Next Move Or Expansion

[DDR]

For everyone's consideration, may I present the following image.

So...I hear Los Angeles is nice, correct?

What? You think the Rams forgot or something?

[Sport]

For everyone's consideration, may I present the following image.

So...I hear Los Angeles is nice, correct?

This is honestly the first time I've ever seen a shot of the crowd at the Edward Jones Dome. If you had shown that to me without the scoreboard graphic I would not have known what stadium I was looking at. Man is that place non-descript and lacking character.

[fumbler]

And heaps of empty red seats.

[CS85]

And heaps of empty red seats.

Why red? The home team doesn't have colors resembling red at all...are they busch stadium leftovers or something?

[rams80]

And heaps of empty red seats.

Why red? The home team doesn't have colors resembling red at all...are they busch stadium leftovers or something?

It was built on spec, so the St. Louis city fathers just settled on red. FWIW the failed expansion bid's colors were purple and gold.

[The_Admiral]

Did we ever ascertain one of those CCSLC Assumed Rules (see also: the black uniform ban) that an NFL stadium's seats need to be in its team's colors?

[DustDevil61]

For everyone's consideration, may I present the following image.

So...I hear Los Angeles is nice, correct?

Whether or not all that red are Chiefs fans or empty seats, this ain't good for St. Louis. Are there any pics from later in the game?

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Can I ask why Jacksonville is always the #1 Candidate for relocation? They seem to sell enough tickets and have a solid fanbase for a smaller city.

Anyways, with that said, I think the next team to move in any sport will be the Atlanta Thrashers. I really don't see the NHL staying in Atlanta for the long run, and I definately see them moving before any other team.

The Islanders are always thrown into the discussion as well, but I just think their fans are fair-weather. They've had a brutal team for as long as I can remember, they need a new arena badly and are run by people who have absolutely no idea how to run a hockey franchise. They have a rich history and play in a market of 20 million people, of which I'm sure atleast a third of the hockey fans are Islander fans.

[Jer15]

Can I ask why Jacksonville is always the #1 Candidate for relocation? They seem to sell enough tickets and have a solid fanbase for a smaller city.

Anyways, with that said, I think the next team to move in any sport will be the Atlanta Thrashers. I really don't see the NHL staying in Atlanta for the long run, and I definately see them moving before any other team.

The Islanders are always thrown into the discussion as well, but I just think their fans are fair-weather. They've had a brutal team for as long as I can remember, they need a new arena badly and are run by people who have absolutely no idea how to run a hockey franchise. They have a rich history and play in a market of 20 million people, of which I'm sure atleast a third of the hockey fans are Islander fans.

Unfortunately, I think you and the NHL agree Atlanta is done. The team is just not supported. My dad attended a game about a month or so back (was out that way on business) and said that he'd never seen an arena so empty.

[rams80]

Can I ask why Jacksonville is always the #1 Candidate for relocation? They seem to sell enough tickets and have a solid fanbase for a smaller city.

Anyways, with that said, I think the next team to move in any sport will be the Atlanta Thrashers. I really don't see the NHL staying in Atlanta for the long run, and I definately see them moving before any other team.

The Islanders are always thrown into the discussion as well, but I just think their fans are fair-weather. They've had a brutal team for as long as I can remember, they need a new arena badly and are run by people who have absolutely no idea how to run a hockey franchise. They have a rich history and play in a market of 20 million people, of which I'm sure atleast a third of the hockey fans are Islander fans.

Unfortunately, I think you and the NHL agree Atlanta is done. The team is just not supported. My dad attended a game about a month or so back (was out that way on business) and said that he'd never seen an arena so empty.

Clearly he has never been to Phoenix.

[DustDevil61]

Well, this comes as a surprise to me, but the Coyotes are no longer last in attendance--the Islanders are. Of course, this may be due to the non-home game in Prague (or London).

I'm glad that I didn't pick the Jaguars as the next to move (I picked was the 'Yotes to do so), as, at least for now, Jacksonville looks to be safe. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if the New Orleans Hornets beat them to it, but I'm holding out hope for Goldwater to keep this Glendale City deal from going through.

However, there is an article saying that the NHL -- the NHL-- has given the "put more butts in seats or else..." threat to the Atlanta Thrashers.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Hey, DustDevil, good find. I read that a few days ago and intended to post that here but forgot where I saw it. All I could find was the Thrashers' mascot police-chase publicity stunt.

I found this article interesting, yet flawed, especially in light of what's going on in Glendale. It also seemed to come out of nowhere and ultimately may be a non-starter and fade away, like many Thrashers rumors seem to do.

Even within the story itself there seems to be some conflict, as evidenced by these two quotes from the start and end:

1) The NHL wants the city to show better support for its winning team or the league may have to explore ?alternatives.? The Thrashers, blessed with young talent, have a winning record but rank only 28th among 30 NHL teams in attendance And if that doesn?t improve, Atlanta fans could lose it?s second NHL franchise?the Flames moved to Calgary in 1980.

2) Any discussion of the team leaving Atlanta will have to start with the arena In 1999, Philips Electronics signed a 20-year, $182 naming rights deal for Philips Arena. The company can walk away from the contract, one of the most lucrative in sports, if the Thrashers or NBA Atlanta Hawks leave the arena.

Strange that an NHL exec would throw himself in the middle of that and be quoted with no real agenda (i.e. new arena) to work.

[JH42XCC]

NBA expands to Seattle ("Bring Back the Sonics") and whoever gets team #32 (Louisville, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, or Kansas City)

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I'm very surprised that the Norfolk-Hampton Roads-Virginia Beach area is never mentioned as a site for relocation/expansion. I know that it was slightly flirted with in the late 90s when the NHL was expanding, but I don't think it was ever a serious consideration. However, at the time, apparently an agreement was reached to build a new arena.

The metro area is estimated to be at over 2 million when the 2010 census comes in, and I believe it's the largest in the country without a pro team, besides Vegas. It's larger than the metro areas of Nashville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Raleigh and Buffalo; and roughly the same as Indianapolis, San Jose and Columbus. They've supported their minor league teams well throughout the years. As well, it's a beautiful area with a good economy.

I personally think they'd support either an NHL or NBA team.

[ldswoosh33]

There will be an expansion team in Alaska for the MLB one day, just wait... but really LA I think will have a great chance at getting an NFL team in the coming years. A team will have to move there because I don't see the NFL expanding anytime soon. Maybe LA will actual get to keep a team for quite a while. Who knows?

[rams80]

There will be an expansion team in Alaska for the MLB one day, just wait... but really LA I think will have a great chance at getting an NFL team in the coming years. A team will have to move there because I don't see the NFL expanding anytime soon. Maybe LA will actual get to keep a team for quite a while. Who knows?

What.

/They don't play baseball in the snow.

[Jer15]

Can I ask why Jacksonville is always the #1 Candidate for relocation? They seem to sell enough tickets and have a solid fanbase for a smaller city.

Anyways, with that said, I think the next team to move in any sport will be the Atlanta Thrashers. I really don't see the NHL staying in Atlanta for the long run, and I definately see them moving before any other team.

The Islanders are always thrown into the discussion as well, but I just think their fans are fair-weather. They've had a brutal team for as long as I can remember, they need a new arena badly and are run by people who have absolutely no idea how to run a hockey franchise. They have a rich history and play in a market of 20 million people, of which I'm sure atleast a third of the hockey fans are Islander fans.

Unfortunately, I think you and the NHL agree Atlanta is done. The team is just not supported. My dad attended a game about a month or so back (was out that way on business) and said that he'd never seen an arena so empty.

Clearly he has never been to Phoenix.

He's not been to a NHL game in Phoenix, no. But to the point you are trying to make, I think after all the "digging in their heels" the NHL has done, they will not let they Coyotes move, at almost any cost. I think they will admit defeat in other markets though.

[Kenny]

Why the NHL insists on keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix, where the team hemorrages millions a year and are barely survivng on The Glendalian's tax money, while stopping cities that actually support hockey, like Hartford or Winnipeg, from getting franchises is beyond me. I know Bettman wants to nationalize the sport, but when a franchise barely sells 7-8,000 seats in a 15,000 seat arena, it's time to move on. In 2005, the team sucked, and played in a dumpy arena, and averaged about 10,000 a game. This past year, the team made the playoffs, and had a state of the art arena, and averaged 7-8,000 a night. That is a blatent sign that the team cannot be supported in Arizona. The teams in the south have been hit and miss. The Predators, Hurricanes, Lightning, Stars, and Ducks have all been able to prove they can be supported, and have been successful on the ice. The Thrashers, Panthers, and Coyotes, however, have failed. They each play in front of empty stadiums nightly, are deep in debt, and do not have a following in their respective cities. I think the NHL needs to realize that the sport is only very popular in the north, and that, with the excepttion of said successful franchises, it needs to stick to northern cities. The 'yotes can move back to Winnipeg and revive the Jets, the Thrashers can move to Hartford to bring back the Whalers, and the Panthers can move to Quebec and become the Nordiques. Several other cities, like Saskatoon or Seattle, could possibly support NHL franchises as well.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Why the NHL insists on keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix, where the team hemorrages millions a year and are barely survivng on The Glendalian's tax money, while stopping cities that actually support hockey, like Hartford or Winnipeg, from getting franchises is beyond me. I know Bettman wants to nationalize the sport, but when a franchise barely sells 7-8,000 seats in a 15,000 seat arena, it's time to move on. In 2005, the team sucked, and played in a dumpy arena, and averaged about 10,000 a game. This past year, the team made the playoffs, and had a state of the art arena, and averaged 7-8,000 a night. That is a blatent sign that the team cannot be supported in Arizona. The teams in the south have been hit and miss. The Predators, Hurricanes, Lightning, Stars, and Ducks have all been able to prove they can be supported, and have been successful on the ice. The Thrashers, Panthers, and Coyotes, however, have failed. They each play in front of empty stadiums nightly, are deep in debt, and do not have a following in their respective cities. I think the NHL needs to realize that the sport is only very popular in the north, and that, with the excepttion of said successful franchises, it needs to stick to northern cities. The 'yotes can move back to Winnipeg and revive the Jets, the Thrashers can move to Hartford to bring back the Whalers, and the Panthers can move to Quebec and become the Nordiques. Several other cities, like Saskatoon or Seattle, could possibly support NHL franchises as well.

Sorry dude but I have a very hard time believing that a city of barely 250,000 such as Saskatoon could support an NHL team. I'm all for bringing teams back North of the border to Winnipeg and QC, but not sure on the 'Toon.

As long as arenas are in place, which is first and foremost, I see the following cities as the best options for relocation:

- Winnipeg

- Quebec City

- Norfolk-Hampton Roads

[charger77]

Why the NHL insists on keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix, where the team hemorrages millions a year and are barely survivng on The Glendalian's tax money, while stopping cities that actually support hockey, like Hartford or Winnipeg, from getting franchises is beyond me. I know Bettman wants to nationalize the sport, but when a franchise barely sells 7-8,000 seats in a 15,000 seat arena, it's time to move on. In 2005, the team sucked, and played in a dumpy arena, and averaged about 10,000 a game. This past year, the team made the playoffs, and had a state of the art arena, and averaged 7-8,000 a night. That is a blatent sign that the team cannot be supported in Arizona. The teams in the south have been hit and miss. The Predators, Hurricanes, Lightning, Stars, and Ducks have all been able to prove they can be supported, and have been successful on the ice. The Thrashers, Panthers, and Coyotes, however, have failed. They each play in front of empty stadiums nightly, are deep in debt, and do not have a following in their respective cities. I think the NHL needs to realize that the sport is only very popular in the north, and that, with the excepttion of said successful franchises, it needs to stick to northern cities. The 'yotes can move back to Winnipeg and revive the Jets, the Thrashers can move to Hartford to bring back the Whalers, and the Panthers can move to Quebec and become the Nordiques. Several other cities, like Saskatoon or Seattle, could possibly support NHL franchises as well.

Sorry dude but I have a very hard time believing that a city of barely 250,000 such as Saskatoon could support an NHL team. I'm all for bringing teams back North of the border to Winnipeg and QC, but not sure on the 'Toon.

Didn't the Blues almost go there??