Why doesn't Hamilton have an OHL Team?
- Thread starter Tackla
- Start date
Because the OHL has failed in Hamilton already several times (Back in the 80s).
I wouldn't mind seeing the OHL give Hamilton another chance though I'm not too confident that it would fare differently than the attempts in the 80s.
NHL Board of Governors have nothing to do with what is and isn't built in Markham....that is the responsibility of Markham town council.
I can't speak for the people of Hamilton (I don't live there) but I'd much prefer having the OHL. It's not as polished as the AHL but it is generally more exciting. Most high end elite players never play a single game in the AHL and jump from the OHL directly to the NHL.
Mightygoose
Registered User
Also, the Bulldogs have a lease there until 2016. I doubt there would be enough support or preferred dates for both.
Rumor is once the new arena in Laval is done, the Bulldogs will leave for there once the lease is up.
After that, I can see an OHL team kicking the tires.
Rumor is once the new arena in Laval is done, the Bulldogs will leave for there once the lease is up.
After that, I can see an OHL team kicking the tires.
Tackla
Registered User
- Jul 2, 2013
- 413
- 0
I still wonder what the arena and City of Hamilton would prefer, OHL or AHL. Perhaps the AHL is preferable only because there are more dates for the arena, but attendance may be lower nightly and the atmosphere is pretty boring, stale and empty...but that's most of the AHL.
DrJenniferHanson
Cursed By A Gypsy
Most certainly a consolation prize. Watching a Habs' affiliate isn't exactly going to pique the interest of Hamiltonians.
Look how much Edmonton supports the Oil Kings, and Québec City supports the Remparts. I'd bet Hamilton OHL attendance would fall between these two.
battfan888
Podcaster
Hamilton had god awful attendance with the Steelhawks and Dukes back in the 80s and begining of the 90s.
Copps is just way to big.
I lived in Hamilton for a 15 month span and went to several Bulldogs games but I never got into it nearly as much as I have for the OHL, it just wasnt as exciting for me for whatever reason.
Not to mention the atmosphere in Hamilton is just brutal, not at fault of the fans who do show their support but 3,500 people in a 16,000 seat arena just makes for a horrible atmosphere, even with the upper bowl curtained off.
Hamilton could always build a more OHL sized rink but that city will always have the dream that they can host the NHL one day, building an OHL sized rink would kill any chance (although already very slim) of that happening.
Really there arent many other places in Ontario that I can think of that could host the OHL as most cities that could realisticly host it have already been tapped. Cornwall has a decent rink that could host the league and other than Hamilton they are the only city I could think of. People have talked about Chatham in the past couple years but I think thats a pipe dream.
I wouldnt mind seeing a OHL team one day in New York state someplace, but there are obsticles there as well as most decent sized New York cities are already hosts to the AHL and ECHL, not to mention the Buffalo Sabres.
Copps is just way to big.
I lived in Hamilton for a 15 month span and went to several Bulldogs games but I never got into it nearly as much as I have for the OHL, it just wasnt as exciting for me for whatever reason.
Not to mention the atmosphere in Hamilton is just brutal, not at fault of the fans who do show their support but 3,500 people in a 16,000 seat arena just makes for a horrible atmosphere, even with the upper bowl curtained off.
Hamilton could always build a more OHL sized rink but that city will always have the dream that they can host the NHL one day, building an OHL sized rink would kill any chance (although already very slim) of that happening.
Really there arent many other places in Ontario that I can think of that could host the OHL as most cities that could realisticly host it have already been tapped. Cornwall has a decent rink that could host the league and other than Hamilton they are the only city I could think of. People have talked about Chatham in the past couple years but I think thats a pipe dream.
I wouldnt mind seeing a OHL team one day in New York state someplace, but there are obsticles there as well as most decent sized New York cities are already hosts to the AHL and ECHL, not to mention the Buffalo Sabres.
If the Bulldogs were to move I would strongly consider the OHL in Hamilton.
If not Hamilton, another city I would consider would be Burlington. (Although they have the cougars and i'm not sure what their biggest arena is)
If not Hamilton, another city I would consider would be Burlington. (Although they have the cougars and i'm not sure what their biggest arena is)
Kevin Malone
Registered User
- Jul 3, 2009
- 3,388
- 68
Brantford would make more sense for an OHL team. Hamilton is only a 20min drive down the 403 so the die hard fans would make the drive. It would also be much easier to build a OHL sized arena there. Not to mention Brantford is about 30mins from Kitchener and 45 from Guelph, London, St Cats & Missy. One would think that Wayne could either round up a few bucks or get some partners together to buy a team in his hometown.
If the price of gold were to go higher over the next decade I could definitely see Timmins being able to support a team 10 years from now. The city has experienced tremendous growth the past 5 years. There is a lot of corporate support there as well as good incomes to support a team. There is also very little in terms of competition for entertainment dollars there. It would be a great rival for Sudbury, North Bay and the Sue.
Rumour has it that Branch has been eyeing Toledo, Lansing & Kalamazoo as possible locations. Might as well go to Flint while he's at it...
If the price of gold were to go higher over the next decade I could definitely see Timmins being able to support a team 10 years from now. The city has experienced tremendous growth the past 5 years. There is a lot of corporate support there as well as good incomes to support a team. There is also very little in terms of competition for entertainment dollars there. It would be a great rival for Sudbury, North Bay and the Sue.
Rumour has it that Branch has been eyeing Toledo, Lansing & Kalamazoo as possible locations. Might as well go to Flint while he's at it...
EvenSteven
Registered User
- Sep 3, 2009
- 7,517
- 6,519
Nobody had very good attendance back in the 80's and beginning of the 90's.
For instance, in Kitchener (at the time the 4th biggest rink in Ontario after MLG, Copps, and Ottawa Civic center), regular season crowds of 2500-2800 were commonplace in the mid to late 80's. Once in a while, depending on the opponent, we'd get crowds of 3200-3500. It was never an issue to get a ticket and we'd often walk up minutes before game time and buy tickets at the box office for rink side corner seats. Tickets were 5-6 bucks each. There wasn't really any urgency to have season tickets.
I remember a regular season game in the late 80's vs Brian Fogarty's NF Thunder where the crowd ballooned to "standing room only" as it was a Feb or March matchup of the top 2 teams in the then Emms division. Walking up to the box office before game time that day had us standing 3 deep in the rafters. Ouch! But that was an oddity.
The OHL is a completely different league than it was when Hamilton last had OHL hockey. Attendance is way up across the league since the time Hamilton had a team. That's pretty good considering the ticket prices in many cities. With the right ownership group and some fine tuning to the building, there's no reason why Hamilton can't become among one of the better markets in the OHL.
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I live in Hamilton and would love to see the OHL come to town. Last Spring it was reported that the AHL Bulldog's owner was considering buying the Erie Otters to bring them to Hamilton.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jr...ys-erie-otters-never-had-local-144757013.html
My crack pot theory is that the Bulldogs will move to Laval when the arena is finished. The Bulldogs do have a lease with Copps but I think that the owner will just move the OHL team in there for now. Although if it is Erie then they should be finalizing this this Spring so we can get the hype started with a legit phenom playing in Hamilton in 2014.
I know that jr hockey failed in Hamilton before but 20 years has gone by. Owners change and cities change. Living in Hamilton I can honestly say that you can feel and see the renewal in the city right now. I think that Hamilton would be a premiere destination for players.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jr...ys-erie-otters-never-had-local-144757013.html
My crack pot theory is that the Bulldogs will move to Laval when the arena is finished. The Bulldogs do have a lease with Copps but I think that the owner will just move the OHL team in there for now. Although if it is Erie then they should be finalizing this this Spring so we can get the hype started with a legit phenom playing in Hamilton in 2014.
I know that jr hockey failed in Hamilton before but 20 years has gone by. Owners change and cities change. Living in Hamilton I can honestly say that you can feel and see the renewal in the city right now. I think that Hamilton would be a premiere destination for players.
Erie's not going anywhere now. Between the renovated arena and increase in attendance it looks like we are finally stable. Perhaps Mississauga gets moved, and of course there are the rumors about Sarnia.
cujoflutie
Registered User
I can't figure out why the habs leave the Bulldogs there. Plenty of hamilton residents outright avoid the Bulldogs because they hate the habs.
The only way I could see it happen is if the city completely abandoned the NHL dream. Let's face it, they've been believing they are a contender for one for the past 30 years.
The only way I could see it happen is if the city completely abandoned the NHL dream. Let's face it, they've been believing they are a contender for one for the past 30 years.
I know live in the GTA but being from chatham it is a pipe dream. One of the worst places. It has a rich legacy left from the Jr B team but Chatham isnt ideal. They dont have companies that could sponsor the team.
Hamilton has it, its just not very passionate about hockey. If you put one in Hamilton you might as well bring back the Toronto St Micheals team. Or another team in Brampton.
I always thought that Brantford and Stratford should be first considered. If you live near Stratford and have time, go to a game. They pack that building full and its loud!
Hamilton has it, its just not very passionate about hockey. If you put one in Hamilton you might as well bring back the Toronto St Micheals team. Or another team in Brampton.
I always thought that Brantford and Stratford should be first considered. If you live near Stratford and have time, go to a game. They pack that building full and its loud!
PhlyerPhanatic31
Love is Love
frontsfan2005
Registered User
I'd think Woodstock would be a better place to put a team than Stratford if the league chose to go to a smaller city. Woodstock needs an arena, but with it being approximately 30 minutes from Brantford, London and Waterloo Region, there is a pretty big population base.
Evil Doctor
Cryin' Hank crying
Copps may be too big, but it does have a upper curtain to give it an intimate feel, only needs major work for an NHL team, perfectly fine as is for the OHL and Michael Andlauer has already stated that if Montreal were to pull the affiliation he move the Bulldogs brand to the OHL...
You know what would look great in Copps, is if they had full player pictures on each curtain. Almost like a larger than life hockey card. That way they get dressed up a bit and if could help you learn the key team players. I went to the Bulldogs game a week ago, and I had no idea who's who.
The expense would likely be crazy but you could sell sponsorships on the bottom quarter of each curtain to offset it. Or get a bunch of grandmas together for a quilting bee!
The expense would likely be crazy but you could sell sponsorships on the bottom quarter of each curtain to offset it. Or get a bunch of grandmas together for a quilting bee!
If you follow the news there doesn't seem to be any communities that are not in a yearly struggle to keep property taxes from going up too much. While each arrangement with a city is a bit different, it would be difficult to come up with a business case where you wouldn't need 3500 fans per game to make a go of it.
Chatham would most likely give support to that level - there have been discussions from time to time about building an arena that could accommodate this. It dried on the vine because the tax payers couldn't support that type of expenditure in the priority of the needs. People may forget, but before the Hunters bought the knights they were trying to put a franchise in Chatham.
The fact is that the GTA just doesn't seem to have the appetite to support a team - discussed at length here on this board over the years. Smaller communities don't have the money to build the complex, or at least haven't shown it yet. Probably the best opportunity was when slots and casino revenue first started - that isn't much available anymore.
Waterloo could probably afford a complex and would support it, but the Rangers won't let that happen.
