Bring the NHL to Hamilton Rally

On Friday June 19th 2009 at 12:00PMon the rooftop of Lloyd D. Jackson Square (2 King Street West, Hamilton) there will be a Bring the NHL to Hamilton Rally.

This is part of "Make It Seven Day", and it will see many locals gathered in support of Jim Balsillie's efforts to achieve our goal - a seventh NHL franchise in Canada - which is to be located in Hamilton, Ontario at Copps Coliseum!

All are invited! Together we CAN make it seven!

You can find more information on the Make It Seven campaign by checking out their website, Twitter account, and Facebook.

shattering our hopes and dreams before the rally?

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/stor...balsillie.html

What they could also do is get another rich person and expand the league. I'm sure every other team owner would help fight for the expansion since they would receive expansion money.

Maybe reviving the Quebec Nordics? Or perhaps starting a team in the northwest of the US.

Although the Coyotes should be put out of their financial misery in Arizona, I definitely empathize with the Judge's decision: there are just too many details that need to be worked out before the team moves to Hamilton in time for the 2009-2010 NHL Season. Nevertheless, Ballsillie tried purchasing the Penguins when they were facing money issues and he'll surely to be back with a new bid for another team soon.

I will call the Mayor's office in the morning to see what is going on. Hopefully I get an e-mail from the Make It Seven crew as well.

The news that got out today was definitely something I did not want to hear.

While I agree you can't just unilaterally move a team, this team is in horrible condition as it is now. A relocation fee makes sense, but not one that is ridiculous (100 million +).

Moreover, the monopoly over southern Ontario by the Toronto and Buffalo franchises is b.s. Hamilton is it's own city, claims of a team here infringing on the territory of the two franchises is pathetic.

Originally Posted by kenneth526

Although the Coyotes should be put out of their financial misery in Arizona, I definitely empathize with the Judge's decision: there are just too many details that need to be worked out before the team moves to Hamilton in time for the 2009-2010 NHL Season. Nevertheless, Ballsillie tried purchasing the Penguins when they were facing money issues and he'll surely to be back with a new bid for another team soon.

I agree, the deadline to get it done for the coming season was a bit too rushed. Hopefully JB (Balsillie) can return with something a bit more reasonable, but the NHL needs to realize that it doesn't make money through TV contracts. NHL hockey depends on fan support. They have lost my support for continously shafting Canadian cities, especially Hamilton.

Sorry to bring the bad news but Jim's is on thin ice. The judge ruled it out... the decision is to fast and there is to much to go over in to little time. There is little hope... we should make a petition to get Gary Bettmen outta here.. he is all American... doesn't really care for Canada. I really hope we do make it seven sometime soon. Hamilton would be awesome... or even Winnipeg! As long as another team makes it to Canada I'm all for it! Give Jim credit... he's trying to bring a team here!

The event is still on. To clear things up before the details get out, the bid is NOT dead, it is just unworkable to have it done by the end of this month. The two sides (NHL and Balsillie) are still going to exchange ideas. THE RALLY IS STILL ON!



Official Message From "Make It Seven":

Jim Balsillie's bid to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada continues. We're still here. The Phoenix court confirmed Mr. Balsillie was approved as an NHL owner in 2006 and remains so. We believe he has made the best offer and Hamilton remains the best location for this team.

The court did not approve either our approach or the NHL's. Judge Baum did state he does not have time to decide all the relocation issues. But the court still controls the sale process. As a result, we look forward to hearing from the NHL soon on its view of our relocation application and an appropriate relocation fee, so as to allow the court to determine if that fee is reasonable. We still think there is enough time for the NHL to approve Mr. Balsillie's application and move the team to Hamilton by September.

Makeitseven supporters need to make their voices heard to convince the league by participating in Make It Seven day on June 19. Read more about how you can support Make It Seven Day at www.makeitseven.ca. Jim will be emailing all of us with his planned next steps, so we continue to ask you to urge people to sign up now to show their support. Tell your friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers to sign up.

Together we will Make It Seven.