NHL appears to be considering Atlanta and Houston for expansion

[MaxVerstappen33]

On 3/6/2023 at 7:15 PM, N7Nucks said:

Just move the Yotes to Houston. Tired of that franchise existing.

 

Bettman was too stupid to move them to Vegas or Seattle. Why would he wise up now ? Most KHL teams are better equipped than the Yotes. It's a disgrace to the league and the game.

[IBatch]

7 hours ago, MaxVerstappen33 said:

The wise guys around hockey all have their reasons why Quebec wouldn't work. And they are all the exact same reasons that were said about Winnipeg until a week before the team moved back there.

 

Canadian cities are just places to bail out failed Bettman pet projects in the US. 

Get Vegas and Seattle markets were good choices, probably better than Quebec.   That said they've had at the time anyways, a state of the art building collecting dust for now over a decade.   No it's not a ridiculous 20 plus K (sorry - so far i haven't been to one that big that didn't have major flaws) - but you can bet they'd pack it in and get their 17kish every single night.    That's enough to sit near the middle of the pack.    Detroit.   What's their average despite having the capacity?    And teams like Pens, PHI and Boston don't exactly have a huge arena and they do just fine.    Madison Square Gardens too.    The idea is a small market  means nobody going.   Canada has proven that's a bunch of hogwash. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by IBatch

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[DeNiro]

1 minute ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Translation:

 

We’re not prioritizing expansion unless they pay us 1.5 billion for a team. 

[thedestroyerofworlds]

Another thing to consider.   The Atlanta area has grown since the Thrashers left.  It was 4.6 million on 2011 when the Thrashers left and now sits at over 6 million. 

 

Greater Houston sits at over 7 million. 

[GB5]

Houston makes sense, great sports and tv market and big population and a lot of rich corporations in the area.

 

Something seriously wrong with this league though if they consider Atlanta again. NHL would probably do better in a small city like Saskatoon than they would in Atlanta.

 

Seriously better options would be any of Hamilton, Quebec City, Kansas City to name a few.

[Citizen Erased]

Give Roswell an expansion team. The fan support would be out of this world.

 

All jokes aside, I’ve always wondered why Hartford was never given a second chance. 

[Ghostsof1915]

On 3/6/2023 at 3:11 PM, Coconuts said:

For sure. Teams were probably cheaper then though I'm assuming, even if you factors inflation and yadda yadda. Vegas was the first expansion team to cost and ownership group more than 100M. But hey, I'm just guessing on the inflation and currency bits. 

 

Giving the higher investment cost it makes sense potential ownership groups would want more favourable conditions than what existed even back in 2000. 

 

http://www.puckreport.com/2009/05/nhl-expansion.html

Yet if you want a NFL franchise. If you got an expansion team you fork over $700 million and you get scraps. (Houston Texans and that was in 1999)

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[Devron]

9 minutes ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Good to hear. Leave it alone for while 

[canuck73_3]

On 3/6/2023 at 3:11 PM, Coconuts said:

For sure. Teams were probably cheaper then though I'm assuming, even if you factors inflation and yadda yadda. Vegas was the first expansion team to cost and ownership group more than 100M. But hey, I'm just guessing on the inflation and currency bits. 

 

Giving the higher investment cost it makes sense potential ownership groups would want more favourable conditions than what existed even back in 2000. 

 

http://www.puckreport.com/2009/05/nhl-expansion.html

I wouldn't be opposed to Atlanta getting another fair shake at it, look at that expansion roster last go around and tell me how that was a recipe for success 

[Alflives]

2 hours ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

If the new rink plans in Arizona goes sideways, I wonder which of these three cities could take the Coyotes on short notice? 

[canuck73_3]

32 minutes ago, Alflives said:

If the new rink plans in Arizona goes sideways, I wonder which of these three cities could take the Coyotes on short notice? 

Quebec would probably be the quickest but Houston would be more ideal for division/conference alignment 

Edited March 15, 2023 by canuck73_3

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

Quebec would probably be the quickest but Houstoon would be more ideal for division/conference alignment 

Would the NHL expect a big relocation fee from the new owners? 

[canuck73_3]

26 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Would the NHL expect a big relocation fee from the new owners? 

Winnipeg's was $60Million I would assume it would be significantly more this time around. 

[Coconuts]

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2712773/nhl-open-to-atlanta-expansion-again-times-have-changed-pretty-dramatically

[Chickenspear]

32 teams is enough. Move Arizona to Houston.

[Citizen Erased]

It didn’t work the first 2 times in Atlanta. Are they brain dead? Football is the only popular sport in Georgia.

[NewbieCanuckFan]

1 hour ago, Chickenspear said:

32 teams is enough. Move Arizona to Houston.

Owners are greedy.  Expansion fee is $$$$.  Relocation gives them nothing.

[RWJC]

NHL Remains Open To Atlanta Expansion

September 12th, 2023 at 5:19pm CST • By Josh Erickson

 

The NHL would seriously consider an expansion bid from the Atlanta area if the league did decide to add a 33rd franchise, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski Tuesday.

 

There’s been a quick one-two punch of recent expansion adds with the inception of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021, the league’s first adds in nearly two decades since bringing in the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild in 2000. That’s led to more public chatter about further expansion, fuelled even further by the record-setting sale of the Ottawa Senators for nearly $1B.

 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman maintains that expansion isn’t top of mind for the NHL right now, however, and more pressing concerns for the league and the NHLPA revolve around returning to a consistent international tournament schedule. When the league does decide to add to its family, however, Daly told Wyshynski they’ll employ an “open-door policy” when considering potential markets.

Daly believes the past reasons why two Atlanta franchises (the Flames and Thrashers) failed can be “overcome” if the league did accept a bid for a third franchise in the area, the eighth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.

 

“Market demographics have changed pretty dramatically since the first time we went there and then again in 1999,” Daly told Wyshynski. He believes a more suburban arena site, such as the one currently under construction in Alpharetta, would yield better attendance returns, citing the MLB’s Atlanta Braves as a platform for success after their move in 2017.

 

Atlanta will face fierce competition should an opening for a 33rd NHL team arise, however. Salt Lake City and Hartford-based ownership groups have been hot on the trail of the Arizona Coyotes should relocation become necessary, while Houston and Quebec City remain obvious choices (with the latter receiving significant government support from the province).