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Washington Capitals Blogger •
Balsillie Unveils Plans to Renovate Copps Coliseum
It does not seem to matter what people are saying about his chances to land an NHL franchise these days because Jim Balsillie is on a mission of his own.
His dream, his unmitigated attempts to bring an NHL franchise to Southern Ontario, has just taken another step forward.
In an effort to nullify the opinions of many, Balsillie has gone ahead and announced plans to remodel and renovate the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. His goal is to create a modern NHL worthy shrine.
Here are some of the highlights:
The idea is that Balsillie wants to force every hand possible.
His attempts to snatch the Phoenix Coyotes away from Jerry Moyes may not be able to sneak past the NHL and its board of Governors, but let's be honest, this guy is doing everything he can to make sure that the league will eventually run out of reasons to not give him a team. At which point, it is almost certain, that Jim Balsillie would take his efforts to court.(Not that they haven't been there before!)
So, the ink has yet to be put to paper on what the results of the Coyotes situation is and here we are hearing about how Big Jim has already set the wheels in motion.
Remember last time when Balsillie tried to do this? Pre-selling season tickets to the people in Hamiltion, in order to drum up enthusiasm? Well, it certainly seems like he is doing it again. These plans to renovate the Copps Coliseum are certainly long overdue and if Hamilton is serious about putting themselves into a position to be a viable NHL city, these plans will rush their bid to the top as a market that has everything needed to succeed in the NHL.
Winnipeg, another former NHL city in need of a team, jumped the gun a little too early when they built their new arena. Undersizing for the needs of the NHL, the city of Winnipeg does not currently have an arena capable of hosting an NHL team. Unfortunate, considering how deserving a city they are.
Back to Balsillie and Hamilton.
His move for season tickets was callous. It was innapropriate and sent a bad message to NHL fans in general, but with this move to renovate the Copps, there are no strings attached.
Of course the idea is to force the NHL into realizing that there is no other marketplace to go to, but whether or not this helps Balsillie in his bid, remains to be seen.
Realistically it would appear that Balsillie is about to go 0 for 3 in his attempts to buy an NHL franchise and bring it to Southern Ontario, but with this particular effort(The Coyotes bid), Jim Balsillie may have put himself into his best position yet.
Yes, the other owners, the Board of Governors and quite a few league officials are upset with how Mr.Balsillie has conducted his business with the NHL, but as he moves away from his third attempt to buy a team, if he can get Hamilton into overdrive in an effort to build an NHL viable rink in town, he may very well have made his best move.
Here are some more highlights of the proposal to renovate Copps Coliseum:
I firmly believe that renovating the Coliseum will prove to be Balsillie's best move in bringing a 7th team to Canada.
He has to get away from the stepping on too many toes and to focusing on a way to bring a team to Hamilton without pissing too many people off. A tough chore given his track record, but let's be honest, if he applies for an expansion franchise for Hamilton, the NHL will recieve far more revenue then if he were to snag an existing team and to relocate it.
The NHL does not want to give up on any of its markets, nor does it need a franchise stolen out of one of them. Balsillie should be getting familiar with this concept by now and as time creeps forward, I can only expect Big Jim will get his plans in order to allow him to create a bid for an expansion franchise in Hamilton.
The original article can be found here:
- http://smr.newswire.ca/en/jim-balsillie/jim-balsillie-unveils-dramatic-revitalization-for-copps-coliseum
There are digitzed photos of what the renovations will look like along with the article.
The people of Hamilton should be happy and excited. Whether the NHL drops a team in Hamilton under Balsillie's control in the near future is questionable, but to get a remodeled Copps Coliseum would be a boon to this burgeoning city in Southern Ontario.
So what do you think?
Is Balsillie making the right move in moving away from directly dealing with the NHL and by dealing with the City of Hamilton instead?
Or is this just another of the many avenues that Jim Balsillie will continue to exhaust in his never ending quest to own an NHL team?
Time will tell, but in the meantime...nice looking building!
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
It does not seem to matter what people are saying about his chances to land an NHL franchise these days because Jim Balsillie is on a mission of his own.
His dream, his unmitigated attempts to bring an NHL franchise to Southern Ontario, has just taken another step forward.
In an effort to nullify the opinions of many, Balsillie has gone ahead and announced plans to remodel and renovate the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. His goal is to create a modern NHL worthy shrine.
Here are some of the highlights:
- New atrium-style lobby with major ticketing area and new street-level retail
- New main concourse with new finishes throughout and direct access to lower seating bowl
- New Club Lounge and Club Seating Section
- 50 Mid-Level Private Suites, 20 new “Bunker Suites” with prime seats in first six rows “between the blue lines”
- 4 Group Suites at mid-level plus Group Sales/Party Deck in upper seating bowl
- New Home & Visitor Hockey Club Locker Rooms
- All new rink surface, ice plant and climate control systems
- All new upholstered seating throughout
The idea is that Balsillie wants to force every hand possible.
His attempts to snatch the Phoenix Coyotes away from Jerry Moyes may not be able to sneak past the NHL and its board of Governors, but let's be honest, this guy is doing everything he can to make sure that the league will eventually run out of reasons to not give him a team. At which point, it is almost certain, that Jim Balsillie would take his efforts to court.(Not that they haven't been there before!)
So, the ink has yet to be put to paper on what the results of the Coyotes situation is and here we are hearing about how Big Jim has already set the wheels in motion.
Remember last time when Balsillie tried to do this? Pre-selling season tickets to the people in Hamiltion, in order to drum up enthusiasm? Well, it certainly seems like he is doing it again. These plans to renovate the Copps Coliseum are certainly long overdue and if Hamilton is serious about putting themselves into a position to be a viable NHL city, these plans will rush their bid to the top as a market that has everything needed to succeed in the NHL.
Winnipeg, another former NHL city in need of a team, jumped the gun a little too early when they built their new arena. Undersizing for the needs of the NHL, the city of Winnipeg does not currently have an arena capable of hosting an NHL team. Unfortunate, considering how deserving a city they are.
Back to Balsillie and Hamilton.
His move for season tickets was callous. It was innapropriate and sent a bad message to NHL fans in general, but with this move to renovate the Copps, there are no strings attached.
Of course the idea is to force the NHL into realizing that there is no other marketplace to go to, but whether or not this helps Balsillie in his bid, remains to be seen.
Realistically it would appear that Balsillie is about to go 0 for 3 in his attempts to buy an NHL franchise and bring it to Southern Ontario, but with this particular effort(The Coyotes bid), Jim Balsillie may have put himself into his best position yet.
Yes, the other owners, the Board of Governors and quite a few league officials are upset with how Mr.Balsillie has conducted his business with the NHL, but as he moves away from his third attempt to buy a team, if he can get Hamilton into overdrive in an effort to build an NHL viable rink in town, he may very well have made his best move.
Here are some more highlights of the proposal to renovate Copps Coliseum:
COPPS COLISEUM RENOVATION
Highlights of a full renovation include:
Main Entrance Lobby:
Atrium Style Lobby with feature stair, escalators and elevators to all levels.
Major Ticketing area within the main lobby.
New Street Level Retail Store.
Public Concourses
New Main Concourse with new finishes throughout and direct access to the
lower seating bowl.
Club Lounge with direct access to the Club Seating Section in the lower
seating bowl.
Public Washroom facilities with ratios above building code requirements.
Food & Beverage and Bar amenities throughout concourse areas.
New Upper Concourse to exclusively serve the upper seating bowl.
Seating Bowl
New comfortable upholstered stadium seats.
Sightlines comparable with Industry standards.
Accessible seating positions to meet code requirements.
New “state of the art” centre hung Video/Score Board.
New capacity for over 18,000 spectators.
Hospitality Areas
20 New “Bunker Suites” located at Event Level, with prime seats in first 6
rows “between the bluelines”.
New “Platinum” Restaurant located at Event Level.
50 Mid Level Private Suites, with bar/buffet facilities, 14 - 16 person capacity.
4 Group Suites at mid level with 33 or 42 person capacity.
New Suite Level Restaurant for with view of the on-ice action.
New Group Sales/Party Deck incorporated into upper seating bowl.
Back of House
New ‘Home’ NHL Hockey Club Locker Room and related Team facilities.
New ‘Visitor’ NHL Hockey Club Locker Room.
Reorganized Operations, Loading, Storage areas to be consistent with
professional league building requirements.
Reorganized and renovated Food & Beverage Operations, Prep, Storage and
Service areas to be consistent with professional league building
hospitality/service requirements.
Media
New and renovated media areas for T.V., radio, written press and camera
locations will meet NHL requirements.
Technical
New Mechanical/HVAC/Dehumidification system to meet NHL Facility
standards for temperature and humidity.
Increased Electrical Capacity to meet industry norms.
New Ice Rink Slab, Ice Plant and Dasher Board system to meet NHL
requirements for superior ice quality.
Increased Event Lighting levels to meet Professional Sports and TV Broadcast
lighting requirements.
New ‘latest technology’ Sound System.
We are confident that a fully renovated Copps Coliseum will comply with the design
requirements setout in the NHL's Facility Standards.
Further information:
Bill Walker, Veritas Communications
416-482-2248
walker@veritascanada.com
I firmly believe that renovating the Coliseum will prove to be Balsillie's best move in bringing a 7th team to Canada.
He has to get away from the stepping on too many toes and to focusing on a way to bring a team to Hamilton without pissing too many people off. A tough chore given his track record, but let's be honest, if he applies for an expansion franchise for Hamilton, the NHL will recieve far more revenue then if he were to snag an existing team and to relocate it.
The NHL does not want to give up on any of its markets, nor does it need a franchise stolen out of one of them. Balsillie should be getting familiar with this concept by now and as time creeps forward, I can only expect Big Jim will get his plans in order to allow him to create a bid for an expansion franchise in Hamilton.
The original article can be found here:
- http://smr.newswire.ca/en/jim-balsillie/jim-balsillie-unveils-dramatic-revitalization-for-copps-coliseum
There are digitzed photos of what the renovations will look like along with the article.
The people of Hamilton should be happy and excited. Whether the NHL drops a team in Hamilton under Balsillie's control in the near future is questionable, but to get a remodeled Copps Coliseum would be a boon to this burgeoning city in Southern Ontario.
So what do you think?
Is Balsillie making the right move in moving away from directly dealing with the NHL and by dealing with the City of Hamilton instead?
Or is this just another of the many avenues that Jim Balsillie will continue to exhaust in his never ending quest to own an NHL team?
Time will tell, but in the meantime...nice looking building!
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
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