OMG67
Registered User
- Sep 1, 2013
- 10,813
- 6,958
I disagree that Peterborough would not be able to hold a Memorial Cup in the future. The only thing that is holding them back in the Peterborough Memorial Centre. It is outdated and needs to be replaced. The city has started the process of finding a location for a new facility and once it is built Peterborough would be a great location for the tournament. Peterborough is a great hockey town and have deep roots in the community they are the longest continuous franchise currently in the OHL and have won the most OHL Championships of any team in the modern era. They have great community support. Last year during their championship run they got great community support and that has continued this season with sellout and near sellout crowds almost every night. The concern about it being a small community is not an issue because of the area they are in the fan base is larger than most people think it is. Peterborough county is large and there are also the surrounding counties and the Petes also get great fan support from people in the county and other surrounding areas. They are not the same team as they were ten, fifteen years ago. They are currently a successful franchise that is well run.
I’m only making that suggestion based on their current arena and location. The location is still a hinderance but with a new arena, they’d move into the second group.
Peterborough has a strong past and that plays well. But, the event is still a marquis event and Peterborough isn’t a marquis town. That will progressively play against it.
No offence meant either. This isn’t me bashing Peterborough. I placed Ottawa in the second group because of the current status of their building. I’m trying to be fair to everyone. Access to an International Airport, quality hotels, entertainment amenities and some fun tourist zones do go a long way to enhancing the bid. In my personal opinion, Peterborough lacks in those areas. If they had a new rink, a VERY strong team and the competition wasn’t fierce, they could still host. A lot would need to go in their favour though.