NHL Expansion back on agenda?

[ponder719]

I think you could talk that one in circles. No, the NHL won't go to a market just because the other big 3 are there, but If the NBA, NFL, and MLB are all already there, it's a pretty good indicator that it's a good market. The biggest names in expansion right now are Houston, Atlanta, and Phoenix. What do they have in common?

MSA of 5M+ and no NHL team.

 

[Tawnos]

I think you could talk that one in circles. No, the NHL won't go to a market just because the other big 3 are there, but If the NBA, NFL, and MLB are all already there, it's a pretty good indicator that it's a good market. The biggest names in expansion right now are Houston, Atlanta, and Phoenix. What do they have in common?

Like I said, it's just a weird way of looking at it.

You know what they all have in common? They're all south of the 35th parallel, which has about as much importance in this conversation as the presence of the other leagues.

 

[tucker3434]

Like I said, it's just a weird way of looking at it.

You know what they all have in common? They're all south of the 35th parallel, which has about as much importance in this conversation as the presence of the other leagues.

Well, we aren't headed to Mexico City any time soon.

There absolutely is value in being able to look and see how the market responds to other franchises at the highest level of their sport. I would be shocked if the Atlanta Braves weren't brought up during Atlanta NHL expansion talks. Their move to the burbs is exactly what's being planned for the next NHL franchise.

 

[Tawnos]

Well, we aren't headed to Mexico City any time soon.

There absolutely is value in being able to look and see how the market responds to other franchises at the highest level of their sport. I would be shocked if the Atlanta Braves weren't brought up during Atlanta NHL expansion talks. Their move to the burbs is exactly what's being planned for the next NHL franchise.

Nothing you just wrote is about the presence of teams in the markets. You look at other organizations to see what they're doing that works, absolutely. You don't just say "oh, they have all 3 leagues. Let's go there!"

OK, so here's another way of looking at the point I'm making here. Cleveland has NFL, MLB, NBA. The NHL really has no interest in going to that market. My city is often rumored for an MLB expansion team, but if Charlotte did get one it wouldn't make the NHL sit up and say "we should be there too!"

Here too, the opposite is also the case. Tampa has 3 of the big 4, including the NHL. St Louis. Pittsburgh. Nashville if they get an MLB team will be there also. None of these markets are ones the NBA seems to be interested in, though Tampa is because of the proximity of Orlando. Which cities are on their radar that already have NHL teams? Seattle, which is a top-15 market and the largest without an NBA team... and Vegas, which has the massive X factor of their entertainment industry.

 

[tucker3434]

Nothing you just wrote is about the presence of teams in the markets. You look at other organizations to see what they're doing that works, absolutely. You don't just say "oh, they have all 3 leagues. Let's go there!"

OK, so here's another way of looking at the point I'm making here. Cleveland has NFL, MLB, NBA. The NHL really has no interest in going to that market. My city is often rumored for an MLB expansion team, but if Charlotte did get one it wouldn't make the NHL sit up and say "we should be there too!"

Here too, the opposite is also the case. Tampa has 3 of the big 4, including the NHL. St Louis. Pittsburgh. Nashville if they get an MLB team will be there also. None of these markets are ones the NBA seems to be interested in, though Tampa is because of the proximity of Orlando. Which cities are on their radar that already have NHL teams? Seattle, which is a top-15 market and the largest without an NBA team... and Vegas, which has the massive X factor of their entertainment industry.

I'm not talking about markets that are already covered. No, Ohio and NC don't need two NHL teams. At least, not right now. Florida does not need 2 teams within 2 hours of each other. The Bay Area doesn't need a team on each side of the bay. Those are all effectively 4 sport markets. If there weren't teams in Columbus, Raleigh, Tampa and San Jose, the NHL would absolutely be looking to get in there.

I think it's probably similar going in the other direction. NBA has Memphis and Philly. They don't need Nashville or Pittsburgh. I expect the NBA will be in Seattle and Vegas before too long.

 

[New Jersey Devil]

In hindsight, the time to attempt to establish Toronto 2 was the late 70s/early 80s. My personal target would be the Scouts/Rockies, if either of those relocations had put a team in Toronto, the league would have had a Toronto franchise in each conference, and would have kept the NYC market to two teams. Granted, they'd have to come up with compensation to the Leafs, which would likely have been punitive, but what would seem punitive then would seem paltry in hindsight, once they'd had a few decades to develop a fanbase.

NYC area having 3 NHL teams is great! I'm glad that the Rockies relocated to New Jersey!