Top 5 cities for NHL expansion

[esls79]

This can't be a serious expansion thread without mention of Las Vegas.

 

[Brasky]

Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln

It's multi-purpose and owned by the city. It was constructed to support an ice rink.

 

[Brasky]

Pipe dream, but I swear we would be able to support an NHL team.

 

[Brasky]

Omaha would be a bit more suitable. Higher capacity, bigger city, also hockey ready.

Century Link Arena:

 

[juliansteed]

I'm not sure if they were being entirely serious or not but I found it funny that part of their rationale for KC being #1 was because they past mascots that could be recycled.

 

[dash]

Houston lost their AHL team due to an inability to come to terms on a new lease, the attendance for the Aeros was 7th in the league (just under 7,000 per game). I hear the Honda Center was asking for pretty astronomical rates for rent and the team said no way, Jose.

/Yes, I couldn't resist putting Houston and astronomical together.

 

[mattola]

Houston lost their AHL team due to an inability to come to terms on a new lease, the attendance for the Aeros was 7th in the league (just under 7,000 per game). I hear the Honda Center was asking for pretty astronomical rates for rent and the team said no way, Jose.

/Yes, I couldn't resist putting Houston and astronomical together.

well with those issues it was Obvious that We Have a Problem.....

 

[juliansteed]

well with those issues it was Obvious that We Have a Problem.....

Oh I get it! Because Whitney Houston had some serious problems. Well played sir!

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

NHL shouldn't be expanding, I would just relocate franchises. If they add more teams they'll just be adding more problems.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

The NHL is in love with total market size, they don't necessarily how good of a hockey market it is, just how big of a TV market it is.



Did they move due to attendance? A lot of times NHL teams move their affiliates just to get them closer... Des Moines is a lot closer to Minny than Houston is.

Yeah, I heard they moved to get closer to their NHL affiliate more so than attendance. Houston Aeros were 7th in the AHL in attendance last year (year before that they were top 5) , so I don't think attendance was the problem.

 

[forty_three]

This can't be a serious expansion thread without mention of Las Vegas.

Stop it.

Houston lost their AHL team due to an inability to come to terms on a new lease, the attendance for the Aeros was 7th in the league (just under 7,000 per game). I hear the Honda Center was asking for pretty astronomical rates for rent and the team said no way, Jose.

/Yes, I couldn't resist putting Houston and astronomical together.

I read up on that last night, and fan support was clearly not the problem. Got me wondering if the move of the Aeros was to "make way" for a serious proposal for NHL expansion there. Seattle and Houston. Suddenly the conferences are balanced again...

Omaha might be good, actually. Little entertainment dollar competition in a place that is known for turning out solid athletes. The growing youth hockey angle there is intriguing. Not sure what the economy is like there, but I do know that there are some major corporations there. I see tech jobs posted to job boards a lot. Some pretty big names.

 

[tembrach]

Should be Portland, OR. But our genius Paul Allen is going for an Arena football team instead

Heck, I would love to see a return of an NHL Team to Connecticut. This state loves Ice Hockey and would rabidly support any well-run NHL franchise team

 

[KwitYerWhinin]

Heck, I would love to see a return of an NHL Team to Connecticut. This state loves Ice Hockey and would rabidly support any well-run NHL franchise team

Someone should consider a team in Boston..heck, thats a fairly big city

 

[jdwills126]

I have always believed a franchise in Windsor, Canada would be a great draw and be an instant rival to the Red Wings.

I am sure a deal would have to be struck to have a team basically in the Detroit market...maybe internationally raises some questions....but it would add a Canadian team, draw from two pretty good markets in Toronto and Detroit.

I have always believed you need to keep as many pro hockey teams in Canada as possible. Just my 2 cents.

 

[dash]

I have always believed a franchise in Windsor, Canada would be a great draw and be an instant rival to the Red Wings.

I am sure a deal would have to be struck to have a team basically in the Detroit market...maybe internationally raises some questions....but it would add a Canadian team, draw from two pretty good markets in Toronto and Detroit.

I have always believed you need to keep as many pro hockey teams in Canada as possible. Just my 2 cents.

Looks like the proposed new arena in Markham, Ontario is in trouble...

Markham arena plan could be dead: report | CityNews

 

[jdwills126]

Looks like the proposed new arena in Markham, Ontario is in trouble...

Markham arena plan could be dead: report | CityNews

Sad.

They put teams in southern u.s. cities and wonder why the fan base never truly embraces them....with one or two exceptions. So we get the Atlanta Flames 3.0

 

[forty_three]

This is going to take forever to crack.

 

[forty_three]

Welp. That was in the wrong thread. Must be lunch time. Blood sugar is low.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

NHL shouldn't be expanding, I would just relocate franchises. If they add more teams they'll just be adding more problems.

I think everyone would (or should) agree with this

but the NHL owners want that expansion fee pyramid sche ... err .... revenue stream





/MLS charges a franchise relocation fee that is "rumo(u)red" to be about 75 cents on the expansion fee dollar ... take note of that NHL owners

 

[HockeyDoug]

Since ownership is extremely stable by historical standards, they should expand by 4 to get things back to normal without having any real good chance of balancing the conferences.