So how goes the hockey team?

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

[B]The second is relocation. There a good possibility that Phoenix Coyotes or another struggling NHL team could be bought by Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie and relocate to Hamilton, in which case the billionaire would have to pay a territorial rights fee to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The timing and amount of that payment is making the sale of MLS&E more complicated because Ontario Teachers’ does not want to leave $70 million or so on the table.

That's hilarious. They want to stop a team from coming to Hamilton, but when trying to sell the team they want the territorial fees added to the price.

Here's an idea, work with the NHL on getting a team for Hamilton and then collect your fee... or just STFU and sell it at the current price. Can't have it both ways.

[dennis1]

http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/...le2072777.html

RIM’s Balsillie and Lazaridis lose their billionaire status

Michael Babad - The Globe and Mail

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RIM's co-CEOs, their stock and their generosity
Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have been knocked out of the ranks of the world's billionaires.

[thistleclub]

From KPMG's Independent External Audit Review of HECFI Operations:

"Since its opening in 1985, the attraction of an NHL team to Hamilton has been a primary goal of Copps Coliseum management. However, opinions vary widely on both the likelihood of this occurring and the impact on the current hockey tenant, the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. Bulldog attendance is in the lower third of the overall league (while playing in an arena with the second largest seating capacity). From a revenue perspective, the Bulldogs average paid ticket price of $13.28 during the 2009/2010 season compares to the American Hockey League average paid ticket price of US$15.25 during the 2010/2011 season.... Moreover, the average attendance at Bulldog's games at Copps Coliseum is even lower than 4,257 after removing the impact of two regular season games that are held at the Molson Centre in Montreal."

[SteelTown]

Balsillie One Step Closer To Owning Coyotes With Hulsizer Exit

http://blogs.forbes.com/mikeozanian/...hulsizer-exit/
By MIKE OZANIAN

Now that Matthew Hulsizer has reportedly followed on the heels of Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of Chicago’s Bulls and White Sox, and pulled himself out of contention for buying the Phoenix Coyotes, billionaire Jim Balsillie is the National Hockey League’s only remaining option.

The Coyotes are owned by the league’s 29 other teams and are the least most valuable team in the NHL, worth $134 million. During the 2009-10 season the Coyotes had negative operating income of $20 million, by far the biggest loss in hockey.

With several other NHL teams struggling financially and looking for investors, like the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues, the league needs to get teams to markets that will support them as quickly as possible. Bettman needs to let Balsillie, the CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, buy the Coyotes and work out terms with the Toronto Maple Leafs for invading their market so he can move the Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario.

[SteelTown]

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-y...roposal-2011-8

Islanders to Hamilton in 2015?

[SteelTown]

Relocating to Hamilton would ease the transition without a complete overhaul of the realignment for the NHL.

http://bizofhockey.com/index.php?opt...news&Itemid=51

[thistleclub]

Ombudsman Investigating NHL Meeting [Emma Reilly, Hamilton Spectator, Aug 3 2011]

The Ontario Ombusdman’s office has launched an investigation into the meeting at the request of Hamilton resident and 2010 municipal election candidate Paul Tetley.

Councillors were forwarded a letter Tuesday from the Ombudsman asking them to hand over any “emails, correspondence or personal notes” pertaining to the January meeting when Edmonton Oilers CEO Pat LaForge sat down with four councillors.

Jason Farr, Lloyd Ferguson, and Terry Whitehead — all members of the NHL subcommittee — and Councillor Robert Pasuta spoke to LaForge about the Pan Am stadium, Jim Balsillie’s bid to bring an NHL team to Hamilton and what was happening in the National Hockey League. Scott Duvall, the fourth member of the subcommittee, was invited but could not attend.

The Ontario Municipal Act states a meeting is any regular, special, committee or other gathering for the purpose of doing city business. It is considered to have begun when a quorum is achieved. There is no allowance in the Act for informal meetings.

[SteelTown]

The lastest I've heard is good and bad news...........Hamilton will have the Coyotes at Copps but the bad news is for only three/four years max, temporary location. Until Quebec City or Markham builds a new arena.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

The lastest I've heard is good and bad news...........Hamilton will have the Coyotes at Copps but the bad news is for only three/four years max, temporary location. Until Quebec City or Markham builds a new arena.

I think that would be bad news. Anyway, I believe that what you have heard is based on a suggestion from a columnist in The Hockey News and is not based on any actual plans --- it is not happening.

[flar]

That would be very bad, that blogger shouldn't have even raised the idea. As if Hamilton hasn't been used by Toronto enough already.

[CaptainKirk]

Found this surfing the net:

Quebec City and Hamilton are the most suitable cities for the league to look at placing a franchise, according to the report.

Even though Balsillie’s bid was unsuccessful, the report suggests his premise was sound.

“Our dollar is not going back to 62 cents anytime soon — it’s not even going back to the 70s or 80s,” said Lefebvre. “Our country is in a very enviable position around the world. Our fiscal house is in order. ... Our commodities are in incredibly high demand.

“We’re an economy that is creating jobs so we’re on solid footing and this dollar is not about to drop drastically on us.”

The report also concluded that “getting and keeping” a second team in Toronto would be difficult. Reports surfaced in November about a group looking to build an NHL-sized arena in the suburb of Markham, but Lefebvre believes that area is too small to support its own franchise.

http://www.thespec.com/sports/hockey...ding-to-report

[Berklon]

There was a report that came out last year saying the same thing. Maybe it was the same report?

Regardless, I don't think Hamilton is any closer to getting an NHL team. There isn't even anyone spearheading an initiative at bring a team to Hamilton. It's best to just forget about it and save yourself the anguish. It's looking like it'll never happen.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

You said it, dude. This report is nothing new; we know Hamilton could support a team. However, cities like Seattle, LV, Quebec will get teams long before they even look at the Hammer. Hell, Milwaukee and Cleveland are more likely to get a sniff [again] before we do. It's just politics...there are too many against us. Perhaps we should build a new arena and keep our fingers crossed. Oooops, tried that already!

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by Berklon

There was a report that came out last year saying the same thing. Maybe it was the same report?

No. This is the other report you are referring to in which it states Canada could support 12 NHL teams.

http://www.mowatcentre.ca/pdfs/mowatResearch/31.pdf

I'm always interested in the prospect of NHL in Hamilton, and I've learned long ago not to get my hopes up high.

Bottom line is money. The NHL is all about making money, and the more it's put out there that money can be made by having the NHL in Hamilton, the better it is for the prospect. I believe it's just a matter of time.

[bigguy1231]

We have heard all of this before. The problem is as long as the Toronto Maple Leafs are in existence the chance of this city ever getting a team are slim to none.

Besides that we no longer have an arena that could be considered major league and the cost of updating what we do have would be so costly that the city would never go for it.

The only way we would ever get a team is to find someone with deep enough pockets to be able to give both the Leafs and the Sabre's indemnification amounting to hundreds of millions and another half billion or so to build a new arena. That's on top of the price of either purchasing a team or getting an expansion franchise.

Any potential owner is looking at spending a billion dollars to bring a team to this city.

[CaptainKirk]

Disagree with the billion dollar assumption.

New Leaf owners are broadcasters and are about broadcasting content. Who knows what they think?

[thistleclub]

The CBoC analysis is in terms of CMAs. If you were to assess the Hamilton CMA in terms of population growth, disposable income and corporate presence, where would you locate?

[flar]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

The CBoC analysis is in terms of CMAs. If you were to assess the Hamilton CMA in terms of population growth, disposable income and corporate presence, where would you locate?

Indeed, be careful what you wish for (think MEC, Ikea, Apple, the driveway-to-driveway experience, etc.)

[SteelTown]

NHL Interest

• The three large North American proponents (AEG / Katz Group, Global Spectrum / Live Nation, and SMG / Forum Equity) all recognize that the City of Hamilton has previously expressed an interest in attracting an NHL team to Hamilton.

• These firms all have connections to the NHL through direct ownership of NHL teams and/or the management of NHL venues.

• All three firms could work with the City to facilitate potential future efforts to attract an NHL team / investor and would be flexible with regard to the re-negotiation of any management agreements should a bona fide NHL opportunity arise.

• Although the three large proponents noted their capabilities to assist in bringing a potential NHL franchise to the City should such an opportunity arise in the future, no proponent was able to guarantee any success in doing so.

[SteelTown]

HECFI bids keep NHL dream alive
By Andrew Dreschel

The city has been down this road so many times, most of us are probably a little reluctant to even step off the porch let alone shuffle down the sidewalk again.

But the three entertainment titans who are among the six companies expressing interest in managing HECFI could keep Hamilton running up that NHL hill recurrently.

All three are offering to help get a franchise.

The consultants’ report outlining their interest, which will be presented to city councillors today, notes none of the big dogs are promising to snag an NHL team.

But all have stated their willingness to put their expertise and skills at the city’s disposal.

As skeptical as bruised Hamiltonians might be about the odds of cracking the big league lineup, the offer of such high calibre help shouldn’t be treated lightly.

Each of the three giant entertainment and event firms that want to operate the HECFI facilities — Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place, Convention Centre — have strong links to the NHL, either through direct team ownership or operating NHL arenas.

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/colum...hl-dream-alive