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Originally Posted by fizzle
Meh. The arena was the 'envy' of Canadian hockey for about 5 years and then it became old news and almost a punchline once it became apparent the NHL never really wanted us.
The Canada Cup and WJuniors were in 87 and 90 respectively! Hindsight is 20/20, but Copps was built in sort of a no mans land right before arenas changed drastically in North America - becoming all about private boxes, 'premium' concessions, etc.
I suppose it's nice to have, but the 'folly' is more about jumping BEFORE the NHL even said jump, and ending up with a facility that is just too big for most things it is needed for.
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The World Juniors were actually in 1986, while a second Canada Cup final was held at Copps in 1991.
Those events were a long time ago, but the arena has continued to host many big-ticket events and concerts that largely would not have been possible to hold in Hamilton without it. (Canada Cups, World Juniors, NHL regular season games, NBA regular season games, U2, Springsteen multiple times, Grateful Dead, various hot boy/girl bands, WWE, monster trucks, Disney on Ice, et cetera). The Shania Twain tour is making a stop in Hamilton, while Calgary did not get included because the Saddledome does not meet the technical specs to accommodate her gear.
Granted, some of these would have been possible in a smaller arena, and granted, it is far too big for the AHL or OHL, but I think it has become part of Hamilton's identity and I think the city is much better off for having constructed the place.