Is the NHL "dream" for Hamilton now all but dead?

Only 7,700 at the ex game Saturday night for the Pens with Sid the Kid agains't a good Buffalo Sabres team. Does this spell the end to the NHL coming to Hamilton or will city councial continue to try and get a team here at the possible expense of the TiCats with no upgrades to IWS therefore little chances of the Grey Cup game coming to Hamilton? The Spec tried to pump up the game, even in Saturday's paper after our winning Frinday night, still the front page of the sports section was about the ex game, I wasn't impressed that's for sure.

maybe the spec put the preseason NHL game on the cover because the ticats season is done?

or, because an NHL game in hamilton happens once a year, and a ticat game happens every week for 6 months?

dont get me wrong, i still woulda rather seen the ticats on the front page, but i can understand the specs decision.

The Ticat game Friday night was too late to make the Saturday paper.

I think the fans have finally caught on to the old "If you want an NHL team you have to show you will back them by watching exhibition games". We have done that, ain't gonna work! We could put 18,000 in that arena two weeks in a row and it won't matter a tinkers damn. All they want is our money. The TigerCats are and always will be the only game in town and the sooner Silly Hall realizes that the better.

JFL, there was a write-up about the Cats game in the Saturday paper.
To me, the cover should have been about the Cats, not some ex NHL game. I wasn't planning on going anyway with tickets at $25.00 - $90.00 (I'll go to a few Bulldogs games where for $25.00 I know I'll be in the lower bowl).
I agree Matelot, people now are jaded here, for good reason, about the NHL coming to Hamilton no matter how many groups are out there trying to land a team for Hamilton and get the great rent deal that the city will give to anyone who comes here for Copps Coliseum.

Just checked… I don’t see it.

I read it in the print edition, I swear I did.

Well I just searched through all the PDF pages from saturday and it wasn't there.

Argos-Stamps on SP2, Lions-'Riders and Don Matthews on SP4, no other CFL.

I'll check it at home tonight and get back, should still have it.

Hamilton should go for the NHL, with Toronto so close, the NHL BOG will never have a team move there. Hamilton should support Toronto, and maybe have the city name put on the team with OT.

Hamilton should do it's beat to keep the Cars going by either upgrading IW or building a new stadium for the Cats.

english plz. thx.

I think Hamilton has a better shot at an NHL team than Toronto has of getting an NFL team (and that suits me just fine). Story on the FAN590 this AM said an unnamed group of Canadian businessmen had offered $1 billion for a NFL franchise and that this group was not Rogers/MLSE. I find that very hard to believe. Anyway, the NFL's response apparently was thanks but no thanks.

For years, it was said that the biggest obstacle to Hamilton acquiring a NHL team was the territorial rights held by the Leafs and the Sabres. However, lawyers have recently suggested that this law would not be upheld in the courts in either the US or Canada. That's what makes me somewhat optimistic that the NHL will be in Hamilton eventually.

An Argo fan

The reason

  1. Exhibition is a bunch of young guys trying for a spot in the pros, if I wanted to see that I'd go to a Bulldogs game.

  2. The teams - Pens (last years loser team) and the Sabres ? c'mon if they could of pulled a Canadian team here like the flames or leafs or oilers I am sure the draw would of been a lot more.

Hamilton can be an NHL town in terms of fanbase bringing an preseason game here proves nothing. Its not the real roster, a lot of the better players you'd come to a game to see play limited ice time, and the game isn't as intense.

There was an article in the Spectator on Saturday about the Friday night Cat game. It was the type you see in most papers that go to press early in the morning. Details about the first part of the game and a quick recap of the last half and the final score. Article probably sits there as long as it can, and is filled out a bit before going to press. So the Spec was not really at fault on how they reported the Cat game vis-a-vis the Hockey exhibition game.

Barneyfife, you are partially right. Hamilton will get an NHL franchise the same year Toronto fields an NFL team,NEVER!

I see what you're saying Matelot about the coverage, makes sense now that I read what you're saying, thanks.

A very rational post - and the reason it will probably never happen and, if it does, probably wouldn’t work.

Anybody wanting to invest in an NHL team doesn’t want to know that Hamiltonians can easily find rational reasons not to spend money on NHL games - they want evidence that Hamiltonians are NHL-obsessed nimwits that would sell their children into slavery for any chance to watch any two NHL teams play, under any circumstances. Cause that’s probably what it would take for a franchise to prosper here - they won’t be playing the Leafs every night.

Fantastic points here Matelot!! Hamiltonians have been used as pawns for many years in more ways than one. Yes, we’re given pressure to attend games of teams who do not represent our city, or support minor league teams. A good experiment would be to see if any of the major markets would have people show up to an exhibition game between two other teams–some cities don’t even show up for their own teams!

I think the NHL climate would change in Hamilton if there was a team representing our city.

(FYI–we’ve been used as pawns for owners who want to increase their season ticket sales. How many times have owners threatened to move to Hamilton if sales didn’t go up?? Remember Pocklington from Edmonton).

Anyhow, I still remain hopeful, but I refuse to pay for a game with teams from other cities.

SOMEONE, PLEASE BRING BACK HAMILTON’S NHL TIGERS!

How about the Hamilton Hammers.

Sorry guys the one and only time we would have got team here was when Tim Hortons put up the money and we built Copps and Ottawa got a team instead of us!!!!!!! You WILL NOT see a NHL team
here!!!!

I really hope this NHL talk of Hamilton getting a team finally comes to an end !!..really sick and tired of it!
WE ARE NOT AN NHL CITY!..
I hope city hall finally realizes what they have in the Tiger-cats and starts to spend money to fix the stadium or even start talks of a new stadium.
btw..go cats go and go habs go!