Raise the Hammer

Well, it was a fantastic night at IWS, gorgeous evening and the crowd was great, I have to admit I love the old girl. Parked at Gage Park and walked to the stadium, fine walk actually. And had numbers on the 50/50 that were close to winning but proceeds going to a youth soccer group and I like supporting kids sports anyways, win-win.

In terms of Copps, while I'm no really big hockey fan, I will say that if Hamilton ever did get an NHL team, an NHL team will attract families and people and corporations with money so getting 17,000 or so 40 times at least a year would be good. Of course the city put the cart before the horse and built this white elephant without actually having a NHL team so the stadium has never been used for the team it was supposed to get. I don't blame the fans for generally not supporting the OHL over the years and this monstrosity of an areana, or for hockey fans not supporting the AHL much there, it's just too cavernous and big for such leagues.

Anyways, that's a different issue. I just hope the province and feds as I say make it, the WH, attractive enough for businesses like the TigerCats and others to do business down there. The NHL was looking for any way out of having to put a team in downtown Hamilton way back when when Ottawa won out. Downtown and anywhere near downtown Hamilton has a big stigma to it, unfortunate but true. I remember Bettman saying with a smirk on his face how could he sell a Hamilton named team in the US of A dominated NHL? He probably mean't a Hamilton downtown based arena named NHL team in all liklihood.

The feds and province should pay the full cost of cleaning up the WH and adjacent brownfield and running a perimeter road to it. Just what I think and hope for. We do have a jewel at the harbourfront there but need Rheem and the brownfield cleaned up and more importantly easy access from the 403 and Burlington St to get people down there for the attractions that would need to be built to attract people there, reasons for getting people there. The perimeter road needs to be a priority.

Comment edited by HamiltonFan on 2010-07-17 11:30:54