Push for NHL hockey in Hamilton

HAMILTON, ONT. (WIVB) - Plans are being made for a possible new National Hockey League team just north of the border. What would that mean for Buffalo Sabres fans?

They're pushing hard to get an NHL franchise in Hamilton, Ontario. And since it's only 65 miles from Buffalo, a hockey team there would impact the Sabres.

But after striking out in previous attempts to get a team, civic and business leaders in Hamilton say their chances of putting an NHL team in Copps Coliseum are good.

Mayor of Hamilton Fred Eisenberger said, "They're better than ever. We've been in the hinterland for quite some time, been told no way, it's not happening. It's just not the market we're focusing in on."

Eisenberger and other Hamilton hockey boosters say you can't count just the half million residents of the city, you have to take into account the nine million people who live around the area, from the suburbs of Toronto to the United States border.

Hamilton businessman Ron Foxcroft says his friend, Blackberry founder Jim Balsillie, is ready to put a team in town, and he knows how determined Balsillie can be.

Foxcroft said, "Passionate, competitive, right down to golf, checkers, anything he does; he is a very, very competitive person."

The folks in Hamilton think they can fill the seats, and they think they'd be able to do it, without hurting the Buffalo Sabres.

Foxcroft said, "We're just hoping in Hamilton that we get an NHL team, and it doesn't hurt the Buffalo Sabres. Personally, we're season ticket holders for the Buffalo Sabres. They're nothing like toing to a game in Buffalo."

But what do the Sabres think?

The team's managing partner, Larry Quinn, says talk of putting an NHL franchise in Hamilton raises a number of questions for the Sabres.

Quinn said, "If somebody said 'would you approve a team in Hamilton,' I'd say, 'okay, what's the deal? What are the television rights? Is there a territorial fee? What division are they in? Who do they play? What arena are they in?' There's a whole myriad of questions, and nobody can answer those."

Jim Balsillie's bid to move the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton will hinge on the bankruptcy court ruling in Arizona. But if that effort fails, it's not likely to be the end of the push for hockey in Hamilton.

Foxcroft said, "If we don't get the Phoenix team in Hamilton, we're going to get an NHL team in Hamilton, with Mr. Balsillie."

Mayor Eisenberger said, "We wanna have hockey happen in Hamilton, and as long as there's opportunities out there, we're going to explore them."

Quinn said, "One could see another team in Ontario someday. Whether it's in Hamilton, I just couldn't say."

Jim Balsillie has a $212 million dollar offer on the table to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes, and move them to Hamilton.

But that bankruputcy is being contested in Phoenix, a case that's being heard Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Arizona.