It will have a new name but an old face.

Jody Wilson has been given the nod by city council to lease and operate the John Rhodes Community Centre restaurant.

He plans on renaming the second floor facility Icebreakers Sports Bar and Grill.

Wilson, the former operator of Chilly Willy’s Sports Bar and Grill between 2011-2014, was pushed out of the facility when a new Request for Proposal was issued in 2015 and a Sudbury proponent scored the high marks.

But earlier this spring, Centro’s Sports Bar and Restaurant terminated its five-year lease with the city, saying it had operated at a loss and unable to continue operations.

A new Request for Proposals process had two proponents submitting proposals, and both worthy of the contract, a report to council states.

The evaluating committee has determined that Wilson scored the highest in the evaluation process, the report states.

Icebreakers will support local businesses as much as possible and Wilson has experience working in the hockey community and with all the sporting events at the John Rhodes Community Centre, the staff report says.

The restaurant space will be renovated and designed to honour local hockey heroes and legends. The city has previously committed to help bring the restaurant space up to date for current use.

Ward 2 Coun. Susan Myers said she’s happy Wilson will be back in operation with a new business and has worked with him years ago when he was experiencing difficulties with the former restaurant.

“I want this to be a neighbourhood restaurant and I want it to pull people in to use this restaurant,” she told city council.

The seven-year agreement, with an option to renew for another five years, will generate $280,000 in revenue plus annual taxes of about $16,874 (2018) for the restaurant space.

The lease payment agreement calls for larger monthly payments during the hockey season from September to April ($4,000 per month) and half that amount for the quieter summer months, May to August.

The new lease will reduce the city’s annual revenue by about $9,000.

A renovation plan for the space still needs to be finalized with the city in order to ensure long-term success, the report states.

The new lease begins Sept. 1, with the new facility expected to be open by early September.