OHL announces relocation of the Hamilton Bulldogs

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) announced today that the league's reigning champion Hamilton Bulldogs will be relocating from Hamilton, Ontario to Brantford, Ontario until the 2026-27 season.

The Bulldogs have effectively been evicted by the FirstOntario Centre (Originally Copps Coliseum) while the arena undergoes major reconstructive renovations in the coming years.

From the OHL's official press release statement:

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that, due to impending renovations and the long-term closure of FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, the Bulldogs franchise will be temporarily relocated to Brantford for the beginning of the 2023-24 season.

Brantford City Council put its full support behind the move on Tuesday night with a unanimous 11-0 vote approving a three-year term that will see the Bulldogs play out of the Brantford Civic Centre through the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. There is an option to extend the agreement for three additional one-year terms.

“We are so thankful for the enthusiastic and immediate response from Mayor Davis, Brantford Council and city staff,” said Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer. “Together, we have been able to make a home for the Bulldogs in a short and unexpected period of time.”

“The city that produced the great Wayne Gretzky has long been a hockey hotbed,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “This has been demonstrated once again by their tremendous enthusiasm for the return of OHL hockey to Brantford.”

The Bulldogs have hoisted the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions twice in the past four seasons, developing NHL talent such as Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings), MacKenzie Entwistle (Chicago Blackhawks), Mason McTavish (Anaheim Ducks) and Arber Xhekaj (Montreal Canadiens). The franchise has also maintained a strong presence in the community through initiatives such as their Adopt-A-School program and Be More Than a Bystander campaign against gender-based violence.

Personally, I hope that the Bulldogs are welcomed back to Hamilton sooner rather than later and that's said with no disrespect to Brantford and its hockey history. After all, Brantford is the town that gave rise to The Great One Wayne Gretzky. It's just... Hamilton has always been a bit of an outcast in the hockey world. I'm old enough to remember at least a couple times where the NHL was rumored to be heading to Hamilton, but it's just never happened. Because of that I think I have a soft spot in my heart for the city of Hamilton. Go Bulldogs!