If the Predators move to Hamilton....

[CC97]

And if the NHL were to lose a few more american teams - Bettman has stated the Jets thing intrigues him so...i'd love to see...

This is called "Lip service."

I am calling for the return of the Hamilton Dukes.

Officially they were the "Dukes of Hamilton"... beat Anaheim by a whole 5 years

[SouthSidePride]

Yeah, in al reality, you should market hockey for the truest fans, meaning historically good hockey towns (Detroit, Twin Cities, Chicago, Boston, New York) and try to fill in the rest of the league with strong Canadian markets and solid, big market towns were people play hockey (Denver, for example) the league isn't going to intrigue anyone new in this time and place. With 250 channels and reality tv, UFC and instant porn, it would be ignorant to think that hockey would catch on in America. So what you have to do is market it for the fans who care about the game already. I personally hate the fact that I cannot get good hockey coverage anywhere except youtube and versus. Cater to the Canadian public and to the American hockey fan, with the idea of keeping fans, not gaining new ones. By the end of it, you will probably gain new fans anyway, because the best advertisement is word of mouth.

[Geoff]

If you go to TicketMaster.com and look up Copps Coliseum, one of the available seating charts is "Hamilton Predators NHL Franchise (Deposit Map)." Which is actually different from the Hamilton Bulldogs mainly because the Bulldogs don't seem to use the Suites.

[lost_limey]

Teams that should consider relocating include the Coyotes (though they'd never go back to Canada), Capitals (because no one in Washington cares about them)

You'd better not take my Caps away from me if you want to live!

[Blue Falcon]

They will probably change it. Isn't the 'Nashville Predators' name due to the discovery of fossils of some type in the Nashville area?

Yes, on the site where they were digging up the arena.

So if they had dug up Jimmy Hoffa, what would they have called the team?

This is what the NHL gets for over-saturating a thin hockey market. I can see Atlanta having a team, but not Nashville or Columbus.

[Gothamite]

Hey, Columbus has done pretty well. Middle of the pack in attendance, with a much worse team.

Maybe Columbus hasn't been a grand slam, but it's still solid. Nashville has been nothing less than a disaster.

[Ron Mexico]

There are still a few hurdles to the Preds moving to Hamilton. Among them:

-Balsillie has to actually buy the team

-He would have to settle on the teams tangible net worth with the city of Nashville (SI.com says that they have a clause that says the team has to pay the city at least part of the $35 million they invested if the team moves before 2028)

-The NHL Board of Governors would have to approve both the sale and the move, which may be hurt by the fact that he's taking such blatant steps to move the team before he's actually purchased them (and since they said they wanted any new owner to at least try and make it work in Nashville.)

What he's got going for him is the fact that he's paying nearly double what the franchise is actually worth. Hamilton better hope that his money talks loud enough.

[timparry]

Off topic, but would the Maple Leafs be able to block such a move, too? Or is Hamilton considered outside the territory?

then again, if it's not brought up whenever they talk about the Hartford Whalers (Boston) coming back...

[Francis10]

Also, the Preds are not moving to Hamilton...yet. There is an exit clause in the current lease agreement with the City of Nashville, but that is only effective if the Preds don't average 14,000 fans per game. Well, right now sales look good.

But what if the owner wants to move so bad that he loads the roster with a bunch of washed up players and guys no one has ever heard of in order to drive away fans?

As long as this woman isn't involved...

Most these guys I've never heard of...and the ones I have are way past their prime.

Most of these guys never had a prime.

This guy here is DEAD!

Well, cross him OFF then!

[powersurge]

WOW...I can't remember the last American team to depart to Canada....the Flames maybe?

[ebod39]

Also, the Preds are not moving to Hamilton...yet. There is an exit clause in the current lease agreement with the City of Nashville, but that is only effective if the Preds don't average 14,000 fans per game. Well, right now sales look good.

But what if the owner wants to move so bad that he loads the roster with a bunch of washed up players and guys no one has ever heard of in order to drive away fans?

As long as this woman isn't involved...

Most these guys I've never heard of...and the ones I have are way past their prime.

Most of these guys never had a prime.

This guy here is DEAD!

Well, cross him OFF then!

you may run like Mays but you hit like $H!T

[Mac the Knife]

Also, the Preds are not moving to Hamilton...yet. There is an exit clause in the current lease agreement with the City of Nashville, but that is only effective if the Preds don't average 14,000 fans per game. Well, right now sales look good.

But what if the owner wants to move so bad that he loads the roster with a bunch of washed up players and guys no one has ever heard of in order to drive away fans?

This woman would undoubtedly approve.

[TruColor]

And if the NHL were to lose a few more american teams - Bettman has stated the Jets thing intrigues him so...i'd love to see...

This is called "Lip service."

I am calling for the return of the Hamilton Dukes.

Officially they were the "Dukes of Hamilton"... beat Anaheim by a whole 5 years

Don't forget the Missions of San Francisco (Pacific Coast League) from 1914-1915...

[sigma716]

Off topic, but would the Maple Leafs be able to block such a move, too? Or is Hamilton considered outside the territory?

then again, if it's not brought up whenever they talk about the Hartford Whalers (Boston) coming back...

There is a rule that no new or relocated team can be placed within 80km of any existing team, but I am pretty sure if the new owner greases Bettman's already filthy hands enough he will get his way.

Golisano has already stated he will protest any such attempt to place a team there.

[zer0dotcom]

Off topic, but would the Maple Leafs be able to block such a move, too? Or is Hamilton considered outside the territory?

then again, if it's not brought up whenever they talk about the Hartford Whalers (Boston) coming back...

There is a rule that no new or relocated team can be placed within 80km of any existing team, but I am pretty sure if the new owner greases Bettman's already filthy hands enough he will get his way.

Golisano has already stated he will protest any such attempt to place a team there.

and yet they put Anahiem pretty much right on top of the Kings. No problems there

[SG30]

Off topic, but would the Maple Leafs be able to block such a move, too? Or is Hamilton considered outside the territory?

then again, if it's not brought up whenever they talk about the Hartford Whalers (Boston) coming back...

There is a rule that no new or relocated team can be placed within 80km of any existing team, but I am pretty sure if the new owner greases Bettman's already filthy hands enough he will get his way.

Golisano has already stated he will protest any such attempt to place a team there.

and yet they put Anahiem pretty much right on top of the Kings. No problems there

The LA/Anehiem area has a ton more people in it than the Buffalo/Hamilton area if I'm not mistaken.

[otherwilds]

Your Honor I move that this thread be hereby moved to the CONCEPTS area until the team is sold, fails to meet the attendance requirements, the city loses the obligatory lawsuit and the League oks the franchise relocation, new team name and color changes.

Of course I still have a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on the truck...I can dream can't I

[CC97]

Off topic, but would the Maple Leafs be able to block such a move, too? Or is Hamilton considered outside the territory?

then again, if it's not brought up whenever they talk about the Hartford Whalers (Boston) coming back...

There is a rule that no new or relocated team can be placed within 80km of any existing team, but I am pretty sure if the new owner greases Bettman's already filthy hands enough he will get his way.

Golisano has already stated he will protest any such attempt to place a team there.

and yet they put Anahiem pretty much right on top of the Kings. No problems there

The LA/Anehiem area has a ton more people in it than the Buffalo/Hamilton area if I'm not mistaken.

It's the Toronto/Hamilton area and of course it doesn't have as much people as LA/Ana but the NHL rules don't say anything about population... if I'm not mistaken the Ducks paid a buttload of money to the Kings when they entered the league

[IceCap]

... if I'm not mistaken the Ducks paid a buttload of money to the Kings when they entered the league

Correct. If Basille wants to move the team to Hamilton he'll have to pay both the Leafs and Sabres each a good chunk of change.

Seeing how much money he has, that shouldn't be a problem. Hamilton being within the territorial rights of the Leafs and Sabres isn't a roadblock to getting a team there.

[pjinners]

There's also the theory afloat around here that Balsille will put the team in Hamilton just long enough for him to build a new arena in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. That is just outside the both the Leafs' and Sabres' 80 km zone, so he wouldn't have to pay Toronto or Buffalo. However, it's close enough to Toronto to attract a boatload of disgruntled Leaf fans. Also, Balsille's company (Research in Motion) is headquartered in Waterloo. And the company has recently made a mysterious purchase of a parcel of land just big enough on which to build an arena.