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Hockey History
Flights of Fancy – “They wanted nothing to do with us.” It was close to 20 years ago that Hamilton began a serious bid for an NHL franchise. In September of 1989, eight cities in North America were doing their homework and diligence to get a coveted franchise. At the time, San Jose, Milwaukee, Dallas, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Tampa, Seattle, and Atlanta were ready to plunk down millions of dollars and build arenas for a team. Late in 1990, there were still eight cities, but the players had changed somewhat. Formal bids to the NHL had been received by Seattle, Ottawa, Hamilton, Miami, St. Petersburg, Tampa, San Diego, and Anaheim.
It is interesting to note that three of these bids were from Florida, and two from California. Hamilton and Ottawa were the only localities where ice and snow even existed, much more in keeping with the traditional hockey venue, but traditions were being thrown out the window by the NHL, as money and exposure were the main drivers behind the league’s choices. According to a report in the Hamilton Spectator, only the bids from Hamilton and St. Petersburg met most of the NHL’s requirements. Hamilton hired consultant Gerry Patterson to take the city’s proposal to the league’s meetings in the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach Florida, a bid backed by Tim Hortons owner Ron Joyce. At the time, Hamilton boasted the biggest arena, at 17,000 seats, while some cities, such as Tampa and Ottawa, had yet to put a shovel in the ground. Hamilton also boasted the best fan support with over 13,000 season tickets sold.
“We meet all the major criteria,” noted Patterson. “We’re probably the only ones that adequately fulfill the requirement. We meet all the key points.” But by December 6, 1990, cameras were snapping pictures of NHL President John Ziegler with Bruce Firestone, head of the Ottawa bid, and Phil Esposito, head of the Tampa bid, instead of Joyce and Patterson. Ziegler and eight NHL board governors met with delegations from Hamilton, St. Petersburg, Miami, and San Diego, and he issued the following statement: “Gentlemen, I am sorry to inform you we will not be awarding you expansion franchises at this time. We have awarded conditional franchises to Tampa and Ottawa.” Officially, the NHL said Hamilton deviated from the bid criteria when Joyce told the league he wanted to put up only $25 million of the $50 million US franchise fee until he found out what Buffalo and Toronto would want in territorial rights fees, as Hamilton was within the 50-mile boundary of both clubs.
But members of the Hamilton delegation believed both Buffalo and Toronto exercised their veto power to block a Hamilton franchise. It is interesting to note some of the comments presented by hockey experts less than a week before the verdict came in from Florida. “The NHL board of governors does not want to pull the rug out from under Seymour and Northrup Knox, owners of the Buffalo Sabres,” opined Spec columnist Tony Fitzgerald. “The board believes a franchise in Hamilton would spell doom for the Sabres.” Fellow Spec columnist John Kernaghan thought Hamilton did not really stand a chance. “American owners don’t want another Canadian team because they view us with a branch-plant mentality. Provide the raw material, thanks, but don’t dare show up at the dinner table.” Former NHL coach and hockey commentator Don Cherry agreed with Kernaghan: “There is no doubt in my mind they don’t want Hamilton in the league,” Cherry said. “They do not want another Canadian city.” Then editor-in-chief of the Hockey News, Bob McKenzie, did not give Hamilton much hope either. “As for Hamilton, I think its deal hinges on whether Miami gets in. If Miami is in, Hamilton is in deep trouble even though it might have the most complete bid.” Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. CEO and managing director Gabe Macaulso was blunter after learning the fate of the Hamilton bid. “They didn’t want us,” he said. “Ziegler didn’t want us period. They wanted nothing to do with us. They were looking for ways to say no.”
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