The
Globe & Mail looks at what Ryerson University's Maple Leaf Gardens renovation could mean for sports in the city. The $60-million construction project, which will include, among other things, an ice rink, basketball court, and training rooms is expected to bring top athletes to Toronto and re-active city interest in university sports.
""Dressed in a hard hat, work boots and an orange construction vest, Ivan Joseph is walking through the site of what he hopes will be his university's rebirth."
"'It's starting to take shape for us,' says Mr. Joseph, Ryerson University's director of athletics."
"Maple Leaf Gardens has sat dormant for a decade. And while the yellow brick facade may make it seem as if nothing has changed, an ambitious $60-million construction project inside is nearing its completion. The new ice rink, basketball court, training rooms and other elements won't just provide the school with many much needed facilities, they also put a bold face on the school's equally bold ambition of becoming the pre-eminent Canadian Interuniversity Sport school in the country, one that will attract top players and, it is hoped, get Torontonians excited about university sport."
"'I would be willing to bet within five years we will have a CIS championship in one of the major sports,' says Ryerson president Sheldon Levy."
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Globe & Mail