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Gary Bettman to meet with Quebec premier to discuss potential Nordiques return

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ABNuck Canucks Rookie

ABNuck

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Probably just a friendly "keeping the door open" conversation.

 

1/ The NHL gains "ZERO" by putting a team in Quebec. The Canadian TV rights contract is small compared to the US one...and it isn't like Quebec hockey viewers aren't already supporting as much as they can / are willing to...putting a team in Quebec isn't going to suddenly increase the value of the Canadian TV revenue stream more than an additional US market would...and...

 

2/ Having said that, Houston is primed for a transfer from Phoenix. 4th largest TV audience in the US. NHL ready arena (17,800 seat Toyota Center). Deeper connections to the Central Division and natural rivalry with Dallas.

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MaxVerstappen33 Canucks First-Line

MaxVerstappen33

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On 11/20/2021 at 12:55 PM, Nave said:

I don't want another expansion.

A team like Arizona should move there. 

All of the experts are saying that there is no chance. But these same experts said the same thing about the Jets. Then all of a sudden , they got a team.

 

The Jets had a building and wanted a team. Quebec has a building and wants a team. 

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mll Canucks All-Star

mll

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Marez/Friedman on their 32 thoughts podcast thinks it's a political stunt with the provincial elections a year away.  Trying to make noise to earn votes.  Friedman talks of how he hates people being jerked around.  

They don't think the NHL is interested.  Friedman thinks there would be a significant financial impact for the Canadiens as the Nordiques would take a bite out of their revenue.  For Winnipeg it was different - says that if you followed the league then you knew there were very much on the radar but that's simply not the case here.

 

Marek says the NHL hates noise, they like to do their business quietly and don't want to be put in the spotlight which for him is another reason why it's unlikely. 

 

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StanleyCupOneDay Canucks Regular

StanleyCupOneDay

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The only way I see Quebec getting a 2nd team is if it’s the Florida Panthers making the move. Here’s my thinking why:

 

- An expansion is pretty unlikely given Seattle’s recent entry and the now balanced conferences.

 

- Floridian hockey fans have another team they can cheer for, so the NHL doesn’t lose potential money on TV rights.

 

- Florida already has a successful franchise so there’s less need of a 2nd team.

 

- Florida as the sunshine state doesn’t have enough interest in ice hockey to sustain two teams.

 

- Unless they’re absolutely forced to the NHL won’t give up on a state as big as Arizona. That’s why Georgia was tried so many times. You may not get many fans in attendance for the game, but the TV viewership is potentially large.

 

- A move from Florida to Quebec keeps the team conferences balanced.

 

- We just saw a move of the Atlanta Thrashers to a less hockey crazy Canadian market then Quebec in the Winnipeg Jets that was extremely successful.

 

- Attendance and fan support for the Panthers is one of the lowest in the NHL.

 

It makes a lot of sense in my mind for Bettman who wants to not lose ground in the US marketplace, for the Panthers who would have a rock solid fanbase immediately and for Quebec which has been begging for a 2nd NHL team since practically forever.

 

EDIT: Forgot Buffalo existed lol, them moving to Quebec would also make a lot of sense.

Edited by StanleyCupOneDay
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StanleyCupOneDay Canucks Regular

StanleyCupOneDay

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23 hours ago, ShawnAntoski said:

Running out of ideas - after Quebec, Atl is the next city to re visit/extort


I wouldn’t go that far. There’s a decent list of possibilities imo.

 

Texas is definitely poised to get a 2nd or even 3rd team (Austin/Houston) at some point if California can hold 3 and New York can hold 2.

 

After that you have Indiana (Indianapolis), Wisconsin (Milwaukee) and a longer shot at Oregon (Portland), probably in that order of likelihood.

 

If they were adventurous and wanted to try to replicate the Nashville Tennessee model they could try in Louisville Kentucky.

 

Nova Scotia (Halifax) would be an interesting Canadian option given the likelihood of potential viewership from the combined east Atlantic provinces which currently have no local team to cheer for. Saskatchewan (Saskatoon/Regina) is too small and not very financially lucrative to get their own team.

 

In the end I could see the league topped out at 40 teams one day in the future, especially if Bettman thinks the DC area states (Virginia/Maryland) could support their own teams.

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ShawnAntoski Canucks Star

ShawnAntoski

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42 minutes ago, StanleyCupOneDay said:


I wouldn’t go that far. There’s a decent list of possibilities imo.

 

Texas is definitely poised to get a 2nd or even 3rd team (Austin/Houston) at some point if California can hold 3 and New York can hold 2.

 

After that you have Indiana (Indianapolis), Wisconsin (Milwaukee) and a longer shot at Oregon (Portland), probably in that order of likelihood.

 

If they were adventurous and wanted to try to replicate the Nashville Tennessee model they could try in Louisville Kentucky.

 

Nova Scotia (Halifax) would be an interesting Canadian option given the likelihood of potential viewership from the combined east Atlantic provinces which currently have no local team to cheer for. Saskatchewan (Saskatoon/Regina) is too small and not very financially lucrative to get their own team.

 

In the end I could see the league topped out at 40 teams one day in the future, especially if Bettman thinks the DC area states (Virginia/Maryland) could support their own teams.

Very optimistic view - hope your right ?!

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StanleyCupOneDay Canucks Regular

StanleyCupOneDay

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1 hour ago, ShawnAntoski said:

Very optimistic view - hope your right ?!


Honestly I don’t really think it’s optimism. I’m just thinking of places that could make the NHL’s cash flow increase or gain a new foothold in an untapped market. That’s my only criteria for thinking of expansion teams because that’s the main concern of Bettman. Firstly though let me amend my statement to say a move makes sense for Buffalo or Florida. I literally completely forgot they existed, let alone are another team from NY lol.
 

Texas already has the Stars doing well and with 30 million people, creating a rivalry between teams just grows fan interest in the state. Bettman salivates at Texas. Indiana and Wisconsin are the only 2 Midwest states to not have their own team. Northwest US is hockey crazy so even with a smaller population Oregon could probably sustain a team. Kentucky I wouldn’t mention if not for the success of the Predators in Tennessee (not exactly known for ice sports, though this is probably the least likely of any potential expansion teams). Nova Scotia has up to almost 2m new fans in Canada due to the surrounding Atlantic provinces that don’t have any local team. Whether he likes it or not Canada is mad about hockey and the dollars don’t lie (see Jets).

 

As long as there’s an owner willing to pay I think Bettman would support expansion into any of these areas. Although I don’t know for sure I would also bet that each of these markets has an arena big enough for NHL hockey too. I don’t think these would all be added right away or even this decade, but eventually I could see it. If I had to put my money down I’d say a 2nd team in Texas by decade’s end. Possibly Indiana, but I don’t think the others are lucrative enough for Bettman to look at. Who knows though maybe Bettman is no longer at the top and the new guy wants to go expansion crazy.

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coolboarder Canucks Rookie

coolboarder

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On 11/20/2021 at 12:24 PM, -AJ- said:

Guess either Detroit or Columbus is gonna be mighty disappointed. Quebec is notably more eastern than either of them are.

Maybe this could work only if there is a schedule matrix adjustment to say, no more conference and focus on division only and hone and away against 3 other divisions.  Current schedule matrix is 4-3-2 so if you adjust the schedule matrix then you'd get 6 games vs 3 divisional opponents, 5 games vs 4 divisions opponents for 42 divisional games then you have 2 games vs 24 teams for 42 games and you'd have 82 games.   I would not mind scrapping conference format in exchange for divisional only.  

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mll Canucks All-Star

mll

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Friedman in his 32 Thoughts.  Already on his podcast talked of how it’s a publicity stunt by Quebec and not how the league does business where they prefer discretion.  

 

30. Jeff Marek reported last weekend the NHL did have a phone conversation with Quebec City, but it’s not seriously on the radar. Publicity stunt, and I don’t like to see true fans jerked around.

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