Canadian Lawyer

24 A p r I L 2 0 1 5 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m im Rossiter isn't afraid to get his elbows up with some of the most important figures in the NHL and if he doesn't get his nose dirty, he knows he's not doing his job. Fourth-line enforcer for the Winnipeg Jets? The job descrip- tion sure sounds like it, but the Toronto-based hockey wars veteran has never lined up for a single professional face-off. Instead, he's the team leader of Dentons' sports group, overseeing a global crew that works on buying and selling teams, financing them, and developing, building, and financing the venues they play in. Rossiter began his career as a tax lawyer but once he got pulled into a tax-flavoured financing for the Ottawa Senators in 2000 — he represented Lehman Brothers — he was hooked. A quick check of Rossiter's career statistics shows assists on more than a dozen acquisitions and/or financings of NHL teams in the U.S. and Canada, amounting to more than $1.6 billion worth of deals. They include the financ- ing of the Edmonton Oilers and its arena, Rexall Place, and similar work for the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, and Arizona Coyotes. He doesn't score every time, however. Another 10 or so hockey deals that he acted on got away. You win some, you lose some. Rossiter has worked across all sports and is quick to say he doesn't work in a practice group — it's an industry group. "There is no such thing as sports law. All you're doing is sports transactions. C r o s s E x A m I N E D BABAk khAIrI It's cool and all, but Jim Rossiter is very serious about the business of sports. By Geoff Kirbyson A sporting life J

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