FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton, On
As I sit in the waiting area, I look around in deer-in-the-headlights wonder. After a stretch of uncommonly warm weather for April, I am shivering. I am nervous but I am also sitting just paces away from the ice surface. On the other side of a giant curtain, four decades of history had played out from the worlds of sport, entertainment and politics and I was there for much of it.
On this side of the curtain, scores of evenly-spaced and sterile tables, chairs and check-in kiosks line the massive floor space of Hamilton’s First Ontario Centre, like a scene from the future. The old TV series the Twilight Zone comes to mind: preparing travelers to suit up for a trip to the moon or Mars or an episode when people had to choose a new face from a catalogue on reaching adulthood.
But this is our present, in the midst of a pandemic that has killed close to three million people around the world. A year ago, the thought of vaccines being discovered, let along injected into waiting arms was science-fiction in itself. Sometimes amid the fear, frustration, confusion and pain we lose sight of just how far we’ve come; how far science, technology and human willpower have come.
While I wait for ticket number 705 to be called, so many stories covered here flash through my mind, beginning with those seemingly endless debates back to the early 80’s about even building a new arena downtown Hamilton. If we build it, will they come? Copps Coliseum, named after former beloved Mayor Vic Copps, did, of course, open in 1985. No NHL team but others did come: the Steelhawks, the Dukes, the Skyhawks, the Bulldogs and in in 2015, the Honey Badgers. There was the 1986 World Juniors, the 87 Canada Cup, figure skating stars like Elvis Stojko, all those Disney on Ice shows, Monster Trucks and a WWF Royal Rumble.
The music stars came too, Bo Diddley, Kenny Rogers; a near riot over Corey Hart tickets. Bob Hope spun the Weather Wheel, Rod Stewart, the Grateful Dead, Cher, Springsteen, Elton John, Shania, many more came, often multiple times. The national spotlight shone on the Junos here five times. Billy Graham hosted a crusade here and Jehovah’s Witnesses flocked here too.
Then there were the political events. Lyn McLeod was named Ontario Liberal leader during the 1992 convention. I was on so many meds for the flu and laryngitis that weekend, I don’t know how I got through it. Royals came. During Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 2002, if not for a worthy veteran in front of me, I could have made eye contact with her.
American royalty came too: Michelle Obama in 2019. I was assisting with a captioning system for attendees with hearing difficulties backstage as security swarmed the place with sniffer dogs before her arrival. Fast forward a year and a half and here I sit in that very same space. My number is called. Ashley the nurse delivers my shot painlessly and after 15 minutes I check in with a paramedic and I’m good to go.
As I follow the arrows will lead me out, I catch a glimpse through a crack in between those curtains: the vast and gleaming white surface and empty seats. One day the ice will once again feel the cut of skate blades and the seats will hold happy fans. Until then, I’m happy to cheer on the incredible volunteers, first responders and health care professionals saving lives on this side of the curtain every day and everywhere.
Click here to read the full article on the Hamilton Spectator website.