Huge Rally Shows Balsillie Still Determined To Bring Hockey To Hamilton

Jim Balsillie is not a man who gives up easily.

If his efforts to bring the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton were the playoffs, this would-be sudden death overtime.

The Research in Motion billionaire has lined up a slew of corporate sponsors who helped to organize a lunchtime rally in Steeltown on Friday, designed to show fan support for a move of the team is stronger than ever.

Over a thousand determined fans, many wearing hockey jerseys in the warm sun, gathered outside of Copps Colisem to wave Canadian flags, display signs and root for a home team they don’t even have yet.

“I think it will help revitalize the downtown,” agrees Holly MacKinnon. “It’ll bring more stuff to downtown, make it a better city. Help clean it up a little bit.”

Stephanie Embry understands that the NHL is a business and thinks the league is making a big mistake by not acting like one. “Quite frankly I think leaving the team in Phoenix is pointless, considering they’ve already gone bankrupt once there. Why do it again?”

All this comes after the current owner asked a bankruptcy judge late Thursday to set a September 15th deadline for a sale of the troubled hockey franchise.

Balsillie has also dropped his demands for a June resolution, now ready to take part in an NHL auction set for September 10th. The league insists only those who want to keep the team in Phoenix can participate, but the would-be owner is asking the court to force a change. 

By now you know the main players on these teams, both bitter rivals. Balsillie wants to bring a new club to Copps, which would undergo an expensive renovation to make it NHL-ready.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has adamantly refused to allow the sale of the bankrupt squad, noting the league has assumed responsibility for the Coyotes and he wants to seek a buyer in the local area.

When a judge rejected Balsillie’s bid on Monday because there simply wouldn’t be enough time to sort out all the complex issues, it seemed like the dream had died.

But the BlackBerry boss has refused to take no for an answer and set up the rally instead, hoping a huge turnout will force everyone to take a second look.

Despite Bettman’s insistence that a buyer can be found and that this Phoenix can rise from the financial ashes, Balsillie’s $212.5 million offer remains the only one on the table, as few seem willing to gamble on hockey in the desert.

With just a few months before training camps open again, Balsillie still thinks the team can be transplanted in time for the coming season.

“PSE [his company fronting the bid] believes it is still possible to play in Hamilton this year … and will accommodate as much as it can to enable a delayed sale to occur,” a court document filed on Thursday reads.

“If there are no reasonable firm bids for the club if it is kept in Glendale, there is no reason to delay consideration of relocation bids, and force a lame-duck season with tremendous losses in Glendale.”

Fans hope the noon rally will show the Hamilton bid is anything but a “lame duck” as the quest to ” Make It Seven” teams in Canada builds to another fever pitch.