'It's a great hockey town': Hamilton is working out well as Islanders' new affiliate

HAMILTON, Ontario — It’s hard not to bump into a hockey fan in this blue-collar city, described to Newsday by Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche as “kind of the Pittsburgh of Canada” because of the steel industry.

Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren has met a few playing for the Islanders’ transplanted AHL affiliate, which moved north after 25 years in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It’s been a pleasant transition, though still an adjustment, as the players and staff acclimate to their new hockey home.

“I’ve met a few fans, like my realtor is pretty pumped about it,” Warren said after the Hamilton Hammers fell to 0-2-0-1 at home with a 4-1 loss to Rochester on Friday night at TD Coliseum. “You can see that people care and people want hockey in Hamilton.

“Definitely it’s a little different than Bridgeport,” added Warren, who played parts of three seasons in that city. “I feel like the fans are showing up. It’s a cool city, I’ve got to know it the past few days. It’s been welcoming. The rink is bigger than I thought. The home opener was sick.”

The Hammers drew 14,131 fans to their home opener, a 5-4 shootout loss to the Toronto Marlies on Oct. 9. The attendance on Friday was back down to 3,917.

The Islanders moved their affiliate from the geographically closer, 10,000-seat Total Mortgage Arena to the 18,000-seat TD Coliseum, which underwent a $300 million renovation and is operated by Oak View Group, which also developed and built UBS Arena.

The Islanders also invested in building new practice facilities at the Harry Howell Twin-Pad Arena in neighboring Flamborough, about 20 minutes away. It will open on Tuesday.

Flamborough’s Kelly Vothknecht, 35, has sons ages 10 and 8 who play at the rink, and the family attended its first Hammers game on Friday.

“They’re excited for sure,” Vothknecht told Newsday of having the Hammers in town. “It’s a sport that we’ve always done together, and it’s good.”

For Darche, the state-of-the-art practice rink amenities, the greater revenue stream at TD Coliseum and the easier travel schedule in Hamilton, with shorter bus trips that allow for extra practice days — the AHL is about development, after all — outweighs the convenience of having the Islanders’ top minor-league affiliate just a drive up Interstate 95 from Long Island.

Darche, assistant general managers Evan Gold (also the Hamilton GM) and Steve Pelligrini, and Matt Martin, a special assistant to Darche, toured the new practice facilities on Friday before attending the Hammers’ game.

“Basically NHL standards almost, so the guys will be treated really well,” Darche told Newsday of the practice facility. “The support has been great. The first game I was here, it was 14,000 people and today, actually, for the AHL, that’s a really good crowd.”

Darche played in Hamilton in 2009-10 when it was a Canadiens affiliate.

“I came from a place where our farm team was in Syracuse, and there was no direct flights and a lot further away, so we made it work,” said Darche, formerly the Tampa Bay Lightning’s assistant GM. “Was it nice to be a drive away [in Bridgeport]? Yes. Here, travel-wise for games, it makes sense. Business-wise for our organization, it makes a lot of sense, too.”

Hamilton has a long history in the AHL and also in junior hockey. The Canucks’ affiliate was here from 1992-94. The Bulldogs played from 1996-2015, mainly as the Canadiens’ affiliate but also a stint as the Oilers’ affiliate. After the Bulldogs disbanded, a new Hamilton Bulldogs played in the junior Ontario Hockey League from 2015-23 before relocating to Brantford.

“I grew up watching the Steelhawks,” Hamilton-born Andrew Wood, 46, a season-ticket holder, told Newsday of the OHL squad active from 1984-88. “We’ve waited a long time to see pro hockey here, so it’s really nice to see. We’re ready to support anybody, even though it’s the Islanders and we were born and raised Maple Leafs fans. It doesn’t matter.

“I feel for the people that were fans in Connecticut.”

Hamilton coach Jay McKee coached the OHL Bulldogs here before moving with the franchise to Brantford. He’s been a sounding board to players curious about the ins-and-outs of the team’s new home.

“It’s a great hockey town,” McKee said. “They know their hockey. For the players that moved here that are new to here, we had to help them find some places and get them comfortable. Pro hockey players, we have to embrace change.”

McKee recalled a crowd of 12,000 in Hamilton for an OHL game.

Gleb Veremeyev, the New Jersey native who played two seasons for Bridgeport, said he’s constantly stopped by fans with questions about the team when he goes out to eat.

And Kashawn Aitcheson had a quick answer when Newsday asked him to characterize Hamilton.

“Gritty,” he said. “Everyone here loves the grit on the ice. I really love the grit and the rowdiness the fan base brings.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.