Report: NHL Expanding league, Adding 4 Teams by 2017

[DarkJourney]

Arizona to Portland, Florida to Quebec City, Nashville to Milwaukee and Carolina to Houston would satisfy me. That's my opinion and I'm sure it doesn't matter.

[Lee.]

Christ, this guy gives everything ever created a bad name.

[IceCap]

Rob Ford.

Rob Ford would spend all of Toronto's money on football in some form if he could. Also crack.

[DarkJourney]

Rob Ford.

Rob Ford would spend all of Toronto's money on football in some form if he could. Also crack.

Probably crack first then football. Crack above all else except honor. Well Rob Ford doesn't have any honor so just the crack.

[TBGKon]

Arizona to Portland, Florida to Quebec City, Nashville to Milwaukee and Carolina to Houston would satisfy me. That's my opinion and I'm sure it doesn't matter.

I dont know if Houston would work. Didn't they just lose their AHL team?

[The_Admiral]

Houston is Atlanta in almost every possible way:

1. It's less a city than it is a giant unchecked sprawl

2. Virtually everyone is from somewhere else

3. The people from somewhere else who would go to hockey are on the fringes of the giant sprawl, which makes for hellish commutes due to poor urban planning

4. One-fifth of the vaunted large population is below the poverty line and thus of no consequence to the NHL

5. The arena manager kicked out the hockey team to use the dates for concerts instead.

No Houston. I don't care if "the Dallas Stars need a regional rival." The Stars have their own affairs to attend to right now.

EDIT: 6. Swamp ass

[dbadefense1990]

mod edit

[Magnus]

When he says things like "Sudbury and Sherbrooke could support teams," I feel like Nate Silver doesn't always know as much as he thinks he knows, like, for example, where Sudbury is.

Please don't hate on Sudbury. I live here, and I know that this city has way too many other problems to worry about the super long-shot idea of getting an NHL team. We even had a proposal a while back to fund a multi-pad arena to attract hockey tournaments and other events that was shut down because there was too much disagreement among the public and the council members as to what kind of project would help Sudbury develop as a city (a new arena, casino, farmers' market, couple other ideas I forget).

I think the only way that we could get more development to happen here is if the population were to rapidly increase, which is a catch-22 because nobody wants to move to a place they don't see as attractive to move to. I think just about the only way Sudbury and other places north of Central Ontario will see a spike in population is, sadly, if climate change becomes much worse. Hotter summers in more southern areas will force more people to move north to areas that are more liveable.

Sudbury is a horrible place to live for some reasons, but as of right now, I can't move from here.

---

Anyway, as far as the NHL expanding goes, I think that Seattle and QC would be the right choices, and that in order to even out the conferences, Columbus should be forced back into the West because they don't have the history or success behind them that Detroit does, and therefore don't deserve capitulation. They have been a pathetic team for the majority of their existence and need to toughen up in the West.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I'm sorry....Sudbury? Ontario? The one with a population of 150,000?

Houston would fail miserably. For more reasons than one.

[NorthStar74]

Still think that Seattle and Quebec City should be in soon.. Milwaukee would be interesting, so would be Portland, Hamilton.. I do have serious questions about Toronto 2.0 and Hamilton but if that can be solved in the terms of arenas and relocations of some teams.. might be ideal but Seattle & Quebec City are the top choices for me... a 32 NHL team is good enough for balances of both conferences...

[kiwi_canadian]

So yesterday Bettman poured some water on the expansion fire by saying it's a false rumor. That's fine... BUT here is something I just thought of. He also made that announcement while at the press conference announcing that TVA is the new French language broadcaster for the NHL in Quebec. Who owns TVA? Quebecor Media. That is the same Quebecor that has the naming rights to the new arena that's almost finished in Quebec City and one of the groups trying to bring the NHL back to Quebec City. Is this just coincidence or is there some behind the scenes argreement with Quebecor that they will own an expansion team now that TVA is the NHL boradcaster in Quebec?

This is just a conspiracy theory, but could it be true?

[Cosmic]

You're over-thinking it.

[habsfan1]

What's with all these propositions of Toronto getting a 2nd NHL team?

[kiwi_canadian]

You're over-thinking it.

Is it though? THat's kind of what happened with the Atlanta-Phoenic-Winnipeg situation... and let's be honest, this is a Bettman run NHL. Stranger things have happened.

[dbadefense1990]

What's with all these propositions of Toronto getting a 2nd NHL team?

Theoretically, the GTA can helluva support an NHL team better than some of the current markets can (Phoenix, Miami, Raleigh). Theoretically, of course.

You're over-thinking it.

Is it though? THat's kind of what happened with the Atlanta-Phoenic-Winnipeg situation... and let's be honest, this is a Bettman run NHL. Stranger things have happened.

For example, the NHL had never scheduled Cup Final games in June prior to Gary's arrival. But within three years into the Bettman regime, the league was in danger of playing games in July (averted by an unexpected Devils sweep of the Red Wings).

[rams80]

You're over-thinking it.

Is it though? THat's kind of what happened with the Atlanta-Phoenic-Winnipeg situation... and let's be honest, this is a Bettman run NHL. Stranger things have happened.

No, what happened in that situation was the richest guy in Canada called in some markers and threatened to get NHL sponsors to drop the league if Winnipeg didn't get a team stat.

[Cosmic]

You're over-thinking it.

Is it though? THat's kind of what happened with the Atlanta-Phoenic-Winnipeg situation... and let's be honest, this is a Bettman run NHL. Stranger things have happened.

It's entirely possible that there's already some back door deal with Quebec for an expansion team or the inside track on a relocation. Bettman denying the expansion rumor at a press conference has nothing to do with anything. It's what he'll do until the day before they announce an expansion.

[NYCdog]

Houston is Atlanta in almost every possible way:

1. It's less a city than it is a giant unchecked sprawl

2. Virtually everyone is from somewhere else

3. The people from somewhere else who would go to hockey are on the fringes of the giant sprawl, which makes for hellish commutes due to poor urban planning

4. One-fifth of the vaunted large population is below the poverty line and thus of no consequence to the NHL

5. The arena manager kicked out the hockey team to use the dates for concerts instead.

No Houston. I don't care if "the Dallas Stars need a regional rival." The Stars have their own affairs to attend to right now.

EDIT: 6. Swamp ass

Been to all 3 cities (HOU, ATL, DAL) ...cut the BS, all 3 Sunbelt giants are the same city.

1. All 3 cities have the same sprawl issue. Entire DFW area and Houston area are basically the same sprawled out mess, size-wise. Does that mean they will succeed or fail?

2. All 3 cities are giant transplant towns, although I'd consider Houston to be the most diverse of the 3. Does that mean the succeed or fail?

3. I think you have that backwards IMO. To me, everyone in Houston is not from Houston. It's bizarre. No locals I've encountered. It feels like a town Ikea made with a bunch of spare parts, none coming from its original intended use. And most of the population seems to prefer to live "Inside the Loop" a ring road that encircles the inner city. All of the sports venues are at the center of this loop, Downtown. Both Dallas and Atlanta also have Downtown arenas in sprawled out cities. So does mean they will succeed or fail?

4. The city is basically the center of the world's energy industry with a large medical industry and a large port to go along with it. NASA may be dead but financially, that market can definitely meet the NHL's financial criteria there. No question about it.

5. I assume that would be NBA Rockets owner Les Alexander. Same guy who tried to buy the Oilers from Pocklington and move them. It makes sense if the NHL ever goes here, it's through the Rockets.

6. Not sure what "swamp ass" is? Does it look good? Would you hit it?

My opinion is Houston is by far the largest market the NHL has yet to go to so on paper, it deserves a shot. But no matter if the town is made of transplants, the question of if it will succeed or fail comes down if the team is a winner. The South likes a winner. It's why Dallas succeeded (winner early on enroute to Staley Cup) and why Atlanta failed. Since it's an expansion team, I'm thinking it's likely to fail like Atlanta but what if management builds a winner quickly, knowing the market their in? It's just hard to tell, not a slam dunk like Quebec City and Hamilton. But if the NHL is gonna consider friggin Las Vegas, Houston should be higher on the pecking order than LV, KC or any other non-Canadian city not named Seattle. I guess it all comes down to the Rockets owner and if he has any interest...

1. QC

2. Hamilton

3. Seattle

4. Houston

[FiddySicks]

#6 is absolutely correct about Houston. Only place I've ever been where it's worse is New Orleans, and nobody ever said putting a hockey team there was a good idea, either.

[kewp80]

When he says things like "Sudbury and Sherbrooke could support teams," I feel like Nate Silver doesn't always know as much as he thinks he knows, like, for example, where Sudbury is.

Please don't hate on Sudbury. I live here, and I know that this city has way too many other problems to worry about the super long-shot idea of getting an NHL team. We even had a proposal a while back to fund a multi-pad arena to attract hockey tournaments and other events that was shut down because there was too much disagreement among the public and the council members as to what kind of project would help Sudbury develop as a city (a new arena, casino, farmers' market, couple other ideas I forget).

I think the only way that we could get more development to happen here is if the population were to rapidly increase, which is a catch-22 because nobody wants to move to a place they don't see as attractive to move to. I think just about the only way Sudbury and other places north of Central Ontario will see a spike in population is, sadly, if climate change becomes much worse. Hotter summers in more southern areas will force more people to move north to areas that are more liveable.

Sudbury is a horrible place to live for some reasons, but as of right now, I can't move from here.

---

Anyway, as far as the NHL expanding goes, I think that Seattle and QC would be the right choices, and that in order to even out the conferences,lumbus should be forced back into the West because they don't have the history or success behind them that Detroit does, and therefore don't deserve capitulation. They have been a pathetic team for the majority of their existence and need to toughen up in the West.

Pretty sure the whole reason they moved Detroit and Columbus to the Eastern Conference is because both teams are in the Eastern Time Zone. Making the conference heavy schedule much easier on the teams and their fans. Saying Columbus doesn't have the history to be in the Eastern Conference is laughable. So by your logic the Hurricanes, Panthers, and Lightning should be in the Western Conference too?