendor of a city with a serious perception problem involving snow, ice and deep freeze weather conditions in the winter.
Yes, the Vancouver mayor says the economic impact of this would be “a blip” but when you work the numbers that’s not totally true.
“When it comes to the economic impact, people are discounting it,” said v-p of communications Tim Shipton, who along with v-p of operations Stuart Ballantyne are the Oilers Entertainment Group point people on the project.
“But there’s still a pretty significant economic impact. There are jobs. Certainly there will be arena jobs. There’s economic impact in Ice District with the J.W. Marriott being full, all the meeting rooms being full, and all the other hotels in the downtown core that we would need in order to house the referees, linemen, broadcasters and all the other people involved.
“Most of these hotels are closed right now.
“There’s going to be the requirement for bussing to and from practice rinks and to and from some of the hospitality we’d put together, booking golf courses and other activities and events. The real winner would be the city to have that shot in the arm.
“Just the testing component for coronavirus would involve a local testing company. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman talked about a figure of $3 million US for testing. You get into the 10s of millions pretty quick in an economy that’s in the toilet right now,” Shipton added.
There’s what amounts to free advertising for the benefits of holding events in Rogers Place.
“First of all there would be the credibility of just being selected as a Hub City,” said Ballantyne. “Certainly we would want to showcase Rogers Place. We think it’s the best building in the NHL. The opportunity to work with the league and pull something this significant off in such a trying time would just earn you so much credibility as a franchise and as a city.
“The players, who voted Edmonton as having the No. 2 ice in the league and No. 1 visiting dressing room in the league, know all about Rogers Place. But for players (think potential free agents) and their families to experience the city in the summer, might cure some of those perception problems.”
But what you get is between 50 and 81 games telecast out of each Hub City complete with what the TV people call “beauty shots” from around the city for the openings, coming back from commercials and at the start of every period. You also have repeated references to the city during the broadcasts.
Edmonton isn’t Los Angeles,
Oilers Entertainment Group’s Tim Shipton
Just the testing component for coronavirus would involve a local testing company. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman talked about a figure of $3 million US for testing. You get into the 10s of millions pretty quick in an economy that’s in the toilet right now.
Chicago, Toronto or Las Vegas where promotion wouldn’t be a factor.
“Edmonton is a small market cold-weather city. It would be an excellent opportunity to showcase our city in the summer and we don’t think you could put a price tag on that,” said Shipton.
“We think there’s going to be a voracious appetite for hockey when it comes back. Sports fans have had a big void in their lives. We think the broadcast numbers are going to far exceed what they were heading into the playoffs.
“For fans from all around the world see the video of the city during each game in July, August and September say ‘Gee, Edmonton, that’s not the way I pictured it in mid-February at 40 below, it look pretty beautiful.’ There aren’t many more beautiful places than Edmonton in the summer.”
Premier Jason Kenney said it would be the best free publicity since the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games. And he’s right. But Calgary 1988 wasn’t free. This is.