A candidate running for mayor of a Canadian city is vowing to do everything in his power to get an NHL team up and running there should he win the election in June.
Can the Canadian market, and more specifically Ontario, handle another NHL team? One politician certainly thinks so and insists he will do eveything he can to make it a reality should he win a by-election in June. Peter McCallion is running for mayor of Mississauga, and says it's time the city step out from under the shadow on Toronto and get it's own NHL team.
"Our city can support a team and we are hockey crazy.
Mississauga has more population now than when Toronto got its NHL team.
A Toronto/Mississauga rivalry would keep a lot of the sports entertainment dollars in the GTA. I know there are a lot of hurdles, but Mississauga needs bold vision and new ideas."
The population of Mississauga is abour 830,000. McCallion says he won't stop at an NHL team, adding he'll be going for a Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) team as well.
"It's time to get a team of our own.
It's an idea whose time has come."
McCallion is the son of Hazel McCallion, who was mayor of Mississauga for 36 years, from 1978 to her retirement in 2014. McCallion said his mother was a huge advocate for women's hockey, and played into her 90s.
McCallion insisted the arena for the teams would be built by the private sector, and he will bring together the local business community to draft a bid immediately if he wins the byelection in June. McCallion's dream is a big one, especially considering he is just one of 18 candidates vying to be the next mayor of Mississauga. Besides the Maple Leafs, Ontario also has the Ottawa Senators. A second team for Toronto has been talked about for years, although no official proposal has ever been made.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PETER MCCALLION'S POTENTIAL PROPOSAL FOR A NEW CANADIAN NHL TEAM? APRIL 23 108 ANSWERS |
| I LIKE IT! | 58 | 53.7 % |
| IT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA | 23 | 21.3 % |
| I'M NOT SURE | 27 | 25 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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