Rogers Communications has purchased the naming rights for the future home of the Edmonton Oilers and many Edmontonians aren't impressed with the new name.
The downtown arena, which is set to open in 2016, will be named Rogers Place – a move that further increases the telecommunications giant's reach in Canadian professional sports.
"If Rogers is interested, I am willing to sell naming rights to basically anything in my life, including children," said Jeremy Roberts on Twitter.
"So is there anything left in Canadian sports for #Rogers to purchase?" asked Dave Haase.
The announcement comes on the heels of a new 12-year, $5.2-billion media rights agreement between the Rogers and the NHL.
“Rogers Place will be one of the most technologically enabled stadiums in North America; we look forward to bringing passionate fans a connected game experience powered by the country’s fastest LTE network," said John Boynton, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer in a statement.
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The deal, which is the largest in NHL history, gives Rogers national rights to all NHL games, on all of its platforms in all languages.
Rogers has become a major player on the Canadian sports scene in the last decade.
It owns baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and with rival Bell is part owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which counts the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA's Toronto Raptors and MLS's Toronto FC among its properties.
Rogers already has naming rights for two other major sports venues. The Blue Jays and CFL's Toronto Argonauts play at the Rogers Centre, while the NHL's Vancouver Canucks call Rogers Arena home.
The downtown arena, which is set to open in 2016, will be named Rogers Place – a move that further increases the telecommunications giant's reach in Canadian professional sports.
"If Rogers is interested, I am willing to sell naming rights to basically anything in my life, including children," said Jeremy Roberts on Twitter.
"So is there anything left in Canadian sports for #Rogers to purchase?" asked Dave Haase.
The announcement comes on the heels of a new 12-year, $5.2-billion media rights agreement between the Rogers and the NHL.
“Rogers Place will be one of the most technologically enabled stadiums in North America; we look forward to bringing passionate fans a connected game experience powered by the country’s fastest LTE network," said John Boynton, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer in a statement.
Story continues after slideshow
The deal, which is the largest in NHL history, gives Rogers national rights to all NHL games, on all of its platforms in all languages.
Rogers has become a major player on the Canadian sports scene in the last decade.
It owns baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and with rival Bell is part owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which counts the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA's Toronto Raptors and MLS's Toronto FC among its properties.
Rogers already has naming rights for two other major sports venues. The Blue Jays and CFL's Toronto Argonauts play at the Rogers Centre, while the NHL's Vancouver Canucks call Rogers Arena home.
