The Bulldogs represent a substantial chunk of the event calendar for that facility — as an AHL franchise, they were playing around 40 dates a year, and as an OHL franchise, 34 dates a year, plus training camp and practice days. (The coliseum was seeing between 83 and 91 event days annually in 2007-2010, and that has dipped to around 72 this year.) But the Bulldogs are only signing
three-year leases that are sufficiently vague to allow for any tier of hockey.
Globe & Mail, Jan 26 2015:
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Andlauer's lease at Copps, since renamed FirstOntario Centre, calls for him to provide a hockey team as a tenant, without specifying it must be an AHL team.
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That's the kind of long-term commitment we're talking about, and despite the club's familiar brand, essentially the extent of their practical leverage — and it’s offset by the fact that the facility would have, let’s say, an additional 50 dates a year in which to book events.
Building a $100M arena, even with Andlauer's promised capital cost sharing, would require Council to commit something close to what they coughed up for the Ticats. Except they won't be able to drain the Future Fund, but will have to ask taxpayers to foot the bill directly, and explain that this new facility will competing for bookings with other City-owned facilities, which would require ongoing operational subsidies.
CBC Hamilton, Jan 27 2014:
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Once Global Spectrum breaks even on management costs, it shares any further profits with the city, which could happen as soon as 2015. The ratio is 70:30 in favour of the city.
In 2013, the city subsidized Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place and the Hamilton Convention Centre to the tune of $2.85 million. In 2014, the subsidy will be $1.79 million, said finance head Mike Zegarac.
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On top of which,
Global Spectrum is partnered with Live Nation, who would presumably have no incentive to book shows at a competing venue in-market if it could be avoided.