The Colt 45s Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Houston has an 18,000 seat arena, just opened in the last couple of years ready for hosting an NHL franchise--they were runner ups last time. They also have the population to support such a team, and the economy has boomed down here so finding corporate support should not be too hard -- not to mention all the Canadian companies that have subsidiaries there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 how about we expand to some guaranteed money makers first, and then experiment with another team in the far south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Doctor Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I can see Quebec city another great hockey market. However, expansion should not be considered until Phoenix and Islanders situation is sorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck73_3 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 The only real mess in Columbus is the management. They had a good fanbase that has run out of patience. One playoff appearance in 11 seasons without a playoff victory to date. Their first season they averaged over 17,000 per game and over 18,000 their second season (more than Vancouver both years). Their 5th season was their first to dip just below 17,000. There's hockey fans there, but it can be tough to be a fan of a team that repeatedly misses the playoffs. Vancouver fans showed less patience prior to the WCE emerging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashian Kassian Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 The only real mess in Columbus is the management. They had a good fanbase that has run out of patience. One playoff appearance in 11 seasons without a playoff victory to date. Their first season they averaged over 17,000 per game and over 18,000 their second season (more than Vancouver both years). Their 5th season was their first to dip just below 17,000. There's hockey fans there, but it can be tough to be a fan of a team that repeatedly misses the playoffs. Vancouver fans showed less patience prior to the WCE emerging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy44 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 NHL is already a joke. An expansion would only further prove that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cIutch Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 So the hatred for the Leafs - is it a team thing, or a city thing? Honest curiosity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancanfan Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 We have to fix the mistakes first before we add. Move Columbus and Pheonix and maybe other's to better markets (Seatle, Quebec, Saskatoon, Maybe Hamilton too) Then once that all goes well THEN we think about adding more teams. What's the point of adding if some teams are still struggling, adding a team in Seatle doesn't fix the mess in Columbus. for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashian Kassian Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I would rather see the NHL relocate 2 teams to Saskatoon and Halifax. This is Canada's game, whether anyone likes it or not, and both of those cities could easily support a franchise, anyone who says otherwise doesnt have a clue. For every 1 fan of any southern based team, there is 100 fans in both of those Canadian cities, the economy is booming in Saskatchewan, they have a pathetically bad WHL team that the city wont attend, who can blame them, they want NHL hockey, and a good percentage of players come from Saskatchewan. BHP Billiton, which is the worlds largest mining company in the world has its Canadian headquarters in Saskatoon, as does PCS the worlds largest potash producer, so finding corporate support should not be a problem. Halifax just makes sense, its a large enough city and just like any other Canadian city, hockey is life. All Canadians should want a team from coast to coast, I would think a team in either of those cities would be as successful as a team in any American city. Hockey is not life in Kansas City or Houston or Seattle or Milwaukee or Portland or Hartford. For expansion, the order should be IMO, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Halifax, Hamilton. In the United States, Kansas City, Seattle. end rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancanfan Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I agree completely, Saskatoon should get a team, I think Don Cherry said they (Saskatchewan) were the richest province in Canada or something like that (Not sure if that's true) but anyways, I think the teams that should relocate are Phoenix (obviously) and Columbus. Baggins made some great point about Columbus earlier, about how fans did go to the games in the beginning but now there not, and how can that franchise keep losing money like that, unfortunatley that franchise is the victim to bad luck and failure, so I think they should be moved aswell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashian Kassian Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Yeah Columbus wont last, but as most experiments the NHL has done in the past, they will wait it out until there is absolutely no solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I would rather see the NHL relocate 2 teams to Saskatoon and Halifax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancanfan Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Might as well put teams in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Saskatoon and Halifax combined don't have the population of Edmonton. And Edmonton has struggled financially. Saskatoon only has a population of 200k and the Maritimes runs the highest unemployment rate in the country. And the only area worse than the Maritimes for welfare (per capita) is the NWT. Quebec City would be put ahead of either of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 a saskatoon team would do great, i'm not so sure about the maritimes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Saskatoon is more like 300,000, and as was said before, for every 1 hockey fan in those southern cities, there is 100 in a Canadian city, so that argument is absolute jibberish. That is old school thinking, this is Canada man, you could put a team in Yellowknife and it would do better than a team in the south. There should be a team in every province up to Quebec, then one to represent the Maritimes, then Canadian fans will have the representation it truly deseves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Perhaps my point went right over your head. I wasn't suggesting putting teams in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. I'm saying Halifax and Saskatoon lack the population and economy to support NHL teams any better than a southern non-hockey market city such as Louisiana. Representation doesn't matter in Canada as there are already fans coast to coast. It's pointless putting teams in Canadian markets that will lose money. The whole idea of expanding into non-hockey markets was to expand the fan base. Btw, 2011 census for Saskatoon 222,189. Edmonton has had struggles and they have 817,498. Quebec City is considered borderline with a population of 516,622. But they have an additional 250,000 in the metropolitan area. It doesn't matter if it's Canada. You still need the population to support a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Saskatoon would pull from cities as far away as prince albert and Regina, and their merchandise sales alone would fund them for years to come. at max capacity of 15,195, the credit union centre would easily sell out every game, and they have plenty of potential corporate sponsors. Saskatchewan sports fans are some of the best and most passionate in canada, I guarantee they could support a NHL team, and that it would be more profitable than the majority of the current american teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancanfan Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 No Baggins, you are deluded. You, for some reason, tend to ingore the fact that this sport is what people live for in Saskatchewan. You obviously have not been to Saskatchewan either in the past or recently, or, you are dead set against a team in Saskatchewan for personsal reasons. I am not Mr Sask promotionall guy for any purpose, but let me ask you this, why wouldn't you want a team in SK? A novelty Promote from withiin, I would rather play the Sask whoever than Houston Milwaukee Seattle Portland Las Vegas Whoever sorry for being a Canadian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancanfan Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Houston has an 18,000 seat arena, just opened in the last couple of years ready for hosting an NHL franchise--they were runner ups last time. They also have the population to support such a team, and the economy has boomed down here so finding corporate support should not be too hard -- not to mention all the Canadian companies that have subsidiaries there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamero89 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Seattle and Portland. Mainly so I can go to more Canucks games though But really those cities are hockey markets. Hockey dates back there far before it did in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary. Not to mention about 40 Canucks games get broadcasted in those markets. They clearly like hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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