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Post by wolfmannick on Mar 21, 2011 23:05:22 GMT -5
Providing that the Phoenix Coyotes sale is not completed to Matthew Hulsizer, which as the process continues to meet dead ends becomes more and more evident, and the team moves to Winnipeg, why shouldn't Hamilton qualify for a relocation franchise? The league is in the position of struggling to secure a solid bid for both the Coyotes and The Atlanta Thrashers, both of which are facing mounting financial problems. The NHL dosen't seem to be getting any serious offers to keep the teams where they are and currently, only Hamilton and Winnipeg have arenas that qualify for NHL standards. The league will be forced to relocate one, possibly both franchises within the next year if owners aren't found. With Quebec still without an NHL ready arena, where else can the NHL put a franchise in North America?
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Post by selanne405 on Mar 21, 2011 23:19:15 GMT -5
Quebec City will likely have an NHL arena within the next few years, potentially soon enough to the point they could take a team soon and have it play out of their current arena until the new one is ready but the costs of upgrading the arena would be a factor.
As for Hamilton well its tough to say but I think theres a few things.
1) Hamilton is preety close to Toronto and Buffalo and I bet neither team wants a team there, I would imagine the Maple Leafs can have quite an influence seeing how much money they contribute.
2) There hasnt been a good owner step up yet, JB really blew it, I dont think he had the patience to go through the hurdles, luckily Chipman and Thomson do.
I think in quite a few years when Winnipeg and QC have proved the NHL still belongs in Canada provided an ideal owner steps up we might eventually see the return of the NHL to Hamilton but at this point QC looks like a more viable canidate but as we know were still first in line.
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Post by Ric O. on Mar 21, 2011 23:21:39 GMT -5
Hamilton is very contentious due to their proximity to Toronto and Buffalo. Who knows if they'll ever get a team, although I think too that it must be a viable market. Copps is not currently NHL ready though. Balsillie had huge renovation, make that redevelopment, plans for it.
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Post by canadiensfan on Mar 22, 2011 6:22:55 GMT -5
Quebec City would be perfectly fine for a few seasons until the Videotron Arena is completed. They're not just spending $8-10 Million on renovations at Le Collise just for sh!ts and giggles, you know. Copps Colliseum is also ready for the time being, but it would need to be brought up to date. RIM Jim doesn't give a rat's Go Jets Go about having to pay expansion fees, he really wants a team.
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Post by danequin on Mar 22, 2011 6:45:29 GMT -5
The coyotes are the former Jets if they move any where Winnipeg should have first dibs...Hamilton should have a team and so should Quebec City and Hartford...Leave the Jets alone let the team come home to Winnipeg to allow the team to come full circle and prove to Bettman the Grass was not greener in the Phoenix...
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Post by donkey on Mar 22, 2011 9:26:02 GMT -5
If Hamilton gets a team, Toronto will want one too!!
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Post by shtinky on Mar 22, 2011 9:44:48 GMT -5
Hamilton is by far the most lucrative market in Canada, other than Toronto itself. Think about it. You basically have the entire western half of Toronto less than an hour away by car, as well as the city of Hamilton itself (as big as Winnipeg), not to mention the St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, London and Kitchener-Waterloo areas all under an hour away too.
The population base is huge. It would take some time to build a fan base because many people are already Leafs fans (around Toronto) or Sabres fans (around St. Catharines), but it would work.
The only real obstacle is the Leafs (and maybe to a lesser extent, the Sabres).
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Post by mrconfusion87 on Mar 23, 2011 3:21:36 GMT -5
If Hamilton gets a team, Toronto will want one too!! Should we just say T.O. people will jump into the Hamilton bandwagon? |
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Post by WJG on Mar 23, 2011 22:34:28 GMT -5
IMO, Hamilton is now #2 behind Winnipeg (unless Quebec City actually has their shovels hit the ground to start building a new arena). Copps Coliseum is old, but at least Hamilton actually has an arena to play.
It could be the reason the Teachers are now interested in selling their percentage of MLSE. Maybe they were tipped off that the NHL was considering a Hamilton team, which would cut into their profit margin?
However, I cannot see the owner being Jim Balsillie. Maybe someone like Tom Gaglardi or someone else.
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Post by tsmof on Mar 26, 2011 0:12:23 GMT -5
Hamilton is a ways down the list... I cant see the Leafs, Sabres and even Red Wings for that matter wanting another team in their draw zone.
Sure, it would be great for Canadian hockey... but Its not a likely option I would think.
Besides, if they can move the Thrashers and Coyotes... its not bad to have a team like Florida or Nashville who will lose money, but keep the salary cap in check for the league. having 1 or 2 bottom feeders isn't a bad thing... but 6 can start to erode the pockets of players and owners.
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Post by yamaha94 on Mar 26, 2011 10:15:24 GMT -5
In the Coyotes Bankruptcy court documents the NHL said Hamilton would be a top 10 NHL Market. The arena is out of date and will not produce the necessary revenues to sustain a NHL team (Corporate Boxes) From memory, I think they have 10. Fan support is there. Remember Balsillie's NHL purchase of the Nashville Predators? 15,000 people bought season tickets for a team that never came!
Hamilton would only be for expansion. A Expansion franchise would be for 400 million plus.
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nuje
Prime Member
Posts: 84
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Post by nuje on Apr 10, 2011 22:23:46 GMT -5
Copps coliseum was built about the same time as the Saddledome in Calgary, and by all accounts, could potentially work if upgrades were to be made. However, there is already much talk of Calgary replacing their arena, due to many revenue streams that modern buildings get, being impossible with the saddledome (to be fair, one of those is concerts, as the acoustic sucks, I'm not sure if Copps is good for that or not). I just think that the time for Copps Coliseum being a favoured building is coming to an end. I think there would have to be a massive problem in 2/3 of the NHL markets, and the league to just deflate (or even disappear making way for a new one) for Copps Coliseum to be a top league hockey venue.
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Post by shanehoopfer on Apr 10, 2011 22:49:37 GMT -5
The main problem with Hamilton, is the plain and simple fact that the Leafs and Sabres do not want them there. And unfortunately until there are no other options or those teams get a huge payout there won't be a team in Hamilton despite the fact they would support it well.
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Post by stbvoyageur on Jun 12, 2011 1:55:58 GMT -5
I think if there ever was a time that Hamilton looked promising it is now, RIM is a big player, and don't you think the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund would like a little extra money as they unload their interest in the Leafs. Maybe Buffalo and Toronto finally realize that they can make money too from having another rival, surely the NHL, if is in the interest of keeping fan interest generated, would profit from having 3 teams in the Southern Ontario/Buffalo area rather than 3 in New York, or 2 in Florida, of which only the Rangers can float on their own.
I don't think Phoenix will move to Hamilton, that would really throw a monkey wrench into realignment talks, I think Hamilton should be in line for Florida though, the Panthers are like discount hockey for tourists. The NY Isles if Nassau does not approve an arena project will also be sold. The NHL should have a Canadian division in one or two years, if Jim Balsille and PK Pelardeau keep negotiating..
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Post by shirokov on Jun 29, 2011 21:39:24 GMT -5
Would they be named the Tigers? There's some history there.
But having a team called the Tigers and one called the Tiger-Cats isn't exactly the greatest idea.
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Post by loogs on Jun 30, 2011 11:48:58 GMT -5
I could of sworn I heard GB say Copps is not an NHL arena...in fact don't quote be but perhaps it was in the interview with ScottOak shortly after the shiite hit the fan last May.
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Post by yamaha94 on Jun 30, 2011 23:12:24 GMT -5
Its an "Antiquated" arena. It was the standard in 1985. There are not enough corporate boxes to make it "viable". End of story. There are about ~20 give or take.
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