Tim Leiweke promises to bring back a hockey team to Hamilton in a couple of years to a revamped FirstOntario Centre, just not an NHL franchise.
The former Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO and president, now CEO of Oak View Group, visited Hamilton on Thursday to update the privately funded $300-million renovation plan for the 38-year-old sports arena.
"There is a history in this marketplace with hockey, and it deserves a franchise with the Hamilton name on its chest." The Firebirds were seventh in league attendance in their inaugural 2022-23 season with an average crowd of 7,748, and they hope to host the 2025 AHL all-star game. Leiweke has crunched the numbers and says 2.5 million people in the Golden Horseshoe area live closer to the FirstOntario Centre than Scotiabank Arena in Toronto or the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
"We're very bullish on this marketplace. We're very bullish on the renovation and rejuvenation of downtown Hamilton, and we're very bullish on the political leadership having that same passion for that vision." "This arena has a lot of space, but it is bland. The bowl is not the problem here. We have to create some warmness."
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