LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

Council’s Role and the NHL

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted May 14, 2009)

My favourite political cartoonist, MacKay, was at it again this past week with his depiction of Council as a group of clowns all set to screw up the long-awaited NHL dream for the city. Dreschel finished the one-two punch by playing up the rivalry between the Mayor and city Councillor Terry Whitehead over ‘bragging rights’ related to the quest for the coveted Holy Grail, a franchise for Hamilton. As hockey fans and city boosters, what are we to make of these potentially lethal shenanigans? Setting aside Dreschel’s accurate comment that it isn’t so much what Council has done, but the interests of Mr. Balsillie that is driving this particular endeavour, a bit of history might be instructive.

When the city was first approached by the Balsillie camp for the potential of an NHL team in the city, I was in the Mayor’s chair. In fact, I wrote about the experience back on November 13, 2008. You can check the blog out in this space if you wish, but I stated the following upon ascertaining the seriousness of the situation:

“My next step was to engage the HECFI management and Board with a plan to accommodate a potential NHL franchise into Copps. The Board was told that the deal was a long-shot, but that should it occur, we needed to demonstrate a willingness to host a team. Councillor Terry Whitehead was very helpful and became the city’s spokesperson on the file. As per prior agreement with the potential owner’s representative, I was asked to always express scepticism, lest the American sellers, whose intent was on keeping any team in the States, balk at any deal. It was also made very clear by the Balsillie group that any move to Hamilton was always dependent on either the courts or the Board of Governors giving their okay. No one was going to hijack any team to our city in the middle of the night. I saw the long odds in this proposal; therefore, it was very easy to be sceptical.”

I felt at liberty to write on the previously confidential information because Mr. Balsillie’s chase for a franchise had taken on a much more public phase. Whereas in 2004 the dealings were confidential with the Pittsburgh Penguin owners and that city, now the Blackberry billionaire is being very transparent about his intentions to buy the team and move it to Hamilton. Whereas in 2004 there was great scepticism about Hamilton being a final destination for any team, now everyone acknowledges that this city is Canada’s best hope for another national team. Councillor Whitehead and I found a way of putting community ahead of parochial politics. I was very pleased to have Mr. Whitehead be the public face of the quest, knowing full well that behind-the-scenes stick handling was also needed. I also knew that no deal was possible without my signing off on it, and the Balsillie representatives also knew that and respected the arrangement. I was also keenly cognizant that Council support was needed for any arrangement on Copps Coliseum to go through. What better way to ensure success than to have a committee on the NHL working alongside you, rather than potentially against you, even if passively?

If Dreschel is right about the rivalry; and if MacKay is right about the clownish behaviour of our local representatives compromising an NHL deal, rather than accolades for everyone going around there will be such community scorn that no politician will want to have been perceived as being close to the discussions on this adventure.

What we don’t need at this delicate moment are histrionics. We need a steady hand on the tiller. We need honest and sparse communication until the city has tangibles to communicate. We need to talk to any other potential suitor so that not all our eggs are in one basket. We need a good deal on the HECFI lease safeguarding advantages for the city. Remember, Mr. Balsillie is a businessman and will want whatever he can get, correctly knowing that Hamilton is hungry for a team. The franchise itself is a huge win for the city, but our coffers need to be protected and enhanced as well.

In fact, it has now become public knowledge that Mr. Balsillie is expecting governments to also provide financing for infrastructure renewal at Copps in order to make it NHL worthy. I am not surprised by this because we spoke of provincial support even during my tenure. What we also spoke about was the need to strike a deal which would be a win for everyone: the province, Mr. Balsillie, the hockey fans in this city, AND the city in having some money flow into its coffers.

What we also need is patience and understanding on the part of the community. An NHL in Hamilton has been a generational dream long-forgotten but stoked up every now and then just to remind us of a bygone quest. Put scepticism aside and allow the process to be played out. The announced lease deal is a good first step, although the city will want to reveal the details of that lease.

We also need a consistent message from our local newspaper. The Spectator, being the only daily in our city, is not only an important reporter of the public mood, but it also plays a role in establishing public expectations. My criticism of the paper in the past, made to those in charge, is that the paper is often schizophrenic in its positions on major issues. The paper seems to want to play both sides of the street. In this case, it cannot afford to do that. The open letter to Gary Bettman by the publisher of the paper, Dana Robbins was excellent. The follow-up story on Ron Joyce’s apprehensions was a disappointment. The NHLworld has changed since Mr. Joyce tried for a franchise. Mr. Joyce, the paper and the public don’t know all the cards that Mr. Balsillie is holding, or what his specific plans for long-term sustainability might be. For newspapers to draw a great community contributor like Mr. Joyce into making disparaging comments at a crucial time is a distraction at best and an encouragement of the Betteman camp at worse. Other media outlets are free to speculate, but our city doesn’t need this from The Spectator.

Now is the time for all hands to be on deck. The Mayor should lead by being inclusive of his council. Council should lead by being respectful of the Mayor’s office. The community should be helpful and patient. The media should be consistent with its messaging while scrutinizing the details of the deals being worked out. And, Mr. Balsillie should be encouraged even as the city looks at other potentially viable suitors. And Mr. Betteman and the NHL Governors? They should just do the right thing!

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