FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HAMILTON RED WINGS RELOCATE TO MARKHAM

“ to Compete as the Markham Royals Beginning in 2015-16 OJHL Season”

April 29, 2015, Mississauga, Ontario – The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and the Hamilton Red Wings, in partnership with the City of Markham, today announced that the hockey club has been relocated to Markham, Ontario and will compete as the Markham Royals beginning with the 2015-16 OJHL season.

Red Wings’ Governor Stuart Hyman received approval from the OJHL Board of Governors and the Ontario Hockey Association’s Board of Directors last week to relocate the team to Markham. The club will play out of the Markham Centennial Arena, located within Centennial Community Centre at 8600 McCowan Road. Along with the relocation, the team will shift from the OJHL’s West Division and now compete in the North Division.

Hyman made the request after public announcements outlining that the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) approved a team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, to play out of Hamilton.

"We are thrilled to be a part of bringing an OJHL team back to Markham,” said Hyman. “The city has a rich and storied junior hockey tradition. The Mayor and everyone from the City have been fantastic to work with and very supportive. We are very appreciative for the opportunity to carry on this proud tradition with the rebirth of the Markham Royals Junior Hockey Club. It will be an honour to wear Markham's famous colours and help kids achieve their dreams of playing college and pro hockey."

“The arrival of Junior ‘A’ hockey back to Markham is great news and we’re thrilled to welcome the Red Wings Junior ‘A’ organization to our community,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “The new Markham Royals Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club will be joining a well-established hockey community known for producing over sixty NHL players including Steve Stamkos, Steve Thomas, Brad May, Mike Zigomanis, Cody Hodgson, Jeff Skinner, Mike Palmateer, Hockey Hall of Fame Honoured Members Syl Apps and Adam Oates. We’re confident the Markham Royals Junior ‘A’ team will carry on that tradition of hockey excellence.”

About the City of Markham Markham, a municipality with more than 345,000 residents centrally located in the Greater Toronto area, is home to more than 400 corporate head offices and more than 1,100 high tech and life science companies. Founded in the 1790s, Markham is now Canada’s most diverse community, enjoying a rich heritage, outstanding community planning and services, and a vibrant local economy. Markham has received the Excellence Canada PEP III Integrated and Accessibility Awards, and multiple heritage and environmental awards. Markham is proud to be an official Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games.

For more information on the City of Markham, please visit www.markham.ca.

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About the OJHL – “League of Choice”

The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 22 member clubs. A proud member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including the CIS, NCAA, CHL, Minor Pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL has had more than 115 commitments in 2013-14, including 46 NCAA Division I scholarships.

For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca.

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For further information;

Marty Savoy Stuart Hyman Mayor Frank Scarpitti Commissioner, Governor Mayor Ontario Junior Hockey League Markham Royals City of Markham 905-919-3623 416-480-1717 905-475-4872 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

For Media Inquiries: Dennis Flaherty 905-415-7520 [email protected]

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