September 06, 2004
By Alex J.Walling

The older and hopefully wiser I get I am realizing that so many people despise or envy those who are successful and many can’t wait to slam them when they are down.

It seems to be ‘if I’m not successful then others can’t be’ and I’ve seen and heard ( on open line shows) often. I think the biggest problem with so many is they are afraid to say someone else is either better than they are or can do things better than them. I have never understood that.

We’ve just gone through a classic case in the past seven days as the media, citizens, and letters to the editor types and most uniformed open line show callers and alleged moderators have taken their shots at Fred MacGillivray, the CEO of the WTCC as a result of the ‘Mooseheads Mess”.

By now one knows that the Moose and the Metro Centre were in negotiations and they were not fruitful so the Moose owner, former NHL player Bobby Smith, took his team and signed a deal with the Halifax Forum.

Holy thundering Torpedoes what wrath this caused!

Fans were irate.

Ticket season holders were livid.

Downtown business folks cried.

And, if you owned a luxury box at the Metro Centre, you were out between 40-50 grand.

And whose fault was that? Who to blame?

Why Fred MacGillivray of course. In fact I would say (facetiously) that he was the fault for everything last week. We should have called the last seven days as: “blame everything of Fred week’.

I mean he is the front and centre and point man on everything that happens at the Centre or so it is perceived, so he got rocked. And it wasn’t ‘Rock me Gently ‘either’.

Rocked, in the media in general stories.

Rocked by editorialist and columnists

Rocked, by Marilla Stephenson on the CBC political panel.

Rocked by cartoonist, I caught one in the Daily News.

Rocked by radio and the “Hotline Host” (I always thought the host was supposed to be a moderator, not someone calling for a lynching?)

Rocked by the coterie of complainers of the hotline whose sole purpose in life seems to be to complain, moan, bitch, shout and act venomous towards society in general and those that seem to have it better than them in particular.

Instead of the Hotline it should be called the “Complaint Line” with Commandant Complaint, Rockin Rick Howe. The man has to learn that there is a difference between voicing an intelligent opinion and letting those who have no clue of what is going on, use air time to borderline defame, disparage and denigrate good people and their reputations.

But the worst were the callers who must have waited years to tell us that Fabulous Fred has to go, that he was terrible, and that he should be crucified and / or lynched (publicity of course) on Citadel Hill. Hell, these yahoos would probably pay admission to see such.

I’ve never heard anything so pathetic in my life and I’ve done ‘tons of listening’ to these shows over many decades.

First of all, while MacGillivray accepts the responsibility for this mess he had NOTHING to do with the talks between the Metro Centre and the Moose. The talks were held between Dan Smith (brother of Bobby) and Scott Ferguson the GM of the WTCC.

But MacGillivray is the public persona of the WTCC so he was the one crucified. For what? Trying to get the best deal possible for our building?

Yes, our building and the better the deal for the Moose the worse for us.

It’s amazing how just how things change in 10-11 years.

I remember doing TV stories on how slime bucket Marcel Aubut, then the owner of the Quebec Nords and their farm team the Halifax Citadels was getting to much from the Metro Centre and that we were getting fleeced.

How come I don’t or didn’t hear that about the Moose?

Let’s deal with the dealing.

I still haven’t figured out if this was a plan, and a master plan at that, by the Smith & Smith team. If it was then it was brilliant.

But it turned into a public fight of monster egos when the NHL Smith called his media conference and told us he was going to the forum.

Have you ever seen politicians move so fast in your life?

The province got involved and that means the premier’s office.

Minister Ernie Fage came roaring out of province house like a wild bull at the Calgary Stampede.

Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly solidified his next election win by making a ‘big three’ for the past twelve months by getting into the negotiations. Kelly has “Juan” and “White Juan” under this belt.

I want to know, how come these same politicians can’t get involved in something more meaningful such as the Sonja Petcil case?

And the villain, at least in the public eye on this one, no other than the former Teflon man, Fearless Fred.

I think it is time for some honest and sober reflection.

On this case I agree with MacGillivary who told me that “I don’t accept the blame for the mess but as the CEO of the WTCC I do accept the responsibility”.

In my opinion that is a good summation. And it was nice to see him shake hands with Bobby Smith at the city hall news conference.

This is a fight that should have never gone public. And we will never really know why it did.

As for MacGillivray many maintain that he did lose this round or fight with Smith but I ask did he lose it or did the city?

The figures are not revealed but just what kind of deal did the Moose get? If it is as good as or better than the Citadels got then we, the taxpayers, got hosed and we are losing money on this deal.

So why were the Citadels the bad guys and the Moose not?

Popularity for one but in the world of business it takes cash to pay bills and if not enough cash is coming in for the Mooseheads games then we, the taxpayer, will pay.

I realize that hockey and the Moose will always win over a building (Metro Centre) and civil servants (Fred M).

In another space (Daily News) I wrote that MacGillivray lost the round or fight but then, other than Rocky Marciano, no heavyweight went undefeated.

Floyd Peterson who won the heavyweight crown over Archie Moore on Dec.10th (1956) went years without a loss and then in June of 59 ran into the right hand of one Ingemar Johansson. Paterson hit the canvas seven times before the fight was called off.

A year later Paterson became the first heavyweight ever to regain his crown in a re-match. I expect MacGillivray to regain most of the luster that he had. There is no shame in going down the shame is in not getting up and continuing the journey and the MacGillivray journey is far from over. He still has places to go and mountains to climb for this city.

Remember old Archie Moore. He fought Maritimer Yvon Durelle in Montreal for the world light-heavyweight crown. Durelle sent Moore to the carpet three times in the first round almost killing the old boy. But Moore came back and won.

Point being, one does don’t win all the games, battles and wars in life. If you know of someone let us know.

The world’s greatest athlete in the past 50 years, Ali, went down to Ken Norton and Joe Frazier but came back time and time again and reclaimed his title time and time again.

I can give you 50 examples and I’m sure you have many too.

Yes, with 20/20 hindsight MacGillivray should have stepped in but I’m not sure if he realized what was happening or it may have happened to fast.

Taking fair shots at Fred MacGillivray? Sure, that is part of the game.

But the viciousness, ignorance, vilification that I heard on Howe’s Open Line show and elsewhere was borderline sickening.

“I’m glad he got his come-uppance,” one guy told me “he’s been riding to high for to long,” moaned another.

As I said in an early paragraph, why do we envy or dislike successful people for they are the ones who do things and get things done. I will never, having to fight, claw, crawl and earn everything I have, understand that mentality.

“Yea, he should go man and the sooner the better,” from some guy who sounded drunk on the CJCH Bash-Fred-Line.

Another turkey pontificated: “MacGillivray’s done nothing. All the credit should go to the Mooseheads.”

To that caller I simply ask him to look around at the successful franchise in this country such as Ottawa and Quebec and London and if it that easy why aren’t they holding the World Juniors? And these cities along with Patrick Roy and his Quebec City franchise want them.

Go ask Jeff Hunt who owns the Ottawa 67’s perhaps the top CHL team today. Jeff lost for a third time in trying to get the World Juniors for his city and he had rink (Coral Centre) that was ready for such. Hunt lost to Vancouver who has only been in the league for a few years and before that he lost to Halifax and before that to Winnipeg.

I don’t think he would tell you it isn’t that easy.

As for Hotline Howe I wonder if he really thinks before he talks. He seems to call for ‘a firing or removal or resignation” at least once a month. Thank god he is not my boss I wouldn’t have lasted two columns when I started out.

Will someone tell me of a person who has sold Halifax more around this country and the world in the past ten years than MacGillivray? There is no one that bears the Flag of Halifax and leads the parade more so than the former grocery man who went from packing bags to president of the chain. No mean accomplishment in my book.

No one has accomplished more for this city in ten years than MacGillivray. Don’t look too far you won’t find one and don’t give me Walter Fitzgerald. The former mayor was very popular and loveable but his ‘accomplishments list’ is not that overwhelming.

Peter Kelly has done a good job as mayor but his main ‘in front of the public visibility’ came as a result of events that one could never plan and I refer to the Juan’s, the Hurricane and White Juan and if I can’t expect leadership from the top municipal official then we all have a problem.

Before I outline a few of MacGillivray’s accomplishments let me say for the record that I have never had a drink, cigar or cigarette, coffee or dinner with this guy. In other words I am not a social acquaintance of the man. I know him from media conferences and sporting functions only but it doesn’t take a mensa mind to realize what he has done.

But I do report and see things and I’ve seen a lot in the last ten years. In fact in covering events (news and sports) from my first newspaper gig (1965/Quebec Chronicle Telegraph) I am hard pressed to find someone who has accomplished so much in a short decade.

He came to the metro centre in the spring of 94 and before that time I had hardly ever been in the management offices of that place.

Prior to that the Metro Centre was ‘a big white elephant’ with a pathetic (AHL) team and terrible lease as negotiated by MacGillivray’s predecessor with one of the most arrogant, egotistical, self centered people I have encountered, Marcel Aubut, the owner of the Quebec Nords and their farm team the Halifax Citadels.

The ‘Convention’ part of the World Trade and Convention centre was slow. Other than the annual Sports Dinner there wasn’t much to talk about.

In the late 50’s a rock and roll group called the ‘Coasters’ had a hit with the words “and …and then, and then…. Along came Jones”.

In 1994 ..”Along came Fred”…and this city’s perception changed especially on a national and international scene.

The long and short of it, cut and dried, is so simple and that is….Fred MacGillivray is a doer. And there are not too many of those.

Many talk a good game and Big Mac is a smooth talker but he is a doer. And doing in my books means getting the right ‘team’ together to accomplish a mission. And there have been many ‘Missions Accomplished”.

Being in the media I got to see him often but I also have had three major interviews with him over the years. One for tsn.ca, another for sportsite.ca and the last one for a hockey book that I am writing which will deal with the World Juniors. In all those times and we talked about his accomplishments, I have never heard the man say “I did this or that’ but rather ‘we, or our team was able to do that’.

The lists of successes at the WTCC is totally astounding when you compare what the Metro Centre did from the time it opened in 1978 through 1993 and then look at what has happened in the next ten years.

I’ve heard some, who really don’t have a clue what they are talking about; say ‘it’s the Mooseheads that got us the Memorial Cup and the World Juniors’.

Wrong boys, dead wrong.

Yes, and no one denies the Moose are the top tenant at the Metro Centre and one needs a CHL team to get the Memorial Cup and the World Juniors but these events are heavily competed for and simply because one ‘has a CHL’ team is no guarantee of a successful venture.

Check in with Jeff Hunt. He is the owner of perhaps the top CHL franchise in the past five years with the Ottawa 67’s. Hunt wants the World Juniors but lost to Winnipeg in 1999 (as did Halifax), and Hunt lost to Halifax in 2003 and lost again to Vancouver. It is not that easy.

It takes a business plan, savvy, presentation skills and more. Meet the leader who got the bulk of those events for this city and that is MacGillivray. How soon we forget.

Some people can’t win. Following the most successful World Juniors one guy called Howe on his Hotline show and said ‘all the business is going downtown’ and that is not good for the other parts of the city.

Give me a break.

There is but one reason why the CHL, CHA and IIHF think highly of Halifax and that is due to the diligent efforts of the man in the top office of the WTCC.

‘Yea, but all he wants to do is run for mayor or premiere’ is another quote that has circulated around Metro.

DOH! Or is that DUH! (I am not a big Simpson’s fan.)

And please tell me what is wrong with that?

I am very fortunate for doing news and sports for decades I run into many kinds of people and so many have very little ambition.

I don’t know about you but I want a strong leader as mayor or premiere and not enough people want to lead. Most want a top job without really having accomplished much. Half the people on city council haven’t done a thing. Give me a MacGillivray type any day. One that goes after and gets results.

Check around with the charities in this city and you will find no one, not a single person, does more and gets involved in more charities than MacGillivray.

“In these tough times Fred has helped so many raise monies with dinners and banquets at the WTCC,” one of his employees told me.

He gets them a room for their annual fundraisers and for most CEO’s that would be enough. But it doesn’t stop there. He at times will become the chairman of the event, advise them on fundraising and will even use his considerable influence to sell and promote tickets.

Check the Celtic, Gaelic, Scottish, French and Irish and just about every denomination and you will find Big Mac involved.

‘The man simply can’t say no to anyone’ is what a person who knows him well told me and that is the part so many don’t see.

If you want a non-sporting accomplishment then try the G7..

Remember that one with Boris and Bill (Clinton) strolling downtown in what has turned out to be the last friendly summit.

It was MacGillivray that pried funds for a fiber optic network that enabled the metro centre to host the world media. Remember Q-104 radio and their search for Wolf Blitzer?

As a columnist, as an opinionated reporter and media person I have taken shots at people but never personal. But what I heard this past week in regards to one of the top doers in this city is unbelievable and I never realized people would tear someone who has done so much for them. And what exactly did this guy do what was so wrong?

I mean have we lost our senses over a bunch of teenagers trying to put in a piece of frozen rubber 1 X 3 into a net?

It is just a game.

People’s life won’t die if they had to go to the Forum or they won’t die if the team moves to Saint John, NB.

There’s being a fan and then there’s being fanatic.

This line of ‘what have you done for me lately’ is a crock. People’s reputation is based on a series of events, achievements or accomplishments over time; not on a one time thing. MacGillivray has earned a stellar reputation based on repeated accomplishments.

Why do we begrudge those who are more successful than us?

Why the pettiness?

The envy?

The jealousy?

Yes, the WTCC lost the battle with the Moose but please tell me who goes through life undefeated.

Let he or she who has never lost anything throw out the first question? As for me I expected MacGillivray to do what the words in the Frank Sinatra song “That’s Life’ state and they are about ‘when you down on the ground you pick yourself and get back in the race…That’s Life”

I also know he wants three more accomplishments and they are a new Metro Centre, a new WTCC and a CFL stadium. Most would give him a crack at one or two. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got all three.

Can you name anyone else who can?

I didn’t think you could.