OHL's Bulldogs won't return to Hamilton, new owners sign 15-year-deal in Brantford, Ont.

When Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre opens after a planned $290 million renovation, it'll do so without the Ontario Hockey League team once known as the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The team's new owners, Edmonton Oilers star forward Zach Hyman and his family, announced at a news conference on Wednesday the Brantford Bulldogs will stay in nearby Brantford, Ont., even after First Ontario Centre reopens.

Alongside former owner Michael Andlauer and new owners Stu and Spencer Hyman, Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis said the Hymans and the city signed a 15-year memorandum of understanding for the team to be the "anchor tenant" in a proposed sports complex in the city.

The agreement has renewal options that could extend its term to 40 years, he said, adding he's confident the team will thrive in Brantford "for decades."

Zach Hyman, who joined the news conference virtually from Minnesota, said he hopes to continue the team's legacy "with only great things."

He thanked Brantford for welcoming his family and said he "can't wait to be embedded in the community."

The Bulldogs announced in a news release on Monday that Hyman, a left-winger with the Oilers in the National Hockey League, had purchased the team. That day the deal was approved by the OHL board of directors and the release said "Hyman will assume control of the organization's operations, effective Jan. 16."

Hyman said he was never drafted into the OHL, so this will be his first OHL team. "We are just thrilled to be here and so thankful," he said.

Edmonton Oilers' Zach Hyman is the new owner of the Brantford Bulldogs Ontario Hockey League team. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Hyman scored 54 goals in the 2023-24 season, playing alongside three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid. He finished tied for fourth in league scoring during the Oilers' long playoff run last spring.

Hyman played for the Hamilton Red Wings of the Ontario Junior Hockey League from 2008 to 2011 while the team was owned by his father, Stu, before leaving for the University of Michigan. After that, his NHL career began with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the city where he was born.

In 2021, Hyman, 32, left the Leafs for the Oilers after signing a seven-year, $38.5-million contract.

Hymans don't share sale price

The Hymans declined to share Bulldogs' sale price when asked by reporters on Wednesday.

Spencer, Zach's brother, said it's "such a dream" to own a team with his family, and committed to continue the team's charity work.

When asked why they wanted to keep the team in Brantford, Spencer asked: "Have you been to the Mad House?" using the nickname for the Brantford Civic Centre, where the team currently plays. He said the energy is "amazing."

The Bulldogs relocated to Brantford from Hamilton in 2023 due to long-term renovations at FirstOntario Centre, where they had played since 2015. They were supposed to return when the renovations were done, set for later this year.

Outgoing owner says team was 'kicked out' of Hamilton

The Hymans bought the team from Andlauer, who owns the NHL's Ottawa Senators and had owned a minority share of the Montreal Canadiens since 2009, until he bought the Senators in 2023.

In 2022, Andlauer said that when he was told the team was being forced to leave FirstOntario Centre to accommodate renovations, it was "shocking and unexpected news."

On Wednesday, Andlauer said that while he had great times in Hamilton, the city's politicians "don't have the same pedigree" as the community. He said he and his team were "kicked out" and "left homeless" until Brantford took them in.

Andlauer, who just turned 60, said he sold the team in part because he was worried he was becoming an absentee owner, which wouldn't be fair to the team or Brantford.

The FirstOntario Centre renovations in Hamilton are being managed by the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) along with The Oak View Group. In 2023, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke visited the city and promised to bring a hockey team back in a couple of years after renovations, just not an NHL franchise.

The FirstOntario Centre is shown in downtown Hamilton on March 18, 2022. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

"This isn't about the NHL," Leiweke said back then. "I've made that very clear. There isn't an NHL team coming here right now. But realistically, there has been an [American Hockey League] team that has had great success here."

"There is a history in this marketplace with hockey, and it deserves a franchise with the Hamilton name on its chest."