If you’ve been clinging to the hope that the Bulldogs’ stay in Brantford was going to be temporary and the hockey club would be returning when FirstOntario Centre renovations are done, it’s time to adjust your expectations.
So says the team’s owner.
“I don’t expect the Brantford Bulldogs to be back in Hamilton,” Michael Andlauer says.
It’s the most direct he’s ever been on the future of the franchise here. And a significant shift in tone from October when he simply said he didn’t know what would happen down the road.
Why the change?
“As I see it, the landscape is changing rapidly,” he says.
First, the hockey business in Brantford is better than he expected. He wasn’t initially sure a 3,000-seat venue could support a team long term.
Yet the franchise is not only sustainable and breaking even — that happened only a couple of times in two decades here and those were years the team went all the way to the final — but there’s a waiting list for season tickets.
Add to that the fact that he says the players are happy, he has a great relationship with the mayor and council, and that city’s arena upgrade went even better than he expected, and the whole package has been a home run.
“It’s been a flawless season,” he says of the first year in the Telephone City. “The fans have been incredible.”
As a result, when Mayor Kevin Davis asked whether he’d consider making the arrangement permanent if the city built a new arena — a feasibility study is already underway with an answer expected as early as this year — Andlauer agreed.
“I can unequivocally state that if council commits to building this facility, I will commit the Brantford Bulldogs to playing here in Brantford for the long term,” he said in a news release the other day.
No lack of clarity there. He’s in.
However, there’s always a chance Brantford ultimately decides it’s too expensive or not practical and doesn’t go ahead with a new rink. That’s happened before in other cities. What then?
Two weeks ago, Burlington council agreed to support the concept of a rather massive public-private partnership with Alinea Group Holdings for a development beside the Aldershot GO station that would include housing, a satellite university campus, a hotel and a 5,000-seat arena that could be expanded to 7,000.
It would be years before it was all ready but Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says this is way past the point of merely dipping a toe into the water. Both the city and the landowner are committed to seeing it happen.
An arena like that would be just about perfect for an OHL team.
“Now all of a sudden,” Andlauer says, “there’s another factor.”
What makes this option particularly intriguing is that Alinea president and CEO, Paul Paletta, is part of Andlauer’s ownership group with the Ottawa Senators.
Then there’s one other issue to consider.
Brantford has spent the year wooing Andlauer and trying to convince him to put down roots there.
“In the meantime, I haven’t heard boo from Hamilton,” he says.
He says he’s believed for a while that the Bulldogs are not a priority here since the reimagined downtown arena is going to be a concert venue first. He’s OK with that and says he respects the plan.
But it clarifies his decision, particularly when there are options available to him.
There is one caveat to all this. While the team may end up not returning, he says he has no intention of pulling the work of the Bulldogs Foundation out of town. Particularly the breakfast program that feeds thousands of disadvantaged kids at inner-city schools.
“Why should the children of Hamilton suffer?” he says.
That’s an encouraging postscript. For years, this has been an important contribution to the city. Losing it would be a huge blow. Having his commitment to keeping it matters.
As for the team, though? There were some good times here. A Calder Cup championship, two OHL championships, two outdoor games, the longest game in AHL history and on and on. But it appears that part of our sporting history is now done.
Listening to him talk about Brantford screams that.
“There’s an incredible community engagement from this community for our team,” he says. “That’s what anybody would ever want.”
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