katodelder said:11 possible future NHL cities, omit 1. Which city should be taken off this list.
Winnipeg
Quebec City
Hartford
Portland
Seattle
Las Vegas
Salt Lake City
Hamilton
Houston
Kansas City
Milwaukee
katodelder said:Vegas' population is exploding and the city is dying for a pro sports team. But it looks like betting on the league in question would have to cease before the city gets a team in that league. Nobody bets on hockey, so the NHL might be a better fit than MLB, NFL, or NBA.
They have a AAA baseball team thereHecht said:The closest thing they had to a pro-team was the Las Vegas Thunder of the old IHL.
UNLV is also there as well..
MojoJojo said:Seattle is not that close to Vancouver. Its at least a 2 hour drive when you consider customs and traffic, which is far worse than a number of other hockey markets (its really not that different than Buffalo and Toronto, IMO). If you want to see a game in Seattle, you are really going to drive to Vancouver? Maybe a few would, but I think there is great potential here. Seattle has the population, affluence and enough exposure to Canada that it would be the ideal US hockey market.
saskhab said:Why is everyone slagging Houston? The Aeros have survived in Houston for how many years, it's a huge city, and Texas has taken to hockey in a big way. I'd say it should be the NHL's #1 future destination.
Shane said:But, as stated above, it doesn't have an arena suited to NHL hockey, and the city is unlikely to build one.
arrbez said:nothing against the city of Hamilton itself, but having another team so close to Toronto and Buffalo would probably cause some some problems
The previous minor pro IHL team was called the Thunder. They were quite successsful on the ice (for the first 4 seasons) and at the gate.Habsfan 32 said:What would the team be called in Vegas?? The Las Vegas Gamblers.
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:...s/8653210.htm+Kansas+city+nhl+expansion&hl=en“I don't think there's a better time to be jumping into the National Hockey League than right now because it's at a pretty low ebb,†Leiweke said. “Looking forward, we're going to have (cost) predictability. There is going to be pain, but the good news for Kansas City is they don't have to sit through the pain.
“By the time this building opens, I believe commissioner Bettman will have a system in place to make it economical for someone to own this team in Kansas City in the National Hockey League and make money. There are going to be some franchises that economically aren't going to be able to make it in their existing markets. The time is right.
“If the arena is ultimately designed the right way and there is the support of the community, I see no reason Kansas City can't have another winter professional sports franchise back in this city.â€
Portland? - Unlikely to happen since Paul Allen would need to be in the mix and he is not enamoured of the NHL.dolfanar said:My votes for: Seatle OR Portland, leaning towards Portland. Second goes to Hamilton, and folks there are more than enough fans/money to support 3 teams in South Eastern Ontario. No worries there.
Wetcoaster said:Portland? - Unlikely to happen since Paul Allen would need to be in the mix and he is not enamoured of the NHL.
http://www.canoe.ca/Slam030109/col_francis-sun.html
The newest game in town? It’s the competition between Global Spectrum, the new operator of the Rose Garden, and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Global Spectrum began managing the arena Jan. 1 for Portland Arena Management, a Delaware-based limited liability company formed as a new entity by the 12 investment companies that are the bondholders of the Rose Garden. Oregon Arena Corp., owned by Trail Blazer owner Paul Allen, lost the building after it declared bankruptcy.
Global Spectrum bills itself as “the fastest-growing firm in the public assembly management field.†Its parent company, Comcast-Spectacor, owns the Philadelphia 76ers. Global Spectrum manages such facilities as Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center, where the 76ers play, the 28,000-seat FargoDome in North Dakota and several minor-league ballparks, along with the Arizona Cardinals’ new stadium in Phoenix.
Scanlon said the company will attempt to increase the number of dates in which the Rose Garden is used.
“To put 150 event days in, aside from Blazer and Winter Hawk games, is an achievable number,†he said. “Having 40-some-odd buildings throughout the country gives us the connections we need to get more things put together.â€
SensGod said:Vegas?
Thanks for the update.kdb209 said:But Paul Allen has a lot less influence now, since he no longer controls the Rose Garden.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=28173
And the new management company does have NHL connections, is looking to book more dates, and is upgrading the arena. It does not sound like they would be too averse another NHL ownership group came a knocking.
craig1 said:While I do not see expansion, or any franchises moving in the forseable future (assuming a favorable CBA is negotiated), I'll add to this thread........
.......Are you familiar with Vegas? As a city, not as a vacation spot. It has consistently been near the top, if not the fastest growing city in the US. Between 1990 and 2000, Vegas grew in population by 83.3%. It's fastest growing years have been in the past 3 to 4. California residents are leaving in a mass exodus to Vegas and Phoenix.
If you include the metro area of Vegas (as other cities do in population estimates), which is North Las Vegas and Henderson.....keep in mind, these places are about 2 miles from the Strip.....Vegas creeps into the top 10-15 in population. It wants a sports franchise, yet it has none.
Oh, here's some links:
http://www.govspot.com/lists/fastestgrowing.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108543.html
Shane said:Personally, I liked the idea of hockey in Houston. The only negative I can think of about a franchise there is that it'll probably take a lot away from Dallas' fanbase. But I think the rivalry alone that it would create far outweighs any negative aspect.