Obviously being from Hamilton (the capital of the world) myself, I would have an extreme bias towards the pitch from Jim Balsillie (CEO of Research in Motion) in purchasing the Phoenix Coyotes with intentions to move them to Hamilton. Yes, I am aware that the term "Southern Ontario" is being thrown around, but any one who has really paid attention to this knows Balsillie wants the team in Hamilton. And seriously, who the hell wants to go to Kitchener for an NHL game? City rivalries aside lets focus on what really matters. The fans, and what it could do for the city.
Hamilton is chocked full of rabid NHL fans who are hungry for their own team. I can only assume (call me naive) locals would gladly abandon their other teams in favor of their own, local franchise. I'm looking at you Maple Leafs. On top of that just imagine the rivalry that would be stirred up between the Maple Leafs and a team in Hamilton. Both cities already seem to have a large amount of animosity towards each other. What better place than an NHL rink to vent our issues with one another? Or perhaps after a saturday night game, on King street...with bats. I'm getting ahead of myself. There's no denying healthy, strong rivalries are good for the league and only intensify interest in games.
No doubt Copps Colliseum (the likely home of the team) needs a large overhaul, but its not impossible. Just imagine what an improved sports complex that houses an NHL team could do for the downtown area. It could be the knight in shining armor our city has been waiting for. We might actually be able to push out the porno theatres, failed bars, bingo halls, along with the many crack heads and drunks that make our downtown so charming. And for God's sake do something with Jackson Square. Demolish it for all I care...on second thought, maybe keep the drunks. They'll be useful in fighting the away fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment