On the rebound National hockey tournament seeks revival BY JORDAN PARKER

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Action photo from a Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! event. The CBC provided approximately $3M in media support an- Photo credit Ryan Tir nually to make the Play On! program possible in 34 Canadian communities between 2007 - 2017. Photo credit Ryan Tir

hen street hockey tournament Play On! Building the team began in Halifax in 2003, its 27-year-old For year two, Hill went after the NHL and Hockey Canada as Wcreator slept in his car to save on hotel potential sponsors. “Hockey Canada didn’t see how ball hockey costs during the event. Little did Scott Hill know could transition new Canadians or non-ice hockey players into it would soon become a national phenomenon with ones who skate. They thought it was too big a bridge,” he the backing of CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada. He said. The NHL, meanwhile, said they were more interested in growing their brand in the southern U.S. than building a fan was even less aware that in 2014—at the height of base in eastern Canada. Still, the NHL agreed to approve a its success and expansion to 22 cities—he’d have license for the use of their logo, though no money was involved to abruptly call the game. This is the story of what in the transaction. happened… and how Hill hopes to rebuild. “In fall 2003, we had a one-year licensing deal with the NHL, and we did a five-city tour for the 2004 season. We found corporate support as a result of our loose affiliation with the NHL.” Hill’s idea gained momentum—then the lockout began. Clearing the ice NHL’s first major lockout, which resulted in a discontinuation Hill says to understand why it all ended, we must first look of all marketing, shut down Play On! for a year. When the NHL at how it began. He had been playing ice hockey all his life, reached an agreement with players, they didn’t bring another but when he was 12, a hit behind the boards left him unable deal with Play On! to fruition. “When they came back, they to continue. “The hit happened during a Saturday game and I rebranded everything. That orange-and-black logo we had didn’t wake up until Tuesday. The head and shoulder injury left been using was gone. Our first big break led to our first big me banged up so bad I still can’t sleep on my left side to this setback,” Hill says. day,” says Hill. The setback led to a new game plan: finally, in 2007, after five “I never lost the passion, though I lost the ability to play, and years of grinding in the corners, Hill met with CBC in 2007 and I always had this desire to create something for others.” obtained the rights to use Hockey Night in Canada to promote As an adult with a business background, a new wife and a Play On! This led to an eight-market tour in 2008; between growing family to provide for, he decided to take a chance on 2008 and 2014, they expanded to 22 cities nationwide. While what he called his “Field of Dreams” moment. “I figured if I Play On! became increasingly popular across the country, its built this tournament, people would come. My wife and I have brand approached phenom status in Halifax. seven kids, and I always wanted to have a program focused on making kids happy. That’s when I began trying to make Play On! a reality,” he says. Hill describes his first year as a grueling experience. “The Home town fans first ever event, held in Halifax, was a difficult process. …I “We had 648 teams in 2014, and the estimate by the HRM was thought sponsors would come on board right away, and had no 35,000 people were on-site at the Halifax Commons watching,” idea how hard it’d be to market,” he said. Hill says today. “The companies I thought would be interested just weren’t. I Karla Nicholson, general manager of the Quinpool Road slept in my truck for 10 days, and it was killing me emotionally, Mainstreet District Association, says one of their members physically and financially.” Then, he got a lucky break. said traffic from the event, held on the Halifax Commons up The Trailer Park Boys television series were becoming the street, allowed their restaurant to double their daily sales big around the time the event was beginning, and Q104, a during the tournament. It was just one of the many local radio partner, helped bring some of the characters in for a businesses that were fans of the program. celebrity game. The first Play On! ended up with 120 teams, Nicholson provided letter correspondence between herself built largely on the TV stars’ prolific brand on the East Coast and Scott Hill, in which she reveals the Quinpool Association

52 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 OLD ORCHARD INN Conference Resort & Spa

board had unanimously voted in 2016 Annapolis Valley Conference Facility & Resort for Play On! to continue at the Commons in 2017 and beyond. “(We) strongly feel With over 12,000 sq.ft. of meeting space that any temporary parking restrictions and only one hour from Halifax. Local activities for our members and/or customers are include golf courses, wineries and Hall’s Harbour far outweighed by the many positive lobster pound for the complete Maritime experience spin-offs of having such an esteemed and valued Canadian event in our oldorchardinn.com 1-800-561-8090 [email protected] neighbourhood,” said the letter. Hwy 101, Exit 11 153 Greenwich Rd. South, Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Off side In 2013, after Hill’s most financially successful year ever for Play On!, the CBC lost the media rights to the NHL. Rogers bought them under a 12-year, $5.2-billion exclusive agreement. Included in the deal was a sub-licensing agreement allowing English broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada and the Stanley Cup Playoffs on CBC, but the Canadian broadcasters no longer owned rights for sponsorships. “CBC has continued to let Scott Hill use the HNIC mark and brand for free. We have also tried to find alternate ways to support the program that was not about on-air promos,” wrote Chuck Thompson, head of Public Affairs for the CBC, in an email. Hill himself thanks CBC for their help and understands the predicament. “CBC continues to own the logo, brand and trademark, but they can no longer promote. They deliver Hockey Night in Canada, but when it came to our affilia- tion… we no longer had a media partner who wanted to promote and maintain the business model. We were allowed to utilize the HNIC logo at no charge or contract for a while, but promotion and advertising were no longer part of it.”

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Scott Hill, Founder & CEO of Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! The Toronto Crush, Female Division winners of the Redwood Cup in 2014. The is interviewed by the CBC’s Scott Russell at a Play On! event. Redwood Cup was featured in a dedicated exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Play On! program was founded in Halifax in 2003. Photo credit Ryan Tir Photo credit Ryan Tir

For three years, Play On! did this, but promotional support didn’t, our president Derek Martin saw an opportunity,” he had dried up, and they wanted to reach a larger audience. So said. “We weren’t trying to get rich off it. Our numbers were they went to Rogers for help. However, Rogers’ $250,000-a-year 150 teams, and we did our best to keep costs low and drove contribution was about a twelfth of what the CBC had provided. registration up.” “They needed a return on that $5-billion investment,” Hill McGinnis was also keen on getting out of the downtown and contends. going to Bayers Lake, unlike Play On! “We wanted a carnival or Then Rogers launched their Hometown Hockey program, festival atmosphere. Play On! had heavy costs for shutting down which was a national community program. “With that in place, streets, and we secured rights for the RONA parking lot, had a they wanted to focus their dollars on getting people to watch drop-off zone, and our design worked,” he says. hockey on Sundays, and Play On! lost support,” says Hill. “We brought GLOW and other companies on board who set Emails to Rogers’ Public Affairs office about Play On! up bouncy castles, had food on-site, a tailgating zone, and it received no response. was a cool experience. If we did it downtown we couldn’t keep In the years between 2014 and 2018, Hill cut back from 21 costs low.” cities to 10, including in Moncton, Montreal, Kingston, Regina That’s not all: they have plans to keep going next year as well. and Victoria. “When Rogers said they couldn’t support us in “We hope we have a location and date next year, and we want to 2017, we knew we couldn’t run an event without a national bring registration numbers up while keeping that smaller feel. media sponsor,” he said. We had half of what Play On! had, and we don’t want to grow too much,” he said. Game changer In February 2018, Scott Hill announced that Play On! was Play On? cancelled. “The Play On! program will not operate in 2018,” While SEA’s event catered well to Halifax, Hill says it’s different a statement on their Facebook page said. “There is certainly a dealing with a national movement like Play On!. “This started possibility that it may return in the future.” in Halifax, but it’s all over the place now. You know what they Hill estimates the program costs $3-million to run yearly, and say about imitation and flattery. I just see other events that came due to lack of sponsors, he couldn’t continue. But despite Play up for the year as a reflection of the market,” Hill says. On! walking away this year, the desire to play street hockey in He also says he understands SEA president Derek Martin’s cities across the country, including in Halifax, remained. idea to fill the void Play On! left in the marketplace. “We both Sports Entertainment Atlantic, a Halifax-based event produc- understood demand, and there’s a power in delivering. But Play tion company, began their HFC Summer Classic ball hockey On! put in the time and ran 170 events. Derek would have to tournament when Play On! did not return. With a significant catch up,” he says. “Historically, there’s room for one hockey number of proceeds going to Jumpstart, the June 2018 event event in each market, and many events like ours last a while. took place on Horseshoe Lake Drive in Bayer’s Lake. But when they get too big, support is more difficult to get.” “It was a good opportunity to slide in where the market was Hill says if Play On! comes back, he’s pushing nationally and still there, and it was an opportunity to do it how we thought it back into the markets he lost. should be done. We thought it should be more affordable and “I recognize that in order to revitalize, we need a new busi- give back,” says Jamie McGinnis, manager of operations at ness model. Mass participation team sports as a model is hard SEA. “We wanted to do it for less. Canadian Tire was great, and operationally and financially.” Jumpstart was our perfect charity. The money went right back “I have a new proposed business model submitted to the CBC to the players.” and other key partners, and we’re in the early stages of getting Among their sponsors for the Halifax-only event were Boston it back. We need it back for kids and teams who love it. It’s been Pizza, East Coast Lifestyle, Halifax Water, Subway, Booster my own labour of love for 15 years, and I’d love it back.” Juice, Goodlife Fitness and more. McGinnis says he was a fan of Play On!, and they did a good job. But he says SEA’s focus FEEDBACK was on giving back, * [email protected] “I don’t know why they didn’t come back, but when they a @AtlanticBus; #PlayOn

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