My guess is that the Bulldog logo is owned by the departing team - even if they won’t use it. That would mean a process of designing a new logo, getting it approved by the league and trademarking it. To us it shouldn’t take that long but I could see this getting lost in bureaucratic procedures.
Andlaur retains the rights to the Bulldogs trademark
Colours look pretty good to me
Just put the Bulldog logo over that bull
Advantages to the CHL over AHL
CHL has a national television package
Ability to host Memorial Cup
Ability to host top prospects game
Can we just name them the Tigers? and who want's credit for starting the online petition?
Yes, and hopefully as well FOC can match Budweiser Gardens in London which has 38 luxury suites and more than 1,000 club seats, all sold-out every game along with the 9000 seats. If Hamilton could match that as I don’t think they have near 38 luxury suites and certainly didn’t come near averaging 9000 a game for the AHL Bulldogs, it would be a bigger boom than the AHL Bulldogs provided. Photo below of the suites and club seats at Budweiser Gardens:
http://stadiumci.com/sci/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/BudweiserGardend04-615x487.jpg
Michael Andlauer retains the Bulldogs brand. i interpreted it as the OHL team will be wearing the current Bulldog jersey so it will be staying the same. i could be wrong.
here’s Andlauer with Bill Kelly. listen at about the 11min mark and he talks a little about it.
http://www.900chml.com/2015/03/13/31788/It’s probably closer to 5 as Andlauer is going to seek input from fans as to what colors & what the new look should be like, and that’s going to likely take up the rest of the season to get. Then you have to restock your entire store to match said colors. Meanwhile your entire operation and Belleville’s entire operation is still running and has to deal with day to day stuff. That said, I agree, it shouldn’t take that much time, but I’m not logistics expert. I don’t think anyone will care if the Belleville colors remain, just the logo changes and all the current equipment gets moves over.
To Mark - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ … -1.2992840
Andlauer said while the FirstOntario Centre is "clearly too big" for either an OHL or AHL team, the team will stay in the arena for the next three years at least, he said. The Bulldogs logo will stay the same, and Andlauer said he hopes to add an additional colour jersey to the mix in an upcoming season.He owns the rights to the logo and all the team trademarks and the lease, just not the player contracts, staff contracts and AHL league approval. So that won't be the case.
As far as the color, Belleville’s current colors are Black, Gold, Red and White. Similar to our colors, just with a lot more Red. I get the impression though that Andlauer will probably try to push blue. A lot of the merch at the Bulldogs store has been more predominantly blue then red, but who knows? Really the Bulldogs logo looks good on any background color because of the brown.
The First Ontario Centre I think is around 26 suites, but that’s a guess. I counted once, but don’t remember the exact number. I know there is room for another 8 or so. It doesn’t really have a club suite, it has the Gibson’s club lounge/restauraunt but it’s your wedding style catering. Good roast beef if I recall the one time I was there.
I think if we can just keep filling the lower bowl (around 8,700 I think) that is really the ideal environment. Which hopefully, with more regional teams a couple hours away will help things. The downside is that the Marlies coming to town isn’t going to pack the place, and it’s been said many a time, many Leafs fans aren’t hockey fans, they are just Leafs fans.
I think the existing Bulldogs jerseys would work. You would just have to remove the CH (Habs) symbol and replace it with an H (Hamilton) symbol. With the curtains blocking the upper deck, if the lower bowl comes close to selling out the place will be rocking. I look forward to a renewed marketing partnership between our Cats and Andlauer’s Bulldogs. Truly a match made in heaven. (Who can resist cute cats and dogs together? 
)
8700 in the lower bowl would be great for sure. But what’s the talk about building a new 8-9 thousand seat arena in Hamilton for the Bulldogs? I don’t think that is possible with the large FOC still in existence, correct? Maybe I’ve missed something here? :?
I look forward to a renewed marketing partnership between our Cats and Andlauer's Bulldogs. Truly a match made in heaven. (Who can resist cute cats and dogs together? :wink: )Well said Mike! And maybe the Cats can be involved with the Bulldogs hosting the Memorial Cup and World Juniors one day, I don't know. And an OHL outdoor game at THF of course.
The problem there Earl is that the city won’t finance an 8-9 thousand seater, and even if Andleaur did it himself, I’m not sure if the city would approve the permit. There is not a lot of interest by the taxpayer to shell out more cash for another new facility after how Tim Horton’s Field went down, and even if there was, the Bulldogs bring people into the Core, one of the areas they are trying to renew. You move the Bulldogs to a new arena, you then have to deal with demolishing or somehow remaking the First Ontario Centre.
Also, while Global Spectrum is managing the First Ontario Centre, they are going to give Andleaur a sweetheart deal. The reason is the same reason why there is ownership groups in Miami and Phoenix tanking huge losses on their NHL teams. If you have a team, and are bringing 60+ guaranteed dates, and because of that most facility owners will give you a sweetheart deal, as it is not comparatively easily to book 60+ trade shows, festivals, events or concerts to use your 17,000+ facility. Especially when you have a Hamilton Place and the Convention Centre a block away. They’ll do everything they can to keep Andleaur, barring using their sway on the NHL BoG to land a franchise, which we all know won’t happen as Buffalo will doubtlessly shout it down and MLSE would doubtlessly demand a cut.
The only way a 8-9 thousand seater gets built, is if Andleaur does it himself and convinces the city they are better off getting rid of the First Ontario Centre. Most owners simply won’t make that kind of investment on their own, no matter how great an owner they are unless they are solely in the business and are making a boatload. Pegula won’t, Caretaker didn’t, Simmonds didn’t, Braley didn’t with the Lions and isn’t with BMO.
To the last point, where would you put said new arena? The city is very clear they don’t want a suburban highway site. The West Harbour, East Mountain and Confederation Park are all off the table. Only place left would be the CN yards, which unless that yard gets moved to Stelco’s old lands, doesn’t seem likely, or back over core parking lots which is a good idea…but once again, you leave a White Elephant down the road.
Excellent read Hammer, I guess I don’t need to hear therefore any more talk about a 8-9 thousand seater for Hamilton/Burlington for an OHL franchise. Enough said… Unless you tear down TOC and turn it into a more profit enterprise for the city from condos, whatever… no idea… Core Entertainment owns Fred and Hamilton now though, the writing was on the wall…
Group-remember or bookmark this post. There will 100% be a new 8-9k hockey arena built for the new OHL team.
The mayor of Burlington is on record stating that the City of Burlington would support and partially help fund it, albeit they would prefer private funding. There are a few players in place that would help with potential private funding at the Aldershot Go Train location.
There also is a potential Hamilton location that has been discussed...the area behind McMaster University, near the helicopter pad. Mac has not had a hockey team for decades. Former Athletic Director, Jeff Giles, was in favour of persuing the resurrection of McMaster "Marlins" hockey as it was known back in the day. But a suitable arena was not available. This is when the idea of a Major Jr A team coming to Hamilton was first discussed (3 or 4 years ago).
New athletic director, Glen Grunwald, also stated that hockey at the University is costly...but with this new Jr A team finally coming to Hamilton, a partnership with Andlauer, on campus, makes perfect sense and benefits both parties.
Last option, and the only one that helps downtown Hamilton is building on the Sir John A MacDonald site. Would need city funding and permits.
One of the above scenarios WILL happen in one form or another. A Jr A team cannot survive permanently in a 17000 seat arena. Andlauer knows this and a new arena will be built. Major Jr hockey is very very financially lucrative and profitable. Every community in Ontario, or at least most, have found the money to build a new arena. Hamilton/Burlington also will - it will pay for itself in short order - just ask London, Niagara, Barrie, etc.
Interesting oskee. Certainly seems a bit odd that a major university like McMaster doesn't have a hockey team. :?
IF an 8 - 9 thousand seat arena gets built elsewhere in Hamilton/Aldershot for the junior team would that be the beginning of the end for First Ontario Centre/Copps. Without a tenant is it financially viable to keep the downtown arena open. It would be a dead city block almost every night of the year without a major tenant there. Would it be time to tear down Copps and make better use of the land it is on in that scenario?
As for Mac and hockey Earl - it is an expensive sport and when they had a team they used to play at either the dumpy Wentworth Triple Rinks or out at the Dundas Arena - and did not draw many fans/students to watch.
It is expensive Travel, agree, but other major universities and not so major ones have found a way to keep their hockey team viable. Not the case with McMaster though. I mean we are talking Canada's national game as most see it.
next Sunday, March 22 at 6pm the OHL Bulls are playing in Oshawa. there are still some tickets available. unfortunately i’m busy otherwise i’d take a drive to get a sneak peek of our new team.
[url=http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3AGMC%3AGEN14%3AC22%3A&linkID=global-oshawa&shopperContext=&pc=&caller=&appCode=&groupCode=GEN&cgc=]http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerc ... e=GEN&cgc=[/url]I gotta ask..why are the Bulldogs leaving Hamilton? I was there a few years back for a game between the dogs and the Amerks..looked like a good well supportive hometown crowd..I had a really good time too. Is something wrong with the Arena? Canadiens finding it too far for there players to travel to get to Montreal?? any insight?
The Canadiens will be running a new AHL sized arena in a Montreal suburb - Laval. It makes sense then to move their farm team from a financial standpoint (40 + home dates a year in that arena) and to have their farm club close at hand to enable player movement between both clubs to be more seamless. The players won’t have to change cities. This is what the Make Me Laughs did when they brought their AHL team to Toronto (the Marlies).
Makes sense for NHL teams, if possible, to do this. And Michael Andlauer took the bull, no pun intended, by the horns and didn't dilly dally when an OHL team became available. Good on him. :thup:
Not so sure an 8000 to 9000 seat arena is a sure thing.
No way it gets built on campus at McMAster. There is no room for it, Westdale residents won't have it.
Its not getting any public funds from Hamilton, the Feds, or the Province. If private donors want to build it go right ahead. But I bet global spectrum and the city of hamilton would have some objections as it would cut into the profts of city owns copps.
I could see perhaps the new arena going up in burlington aldershot if it does happen. It would have to be 100% privately funded though. Have an OHL team play out of there as well as MCMAsters new hockey team. (Aldershot isn't too far from campus, can easily bus fans). And they maybe an AHL team move back to Copps as Hamilton has been a good (not great) AHL market.
No way it gets built at Sir John A with copps just down the street. The city wouldn't allow a private competing facility to be built next door to its own publicly owned facility. They'd lose a boat load of money at copps.
Also I dont think Burlington's mayor has any appetite to publicly fund a new building. Here is a quote from him..
That could be a critical promise — both Burlington and Hamilton have shown little-to-no interest in putting public dollars into a new facility.
[b]He said Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring "has flat-out told me there's no money in the budget and no interest in this," Wilson said. "But we're not looking for public money. That's not in the cards for us."
Burlington Councillor Rick Craven, in whose ward the proposed rink would be — reinforced the idea there's no political will to pay the bulk of the cost for a new rink across the bay.
"I doubt we could compete with Hamilton for something like that," he said. "Hamilton has the venue and the population to support something like this."[/b]
[url=http://www.kingstonregion.com/news-story/5478251-is-this-arena-too-big-for-the-ohl-/]http://www.kingstonregion.com/news-stor ... -the-ohl-/[/url]