Gens head to region for Memorial Cup help

By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express

First, they went to the City of Oshawa. Now, the Oshawa Generals have gone to the Region of Durham to support the team in its bid to host the Memorial Cup.

Speaking in front of the committee of the whole, Rocco Tullio, the team’s owner, says that should the team win its bid to host the junior hockey tournament, it would benefit not just Oshawa, but the region as a whole.

“Our goal will be to promote the whole community because it is a community effort. There’s not enough hotels in Oshawa, or restaurants or transportation to afford this. Like every municipality, you go out and have to go throughout the region,” Tullio says.

“We’re hoping to incorporate some of our events will all the other local communities. That way, it’s not just hubbed in Oshawa. There will be some events, maybe a VIP party out in Pickering or something in the surrounding areas, whether it’s Bowmanville or Clarington.”

Roger Hunt, the team’s general manager, was also at the meeting and says that such an event would be an economic boon for Durham.

“With this tournament running over 12 days, there’s thousands of fans that will come from across North America. There’s organized groups of junior hockey junkies that will actually go to every Memorial Cup. Doesn’t matter where it is. These people are going to be coming to our city and our region,” Hunt says, adding that past hosts have seen millions of dollars of spending take place in their cities when the Memorial Cup was taking place.

“With this, there’s a lot of money that we expect will be injected into the community – not only the city of Oshawa, but certainly Durham Region.”

Tullio says the team is looking for the region to make a contribution similar to that made by the City of Oshawa. In October, city council approved giving the Gens $200,000 of in-kind services to support the team’s bid and potential hosting duties. The team’s owner says these in-kind services can include things such as providing EMS for games or waiving fees for police officers needed for road closures.

For the latter, Roger Anderson, the regional chair, says such a waiver is not likely.

“I’ll be just shocked if you get that,” he says, adding that the Gens need to meet with both regional departments as well as the police in order to figure out what can be provided.

Anderson advised Tullio and Hunt to go through with these staff meetings before making any formal requests for in-kind services or grants.

Tullio says that the team will be making its official presentation to the CHL on its bid in late January, and will need answers on what services and funding it has secured by that time.