Is Saskatchewan (CAN) suitable for an expension team

[GreeningOil]

Their capital city has 250,000 people and one of the poorest neighborhoods in North America. What do you think?

HEY.

Saskatoon is better than Regina. But HELLLLLLL to the NO on us being capable of supporting an NHL team.

Unless it’s Called “the Cameco/ Potash Corp/ Mosaic Hockey Club”

We could do an AHL team in my opinion.

 

[Nikishin al Gaib]

I can't tell you how many times over the years that we've seen people say that Raleigh is too small to have a NHL franchise.

The population of the Raleigh metro is just over 1,5m people, and was the 3rd fastest growing city in the US in 2023

The entire population of Saskatchewan is just over 1.1m people

So..... no

 

[Skidooboy]

why are you so angry?

yes, it absolutely would be sold out. Again the team would be located in Saskatoon, not Regina, and very centrally located. Add in the fact that it would be Saskatchewan's only true professional sports franchise (Roughriders don't really count, as it's not a big 4 league), and the support for the team would be fanatical.

I'm sorry , truly I am...as a Canadian, a prairie boy, and someone with Saskatoon, Sask on his birth certificate....But this is magical thinking.

Centrally located to what? Martinsville? Langham? and Asquith?

LOL it's almost three hours to Regina. 2.5 to Moose Jaw. an hour to PA , 2 1/2 to Lloydminister..

yes fans like here in MB will make the drive.... but even then I just don't see the population to support it.

Winnipeg has 2x the metro population and they can't 100% sell out THIS year when they have been #1 since game 1. and the Jets lag behind every other team in terms of corporate sales etc...

Saskatoon has zero chance. the market is waaaaaaaay to small and waaaaay to dispersed.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

why are you so angry?

yes, it absolutely would be sold out. Again the team would be located in Saskatoon, not Regina, and very centrally located. Add in the fact that it would be Saskatchewan's only true professional sports franchise (Roughriders don't really count, as it's not a big 4 league), and the support for the team would be fanatical.

I'm not even a little angry. I am tired of seeing/hearing this suggestion. It is utterly ridiculous.

Will people from 2 hrs away drive to games? Yes, of course they will. But not nearly enough of them often enough. The next biggest population concentration is Regina, 3 hrs away. Not enough people will make that drive often enough either. It isn't even remotely feasible.

 

[Daximus]

why are you so angry?

yes, it absolutely would be sold out. Again the team would be located in Saskatoon, not Regina, and very centrally located. Add in the fact that it would be Saskatchewan's only true professional sports franchise (Roughriders don't really count, as it's not a big 4 league), and the support for the team would be fanatical.

Saskatoon is not centrally located nor is it big enough to support a team. Lets be realistic about this. 350k people with maybe another 100k max within an hour driving distance is not even close to enough people. I would love a team here but it's not feasible long term until one of the cities gets to at least 700-800k population. Which is probably decades and decades away from happening.

 

[JackSlater]

No, not enough people and not enough money.

 

[Bocephus86]

Think of all the fun the NHL could have with a team name based in Regina? They could give the Rhode Island School of Design's mascot a run for its money.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

Nope. Brandt Centre is small and old. 7000ish seats.

Sask Place is old and way the f*** out in the industrial area in the most inconvenient location. 14000 ish seats.

I sure as hell would not drive down to Regina on a Thursday evening to see a game.

 

[Saitama]

The best part of Saskatchewan getting an NHL team is that the Jets wouldn't be at the number 1 spot on most player's no-trade list anymore!

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Suitable as in "loads of rabid fans and a hockey culture as genuine as anywhere on the planet"? Absolutely.

Suitable as in "untapped market megalopolis backed by the presence of numerous Fortune 500 companies and a potentially enormous local TV market", i.e. the attributes important to the NHL? Zero chance.

 

[Mac Attack]

As a Saskatoon resident, nothing would make me happier. Will never happen though. So we will continue to all cheer for different teams as we see fit. It's crazy how many different teams are supported here. (And no Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, we don't owe any of you our allegiance.)

 

[STL fan in MN]

The fact that the OP felt he needed to clarify that Saskatchewan is in fact in Canada in the thread title is the answer…

 

[Stive Morgan]

Culturally? Sure.

Financially/realistically? Not really.

 

[voyageur]

The vote was 15-3 against relocating the St. Louis Blues to Saskatoon in 1983. That was at a time when CBC provided the main television revenues for the NHL, and the league had no major American TV contract. Cost the Blues an entire draft.

There's no chance now. Not even the slightest.

But the Heritage game in Mosaic was an absolutely beauty. Might be my favourite NHL outdoor game after the original.

Hopefully the NHL plays another hockey game in Saskatchewan.

 

[Donnie740]

There’s a better chance of the Sunnyvale Trailer Park getting an NHL expansion team than there is of Saskatchewan getting one.

 

[edevils]

I think it's more likely we see a cluster of teams in Europe.

If so, I would think the league would need to introduce multiple Euro teams the same year in order to justify the travel.

 

[Channelcat]

People don't understand Saskatchewan. Doesn't matter where you build it, the barn would have 18k every night. That being said, the corporate base is small and cdn$ is weak. The league certainly isn't looking at Canada right now

 

[5 Minute Major]

In a dream world, yes. In reality, no way.

 

[Derailed75]

Some of the Canadian cities that get brought as possible expansion sites on these boards make Mystery Alaska seem like a good idea.

 

[Dirty Mind]

Saskatoon is looking into building an entertainment district with a 15,900 seat arena.

I’m not sure what the progress on this is, but Saskatchewan would definitely punch above its weight, similar to Edmonton. Saskatoon and Regina are approaching 400,000 and 300,000 respectively.

Having said that, it’s easy to travel to Regina for the Riders, but 41 home games at NHL prices?

 

[Juxta Position]

Saskatoon is not centrally located nor is it big enough to support a team. Lets be realistic about this. 350k people with maybe another 100k max within an hour driving distance is not even close to enough people. I would love a team here but it's not feasible long term until one of the cities gets to at least 700-800k population. Which is probably decades and decades away from happening.

Regina is 2 hours away, Moose Jaw is 2 hours away, Prince Albert is an hour and a half away, North Battleford is an hour away; that's another 350,000 people right there, not including all the smaller towns like Humboldt, Melfort, Swift Current, Yorkton, etc. Regardless, I don't disagree that it will never happen, but I guarantee that if somehow Gary Bettman lost his mind and it did ever happen, you would have season ticket holders in all of those towns and cities. However, there is nowhere near enough corporate money in this province to make that even remotely feasible.

 

[Boyon90]

Saskatoon is looking into building an entertainment district with a 15,900 seat arena.
View attachment 1014203

I’m not sure what the progress on this is, but Saskatchewan would definitely punch above its weight, similar to Edmonton. Saskatoon and Regina are approaching 400,000 and 300,000 respectively.

Having said that, it’s easy to travel to Regina for the Riders, but 41 home games at NHL prices?

So hum, whats the price difference between 15k seats and 22k seats arena... Pejorative Slurs haha for real just go for it

 

[Boyon90]

Some of the Canadian cities that get brought as possible expansion sites on these boards make Mystery Alaska seem like a good idea.

ok but part of this thread implied 1 more team in canada

 

[Juxta Position]

I'm not even a little angry. I am tired of seeing/hearing this suggestion. It is utterly ridiculous.

Will people from 2 hrs away drive to games? Yes, of course they will. But not nearly enough of them often enough. The next biggest population concentration is Regina, 3 hrs away. Not enough people will make that drive often enough either. It isn't even remotely feasible.

Yes, they absolutely would drive there 41 times a season, without question. you are severely underestimating how boring Saskatchewan winters are. I know season ticket holders to the Oilers that live in Prince Albert, 4 hours away from Edmonton.

We have nothing in this province besides the Roughriders; an NHL team would legitimately be the biggest draw in the province.

Saskatchewan in the summertime, especially northern Saskatchewan, is absolutely beautiful if you're an outdoors person. the lakes, Boreal forest, and the Canadian Shield make for some of the most beautiful nature I've ever seen, and I've traveled extensively. But Saskatchewan in the winter is a bloody frozen wasteland.

No player in their right mind would ever want to live here in the winter.

 

[thebeernerd]

No goddamn way. It didn't fly in the early 80s and it sure as shit won't fly now.