Yet another argument for the NHL to move at least one team to Canuckistan

[JR]

1./3 of all NHL ticket revenues come from guess where? The six Canadian teams.

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/433906

The six Canadian teams account for 31 per cent of the $1.1 billion (U.S.) in league ticket revenue, and have gone through league-leading double-digit increases over last season, according to the internal NHL repo

Leafs average close to $2 million per game in tcket sales.

The American Southwest is a great place for hockey:

The most interesting league data may concern the sad-sack Coyotes, who were last in ticket revenue at $450,000. The team is losing more than $30 million a season and was contacted over the past season by six potential buyers, including Balsillie's lawyer, Richard Rodier.

Yeah, Kansas City/Las Vegas is such a great ****ing idea.

Paging Smasher Sloane........

 

[93Devil]

Now stop bashing Mario for not being more open with the press, because the man helped keep the Pens in Pittsburgh.

Oklahoma City Penguins?

Las Vegas State Pens?

 

[Lyman_Bostock]

How much of this is because of the parity between the Canadian and U.S. dollars?

 

[crimsonace]

If Bettman had his way, the entire freaking league would be in the Sun Belt.

In reality, outside of Minnesota -> Dallas (which was about Norm Green being an idiot), all of the moves to the south have been former WHA teams. The NHL has done nothing to keep the ex-WHA teams solvent, other than help them pack their bags. They tried really, really, really hard to get the Oilers to move to Houston, too.

Why not fold up Nashville, Phoenix, Florida, Anaheim and Carolina and move them to Milwaukee, Hartford, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Kitchener/Waterloo, where there would at least be something resembling a fan base, instead of continuing to try to cram teams in the south, where nobody wants them once the novelty wears off. Maybe even take the Lightning and move them to Saskatoon.

Kansas City might actually work. So might OKC, which at least used to draw 10K+ for its low, low, low minor-league team (but won't have room for both the NBA and NHL, so scratch that). Vegas would be a joke.

 

[Huggy]

I can think of a few junior teams that sold over $450,000 in tickets. What a ****ing joke.

 

[sportschick]

Hell, the crappy minor league team here sold more than that. That's pathetic.

 

[Lyman_Bostock]

If Bettman had his way, the entire freaking league would be in the Sun Belt.

In reality, outside of Minnesota -> Dallas (which was about Norm Green being an idiot), all of the moves to the south have been former WHA teams. The NHL has done nothing to keep the ex-WHA teams solvent, other than help them pack their bags. They tried really, really, really hard to get the Oilers to move to Houston, too.

Why not fold up Nashville, Phoenix, Florida, Anaheim and Carolina and move them to Milwaukee, Hartford, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Kitchener/Waterloo, where there would at least be something resembling a fan base, instead of continuing to try to cram teams in the south, where nobody wants them once the novelty wears off. Maybe even take the Lightning and move them to Saskatoon.

Kansas City might actually work. So might OKC, which at least used to draw 10K+ for its low, low, low minor-league team (but won't have room for both the NBA and NHL, so scratch that). Vegas would be a joke.

Kitchener/Waterloo? Seriously?

 

[crimsonace]

Kitchener/Waterloo? Seriously?

Seriously. Think of the Toronto area's version of the New Jersey Devils. Except with fans. It's almost impossible to buy Leafs tickets ... if any market deserves 2 teams, Toronto does much more than, say, L.A.

Maybe Hamilton instead, but Hamilton isn't the most affluent city and it is pretty close to Buffalo.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Wow.

I know the Coyotes weren't doing well, but not even I could envision figures that lean. I can't imagine Sunrise and Atlanta are doing much better.

JR, I would assume that if Balsillie can get one of the non-traditional market teams, he would try to move it to Hamilton much the way he wanted to move the Predators?

 

[Oz]

Yeah, Kansas City/Las Vegas is such a great ****ing idea.

Colorado's done well with a second chance, so why not Kansas City?

 

[forever_town]

Cities/States that IMO could say they deserve NHL teams:

Seattle
Portland, Ore.
Dakota (North and South Dakota)
Milwaukee
Winnipeg
Hartford
Hamilton
Toronto (just kidding)

Areas that should see their hockey teams leave:
Nashville
Carolina
Phoenix
Washington
Atlanta
New Jersey

No chance in hell for Kansas ****ty.

 

[bostonbred]

Kitchener/Waterloo? Seriously?

Seriously. Think of the Toronto area's version of the New Jersey Devils. Except with fans. It's almost impossible to buy Leafs tickets ... if any market deserves 2 teams, Toronto does much more than, say, L.A.

Maybe Hamilton instead, but Hamilton isn't the most affluent city and it is pretty close to Buffalo.

Makes sense to me. Toronto-area could use two teams.

From Phoenix to Nashville, there are a handful of cities that do not need NHL hockey franchises. Hell, there's an NHL team practically playing on South Beach.

 

[Huggy]

Kitchener/Waterloo? Seriously?

Seriously. Think of the Toronto area's version of the New Jersey Devils. Except with fans. It's almost impossible to buy Leafs tickets ... if any market deserves 2 teams, Toronto does much more than, say, L.A.

Maybe Hamilton instead, but Hamilton isn't the most affluent city and it is pretty close to Buffalo.

And the Sabres scream bloody ****ing murder and hold them up for a larcenous territorial rights fee.

 

[hockeybeat]

How much of this is because of the parity between the Canadian and U.S. dollars?

I think it has more to do with Bettman trying to create new hockey markets and failing miserably.

 

[forever_town]

Can someone do us all a favor and put Gary Bettman out of the NHL's misery?

 

[JR]

How much of this is because of the parity between the Canadian and U.S. dollars?

Lots. So what?

Doesn't change the fact.

And remember when the loonie was 65 Cents to the US dollars, Canadian teams were paying salaries in Yankee bucks.

 

[JR]

Yeah, Kansas City/Las Vegas is such a great ****ing idea.

Colorado's done well with a second chance, so why not Kansas City?

Because I think most businesses make sure they've fully exploited their primary markets before they move into secondary markets.

And in the hockey universe K-C is a secondary market after places like SW Ontario.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Areas that should see their hockey teams leave:
Carolina

No.

Yes, I'm a serious fanboy looser ... no secret there.

But the organization is quite healthy, arguably healthier than it ever was in Hartford. A lot of that is the talent pool, and most of the rest of it is Peter Karmanos' penny-pinching ways, which haven't exactly loosened but he seems to be getting a little better about it. Maybe I'm completely dreaming on the last point.

It doesn't seem that anyone in Manitoba, much less Winnipeg, will pony up the cash for an arena and it doesn't sound like anyone is too eager to go back to the Jets' old place. I also don't know if Hartford will be very warm to another organization given the way Karmanos pulled the Whalers out of there.

The others make sense - particularly the Pacific Northwest locales and Hamilton. Is there a centralized locale in the Dakotas that would work best?

 

[Oz]

Foevertown, your list of cities/states that IMO could say they deserve NHL teams:

Seattle -- lousy arena, needs a new one, which is why the Sonics are leaving for OKC
Portland, Ore. -- an NBA town, simple as that
Dakota (North and South Dakota) -- you think they're rich enough for Sioux and NHL tickets?
Milwaukee -- an NBA town already
Winnipeg -- too small, needs new arena
Hartford -- needs new arena, though fan base would be there
Hamilton -- no debate there

To dump on KC (with the Sprint Center up and running already) and mention some of the locales you think are viable is laughable.

 

[MacDaddy]

Of the U.S. cities that could get a team, Portland is probably the best bet. There's already a great building (the Rose Garden) and they've historically supported the minor league team pretty well. There'd also be the potential for a rivalry with Vancouver.