The New Name For Harbour Station Is …
SAINT JOHN – Harbour Station is now TD Station.
“We’re going to have this place dressed in green, every day is going to be St. Patrick’s Day in Saint John,” quipped Frank McKenna when he recently announced in a public ceremony that TD Bank Group, with its signature green logo, had acquired the naming rights to Harbour Station.
The bank and the Saint John Sea Dogs officially announced the new name in a release Friday.
“We are excited to unveil TD Station as the new home of the Saint John Sea Dogs,” said Jennifer Auld, vice president of Atlantic Canada for TD Canada Trust. “TD has a long history of supporting and investing in the communities we serve, and we are proud to be bringing new and exciting experiences to the fans, our customers and colleagues in Saint John.”
As part of a five-year sponsorship agreement, Harbour Station will be renamed and the bank will also host minor hockey practices with the Saint John Sea Dogs and elevate the in-game experience with music events.
McKenna says the sponsorship with the Sea Dogs and Harbour Station is a reflection of the bank’s commitment to the city. TD employs nearly 1,000 people at its centre on Rothesay Avenue.
In 1993, then-premier McKenna was on hand for the opening of Harbour Station. Two weeks later, he was in Saint John again with Ed Clark, then CEO of TD Canada Trust, to announce they would open the Saint John centre.
“We started with 54 people and we’ll end up with 1,000 people here, so you can imagine what our sponsorship of this team means,” said McKenna when the bank announced the sponsorship deal two weeks ago. “It means that in five or 10 years from now, you’re going to be looking at an NHL team in Saint John. Ware a bank with great ambition and we think we are associating with an organization with great ambition.”
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The Sea Dogs say the new name continues the traditions established by Saint John’s Union Station in the 1930s. The area, once a major railway center at the turn of the 20th century, provided the base for two majestic railway stations—Union Depot, constructed in 1884, and the grand Union Station, constructed in 1933.
“We’re thrilled with the announcement of TD Station,” said Trevor Georgie, president and general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs. “The name maintains some of the history of the original and we look forward to what the future holds here. ‘Sea Dogs win the President Cup/Memorial Cup at TD Station’ has a nice ring to it.”
In a phone interview Friday morning, Georgie said it’s vote of confidence for the Sea Dogs and the city itself for a “global brand” like TD to come on as a corporate sponsor.
Georgie said they won’t be releasing the financial terms of the deal between the two private companies. But he did say that TD would be investing in new signage for the publicly owned facility and paying for things like new uniforms for TD Station employees.
He also said TD would bring in musical acts throughout the season to perform at Sea Dogs games. The details of these events – what the acts will be, when they will perform during the game – are still being worked out and will be released at a later date.