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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, February 12, 2016 | 22 Kevin Nagel Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" We know the novelty will wear off, so it will come down to what we put on the ice. Rail Yard Dawgs co-owner Rob MacDougall, Oakville natives Bob McGinn, left, and Rob MacDougall have bought a Southern Professional Hockey League team in Roanoke, Va. The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs will begin play in October. | photo by Herb Garbutt ­ Oakville Beaver Bringing hockey back to Roanoke By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff If Bob McGinn and Rob MacDougall were having second thoughts about bringing Canada's game to Roanoke, they vanished quickly. The Oakville natives had been told the Virginia city had a thriving hockey fan base that had been deprived of a pro team for a decade. But they still weren't sure how the city would respond to the game's return when they held a press conference to announce the arrival of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. "We had a table there to sell merchandise and people were lined up 45 minutes before for hats," McGinn said. "Six hundred people showed up. They wanted season's tickets and they knew where they wanted to sit. I thought we might sell 50, 100 if we were lucky and we sold more than 400. They are passionate fans. It was amazing." By comparison, MacDougall, who had been a part of the original ownership group of the Toronto Rock, said they had two reporters at the press conference to announce the launch of the National Lacrosse League team. The childhood friends, who grew up two streets apart, will see their team hit the ice in the Southern Professional Hockey League this October. Just 14 months ago, hockey ownership was the furthest thing from McGinn's mind. He had just retired when his sons started talking about their post-hockey careers. Jamie, a forward with the Buffalo Sabres, is a veteran of more than 400 NHL games; Tye, now in the Tampa Bay organization, has played 89 games over four seasons; and Brock made his NHL debut with Carolina this season. "They recognize they're not going to play hockey forever," said McGinn, who now lives in Fergus. "They know the game from the coach down, but they don't understand the ownership side. I guess they figured I wasn't that busy, so I could teach them the business side." McGinn began investigating cities that could support a team. During the process, he met former NHLer Tim Kerr, who owned a team in Biloxi, Miss., that had suspended operations in 2014. They met again a month later and decided, rather than start a team from scratch, McGinn would buy Kerr's franchise. While McGinn continued his search for a home for the team, the operators of an arena in Roanoke contacted him. Roanoke had an East Coast Hockey League team, the Express, until it folded in 2004. With the exception of a United Hockey League team that played one season (2005-06), Roanoke has been without a pro hockey team since. "The U.S. is a different animal, but that area has been deprived of hockey and the interest is there," MacDougall said. "But until now, nobody had the tools to put together a group." Roanoke agreed to a $2-million renovation of the Berglund Centre, including a new video board, sound system, seats and a favourable lease. "I can't think of one thing we've suggested that they haven't agreed to," McGinn said. McGinn immediately thought of MacDougall when it came time to brand the new team. A successful sports artist, MacDougall was so intrigued by the venture that he offered his services in return for a minority stake in the team. McGinn said it has been a mutually beneficial arrangement, with MacDougall sharing his previous experience of having launched a team during their 11-hour drives to Roanoke. Logo features dog, railroad tracks "His creative mind is off the charts," he said. "He's thought of so many things I would have never come up with." MacDougall's most recognizable contribution will be the team's jerseys and logo, which features a snarling dog, framed by railroad tracks. "You think of a rail yard dog, you think skinny and ferocious," he said. "Because of the rail history (it was the centre of the steam engine building industry), I dressed the dog like an engineer, with the railroad tracks to support it. For the colours, I incorporated a colour from each of the teams Bob's sons was playing on." MacDougall also has plans for a marketing campaign with famous Virginians, like George Washington, dressed in team gear. The team is expected to operate on an annual budget of $1.2 million, with players making an average of $350 per week. The team has already sold more than 750 season tickets. "We know the novelty will wear off," MacDougall said, "so it will come down to what we put on the ice." "If we give them affordable family entertainment, the rest will fall into place," McGinn said. And there are some unique opportunities they can offer to the city, including plans for the McGinn brothers to conduct a minor hockey camp in the summer. "The best thing would be to see one of those kids make our team in eight or nine years from now," MacDougall said.