New Rink Nickname Needed

Today started with a bit of breaking news as the NHL arena in Winnipeg will see changes happen this month! The BellMTS Center, located in downtown Winnipeg, will officially be renamed come July 1 as the Canada Life Assurance Company, a Winnipeg-based national insurance and financial services company, takes over the naming rights of the arena in a ten-year deal with True North Sports and Entertainment that will give the home of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets and the AHL's Manitoba Moose a new name. If you were a fan of the "Phone Booth" nickname in Winnipeg, we'll need a new nickname starting on July 1 for the downtown rink now that Canada Life owns the naming rights.

For those that may not be aware, Canada Life came about through an amalgamation in 2019 of Canada Life, Great-West Lifeco Inc. and London Life as the three companies decided to end competition amongst themselves and simply join forces to become a powerhouse in the insurance, assurance, and financial services world. Needless to say, the joining of these three strong companies makes Canada Life a very big player in the financial world, and they're looking to raise their profile.

"We're thrilled to have this relationship with True North, it really is part of our business growth strategy to strengthen our brand in the Canadian marketplace," Canada Life president and chief operating officer Jeff Macoun made in a statement about the deal.

"It was important for us that this was not only local in the province of Manitoba where our head office is ... but it also allows us to have a large and wide national presence from coast to coast to coast, because the Winnipeg Jets are prominently featured in national games."

For those that aren't aware, though, Canada Life has a very strong connection to hockey as they are the title sponsor behind Hockey Helps The Homeless. Those tournaments are run in communities all across Canada so Canada Life has been involved in the game for some time, but getting their name on the arena in Winnipeg where it will be mentioned on broadcasts each and every time the Jets and Moose play will only help them become a household name when it comes to people searching for insurance options.

Beyond that factor, Canada Life has had a long history in Winnipeg thanks to Great-West Life being founded in the Manitoba capital back in 1891! The current building sits upon the old Osborne Stadium location where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers played until 1952, but the building on Osborne has been a fixture in downtown Winnipeg since 1953 when the building was erected. The fact that a long-time Winnipeg institution is the new naming sponsor of the downtown arena as opposed to a telecommunications company based in Ontario only strengthens the Winnipeg ties in the city.

It should be noted that the naming rights agreement includes branding, media, hospitality and community assets for Canada Life, so expect a few of the Jets stars to be featured in upcoming Canada Life ads for the next decade. I don't know if this will allow Canada Life access or naming rights to BellMTS Place out in west Winnipeg where the Moose played this season and the Jets practice, but time will tell as this agreement begins in a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, the old "Phone Booth" nickname for BellMTS Center will be retired come July 1, so we'll need an insurance nickname for the rink moving forward. If you have ideas, leave them in the comments because the old rink in downtown Winnipeg will need a new nickname when referring to it!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!