Florida Panthers to Portland?

[Cobiemonster]

Barkov is my dogs favorite player.

I see what you did there

 

[DragonfromTO]

Winterhawks would be sold off.

And what, come back if the NHL fails? And how exactly does that happen, is it just "fuck the owner of the Winterhawks if he doesn't want to move/sell the team"?

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Barkov is my dogs favorite player.

LOL @ Bark-ov

 

[mrwallace2ku]

And what, come back if the NHL fails? And how exactly does that happen, is it just "fuck the owner of the Winterhawks if he doesn't want to move/sell the team"?

I believe that would have to happen for an NHL to come to Portland. I may have mis-stated the Winterhawks would have to be sold. Either they would be sold/moved to another city and at the very least the current owner of the WHL franchise compensated somehow prior to an NHL team coming to this town.

 

[Slimpikins]

Barkov is my dogs favorite player.

I'm going to guess that Lindy Ruff is his favorite coach?

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

I'm going to guess that Lindy Ruff is his favorite coach?

Haha!

 

[dash]

blindbaby deserves the credit for this, but I bet comeds' dog also likes Brayden and Luke Chien.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

blindbaby deserves the credit for this, but I bet comeds' dog also likes Brayden and Luke Chien.

 

[DevilishWon]

Quit goofing around. Someone called into a local sports talk station and said it might happen...that's good enough for me!

 

[DragonfromTO]

Quit goofing around. Someone called into a local sports talk station and said it might happen...that's good enough for me!

Dickie, Dickie, they've already built the rink! They've dumped a lot of capital into this!

 

[pixburgher66]

south florida not a destination?? great weather, great distractions, no state taxes....

It's a destination for most people for those great things, but to big name NHL FAs? It's not a hockey market, has a non-existent/consistent fanbase, there's not a lot of security, they're still far from contention, etc. etc. There are certainly guys that would go there, but my point being that if a FA has a few deals on the table from say LAK, NYR, and FLA, they're not choosing FLA unless the money is bigger to counter the other reasons to go to those other teams. Heck, Tampa is a better option. They're a bit more stable in the hockey operations area.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

Dickie, Dickie, they've already built the rink! They've dumped a lot of capital into this!

Don't think anyone could argue the fact that an NHL team or two should be place in the Norwest sector of the US. Portland is ready with a great facility in the Rose quarter already. Seattle still has to build one.

 

[mattola]

I'd rather see Vancouver get a team first

 

[dash]

Matty, I'm pretty sure esls meant Vancouver, Washington, but I could be wrong (lol)

 

[DragonfromTO]

Don't think anyone could argue the fact that an NHL team or two should be place in the Norwest sector of the US. Portland is ready with a great facility in the Rose quarter already. Seattle still has to build one.

I'm guessing you missed the joke I was making

 

[esls79]

Matty, I'm pretty sure esls meant Vancouver, Washington, but I could be wrong (lol)

That was the beauty of it.

I don't have time to pick on the Canucks when the low hanging fruit that is the Oilers is so much more enjoyable.

 

[fredmccallyRTR]

Might as well move, no one comes to watch them in Florida. I'm watching the Avs play them right now and there are more empty seats than full ones. Colorado scored and it sounded like their fans cheered.

 

[OregonDucks]

Is there really enough support for hockey in Portland to support both the Winterhawks and an NHL team? Seems pretty unlikely

I truly believe NHL would thrive in Portland. Winterhawks have a good following and have gained popularity with their recent success in these parts. Somehow he managed to support a MLS club, if MLS can do well here, NHL most certainly can.

Not really sure what would happen to the Winterhawks.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I truly believe NHL would thrive in Portland. Winterhawks have a good following and have gained popularity with their recent success in these parts. Somehow he managed to support a MLS club, if MLS can do well here, NHL most certainly can.

Not really sure what would happen to the Winterhawks.

The Winterhawks average what, maybe 6-7k fans per game? What do their TV numbers look like?

You might not have a full grasp of this unless you've ever lived in Canada but there's a pretty big and visible difference between a city that's able to support a major junior team and one that's able to support an NHL team.

 

[tabascojet]

The Panthers have made the playoffs 4 times in their 20-year existence. As a result, they have a hard time attracting fans and selling tickets to games. For the 2013-14 season, the Panthers ranked 28th in league attendance. To make matters worse, their cable TV audience only reaches 4000 households, which has an effect on sponsorship deals. Rink board signage is less appealing to sponsors because their brand fails to make an impression on a large amount of fans. Of course, a winning team may bring people to the game and spark a larger television deal, but that is easier said than done. The team does not have money to pay players; they struggle to reach the salary cap minimum. If the Panthers continue to struggle financially, Florida will lose their team.

only 4000 households?? that has to be a misprint right? where can one find these facts.....