The owner of the Newfoundland Growlers does not expect the team to be playing hockey again at Mile One—at least not this year. Deacon Sports and Entertainment has made arrangements to play their next six games out of Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto, the same facility used by the AHL Marlies.
Mayor Danny Breen says staff have complained of being harassed, so a workplace investigation is underway. St. John’s has neither identified the third party doing the investigation nor has it given any indication of how long the process will take.
Company president and CEO Dean MacDonald was asked about their future in St. John’s by VOCM’s Gerri Lynn Mackey on the VOCM Morning Show.
MacDonald says anyone who thinks we will be invited back in is having a pipe dream.
They received the letter of complaint from the city on Monday asking them to retract their letter to St. John’s Sports and Entertainment. The Growlers refused.
MacDonald says one of the “harassment” issues revolves around the situation a month ago when former ticket holders for the Edge basketball team were contacted by Mile One and asked if they were interested in buying tickets for the new ABA franchise to play in St. John’s. MacDonald sees such a practice as suspect at best.
He doesn’t see DSE’s concerns and questions surrounding that as harassment, and says the city should not have put employees in that position. He’s looking forward to the investigation.
MacDonald says the damages to his organization are significant, and they will be filing a statement of claim in court.
Mayor Breen has an open invitation to appear on the Morning Show.
