MOD EDIT: Could an NHL Team proactively choose to operate in 2 cities?

[dirtydanglez]

wasnt there talk about this 2 or 3 year ago.

 

[tarheelhockey]

There are some situations where circumstances might make it make sense, such as an arena being off-line for part of a season. But I don’t think that’s what you mean by “pro-actively”.

If you mean a team deliberately choosing to split its season between cities, no I don’t think there’s a scenario where that would make any sense. It would require enormous logistical overhead, like having to manage all the arena logistics in two cities. That would require two sets of support staff for things like security, concessions, etc. They would have to sell two sets of advertisements and manage two sets of sponsorships. They would have to sell two sets of season tickets, without the benefit of anyone being able to buy a true full-season ticket. It would just be a mess to administer and it’s very hard to imagine making more money by adding all that doubling of expenses and effort.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

PA would never allow it. Would the players and their families keep a separate home in each city?

I don't know that the NHLPA can outright prohibit it. It might not be happy about it, it might piss and squawk and moan about it, but ultimately as long as the various guarantees to the players are met - both cities are up to NHL standards, training areas meet NHLPA requirements, teams are able to meet all the required accommodations for travel and rest and such - there's probably nothing the NHLPA can do because the owner would point to Article 5 of the CBA.

Would the league allow it? That might be the bigger hurdle. I would imagine any such arrangement would be very short-term, unless the two arenas in question are in very close proximity to each other - and I'm not talking Toronto-Hamilton; I'm talking Toronto-Mississauga, or Dallas-Fort Worth, or Los Angeles-Anaheim, or Seattle-Tacoma.

 

[kaiser matias]

All that'd do is significant increase operating costs and require players to establish residences in two cities, which I'm sure would not be a popular thing for free agents.

That being said, I do think it'd make sense for some teams to establish a once-a-season alternate home city to expand their respective footprints. So, if Chicago played a home game every season in Milwaukee or Indianapolis, or St. Louis in Kansas City, or Nashville in Memphis or Louisville, or Montreal in Quebec City, etc, etc.

Chicago actually did that thrlught the Original 6 era: they routinely had several games a year in places like St. Louis and I believe Milwaukee. Attendance wasn't strong in Chicago, and the Wirtzs owned the arenas, so they tried that out.

 

[Kane One]

How far away are we talking? Did the Islanders not just play in Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum at the same time?

 

[KeydGV21]

As mentioned, the Expos did this with Puerto Rico. The Tampa Bay Rays were given league permission to explore playing some games in Montreal. For pandemic reasons the Jays played games in Dunedin and Buffalo. The Bills have had multiple home games moved to Detroit due to blizzards and the Saints played outside of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. So yeah, in theory, it is possible.

The real question though is, barring some disaster that makes a stadium not suitable to play in, why would a team even want to do this?

 

[seafoam]

If they have backing from Bettman they surely can.

 

[Matty Sundin]

If they wanted a team in Saskatchewan and Regina and Saskatoon split it then sure…

 

[BruinsFan37]

If they wanted a team in Saskatchewan and Regina and Saskatoon split it then sure…

That is the only scenario where a split schedule would work (maybe) long term, but I don't see an NHL team in Saskatchewan to begin with. Any US City would/should be big enough to support the team on it's own, or it's not getting a team.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Toronto could do it. Hamilton needs a team to serve for Toronto's second team. Like the Islanders and Rangers.

 

[ricky0034]

The Arizzzzzzonas coyotes timeshare expansion plan
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look i'm just saying if they can play entire seasons in that college arena is it too much to ask for them to play 1 game in my backyard?

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

The ‘Alberta’ Oilers played half their home games in Calgary their first season, but that was in the WHA days

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

The Flames tried to play in Austin during the pandemic but it got shut down. It wouldn’t work, I don’t see how you could do it without damaging the relationship with your fanbase.

 

[Channelcat]

Next time, you should start with "hey, should we move the Maple Leafs out of Toronto for half of the season?"

You'd be a big star around here.

That's essentially the case. The Leafs play 82 home games all across the continent.

 

[Magic 8 Ball]

Are you talking about a team that's having trouble filling their building, like Winnepeg, going to Quebec for, say, 10 home games?

Or Arizona doing likewise, with one of those cities that want an NHL team, like Houston or Atlanta?

I think it would be an interesting idea.

 

[hangman005]

Do you know what would be a better title than "Hypothetical question"?

Literally this. I'm going to change it but please in the future consider your audience who doesn't want to open a thread to see what you want to discuss.

If preface a thread "Rhetorical Question:" Do I have to leave it unlocked?

 

[JadedLeaf]

That is the only scenario where a split schedule would work (maybe) long term, but I don't see an NHL team in Saskatchewan to begin with. Any US City would/should be big enough to support the team on it's own, or it's not getting a team.

People like to point out that the Riders do well here but I don't even see how it's a comparable. One league plays 9 home games mostly spread out over the weekends in the summer and one plays 41 games all through the week in the winter in the prairies. Nobody is driving 100s of kms in shitty prairie storms to watch a weekday game multiple times a week in numbers that would make it feasible.

Absolute best Sask can hope for in terms of NHL teams are exhibition games in my opinion.

 

[banks]

Imagine being a player and some of your "home" games are still in a different city than your family.

The NHLPA would never let that happen long-term. And it would only happen temporarily for some serious reasons, like NYI splitting between 2 arenas in the same city, or the pandemic messing everything up.

 

[waitin425]

The Habs are Canada's team. So they literally are an entire Country's team!

 

[BLNY]

The Wild, and the Northstars before them, operate in the "Twin Cities".

 

[CaptainCaveman]

Ya arenas are too expensive for it to make sense unless you go the Arizona route

So like, 3 Mullet arenas = 1 NHL arena?

Let's get'r done!

 

[Voight]

NHLPA wouldn't allow it.

Players would also demand to be paid a lot more given they'd now have to buy two houses instead of one.

 

[MeHateHe]

Next time, you should start with "hey, should we move the Maple Leafs out of Toronto for half of the season?"

You'd be a big star around here.

I for one would support having the Toronto Maple Leafs moved out of Toronto, perhaps to an ice floe in the north Atlantic.

I'm not a monster. I'd send some friends. Maybe the Bruins.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Toronto could do it. Hamilton needs a team to serve for Toronto's second team. Like the Islanders and Rangers.

The Islanders were founded to prevent the WHA from operating in the NY area efficiently. Different situation.

 

[StreetHawk]

Meaning say, the Minnesota Wild play half games at Xcel Energy Center and the other half at Target Center?

If that's what you are asking, then no.

For the players, they typically live closer to wherever their practice facility is located as that is where they spend most of their time, not the home arena. But, not ideal for players to commute that far for a home game.

Would not want to have a Tues game in Minn then a Thur game in St. Paul. would get confusing for the players.