Hamilton FirstOntario Centre Renovations | ?m | 4s | OVG | BBB

www.hamiltonarenaproject.com

New Hamilton Arena Information | Hamilton Arena Project

Managed by Oak View Group, the NEW Hamilton Arena will be the centerpiece for premier music, sports, and live entertainment destination in Southwestern Ontario, delivering a premium event and hospitality experience for all.
www.hamiltonarenaproject.com www.hamiltonarenaproject.com
 
Towered said:
Wait - the "Toronto" Rock play in Hamilton now??

🤣
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Yup, they moved in 2021. Scotiabank is too busy now between the Leafs/Raptors and all the concerts given that it is the only modern “large” arena venue in the entire GGH. FirstOntario is heavily underused by comparison which is what this development is trying to change.

Even with the new FirstOntario renovations bringing the place into the 21st century, I do actually think there could be a decently strong case made for another new 10,000+ seat arena somewhere in the GTA for other Toronto teams like the Rock.
 
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ericmacm said:
Yup, they moved in 2021. Scotiabank is too busy now between the Leafs/Raptors and all the concerts given that it is the only modern “large” arena venue in the entire GGH. FirstOntario is heavily underused by comparison which is what this development is trying to change.

Even with the new FirstOntario renovations bringing the place into the 21st century, I do actually think there could be a decently strong case made for another new 10,000+ seat arena somewhere in the GTA for other Toronto teams like the Rock.
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This is also the same reason why the Los Angeles Clippers wanted out of Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles (the NHL Kings and the Lakers both have the first pick of dates), refused to play at the Honda Center in Anaheim (the Ducks have the first pick of dates), and decided to play in a dedicated arena, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood:

 
ericmacm said:
Yup, they moved in 2021. Scotiabank is too busy now between the Leafs/Raptors and all the concerts given that it is the only modern “large” arena venue in the entire GGH. FirstOntario is heavily underused by comparison which is what this development is trying to change.

Even with the new FirstOntario renovations bringing the place into the 21st century, I do actually think there could be a decently strong case made for another new 10,000+ seat arena somewhere in the GTA for other Toronto teams like the Rock.
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I heard an interview with Tim Leiweke (former boss of MLSE, who's company is doing this renovation) on The Fan 590 this week, and he was arguing that the GTA is badly underserved in terms of high end, large arena options. He was saying that similar sized regions usually have at least three options. So, all that to say - I think you may be right!
 
Looks like they're getting right to work!:
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BCTed said:
I still can't believe that they landed Oak View Group and $280 million or whatever in renos. It is wild.

Hopefully that beautiful pile of garbage is Step One in the rejuvenation of downtown Hamilton!
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For one of the few times in Hamilton history, it seems like we got an organization doing something that knows what they're doing and Hamilton got a bit lucky by choosing HUPEG. I'm doubtful Vrancor could have landed Oakview. Tbh, we'd still probably see nothing going on.
 
Chris R. said:
For one of the few times in Hamilton history, it seems like we got an organization doing something that knows what they're doing and Hamilton got a bit lucky by choosing HUPEG. I'm doubtful Vrancor could have landed Oakview. Tbh, we'd still probably see nothing going on.
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Agreed. And they were talking about possibly a $50 million reno at some point. Fifty big ones is nothing to sneeze at, but it would barely have made a dent in terms of aesthetics and the overall experience.

As much as it sounds crazy, I can actually see the potential benefits for OVG, HUPEG, Live Nation, and the rest. And I can see why they aren't crazy keen on something like an OHL team, which would barely be worth it for an entire season in comparison to just a couple of big-name concerts.

This could really help kickstart downtown Hamilton to life with a steady enough stream of events and visitors. Too bad the NHL is out of the question.
 
Chris R. said:
For one of the few times in Hamilton history, it seems like we got an organization doing something that knows what they're doing and Hamilton got a bit lucky by choosing HUPEG. I'm doubtful Vrancor could have landed Oakview. Tbh, we'd still probably see nothing going on.
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coulda been worse - coulda been stinton :p

NHL will never happen - he HAAAATES hamilton.
 
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Chronamut said:
coulda been worse - coulda been stinton :p

NFL will never happen - he HAAAATES hamilton.
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*NHL but I think u had a typo.

Now, be that as it may, as far as we know Bettman isn't immortal. And his motif is that he prefers to trade off potent demand in existing ("saturated"?) markets in favour of creating new ones. In a sense, you can't do both, but the endless discussion on SSP regarding more Canadian teams does a good job of making the case for a round of expansion up north someday. There are probably at least five cities that could host one comfortably. I digress, though.
 
Sunnyside said:
*NHL but I think u had a typo.

Now, be that as it may, as far as we know Bettman isn't immortal. And his motif is that he prefers to trade off potent demand in existing ("saturated"?) markets in favour of creating new ones. In a sense, you can't do both, but the endless discussion on SSP regarding more Canadian teams does a good job of making the case for a round of expansion up north someday. There are probably at least five cities that could host one comfortably. I digress, though.
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haha that was def a typo on my part XD

Only time will tell I guess..
 
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