Tim Leiweke will be gone by June 30, 2015 at the latest, but the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment certainly isn’t acting like a man with one foot out the door.
He put forth a proposal–which was subsequently approved by Toronto City Council–for a new $30-million Raptors training centre, renovation on BMO Field is set to begin in September, and now he has his sights set on the Air Canada Centre.
“We are now talking to [MLSE ownership] about a major upgrade to Air Canada Centre in time for the NBA All-Star Game [in 2016],” Leiweke told Joey Vendetta on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Wednesday.
Leiweke on Leafs, Raptors, TFC and more
“I don’t think it’s any secret we’re trying to bid on the World Cup of Hockey for 2016 for Toronto. We’d like to have the all-star game here for the NHL for our 100th year anniversary. All of this takes money and all of this requires us to makes sure that the ACC is a better fan experience for everybody.”
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Leiweke made headlines last week when he announced he’s leaving his post at MLSE before next July to pursue new business opportunities. Many fans were taken aback and disappointed by the news because the St. Louis native has made several positive moves during his tenure.
“I feel bad that I created a distraction,” Leiweke explained. “I feel bad that people would take this as a statement on the city, on this fan base. It’s not.
“For as long as I’m here—if I’m here through June—the things we’re going to do is continue to do the right things in order to give these teams and these franchises the best possible chance of success. I’m not going to be afraid of rattling a few cages and I’m not going to be afraid of going to our owners and asking them to put more resources into these investments.”
