From: MLINDROOS@FINABO.ABO.FI (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Subject: HAMILTON (WAS: RE: Anaheim and Miami)
Organization: Abo Akademi University, Finland
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 11:01:17 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

In <allan.724371881@st-lina> allan@cs.UAlberta.CA writes:

> hujic@ecf.toronto.edu (HUJIC DAMIR) writes:
> 
> >In article <1992Dec11.161527.3370@bmers145.bnr.ca> macauley@bmerh760.bnr.ca (John MacAuley) writes:
> >>In article <1992Dec11.124224.19160@abo.fi>, MLINDROOS@FINABO.ABO.FI
> >>(Marcus Lindroos INF) writes:
> >>|>
> >>|>Wrong again, Gerald! Hamiltonians already have the Maple Leafs and
> >>Sabres (OK,
> >>|>some distance away though). The three established franchises around the
> >>|>Southern Ontario area (Toronto, Buffalo, Detroit) don't need another team
> >>|>stealing their fans. 
> >>|>
> >>|>MARCU$
> 
> If I lived in Hamilton, I would feel insulted... What you would be
> telling me is "You can't have a team... You have to make a 2 hour trip
> to watch NHL hockey. So there..."
> 
> >>
> >>If any city in North America deserves a franchise it is Hamilton.  They have
> >>the BEST facility, the best fans, and great financial support.  
> 
> 
> The NHL was brain-damaged when they scheduled Neutral-site games
> in Hamilton. One of the neutral-site games featured, guess who, the
> Buffalo Sabres! Now, Buffalo had just screwed Hamilton out of a francise;
> how many Hamilton hockey fans are going to be keen on seeing the Sabres play?
> (Also, there was a game the previous night, featuring the Leafs in Hamilton,
> which DID go well.)
> 
> >>Having lived
> >>in Niagara for all my life I can say that a team in Hamilton would not hurt
> >>Detroit (4hrs. away), Toronto (1 hr of hell driving), or Buffalo (1.5hrs to one
> >>of the worst facilities in hockey).  Try getting a ticket to a Toronto game!
> >>It is nearly impossible, not to mention an expensive task.  I definitly don't
> >>want to drive 4hrs to see a hockey game in Detroit on any regular schedule.
> >>Heck, if you are going to use the proximity theory for an excuse, why don't
> >>you mention that Montreal is only 7hrs away.  I drove 9hrs to see game 2 of
> >>Montreal vs Boston last year.  I definitly want to drive 9hrs for each home
> >>game in the regular season.

This is the dumbest argument I've ever heard. I routinely drive 1.5 hours to
Helsinki for Finnish League hockey games and it doesn't bother me (nor most of
my countrymen) at all. You Hamiltonians are pretty obsessed with your own
little town if you think Toronto and Buffalo should bend over backwards
to accomodate another team in an area with three teams within a five-hour 
drive.  

> >>Let us take a tally:

> >>	6) Buffalo - just can't bring myself to go to a crappy facility
> >>		     to see a team I can't stand.  Heck why not move
> >>		     Buffalo to Hamilton if so many Hamiltonians are going
> >>		     there?  In fact very few people from Hamilton make the
> >>		     drive.
> >>
> >>I say let's move the Whalers from that GOD forsaken hockey hell to the
> >>steal capital of Canada!
> >>
>... 
> What do you base this on? The Hamilton fans were ready to pack Copps
> Colesium with season ticket holders. There are millions of people
> in Ontario who want to watch hockey. Hamilton would probably do
> better than Toronto in the long run, since Toronto fan support
> is reduced thanks to baseball.
>
The only team Hamilton "deserves" is the Sabres, and only if Buffalo refuses to
build the new arena demanded by the team. Face it, the current NHL teams decide
what cities are qualified for getting new expansion franchises. Obviously they 
think the NHL's "major league" reputation would suffer if they let in a minor 
league market such as Hamilton, not to mention the potential problems for the 
Maple Leafs and Sabres. You guys had better learn to live with the realities of
business and team sports.

MARCU$ 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey