Dean MacDonald hyping big plans if he can buy Mile One Centre

[Growlers]

Newfoundland Growlers owner Dean MacDonald says he’s got big plans for Mile One Centre. It’s a multimillion-dollar makeover to turn it into a major sport and entertainment center.

VIDEO: Dean MacDonald hyping big plans if he can buy Mile One Centre

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[Growlers]

Here are some renderings for his plans.

 

[JMCx4]

Can that "rendering" actually fit in the current MOC space allotted? Photos I saw showed the existing Centre tucked into a hillside on a narrow hill-to-street lot, with dual commercial towers on one side & City Hall on the other.

 

[Growlers]

Yes, They don't show it there, But your right there is a big office building on one side and city hall on the other.

 

[Royalsflagrunner77]

I wonder if thats part of the deal new offices and city hall structure . Or something along those lines . Mcdonald trying to get some control .

 

[Philly Fanatik]

Growlers are playing out of the “Chicken Coop” this year!
Mary Browns has the new naming rights of the rink they’re playing out of!

 

[Adam Michaels]

Well, looks like the Growlers are being evicted from Mile One Center:

 

[Atlantian]

This is huge now that the season has started. What can the team do at this point? A legal battle over the lease will take months if not years, but what does the team do in the meantime? Temporarily relocate to Brampton or Manchester?

 

[Atlantian]

Mile One’s reasoning

 

[CrazyEddie20]

This is huge now that the season has started. What can the team do at this point? A legal battle over the lease will take months if not years, but what does the team do in the meantime? Temporarily relocate to Brampton or Manchester?

Seek injunctive relief against the SJSE Ltd., which will keep the team in the building for now while the situation is litigated.

 

[JMCx4]

Seek injunctive relief against the SJSE Ltd., which will keep the team in the building for now while the situation is litigated.

And if that doesn't pan out, the Growlers will be the only ECHL team in history to end their season undefeated. 4-0-0-0, baby!

 

[CrazyEddie20]

And if that doesn't pan out, the Growlers will be the only ECHL team in history to end their season undefeated. 4-0-0-0, baby!

Not likely. The league is going to be a co-party on the Growlers' side in the litigation, because the league has a business interest in the games being played at Mile One, or at the minimum, in Newfoundland. Both the team and the league will suffer irreparable harm if the games aren't played as scheduled under the terms of the lease, regardless of how the workplace investigation plays out.

I highly doubt SJSE's attempt to play hardball against the Growlers in this manner will hold up in court.

 

[Atlantian]

Seek injunctive relief against the SJSE Ltd., which will keep the team in the building for now while the situation is litigated.

Is there another sport example similar to this in which this solution worked?

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Is there another sport example similar to this in which this solution worked?

My law degree is from the US, and while the Canadian and US systems are similar, they are not identical. In general, it doesn't have to be a sports-specific case to be comparable. It's a business lease. I'm sure there are comparable cases out there. The main consideration is whether reverting to the status quo ante SJSE's "eviction" of the Growlers via injunctive relief will prevent unnecessary harm to the business interest of the team and the ECHL. It will. Will a return to the status quo ante cause irreparable harm to SJSE in their investigation? Probably not. Thus, they'll probably get the injunction.

 

[Adam Michaels]

 

[MeHateHe]

This kind of negates any argument the team has about suffering irreparable harm, ne c'est pas? The club is already planning a Plan B, so the city could argue they're not 'irreparably' harmed.

 

[Atlantian]

It looks to be a done deal that the team will play in Toronto for the time being. Just waiting for the official announcement.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

This kind of negates any argument the team has about suffering irreparable harm, ne c'est pas? The club is already planning a Plan B, so the city could argue they're not 'irreparably' harmed.

In terms of being able to play the games somewhere, yes, that is no longer irreparable harm.

In terms of financial harm from lost ticket sales, sponsorship activation, and goodwill in the community? Perhaps, perhaps not.

But I think you're right in that there's an argument to be made that if they planned out a contingency, any harm might not rise to the level where a court would be able to grant injunctive relief.

 

[Atlantian]

It’s official. Growlers will play first six home games in Toronto

 

[CrazyEddie20]

It’s official. Growlers will play first six home games in Toronto

I'd bet they never play another game in St. John's.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

Two thoughts:

What is going on in St. John's? First they evicted an NBL-Canada (an unspectacular but solid Canadian minor league) team in favor of an ABA (spectacular - in the same way a fireworks factory explosion is) team...and now this???

I know that some Canadians aren't crazy about the existence of minor pro hockey. Might the city be trying to boot the Growlers in favor of the "more Canadian" QMJHL?

 

[jabberoski]

Two thoughts:

What is going on in St. John's? First they evicted an NBL-Canada (an unspectacular but solid Canadian minor league) team in favor of an ABA (spectacular - in the same way a fireworks factory explosion is) team...and now this???

I know that some Canadians aren't crazy about the existence of minor pro hockey. Might the city be trying to boot the Growlers in favor of the "more Canadian" QMJHL?

They had a QMJHL team there for a few years after the Maple Leafs left, and it didn't last long. Not sure if that was due to the arena/city as well, or not.

 

[Atlantian]

Two thoughts:

What is going on in St. John's? First they evicted an NBL-Canada (an unspectacular but solid Canadian minor league) team in favor of an ABA (spectacular - in the same way a fireworks factory explosion is) team...and now this???

I know that some Canadians aren't crazy about the existence of minor pro hockey. Might the city be trying to boot the Growlers in favor of the "more Canadian" QMJHL?

I do not believe that is the case. I believe the city counsel that runs Mile One, or whatever it is called now, butt heads with Deacon SE, or specifically Dean MacDonald. I think they want him specifically out. The people have reacted amazingly to the ECHL product, especially after the championship in 2019. Whatever the case is, I believe it to be based on some backroom political bs and we will likely never know the true reason.

 

[wildcat48]

This is all a political pi$$ing contest. Danny Breen can't been outmaneuvered by MacDonald so he wants the jump by evicting the Growlers. I'm not sure what to think about whether they build another arena in St. John's but unless that happens I believe franchise never plays at Mile One, Mary Brown's or whatever its called.... Speaking of that, I wonder how they feel about this turn of events.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

So , basically the local government wants to control the arena and can't tolerate a tenant that wants control of the venue?