The Graeme Roustan Show: Edward Rogers And Tony Staffieri

The Hockey News' Money and Power 2025 hockey business annual is available at THN.com/free, featuring the annual 100 people of power and influence list.

W. Graeme Roustan, owner and publisher of The Hockey News, sat down with special guests for peer-to-peer conversations also featured in the issue, including Edward Rogers, the executive chairman of Rogers Communications, and Tony Staffieri, the president-CEO of Rogers Communications.

Here's their full conversation in The Graeme Roustan Show:

Read along with an excerpt from their discussion:

W. GRAEME ROUSTAN: Tell me a little bit about Rogers.

EDWARD ROGERS: My father founded the company in 1960. Got into FM radio. Expanded into cable television in 1967. Expanded into wireless in 1985. And then, sports broadcasting through Sportsnet in 1998. And then, into the Blue Jays in 2000. And then, our position in Maple Leaf Sports in 2011.

TONY STAFFIERI: Today, we’re the country’s leading communications and entertainment company. We’re the largest wireless operator in the country. We’re the largest cable operator in the country, and we’ve got the most significant and growing sports-media assets in the country. We own Sportsnet. We own radio stations, TV, but we also have sports ownership, our interest in MLSE together with ownership of the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre. We’ve got strategic partnerships with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and we’re the NHL national-broadcast distributor, and we’re proud of that partnership with the NHL.

WGR: What was it like, you know, growing up with Ted Rogers as your father?

ER: Well, our company was actually named after my grandfather. My grandfather died when my father was five, and he had a company at the time that was sold, and it was my father who wanted to reestablish and honor his father. But my father was a great dad, and that’s what I remember him for. It was a great environment to grow up with him and learn from him.

WGR: You both grew up in Toronto and you both have hockey backgrounds from a young age. Why don’t you talk a little bit about your interest in hockey?

ER: I grew up playing hockey, played left defense. I was not very good at it. But as a young Canadian, you must play hockey. That’s the way it’s presented. Hockey is our national sport. It’s also part of the fabric of Canada. It’s the identity of Canada, and it’s something that you grow up with. It’s part of the psyche of being a Canadian.

TS: Very similar. Growing up playing hockey. As Edward said, it’s just part of being a Canadian kid growing up. In the winters, it was ice hockey, obviously, through the leagues. In the summer, it was ball hockey, road hockey. And then, of course, there was Saturday night, Hockey Night In Canada on CBC. It was the only place to watch it. And so, good memories. And, of course, it’s a rite of passage. That’s where you get your first scar. It’s playing hockey.

WGR: What was the spark for you to want to be in the ownership of an NHL franchise?

ER: Well, as I said, we wanted to be part of the Leafs. The Leafs were the iconic sports franchise in Toronto. We became owners of the Jays in 2000. And we were bullish on sports and the business of sports. We were a broadcaster with Sportsnet, so we wanted content for Sportsnet. And so, that was part of the deal. But it was a long-term position that the business of sports is a great long-term business. And it’s done just that. And we’re very bullish as we look out into the future.

WGR: How’s the investment looking now for Rogers?

TS: It’s been a terrific investment for us in terms of the asset value. It continues to appreciate. But more importantly, the viewership just continues to grow. And it’s a partnership we have with MLSE that we’re quite proud of.

WGR: Recently, the word’s gotten out that you’re buying the stake that is currently held by Bell Media, which will take you to 75-percent ownership.

ER: We’re not only happy to be consolidating our ownership, but Bell and TSN are staying partners in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and we think that’s a good thing. They’ve been great partners. But we’re bullish for the future in being a 75-percent holder. We’ve still got strong partners in Kilmer Sports and OMERS, and we’re very bullish as we look out into the future.

WGR: And there’s also some talk out there that in 2026, you’ll actually buy the remaining 25-percent stake in MLSE. Is that accurate?

ER: Well, we’re focused on closing our deal now and getting approvals for our deal now. We’ll see what happens in the future, but we’re taking it one step at a time.

"Hockey is our national sport. It’s also part of the fabric of Canada." - Edward Rogers

WGR: Tony, we talked a little bit about it, but how core is the sports business to Rogers Communications?

TS: Sports is core to our strategy. We focus on communications, but our media business is the only growing one in the country, probably because we’re focused on sports, sports ownership and distribution through Sportsnet. So, this is a key part of our strategy. It’s a significant step to consolidating our sports ownership and media ownership and, ultimately, surfacing value for our Rogers shareholders, that we don’t get a lot of credit for today.

WGR: How do you think that the Leafs fans are taking this news that you’re acquiring the other 37.5 percent? And what would you like to say to them?

TS: Well, I think it really speaks to our commitment to the team and to the franchise. Our track record is a track record of good ownership in everything we do. We up our investments. You look at MLSE, we’ve won a few championships, and the vast majority of profits that MLSE makes go back into the business, back into player salaries. With the Toronto Blue Jays, we’re consistently within the top 10 in terms of payroll in the league. We recently invested upwards of half a billion dollars in the Rogers Centre stadium to increase the fan experience. So, we’re very much investors. Ultimately, we want winning teams, and we need to invest to do that, and we know that.

WGR: Edward, your strategy of owning different sports franchises, how does it all work together? How does it all fit together?

ER: I think there’s been scale in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment that’s helped. And so, with the scale of multiple teams, it allows us to make investments in our players, in the support around the players and in the capital to make the fan experience better. And at times when we want to go for it, like in 2019, when the Raptors seemed like they had a very good chance, we lifted and went through the cap at that time. And so, I think that scale allows us the flexibility to invest for our teams to the benefit of our fans and, ultimately, winning.

WGR: How do you look at investing and where you put your money?

TS: Well, it’s really two-fold. At the core of it, we want a winning team. Winning teams increase viewership and increase the value of the team. And so, we’re aligned with fans on that part. And that’s why we see it as a good investment. And that’s what the focus is. So, you need to invest in players, good management for each of the teams and for MLSE overall. And then, it’s the fan experience inside the arena that we’re focused on. We invest in that but also the fan experience and how they view it, whether it’s on their mobile device or tab let or inside their living room. And that’s through Sportsnet and Rogers Xfinity. So, it’s all of those things that we invest in to bring the best experience. But it’s really rooted in winning teams. People want to watch winning teams. And that’s what we’re focused on.

"We’re going to continue relentlessly every year to pursue a Cup. And we’re going to get one." - Edward Rogers on the Toronto Maple Leafs

WGR: Well, you brought up winning teams. I’m going to ask the question. When is the next Stanley Cup coming to the Toronto Maple Leafs? Do you want to predict when the Stanley Cup is coming back to the Toronto Maple Leafs today? Or what’s your plan for bringing it back?

ER: Well, I can tell you that ownership is aligned in doing everything we can to invest to win. I think we’ve got a great team. I think they’re playing well. I think they’re ready and they’re able and have the caliber and the talent to win. And we’re going to continue relentlessly every year to pursue a Cup. And we’re going to get one. And we’re going to get one soon.

WGR: Actually, it’d be great for the whole league to see a Canadian team. Any Canadian team. We got close last year with the Edmonton Oilers coming back. That was exciting. You must have been following that.

ER: It’s been great to see more Canadian teams make a very good run. And I think there’s no reason that Canadian teams shouldn’t be out in front, that Canadian teams shouldn’t be progressing well into the playoffs and there shouldn’t be a lot more Stanley Cups for teams across Canada. But, hopefully, here in Toronto first.

WGR: What do you see for expansion? Where is it going?

ER: I think the NHL has a lot of potential in the United States, Canada and around the world. There’s a lot of appeal for hockey. The NHL is the best hockey league on the planet. And so, I think there’s a mountain of opportunity, and I think the league, under Gary’s (Bettman) leadership, will continue to work and realize that potential for us.

WGR: I also noticed that when you walk through the halls of MLSE and you meet the people, it’s a very diverse group that you have here working at not only MLSE but at Rogers Communications. How does that fit into the fabric of your organization?

ER: Well, it’s part of Canadian culture. We’re a land of people who have moved here. It’s a strength for us. We want the best folks at Rogers, the best people at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. And Canada’s got such a rich fabric of talent.

For more of the text Q&A with Rogers and Staffieri, more interviews and a deep look into the world of the hockey business, check out The Hockey News' Money and Power 2025 issue, available at THN.com/free.