Hold your breath: Leipold asks NHL stop considering the sale

So I am not sure if we should hit the panic button yet, but some newspapers reported that Leipold has requested the NHL to stop considering the Predator's sale until a binding agreement is reached. Looks like the NHL has things ass-backwards--Bettman already made this comment after the Board of Governor's meeting on Wednesday, and so Leipold's request is moot. Was Leipold headlocked by Bettman last Wednesday into submission?

Some papers pitched the issue as 'the deal has been rejected' or 'Leipold no longer wants to sell to Balsillie', but here are Leipold's exact words:

"We did send the NHL a letter today requesting that it not do any further due diligence on Jim Balsillie's offer for the Nashville Predators until we reach a binding agreement... If Jim is interested in reaching a binding agreement, we are prepared to move forward." (from cbc.ca)

This latest development can be interpreted in two ways: (1) they are trying to scare Balsillie away from the deal, in the same way they scared him away from purchasing the Penguins; or (2) they want things done properly and by the book to ensure the few Nashville fans don't 'come out fighting' as them southerners are prone to do.

The only question that remains is why? Why should Leipold care where Balsillie moves the team? Why is the NHL doing everything in its power to keep a team out of Hamilton? These developments are nothing short of insulting to Hamiltonians and the rest of Canada.

I am starting to get depressed.

Online Petition

It looks like more politicians are stepping up and helping out with this NHL movement--Judy Marsales, MPP, has organized an online poll and is providing window signs. I doubt an online petition will serve as a 'deal-maker' for Hamilton, but it surely wouldn't hurt. Go to http://www.hamiltonloveshockey.com/ for more information.

I also pointed out that two of the three logos on their website are poorly drawn replicas (discussed here). Ah well, at least Hamilton's NHL history is being recognized.

Ball's in Balsillie's Court

After the board of governor's meeting New York yesterday, it was clear that Commissioner Bettman does not want any public discussion on the possible purchase and relocation of the Predators. He forced a gag-order on the owners, who one-by-one pleasantly said 'no comment' to the media.

The only interesting tidbit of information I could extract from today's articles is that the NHL will not consider Balsillie's incomplete application. Although we do not have the details about what was not completed, Bettman suggested that a binding agreement between Basillie and Leipold is required. Balsillie's game plan was to avoid a binding agreement unless he receives assurances that he can relocate the team, a request that was rejected by the NHL. It was obvious when viewing a video of Bettman's press conference that he had a rather smug look on his face, providing the odd smirk every time he explained Balsillie's 'shortcomings'.

All these supposed 'rules' Bettman cites are really just arbitrary policies that can be changed. You can bet that if Balsillie was Bruckheimer, and Hamilton was Las Vegas, the sale and possibly the relocation plans would have already been signed and sealed.

To summarize, according to Bettman, there are three things that need to happen: (1) Balsillie submits a complete application, by complete he means a 'binding agreement'; (2) NHL will make a decision on the sale based on the complete application; (3) only after the sale is complete will they consider any relocation plans. Since Balsillie wanted assurances for step 3, it will be interesting to see how he responds. The ball is now in Balsillie's court.

Aside: In the world of the NHL, where we really do not know what happens behind closed doors, plans may already be in place for the sale and relocation to happen, and these comments (and gag-order) are just a way to temporarily appease the people in Nashville while papers get signed. Bettman confirmed he spoke with Balsillie as recently as last Monday--if only we had a wire tap.

An interesting note: The Toronto Maple Leafs sent FOUR delegates to this meeting: Richard Peddie (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO), Larry Tanenbaum (chairman), Dale Lastman (board member), and John Ferguson (general manager). Eight arms are better than two, I suppose, at strong-arming the other owners. The battle between 'the greater good and greed' continues.

For an interesting interpretation of yesterday's events, I recommend an article by Damien Cox in the Toronto Star.

The Great One Speaks: Thanks Gretzky!

The Great One spoke about the possible relocation of the Preds to Hamilton. Looks like the boy from Brantford is on our side, and that there is still some Canadian pride in this naturalized American. All we can say is thanks Wayne!

Here are some quotes from the Globe and Mail article...

"First, it's a great thing for [Balsillie],” Gretzky said. “Obviously, he's excited about it. If it actually works out that he gets to move the team to Hamilton is something that we'll have to follow over the next little while."

"On the other side of it, I feel very disappointed for the people of Nashville. But that's business, that's life. I will say this that if the team is allowed to move to that area [Hamilton], it will be tremendously successful."

"You're not just drawing from Hamilton, you're drawing from places like Brantford,” Gretzky said, chuckling at the mention of his hometown, “Burlington and Oakville. I'm not worried about the success for that franchise. I remember back in 1987, when we played the Canada Cup there. It was overwhelming."

Letter to Nashville Predator Fans

I commented on the Globe's website, responding to criticisms about our lack of empathy for Nashville Predator fans. Here is what I wrote...

To all Nashville Predator fans:

Excuse us Canadians (particularly Hamiltonians) if we are not sympathetic to your impending NHL loss. Yes, there are some Nashville fans who will be upset with spending their money on season tickets and merchandise, only to see their team move up north. But with a team that finished third overall with a fan base that barely cracked an average attendance of 14,000 and season ticket sales of less than 9,000 is quite simply pathetic. You have been coddled by the NHL, and are now acting like spoiled brats, wanting something you do not deserve.

If that does not explain our lack of sympathy, perhaps a history lesson on Hamilton's numerous disappointments will suffice. Since the 1970's, Hamiltonians have been subjected to at least seven relocation and two expansion opportunities. Each time, the citizens of Hamilton and Southern Ontario were elated and even provided proof of their support (e.g. built an arena, sold out season tickets in 2 days during the 1990 expansion bid), only to have their hopes crushed. Not only have we been used as leverage for other owners to get better deals in their city (e.g. Pocklington in Edmonton), our expansion bids by any objective measure were superior to others, only to lose out Southern American cities and less deserving bids. And I am just touching the surface here. For more details I recommend seeing http://hamiltontigers.blogspot.com/2006/10/bringing-nhl-back-to-hamilton-synopsis.html.

No one, not even Canadians up until now, cared much about these heartbreaking events. You had a gift that Hamiltonians could only dream of, and you (the collective you, including corporate sponsors) could care less. So please, excuse us for not shedding a tear.

Stephen Brunt: An exceptional sports journalist

One of my favourite sports journalists over the past few weeks has been Stephen Brunt for his candid exposé of the NHL and its dealings with Canada and Hamilton. I just finished reading another excellent article of his in the Globe and Mail on the veracity of Bettman's supposed 'commitment to Canada and it's game' (I suggest you take the time to read it). The basic premise is that over the years Bettman has gone on record saying "we must work to strengthen the game from its smallest grassroots to its mightiest franchise". Brunt simply calls him on this, and believes his dealings with Balsillie will demonstrate his true intentions. Actions do speak louder than words.

Just last week, Brunt also gave us a one-liner that epitomizes Hamilton's territorial rights situation: "it's the greater good versus greed". If you have time, send Stephen an e-mail thanking him for educating people on these matters (or thank him indirectly by buying his book).

Hamilton Radio Stations Organizing NHL Rally on Monday June 18

Here's a posting from AM900 CHML

Rally to support NHL team set to go

Posted Jun, 15 2007 - 11:50 AM

HAMILTON (AM900 CHML) - So, you've got your advance seasons tickets, now what?

AM 900 CHML and sister stations Y108 and Country 95.3 are holding a pep rally Monday morning.

It will be broadcast live on the morning show of all 3 stations.

When you show up at our parking lot at 875 Main Street West, we'll ask you to sign a petition of support for the team, that will be sent to the NHL.

- Jay McQueen

Show up to show your support!

7,000 Season Tickets & 6.25 Million Dollars in Less than 10 Hours--Wow

Upon hearing about the season ticket sales in Hamilton I thought it might be a good idea to gauge the differences between Hamilton and Nashville in terms of NHL interest by looking at social networks on the internet (Facebook Groups) and season ticket sales. The methods are not sound, but they provide a glimpse of the quick and virtually unsolicited support from Southern Ontario hockey fans. There are no official campaigns in Hamilton, nor huge push from the local government, but in a matter of days, there are almost as many people supporting a move to Hamilton as there are people want the Predators to stay. But of course, it is easy to sign a petition, but such 'commitments' do not put money in the owner’s pocket.

A more objective measure of true interest is in the number of season ticket sales. Nashville had a team for 9 years, has probably had multiple ‘season ticket drives’, but with such a talented team they currently have fewer than 9,000 season ticket holders. Hamilton on the other hand was not given any warning apart from an advertisement in today’s local newspaper and a few rumours flying over the internet last night that season tickets deposits were available starting today. In a matter of 10 hours, fans of the NHL in Hamilton dropped 6.25 million dollars and nearly caught up to the number of season ticket holders in Nashville (our 7,000 to their <9,000).

Even if Nashville fans smarten up and buy more season tickets, it should be interpreted as a knee-jerk response that says nothing about their long-term commitment to the franchise. If fans were devoted to this team, Leipold [current owner] would not have lost money every year he owned the Preds, nor would he have sucked money from other NHL teams.

Hamilton's numbers are quite impressive considering a lack of fan mobilization or identity. Now imagine if Hamilton did have a team--this impassioned interest should have any owner seeing green.

Social Networks
Results as of June 15, 2007

Bring the Preds to Hamilton Groups (no team yet)
19 Groups: 3,791 members

Keep the Preds in Nashville Groups (team established 9 years ago)
7 Groups: 4,182 members

Honourable mention:

If the Predators come to Hamilton, we will support them (936 members)

The Hamilton “Predators” – The NHL in Hamilton! (1,018 members)

Bring the Predators to Hamilton!!! (1,055 members)

Running Tally of Ticket Sales

Hamilton, Ontario
As of 8:42pm, June 14, 2007 (Canadian Press)
After 10hours, 42 minutes

4,700 Lower Bowl ($4,700,000)
2,500 Upper Bowl ($1,250,000)
60 Suites ($300,000)

TOTAL: 7,260 ($6,250,000)

Nashville, Tennessee
As of 9:28pm, June 14, 2007 (Shoalts, Globe & Mail)
After 9 years

<9,000

You be the judge of where a team belongs.

Get Your Tickets!

So here we are. It has been 17 years since season tickets for an NHL team in Hamilton has gone on sale without actually having a team, and now we have an opportunity to do it all over again. As disappointing as that 1990 outcome was, I suggest we provide the NHL another whopping statement that despite their bullying over the years, we are still a hockey-mad city. Last time it took us 24 hours to sell out, I wonder if we can match that today.

Tickets are now on sale! I bought mine, did you buy yours? Click on the image to get a taste of things to come (hopefully).

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Predators to Hamilton Tigers

Just thought I would put this image out there to start thinking about jersey designs. This simple version takes the Predators design and replaces their logo with the Hamilton Tigers logo c. 1925. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't this jersey look brilliant? The only other change is to replace the predators logo on the shoulder with the Tigers face.

You probably think I'm getting ahead of myself, and you are probably right. I figure we might as well enjoy this while we can (assuming this may be another dead end for Hamilton).

Finally, a Government Investigation on NHL Territorial Rights

The timing could not be any better. Reports from the National Post tell us that Canada’s Competition Bureau (CCB) is looking into the legality of the NHL’s policies surrounding territorial rights. The most important point from Tedesco’s article (though I suggest you read it) is that the NHL policies conflict with the Canada Competition Act, which regulates companies from monopolizing markets. Last year, the CCB dropped their investigation after meeting with the NHL, who said that franchise relocation no longer requires a unanimous decision from the board, but a majority. A new investigation launched last month is now looking into a clause that allows clubs (e.g. Toronto and Buffalo) to veto any decision from the board. It is this veto power that opposes the Canada Competition Act, and nullifies the ‘majority rules’ decision that was added to appease the Bureau.

Whatever happened to a free market? Imagine a city that allows established businesses to veto other businesses from setting up shop on the other side of town so that everyone in the region has to travel and shop there for the product. That is essentially what Balsillie faces in moving the Predators to Hamilton. This situation is unethical, and highlights how the NHL has been allowed to operate like an oligarchy. Whatever happened to the days where sports teams were viewed as ‘clubs’, emerging from the collective support of fans, instead of franchises, where fans are viewed more as a means of generating income, or as a statistics for getting lucrative television deals? As Hamiltonians, and more generally as Canadians, we need to be more vocal about this issue if we ever want to reclaim hockey as our national sport.

We can only hope that the combined effort of Balsillie and Canada’s Competition Bureau will not only confirm that Hamilton’s NHL dreams have been hampered by greedy owners and ‘old boys club’ camaraderie (if you don't believe me, read this), but will set the stage for an NHL club representing Hamiltonians and others from the Golden Horseshoe.

Golden Horseshoe Tigers [or Predators]; Balsillie Hamilton's New Patron; and a Faux Pas?

Most of you already know that Balsillie is working with the City of Hamilton to get exclusive NHL rights to Copps Coliseum(1). Though I am not doing backflips just yet, this latest development has some interesting implications.

Golden Horseshoe Tigers?
Balsillie is operating a group called 'Golden Horseshoe Sports and Entertainment Inc' (GHSE). I simply love it. Not only does it smack MLSE in the face, but it might foreshadow his vision for another team in Southern Ontario. I now have a feeling that he will market the team as the 'Golden Horseshoe [Predators, Tigers, Loyalists, or whatever]'. This gives him some leeway for possibly keeping the team in Hamilton while he builds a new one in Cambridge. As much as my preference is for GHSE to bring back the Tigers, I would be happy with the 'Golden Horseshoe Tigers', and would live with anything else he called it, as long as the team is based in Hamilton.

Jim Balsillie: Hamilton's New Thomas McQuesten?
There are few people in Hamilton's history that made significant changes to our image, economy, and landscape (e.g. Thomas McQuestion brought McMaster University to Hamilton and supported the Royal Botanical Gardens). It looks like the deal for rights to Copps Coliseum includes operating the other facilities owned by HECFI, which suggests a long term commitment to downtown Hamilton. If in a perfect world this deal works out, Balsillie may play an integral role in Hamilton's renaissance.

Cat out of the bag?
Did Mayor Eisenberger make a faux pas by telling the Hamilton Spectator that Balsillie intends on moving the Nashville Predators to Hamilton, or is it part of GHSE's scheme to reduce investor interest in Nashville? This is all very interesting, and will definitely lead to many sleepless nights as I try to make sense of it all.

Reference
1. Dreschel (May 31, 2007). Another shot at NHL team for Hamilton. The Hamilton Spectator.

Latest Report: Balsillie purchasing Nashville Predators -- are they Hamilton bound?

So here we go again.

It looks like Balsillie and the owner of the Nashville Predators have come to an agreement on the sale of the franchise, pending league approval. I wonder if the league will stipulate that the team needs to remain in Nashville as a condition of the sale (like they did with the Penguins).

I'm not getting excited about this latest development for several reasons.

1. NHL's persistent dislike of Hamilton.
2. Apparently, the idea that Hamilton is right in between the Buffalo and Toronto markets, whereas Kitchener-Waterloo is not, has been in recent headlines. Does this make sense to anyone? K-W isn't that much further out, are they?
3. Hamilton City Hall does not seem to be as excited about bringing an NHL team to Hamilton as they were during the Morrow years. I really do hope that if this deal goes through we get our best people involved to make relocating a team to Hamilton as desirable as possible. This might be our last real chance.
4. There is a real threat that instead of Hamilton, Balsillie will move the team to K-W. I hope Balsillie is sensitive to NHL history and knows that it would be easy to resurrect the Hamilton Tigers and build a hockey culture around such a club.

If Balsillie moves a team to Kitchener-Waterloo, the NHL will lose a fan for life because that would eliminate any chance of Hamilton getting a team.

Having said all that, there are a few reasons why there might be a glint of hope.

1. Keeping the team in Nashville would be a losing enterprise. It's been losing money for 10 years, and Balsillie isn't the type of person who loses money.
2. Balsillie seems very keen on getting a team, any team. I doubt he would want his NHL legacy to be in Nashville. Of all the places he could have located RIM, he picked Southern Ontario.
3. He's a savvy business man--Hamilton would be the optimal place for business. Not only does Hamilton have the history, they are optimally located to reach out to the most fans (Hamilton is the heart of the Golden Horseshoe, Canada's most populous region).
4. Hamilton's downtown is experiencing a renaissance. Bringing an NHL team to the core would facilitate this process, making Balsillie's legacy more than just about hockey.
5. People in Nashville do not seem to care that the team might leave. In fact, many people are hoping relocation is in the plans.
6. Balsillie's wife is from Hamilton. Would give them a great opportunity to visit family (or keep his wife occupied while he enjoys Hamilton Tigers Hockey).

Ok, so maybe I am getting a little excited.

Learned helplessness: A concept Hamilton NHL fans know all too well

The news
First, in case you have not heard, here is the breaking news that inspired this entry: Jim Balsillie discussed the possibility of bringing an NHL franchise to Hamilton with Gary Bettman last March (Paul Waldie, Globe and Mail, December 22nd, 2006).

Upon finding out what most of us had suspected, that Jim Balsillie was the person behind the mystery group trying to bring an NHL franchise to Hamilton, I became sad, very sad. Not because of Balsillie’s heroic act, but once again Hamilton was an arms length from landing an NHL team. It made me wonder if there is a circumstance, if any, that would land Hamilton an NHL team (apart from relocating our city to somewhere in the States, like Utah). When Copps Coliseum was the best arena in North America, there was too much politicking against such a move. Now that Copps is aged and looking tired (though it wouldn’t take much to raise this phoenix), Waldie reported that Bettman would consider a Hamilton team if Balsillie built a new arena. My brain could not believe what my eyes were reading, but my brain needed to make sense of what was happening. An epiphany: Hamiltonians are the dogs of the NHL.

Hamiltonians are the dogs of the NHL
So you might be thinking ‘I’m a Hamiltonian, but learned helplessness is not a concept I know all to well’. With some explaining, I assure you that you do. What has happened over the last, say, 20 years, has been a natural experiment following the behaviourist tradition. In the 1960’s, Martin Seligman conducted a series of experiments to better understand the causes of depression. There were two conditions. In the first condition, a dog was placed in a cage where a sound signaled the onset of an electrical shock. When the sound was made, the dog learned to avoid the shock by jumping over a small barrier to the other side. In the second condition, a dog was placed in the same cage, sound and shock were paired together, but this time there was nowhere for the dog to go to avoid the shock. Over and over again the sound was made, the shock was elicited, and the dog had to sit there and take it. Eventually, the dog just laid down and at least received the shock in a comfortable position. This sad response is learned helplessness.

Nothing Hamiltonians have done or tried to do over the past 20 years changed the outcome—there was always a reason the NHL would not go to Hamilton, even if these reasons were addressed. We built a state-of-the art arena, but the NHL would not go to Hamilton because of territorial rights to Toronto and Buffalo. We can get a wealthy owner (who could deal with territorial rights), but the NHL would not go to Hamilton because Copps Coliseum is old and a new arena needs to be built. We organized the best bid for an NHL franchise, but the NHL would not go to Hamilton because they wanted to negotiate how to pay the NHL. We can… well, you get the point (if not, see http://hamiltontigers.blogspot.com/2006/10/bringing-nhl-back-to-hamilton-synopsis.html). What we have learned from this NHL pursuit, my friends, is helplessness.

The consequence of helplessness is complacency, and I worry that too many Hamiltonians have become complacent when they do not have to be. The philosophy of an American-centric bureaucracy should not impede the interests of Canadians in general, nor Hamiltonians in particular. Hockey is Canada’s game, and all of us, from the Dofasco employee, to the Mayor, to business leaders, to all Canadians, should be lobbying the NHL to give us fair representation in a league that was ours.

Despite this rather depressing story, keep this in mind: we were dogs once before—Bulldogs in fact.

Jim Balsillie: Thank-you for your interest in bringing back Hamilton’s Tigers. You will be successful and revered if this ever works out.

Gary Bettman: You have an opportunity to make the NHL great, not good. Please learn from a successful businessperson like Jim Balsillie—a person who believes the NHL would work in Hamilton.

It’s official: Bettman hates Canadians

Why else would he care so much about keeping the Penguins from relocating to Southern Ontario? With a large population and hockey-mad fans, there is lots of money to be made. Balsillie is a billionaire for a reason—why would he move a team to a region that would not make for a viable franchise? I highly doubt that a buyer who was interested in moving the team to either Kansas or Las Vegas would get the same treatment. What we are seeing here is textbook strong-arming¹. If you want to own a team, you gotta play by our rules, even if these rules are designed with an unfair preference for Americans.

If Canadians want more teams representing their cities, and they have the investors to own them, why can’t they? People from Quebec City and Winnipeg should be furious with this recent development. Wouldn’t it have been nice for the NHL to make demands that the Nordiques or the Jets be sold to someone who agreed to keep the team in that city under any circumstances?

So many questions, so few honest answers.

Many people cite lucrative TV deals as a reason for keeping teams in well-known, large-market, American cities. But if people in these cities need classes to learn about what a period is (e.g. Phoenix), and they are not watching hockey either at the arenas or on TV, why would any large networks want to strike a deal? Stick to regions that want hockey. The market should drive these decisions, not clever marketing.

1. I am referring to the latest tactics used by Bettman to ensure the Penguins stay in Pittsburgh: he wanted Balsillie to agree to keep the team there under any circumstances! Now what businessperson in their right mind would dish out $175 million under those conditions? I think Bettman is trying to cover all ground with the upcoming decision on IOC's gaming license--completely unfair.

If only we could read Balsillie's mind

Balsillie sure knows how to keep people guessing. Remember how a little while ago Balsillie claimed that his interest in purchasing the Penguins were only rumours? There now seems to be some confusion (planned confusion?) with Lemieux's announcement that Balsillie has withdrawn his $175 million offer. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review (Dec. 16) reported that Balsillie denied this claim, that "I'm not giving up on anything" and "I wish it could move forward", said Balsillie.

The latest reports suggest Balisillie withdrew his offer because starting a week ago, Bettman made ridiculous demands that he agree to keep the team in Pittsburgh under any circumstances, meaning regardless of the Isle of Capri result (who promised to build a new arena if granted a gaming license). Well, if Balsillie planned on moving the team to K-W, then this is great news for Hamiltonians. If his plan was to move them to Hamilton--it's no suprise given our luck.

I have a feeling this Balsillie saga is far from over. Stay tuned!

Hamilton Tigers Logos

Growling Tiger Logo (1920-1921): Topographic Map or Realistic Tiger?
When I started searching the internet for information about the Hamilton Tigers, the first thing that struck me as particularly odd was the mangled looking tiger face for a logo (Figure 1). If you run a Google.com images search, you will notice that this logo is all over the internet—even Wikipedia.org used this image as the official logo of the Hamilton Tigers (it has been changed recently). Could this one-eyed Willy really be Hamilton’s NHL logo, or did someone mistake a topographical map for a tiger’s face? Much to my relief, Wesley and Wesley’s Hamilton’s Hockey Tigers provided images of the actual jersey with the original logo (Figure 2). As you can see, the original is a rather detailed, well-drawn face with, yes, two eyes. Whoever redrew the original into a sloppy cartoon gets an F-minus and two thumbs down. We should be circulating and using the actual logo and not a 5-year old child's rendition of it. So if you see any fakes out there, please direct them to this article.

If someone has a better image of the original logo, could you please pass it my way. The one I have posted is a picture of a picture in a book, and so the quality is not spectacular.

Prowling Tiger Logo (1921-1923): Animal Cracker or Regal Tiger?
In Season 2, the Hamilton Tigers switched their logo from a growling tiger to a prowling one. Once again, it looks like someone commissioned a kindergarten class to provide a rendition of the original. The image circulating on the internet looks like an orange animal cracker with some black lines drawn on it (Figure 3). Thank goodness for Hamilton’s Hockey Tigers who provided us with pictures of the original (Figure 4). Unfortunately the contrast in these images is not very good, so the fine details are not obvious—but at the very least, we can confirm that the original is a tiger prowling with stealth, not a cartoon ready to pounce on Winnie-the-Pooh.

H Logo (1923-1925)
The H logo is my favorite not just because of its simplicity, but because its ability to be replicated is a sign of resiliency. It was also the logo worn when the Green brothers arrived (star players Shorty Green and Red Green), and when the Tigers came first in the league. The only modification of this logo from one year to the next was going from completely vertical lines at the end of the horizontal bar to angled ones (Figure 5).

Official Team Colours: Yellow or Orange?
There appears to be a discrepancy between the official colours mentioned in cyberspace and the ones used in Wesley and Wesley’s book. The former believes the colours are black and orange, whereas the latter says the colours are black and yellow. I have no way to confirm this, and even after doing some digging I could not get access to articles from the 1920s that might have mentioned what the true colours are. If anyone has more information on this topic, please write a comment or send it my way.

Ideal Jersey
If the Hamilton Tigers were to make a comeback, I would love to see the H logo as the primary logo, with the leaping tiger on the shoulders. Perhaps my next article will elaborate on this idea. Stay tuned!

*Internet images from http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?t=43
*Original images from Hamilton's Hockey Tigers

Bringing the NHL Back to Hamilton: A Synopsis of Events

This section is a working timeline of attempts to bring the NHL back to Hamilton. I will keep adding to this list as events occur. Please let me know if I have missed or misrepresented anything, I would appreciate any feedback. The goal of this section is provide readers with a factual running record of important and interesting events.

FIRST EXPANSION BID

1986—Doomed from the start?
The earliest reports I could find of a possible NHL expansion team going to Hamilton comes from the mid 1980’s. There was a discussion between NHL president John Ziegler and Copps Coliseum boss Brian Conacher. In their conversation, Conacher suggested that the NHL create an all-Canadian division. Unexpectedly, Ziegler was “offended and disturbed” with such a comment, and would therefore oppose any Hamilton attempt for an NHL franchise. Was Hamilton’s bid doomed from start?

October 27, 1989
Seymour H. Knox III, President of the Sabres said “if Hamilton is a market, it has to deal with Toronto and Buffalo. Everything is in place on that and one or the other [Buffalo or Toronto] will block it. I can’t say how it would affect Toronto, but, absolutely, [a Hamilton NHL team] would hurt us”.

When people from Hamilton began to question the implications of this statement, not only were they expected to just to suck it up, they were also told not to yap about it. Robert Swados, VP Operations for Buffalo said “if Hamilton wants to get into the NHL, it’s certainly not in its interest to perpetuate this kind of discussion”. So let me get this straight, if Hamiltonians sat back and did nothing to address the possible veto from Buffalo, Hamilton’s chances of getting an expansion team would be slim, and, if Hamiltonians decided to engage in such a discourse, the good people from the Sabres organization would not look favourably on our bid. Wow, thanks for instigating a lose-lose situation.

August 15, 1990—The Race Begins
Hamilton’s first big attempt at getting a team occurred when the NHL wanted to award 2 new expansion teams. The following cities met the application deadline of Aug 15, 1990 at midnight.

Hamilton
Houston*
Miami
Milwaukee*
Orlando
Ottawa
Phoenix*
San Diego
Seattle
Tampa Bay
St. Petersburg
*dropped out before formal bid presentation

August-December 1990: Preparing Bids
Individuals involved with Hamilton’s bid took this opportunity quite seriously. The group hired Gerry Patterson, a Toronto consultant, with a $750,000 finders fee (if Patterson gets Hamilton a team, he also gets three quarters of a million dollars—not a bad incentive). Just weeks before their bid presentation, the Hamilton bid became the only group to meet all the necessary criteria established by the NHL. Here is a list of what the NHL wanted and what Hamilton’s bid had.

1. A building (Copps Coliseum, check)
2. 20 year lease in place (check)
3. Local owner (Ron Joyce, check)
4. Owner with deep pockets (Owner of Tim Hortons, check)
5. Minimum of 10,000 season tickets sold (14,000 sold in 24 hours, check)
6. Market that would support hockey team (50 mile radius, 5 million people, check)
7. Corporate support (70 corporate companies committed to purchasing 70 corporate boxes for a minimum of 5 years, check)

Neither Ottawa nor Tampa Bay had a building, local owner, or a market comparable to Hamilton’s. At the time, no other bid came close to Hamilton’s—the media began talking about Hamilton as being the favourite.

December 5, 1990—Bid Presentations
Hamilton’s group descended on the Palm Beach Breakers Hotel to make their bid presentation. During this presentation, when asked about paying the $50 million expansion fee, Ron Joyce explained how Hamilton’s situation was unique because they were the only team required to pay indemnification fees. The exact amount of these fees were not disclosed at any time in this process. In fact, the NHL banned any discussion between Hamilton, Toronto, and Buffalo on settling indemnification payments. Because of these unknown additional payments, Joyce could not guarantee the $50 million up front. Instead he offered a compromise—he slapped down $5 million that day, guaranteed $25 million the next year, then $25 million over the next seven. Gerry Patterson was very optimistic about their presentation and was convinced Hamilton would be awarded a team. It was assumed the following day would be used to iron out some of these details.

That night, at a party hosted by Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, four NHL governors began a movement to focus on bids that did not deviate from the financial plan. The only two teams who guaranteed $50 million up front were Ottawa and Tampa Bay.

December 6, 1990—Black Thursday
The NHL announced that the winning bids came from Ottawa and Tampa Bay--the only two bids to guarantee the $50 million up front despite not having met the NHL’s supposedly necessary criteria.

The announcement sparked outrage in Hamilton. I can still remember seeing the Hamilton Spectator the following day, and being completely paralyzed with disbelief. I had bought a copy of the Spec to remember Black Thursday. Just thinking about that day still evokes feelings of nausea.

Speculation on the causes of this result began to hit the presses. Reports coming from Hamilton focused on certain comments made prior to the bid presentations, particularly the Knox quote mentioned earlier. Another example came from Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz who said “a third team in that area might damage Toronto and Buffalo, and that’s a major consideration”. Also, Hamilton alderman John Gallagher said that in a teleconference with a Sabres employee, he was told Buffalo would never allow Hamilton to get a franchise. These claims were serious because if NHL owners and governors had already made up their mind on Hamilton before reviewing the bids, then the whole bid process was an exercise in futility and a waste of Hamilton taxpayer’s money.

December 12, 1990
The Buffalo Sabres organization placed a half page advertisement in the Hamilton Spectator that read: “The Buffalo Sabres wish to assure the hockey fans of the City of Hamilton that neither the Sabres nor the Toronto Maple Leafs in any way ‘blocked’ or ‘vetoed’ the granting of a franchise to Hamilton”. The Sabres declined to make any further comments on the topic. It sounded more like damage control, especially considering about 15% of Buffalo’s season ticket holders were from Hamilton at that time.

FIRST RELOCATION HOPE

April 28, 1993
The owner of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Pocklington, gave the City of Edmonton an ultimatum: improve the lease conditions for Northlands Coliseum and other concessions, or the Oilers will be moved to Hamilton. Some changes Pocklington had in mind included taking a piece of the parking and advertising revenue, and to exclude a commitment to keeping the team in Edmonton for 20 years.

Even at this time, Hamiltonians were weary of being used as a bargaining chip. The prescient Dominic Agostino (Hamilton Alderman) said “all [Pocklington] is doing is raising people's hopes and expectations and trying to exploit Hamilton and our citizens for his own purposes" (Toronto Star, Apr 28, 1993). Memories of Black Thursday must have still been lingering in the back of Dominic’s mind.

June, 1993
Pocklington visited Hamilton to tour Copps Coliseum.

July 5, 1993
Pocklington decided to keep the team in Edmonton and apologized to hockey fans in Hamilton. People are so nice to us.

SECOND RELOCATION HOPE

May 6, 1996
Mayor Bob Morrow requested cash from the Federal Minister of Finance Paul Martin and Ontario Premiere Bob Rae to help lure the troubled Winnipeg Jets to Hamilton, to no avail.

May 13, 1996
This week, a group of Hamiltonians, including Bob Morrow, Gabe Macaluso, and a group of American invenstors, traveled to Winnipeg to present their bid for the team. Not long after, the Winnipeg franchise decided to stay put, at least for the time being.

SECOND EXPANSION BID

1997
The second expansion bid was not as eventful as the first. This time around the Hamilton Spectator gave the city the $100,000 expansion application fee. Mayor Bob Morrow and his team of city councilors traveled to New York City to make a second bid for an expansion team. The strategy this time was ‘give us a team, and we will find an owner’. Not surprisingly, Hamilton was overlooked once again, this time under the leadership of commissioner Gary Bettman, whose love of Hamilton is in the sadistic sense. Someone must have started to feel at least a little bad for Hamilton because they decided to return the $100,000 application fee. Who knew the NHL could be so nice.

THIRD AND FOURTH RELOCATION HOPE

January 25, 2003
Richard Rodier (works for law firm in Toronto), representing HHC Acquisition Corp. (Hamilton groups interested bringing an NHL franchise to Hamilton) submitted an application to purchase the Ottawa Senators. At this time there were other discussions on relocating the Buffalo Sabres to Hamilton.

FIFTH RELOCATION HOPE

An article in the Star Ledger (Oct 8, 2006) stated that at one point, New Jersey Devils owner John McMullen threatened to move the team to Hamilton, until he got a better lease from the Meadowlands of course. I could not find a date for this though. Now that I look back at this exercise, I could have saved myself some time by outlining teams who did not threaten a Hamilton relocation.

SIXTH RELOCATION HOPE

Spring 2004
In an interview with the Hamilton Mountain News, Hamilton Councilor Terry Whitehead mentioned that HHC Acquisition Corp. were in talks with owners of the St. Louis Blues. No other developments have been reported on this lead.

SEVENTH RELOCATION HOPE

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the latest player in the ‘move the team to Hamilton or maybe not’ game. Fasten your seatbelts, the next few events will once again take you on a bit of a ride.

April, 2004
Richard Rodier once again emerged on behalf of HHC Acquisition Corp. and paid Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. $250,000 for exclusive rights to bring an NHL franchise to Copps Coliseum.

June, 2006
Deadline for HHC Acquisition Corp.’s rights to Copps Coliseum was June 30^th, 2006, so they paid an additional $50,000 to extend their rights for another year.

July 11, 2006
Reports out of Pittsburgh identified groups from Hamilton, Houston, Kansas City, and Las Vegas as having interested in the Penguins. HHC Acquisition Corp. emerged as the suitors from Hamilton. Though the identity of people involved with HHC remained anonymous, Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research in Motion (i.e. makers of the BlackBerry), was rumoured to be one of those persons.

Other interested groups included: (1) Andy Murstein (presidenet of Medallian Corp.) and Pittsburgh native Mark Cuban (who owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks); (2) Sam Fingold (owner of Kenyon Investments) who has ties with Kansas City; (3) Jim Renacci (Ohio businessman and owner of Columbus Destroyers); and (4) Lawrence Gottesdiender (CEO Northland Investment Corp.) who was interested in bringing a team back to Hartford.

July 21, 2006
Not even ten days after a Hamilton group emerged as a possible buyer of the Penguins, reports out of Pittsburgh suggested this group withdrew their bid because of the difficulties in taking the Penguins out of Pittsburgh. One difficulty was the agreement between current Penguins owners and the Isle of Capri, who promised to build an arena in Pittsburgh if they were granted a casino license. Another difficulty came from the NHL, who stressed that the team must remain in Pittsburgh if it can be viable there.

September 16, 2006
When contacted by the Kitchener Record to comment on rumours surrounding his involvement, Jim Balsillie replied “I do not comment on speculation”.

September 18, 2006
Hamilton once again became a blip on the NHL radar when the Canadian linked to HHC re-emerged as the front runner to purchasing the Penguins. The identity of this person, however, remained anonymous.

September 19, 2006
Hamilton Spectator headline read “RIM’S Balsillie graduates to ‘no comment’ on NHL talk” (Milton).

October 6, 2006
Jim Balsillie purchases the Pittsburgh Penguins for $175 million. This event sparked many news articles and comments on sports forums debating the merits and possibility of moving a team to Hamilton. What irked me during this period were the unfounded comments on Hamilton’s people, economy, and general viability in supporting a team, especially because many of these comments came from fellow Canadians. Expect a few rebuttals to these comments on this blog.

Going back to Balsillie, at no time did he nor anyone else provide confirming evidence that he was linked to HHC.

October 13, 2006
HHC withdrew their rights to Copps Coliseum. Journalists discussed two possible explanations for this move. The first hypothesis is that Balsillie is still playing a game because his purchase still requires the NHL’s rubber stamp. By withdrawing their rights to Copps, Balsillie could alleviate any worries the NHL board of governors might have about his intent to move the team. Once they NHL approves the purchase, and the Isle of Capri deal falls through, Balsillie will make his move to Hamilton. The second hypothesis is that Balsillie is no longer interested in moving the team to Hamilton and decided to drop his ties to Copps. In this case, his intentions may be to keep the team in Pittsburgh or move the team a city other than Hamilton.

October 15, 2006
Balsillie answered questions for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette about possible places to relocate the Penguins. Here is what he said:

"Hamilton? Yeah, the [Toronto Maple] Leafs will be really supportive of that," he said. "Kansas City? I mean, come on. Now I've taken a 40-minute flight [to Pittsburgh] and made it two hours, and to an unproven market.

"They talk about Oklahoma [City]. It's like, puh-lease. And Portland? Puh-lease. Now I'm going from the frying pan into a big fire."

EIGHTH & NINTH RELOCATION HOPE

The saga continues with the Nashville Predators and now the Phoenix Coyotes. Too much going on--will update this section once we know the outcome of the bankruptcy auction. Good luck Balsillie and Hamilton!

REFERENCES
Toronto Star (Dec 6, 1990).
Toronto Star (Dec 7, 1990) NHL Rejection a bitter pill for Hamilton. Damien Cox, B1
Toronto Star (Feb 16, 1991) Hamilton bid was doomed from outset, Peter Edwards and Damien Cox, B1.
Kitchener-Waterloo Record (Dec 13, 1990), Sabres purchase newspaper ad to deny they vetoed Hamilton bid, D1
Hamilton Spectator (Jan 25, 2003) Sens longshot for Hamilton, Ken Peters, E. 01
Star Ledger (Oct 8, 2006). A black cloud for Pens’ fans, Rich Chere.
Hamilton Mountain News (July 7, 2006). NHL team seekers ‘credible, successful people’ to be taken seriously, HECFI boss says.
Hamilton Spectator (Sep 19, 2006). RIM’S Balsillie graduates to ‘no comment’ on NHL talk, Steve Milton.

Audio Clips: CBC interviews Gabe Macaluso & Terry Whitehead

1. The first clip comes from CBC's The Current, hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti. In this episode, she discusses with Gabe Macaluso Hamilton's failed NHL bid in the early 90's.

http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-41-1639-11372/sports/nhlexodus/

2. The second, more recent clip, comes from CBC's Ontario Today, hosted by Rita Celli. Here she chats with Hamilton City Councillor Terry Whitehead about the latest developments (it was taped just before Jim Balsillie bought the Pittsburgh Penguins). You'll need realplayer to hear this file.

http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/media/audio/ontariotoday/05a.ram
(from http://www.cbc.ca/ontariotoday/story_archive.html)

Hamilton Tigers--A Brief History

Fall 1920—Quebec Bulldogs sold to Hamilton Business
NHL’s Quebec Bulldogs, a team established in 1888, was sold to Hamilton’s Abso-Pure Ice Company. In their final game as the Bulldogs, Joe Malone scored seven goals against the Toronto Arenas. This scoring record remains today.

December 22, 1920—Hamilton Tigers first NHL Game
In ‘The Arena’—Hamilton’s rink located on Barton Street between Sanford and Wentworth—the Hamilton Tigers defeated the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 5-0.

1920-1921 Season
Despite their good start, the Hamilton Tigers finished last, behind the Toronto St. Patricks, Ottawa Senators, and the Montreal Canadiens.

1921-1922 Season
Tigers switch their uniform from vertical to horizontal stripes, and the logo from the growling tiger head to a prowling tiger. Despite some changes to the lineup, the team had another dismal season, finishing last.

1922-1923 Season
The Hamilton Tigers acquired Art Ross as head coach. Not only would Art Ross would later be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the NHL trophy for the highest scorer bears his name. Unfortunately, this new and tough head coach could not improve Hamilton’s standings. They again finished in last place.

1923-1924 Season
This season began with a third and final change to their jersey—horizontal lines remained on the sleeves, and the logo switched to a capital H with ‘TIGERS’ printed across the H’s horizontal bar. Also in this season, the arrival of brothers Red and Shorty Green kickstarted the Tigers’ turnaround. Though the Tigers ended up last in the standings, this year they were only 2 points behind the Toronto St. Patricks.

1924-1925 Season—It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Expansion
This season saw the NHL expand for the first time. This expansion was doubly significant because it was the first time an American city was given an NHL team. This team was the Boston Bruins.

Top of the League
More importantly for the Tigers, their first successful season ended with their winning the league. They edged the Toronto St. Patricks by 1 point for first place in the NHL. Celebrations, however, would end there.

The ‘Trainwreck’
On a train trip from Montreal back to Hamilton after their last game of the season, Tiger players led by Shorty Green confronted owner Percy Thompson about being compensated for the extended season. The players demanded $200 each, but Thompson refused. A strike resulted, keeping the team out of the playoffs. Hamilton was supposed to play the Canadiens for the NHL championship and the winner of that match would go on to play the champion of the Western Canadian Hockey for the Stanley Cup.

March 16, 1925
First rumour that the Tigers would be sold to a business from New York City. Tigers ownership denied this claim.

March 17, 1925
Tigers players were still willing to go to court, so the owners gave up and paid the players. Unbelievable.

April 13, 1925
News sources in Hamilton first reported that New York City was officially given an NHL franchise.

September, 1925—Tigers’ Exit from Hamilton
Secret negotiations between New York franchise manager Tommy Gorman and Tigers owner Percy Thompson took place. The two reached a deal that included sending the Tigers players to New York. This team was called the New York Americans (who were going to be called the New York Hamilton Tigers). This event marked the end of the Hamilton Tigers hockey club.

I will conclude this section with two enduring quotes from the Hamilton Herald, as quoted in Wesley and Wesley (2005, pp. 82 & 85).

“Whether the players of the Hamilton NHL club are at fault or the management, the fact remains that Hamilton’s thousands of loyal hockey fans have been denied the chance to see the most important game of the NHL season—the [championship game] …. It’s the fans who make hockey possible, still they are not taken into consideration in time of trouble” (Hamilton Herald, March 14, 1925).

“The hockey season of 1924-1925 in Canada ends under a cloud of commercialism….The unfortunate incident serves to reveal one of the weaknesses of professional sport. Professionalism tends to develop the commercial spirit. The game is played not for its own sake, but for money; and when games are played mainly for money, trickery and crookedness are very apt to creep in and become matters of course” (Hamilton Herald, date unknown).

References
To learn more about the Hamilton Tigers and their brief yet rich history, I highly recommend Sam and David Wesley’s Hamilton’s Hockey Tigers (2005). This exceptional book will take you back to life in the 1920s and will leave you wondering how Hamilton could let this gem of a team slip through its fingers. It was by far my favorite Christmas gift last year!

Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo

Coming up… a timeline of attempts to bring the NHL back to Hamilton.