Welcome!

Welcome to the Hamilton Tigers (c. 1920; 20??) blog. My interest in seeing Hamilton get a National Hockey League team began when the NHL was set to expand in the early 1990s. From my posts, I hope that many of you will empathize with the deep-seated frustration I have felt from the many failed attempts and teases of bringing a team to the Steel City. As many of you probably know, Hamilton is once again in the NHL picture with the recent purchase of the Pittsburgh Penguins by BlackBerry owner Jim Balsillie, a billionaire with roots in Southern Ontario (purchase still requires approval from the NHL). It was not just this development, but the reaction of Hamiltonians and Canadians to this development that has inspired me to start this online journal.

Historically, Hamilton was labeled the ‘ambitious city’—it was this ambition that motivated many Hamiltonians to support our bid for a NHL franchise in the early 1990s. Not only did the bid have corporate (i.e. Ron Joyce—Tim Hortons) and government support, fans of a nonexistent team turned out in droves to purchase 14,000 season tickets in 24 hours. Since that failed bid, it appeared as though other owners used the ‘I may move the team to Hamilton’ story to either sell more season tickets or to get their city council to dance on command. I believe Hamilton is still ambitious, but also not stupid. With these failed attempts still in our working memory, there is a good reason for Hamiltonians to be skeptical. My biggest worry, however, is that this skepticism will be interpreted as disinterest.

So, I want this blog to signal that interest still exists, but that we will no longer be complacent with unfair decisions or negative perceptions about giving Hamiltonians what they deserve.

In order to build this interest, I will use this blog to: (a) keep a running record of the latest news and gossip; (b) address any misperceptions about the City of Hamilton, its inhabitants, and the viability of a professional hockey time in Hamilton; (c) brainstorm some ideas of how a hockey team in Hamilton would look like; and (d) investigate the true motivations behind decisions related to keeping a team out of Hamilton. I would love to hear from you, and if you’re interested in posting your own thoughts, I am more than happy to consider them.

To all the pessimists who think I’m not being realistic, well, you may be right. Time will only tell. In the meantime, I plan on having fun with the idea. Besides, supporting a club is all about satisfying our need for sports entertainment, right? Mine just happens to be a club that doesn’t exist… yet.