Steelback Centre, Memorial Square

It's official.

The new Sault Ste. Marie Sports and Entertainment Centre will be called the Steelback Centre.

And it will be located in what will be called Memorial Square.

Frank D'Angelo gets to put the name of his bouncing-new beer brand on the front of the building for $135,000 a year over 10 years.

That works out to $1.3 million dollars.

Ward 6 Councillor Frank Manzo was the only dissenter in last night's recorded vote to give Steelback Brewery the right to name the Sault Ste. Marie Sports and Entertainment Centre.

A vote to call the block containing the new arena Memorial Square was unanimous.

Eric Smallwood (shown) of Front Row Marketing, the company that sealed the naming rights deal for the City and Steelback Beer was at Council last night to answer a barrage of questions in a discussion that took almost two hours.

Councillor Manzo commented that some people in the Sault believe that the new facility should be called the Memorial Gardens in honour of the men and women who gave their lives in wars, and because it's located on the same site as the Memorial Gardens.

Other councillors wanted the memorial aspect of the old facility to be brought transferred to the new building.

Ward 4 Councillor Debbie Amaroso suggested calling the block Memorial Square and council fully supported her idea.

Throughout the discussion, Smallwood maintained that the facility should not be given a lengthy name or complicated logo so people can remember it more easily and associate it with the Sault.

"When people hear 'Steelback Centre' they will think of the Sault," he told Council. "They think of London when they hear 'John Labatt Centre,' they think of Ottawa when they hear 'Corel Centre', they will think of the Sault when they hear Steelback Centre."