When Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre opens after a deliberate $290 million renovation, it’s going to achieve this with out the Ontario Hockey League staff as soon as referred to as the Hamilton Bulldogs.
The staff’s new house owners, Edmonton Oilers star ahead Zach Hyman and his household, introduced at a information convention on Wednesday the Brantford Bulldogs will keep in close by Brantford, Ont., even after First Ontario Centre reopens.
Alongside former proprietor Michael Andlauer and new house owners Stu and Spencer Hyman, Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis stated the Hymans and the town signed a 15-year memorandum of understanding for the staff to be the “anchor tenant” in a proposed sports activities advanced within the metropolis.
The settlement has renewal choices that might prolong its time period to 40 years, he stated, including he is assured the staff will thrive in Brantford “for many years.”
Zach Hyman, who joined the information convention nearly from Minnesota, stated he hopes to proceed the staff’s legacy “with solely nice issues.”
He thanked Brantford for welcoming his household and stated he “cannot wait to be embedded in the neighborhood.”
The Bulldogs introduced in a information launch on Monday that Hyman, a left-winger with the Oilers within the Nationwide Hockey League, had bought the staff. That day the deal was permitted by the OHL board of administrators and the discharge stated “Hyman will assume management of the group’s operations, efficient Jan. 16.”
Hyman stated he was by no means drafted into the OHL, so this can be his first OHL staff. “We’re simply thrilled to be right here and so grateful,” he stated.
Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman is the brand new proprietor of the Brantford Bulldogs Ontario Hockey League staff. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
Hyman scored 54 targets within the 2023-24 season, enjoying alongside three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid. He completed tied for fourth in league scoring throughout the Oilers’ lengthy playoff run final spring.
Hyman performed for the Hamilton Crimson Wings of the Ontario Junior Hockey League from 2008 to 2011 whereas the staff was owned by his father, Stu, earlier than leaving for the College of Michigan. After that, his NHL profession started with the Toronto Maple Leafs within the metropolis the place he was born.
In 2021, Hyman, 32, left the Leafs for the Oilers after signing a seven-year, $38.5-million contract.
Hymans do not share sale worth
The Hymans declined to share Bulldogs’ sale worth when requested by reporters on Wednesday.
Spencer, Zach’s brother, stated it is “such a dream” to personal a staff together with his household, and dedicated to proceed the staff’s charity work.
When requested why they needed to maintain the staff in Brantford, Spencer requested: “Have you ever been to the Mad Home?” utilizing the nickname for the Brantford Civic Centre, the place the staff at the moment performs. He stated the vitality is “wonderful.”
The Bulldogs relocated to Brantford from Hamilton in 2023 on account of long-term renovations at FirstOntario Centre, the place they’d performed since 2015. They have been purported to return when the renovations have been accomplished, set for later this 12 months.
Outgoing proprietor says staff was ‘kicked out’ of Hamilton
The Hymans purchased the staff from Andlauer, who owns the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and had owned a minority share of the Montreal Canadiens since 2009, till he purchased the Senators in 2023.
In 2022, Andlauer stated that when he was informed the staff was being compelled to go away FirstOntario Centre to accommodate renovations, it was “surprising and surprising information.”
On Wednesday, Andlauer stated that whereas he had nice occasions in Hamilton, the town’s politicians “haven’t got the identical pedigree” because the group. He stated he and his staff have been “kicked out” and “left homeless” till Brantford took them in.
Andlauer, who simply turned 60, stated he offered the staff partly as a result of he was fearful he was turning into an absentee proprietor, which would not be truthful to the staff or Brantford.
The FirstOntario Centre renovations in Hamilton are being managed by the Hamilton City Precinct Leisure Group (HUPEG) together with The Oak View Group. In 2023, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke visited the town and promised to carry a hockey staff again in a few years after renovations, simply not an NHL franchise.
The FirstOntario Centre is proven in downtown Hamilton on March 18, 2022. (Dan Taekema/CBC)
“This is not concerning the NHL,” Leiweke stated again then. “I’ve made that very clear. There is not an NHL staff coming right here proper now. However realistically, there was an [American Hockey League] staff that has had nice success right here.”
“There’s a historical past on this market with hockey, and it deserves a franchise with the Hamilton title on its chest.”
