Hamilton TD Coliseum Renovations | ?m | 4s | OVG | BBB

[Chronamut]

You're not wrong at all. And I understand the purpose and intended tenants of the arena. But for me, as a life long Hamiltonian whose worked in local planning, I want us to take that step forward and shake off that old reputation.

We're getting there. But seeing the new arenas in Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec City, Ottawa and several American ones, it's hard not to feel like other places get better stuff and we still have to just be happy we got something at all.

I'm tired of feeling that way.

Like you say, maybe the $300M in additional spending over the years will fill that gap.

That's literally been everyones mentality for hamilton, that we could be doing better, but we should be grateful we are getting anything at all - it's a sucky mentality.

Also what's happened to that entire block of jackson square is a crime, imo they should just demolish most of it. It's a pale shadow of what it was.

 

[ILikeHamilton]

Hamilton NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now part owner of downtown arena​

Having the Oklahoma City Thunder star forward and last year’s NBA MVP involved in TD Coliseum could help lure artists and athletes to downtown Hamilton.

Feb. 9, 2026 By Scott Radley Hamilton Spectator

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays basketball in an awful lot of arenas around North America.
Now he’s about to become a part owner of one.
Oak View Group announced Monday morning, the Hamilton product is investing in TD Coliseum.
“Becoming part of the ownership group at TD Coliseum is really personal for me,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in a statement released by OVG, which renovated and operates the facility.
“Growing up in Hamilton shaped who I am, so having the opportunity to help build something special in my hometown means everything.”
What does this mean in practical terms?
No, they’re not changing its name to Shai Stadium, though there will be an atrium on the York Boulevard side that’ll be named Ares Atrium after his almost-two-year-old son.
It sounds like the real impact could be in events.

Hamilton NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now part owner of downtown arena

Having the Oklahoma City Thunder star forward and last year’s NBA MVP involved in TD Coliseum could help lure artists and athletes to downtown Hamilton.

www.thespec.com

 

[Yorken Bay]

Hamilton NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now part owner of downtown arena​

Having the Oklahoma City Thunder star forward and last year’s NBA MVP involved in TD Coliseum could help lure artists and athletes to downtown Hamilton.

Feb. 9, 2026 By Scott Radley Hamilton Spectator

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays basketball in an awful lot of arenas around North America.
Now he’s about to become a part owner of one.
Oak View Group announced Monday morning, the Hamilton product is investing in TD Coliseum.
“Becoming part of the ownership group at TD Coliseum is really personal for me,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in a statement released by OVG, which renovated and operates the facility.
“Growing up in Hamilton shaped who I am, so having the opportunity to help build something special in my hometown means everything.”
What does this mean in practical terms?
No, they’re not changing its name to Shai Stadium, though there will be an atrium on the York Boulevard side that’ll be named Ares Atrium after his almost-two-year-old son.
It sounds like the real impact could be in events.

Hamilton NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now part owner of downtown arena

Having the Oklahoma City Thunder star forward and last year’s NBA MVP involved in TD Coliseum could help lure artists and athletes to downtown Hamilton.

www.thespec.com

I could see Thunder training camp + Thunder / Raptors preseason game... heck, maybe a regular season game.

 

[Jonny5]

Most enterprises will always look to find ways to improve revenue lift (unless you are Yale with Jackson Square). So certainly OVG will focus on filling out the venue's dance card. Beyond that, they will look to add features that will enhance revenue and customer experience. Maybe that entails expansion out to Bay and York/Wilson, or eating into Jackson Square footprint on the ground or plaza level. Again, not in the first few years, but if all goes well, I could see something within 5 years. Once the SallyAnn gets moved, maybe we will get a hint on what could be possible for the whole north side of the complex.

Place Bell in Laval is a similar venue (capacity at 10,000) and it has a large sports bar on the ground level that is setup to be accessible without an event ticket, so it's actually open every day. It would be a great addition to have that at the TD Coliseum. There's even a patio space for the summer.

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Also you can see the streetscape is done very well there to handle large numbers of people coming and going. The Laval cops actually block off the whole block for any event, which is something they should do in Hamilton too for Bay Street. Block it between all of King and York from 6 p.m. and pedestrianize the whole road.

 

[Jonny5]

I could see Thunder training camp + Thunder / Raptors preseason game... heck, maybe a regular season game.

The AHL All-Star Classic is this week, starting tomorrow. That means the Board of Governors meeting will be today.
There's a high chance if the rumoured move of the Bridgeport Islanders to Hamilton will happen it will be officially confirmed by tomorrow.

 

[KingJames]

Not sure what you mean. The arena is as good as it is going to get. The dollars from here will just be maintenance and maybe some refreshes

Guess we will see what SGA brings to the party.

 

[Jonny5]

The AHL All-Star Classic is this week, starting tomorrow. That means the Board of Governors meeting will be today.
There's a high chance if the rumoured move of the Bridgeport Islanders to Hamilton will happen it will be officially confirmed by tomorrow.

Well he was asked and was obviously being coy about it.

"AHL President Scott Howson, FWIW, was asked about Bridgeport-to-Hamilton ... "As of (Monday), I don't have a request for transfer of a location.""

Seems like one of those "I'm not allowed to say it publicly yet" answers because if Bridgeport wasn't moving he would just say "they aren't moving."