A bumpy road to sporting revitalization
Reflecting on Hamilton’s loss of several sports franchises — hockey’s Bulldogs, basketball’s Honey Badgers and soon, probably, lacrosse’s Toronto Rock — it is worth considering the how as well as the why.
On Tuesday, The Spec’s Scott Radley reported that the Bulldogs will be moving to Brantford for at least three seasons, while their home ice FirstOntario Centre undergoes overdue and essential renovations.
Those renos are scheduled to take two years, but Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer told Radley he didn’t expect them to be done on schedule so plans on keeping his OHL franchise in Wayne Gretzky’s hometown for three seasons.
There is speculation, however, that the Bulldogs move could be more than temporary, as Radley later reported. That starts to get into the how part of the equation, and we’ll return there later.
Then there’s the Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. After learning that the FirstOntario renos would leave the defending champion team homeless for two years, the league announced the franchise would permanently move to Brampton.
As for the Toronto Rock, we don’t know what will happen, but if they play in Hamilton it won’t be at FirstOntario.
Did all this have to happen, and happen this way?
Yes, it had to happen. The former Copps Coliseum, along with other downtown entertainment facilities formerly operated by Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities, are badly in need of updating to meet modern standards. For years, the city put off that needed investment for one reason or another. And then, finally, it struck a long-term-lease deal with a private consortium, the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG), to take over operation of the facilities, including performing the required upgrades.
Last fall, HUPEG said it considered various options for doing the $80-million to $200-million worth of renos to the aging coliseum. One option was a phased approach that might have allowed sports tenants to continue operations, but it was judged not feasible for financial and logistics reasons. The final decision will see FirstOntario closed for the better part of two seasons, hence the displacement of hockey, basketball, lacrosse and events such as concerts.
Is it the best approach? Obviously, not for the franchises and their fans. But the consortium is paying the tab, and when you’re paying the bill, you get to the call the shots — at least for the most part considering the facilities are still publicly-owned.
So yes, all this had to happen and it is happening in this way because that’s what the funders want.
Other aspects of events of the last few months are less clear. Bulldog and Honey Badger brass have said communication about the closure was badly handled, while HUPEG says otherwise. It’s all water under the bridge now, but it’s extremely unfortunate some people feel badly used. Andlauer, especially, made a great contribution to the city both through the team’s performance on ice and his philanthropic support in areas like school breakfast programs. He deserves better than to feel embittered by his experience, especially since it increases the chances he and his team will not return.
There were bound to be bumps on the road to this revitalization, but still, this isn’t a great look for Hamilton, HUPEG and city hall. Let’s hope the end result is worth it.