NHL wants to expand to 36 teams

[Puckclektr]

Although a 2nd Toronto team would be very viable, this won't grow the game in the US which is what Bettman wants. Bettman couldn't care less about Canada.

I agree which is why I boycott any merchandise. There is a huge population of people in the Toronto area that can't afford games and becasue he wants to grow the game in the USA, the people that love the game here are suffering. I will occasionally drive to Buffalo for cheap tickets, but the fact that many Leaf fans can't afford to take their kid to a game while families of four in the states have no problem sitting among empty seats is enough for me to not spend a dime on anything else. Call it petty, but we love the game here and we are the ones left in the dark...

 

[VivaLasVegas]

I agree which is why I boycott any merchandise. There is a huge population of people in the Toronto area that can't afford games and becasue he wants to grow the game in the USA, the people that love the game here are suffering. I will occasionally drive to Buffalo for cheap tickets, but the fact that many Leaf fans can't afford to take their kid to a game while families of four in the states have no problem sitting among empty seats is enough for me to not spend a dime on anything else. Call it petty, but we love the game here and we are the ones left in the dark...

Who exactly in Canada has offered the NHL a check for an expansion team? Name names.

What you are really complaining about is that no Canadian investment group is willing to risk their dollars on a Canadian expansion team. Whose fault is that?

 

[Xerloris]

I know it won't happen but a team in Alaska would be cool, talk about a long road trip. Let's add Russia too

 

[Jetcetera]

Cant we just stick with 32? More teams = worse hockey

 

[ManofSteel55]

Although a 2nd Toronto team would be very viable, this won't grow the game in the US which is what Bettman wants. Bettman couldn't care less about Canada.

It would be a safe choice though. So if of the four teams, they decide to go with 2 or 3 markets that are risky - including 2 that have failed as NHL cities in the past - the fourth being in a less risky location could make sense. At the end of the day though, I suspect you are right - Phoenix, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Houston are all likely to end up with teams out of this.

 

[qcal1427]

And has a surrounding population of 10 million within an hour.

There is absolutely not 10 million people within an hour of Halifax

 

[ManofSteel55]

I hope they do six divisions of six. Nine teams per division is too many. You'll only play some division rivals three times a year.

I like that idea. 2 playoff teams from each division, and 2 wildcards.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Who exactly in Canada has offered the NHL a check for an expansion team? Name names.

What you are really complaining about is that no Canadian investment group is willing to risk their dollars on a Canadian expansion team. Whose fault is that?

Didn’t realize you know, who has and hasn’t offered cheques.
All we know is Houston balked at 0.75 billion and now it will be 1.5

 

[ManofSteel55]

And has a surrounding population of 10 million within an hour.

The entire province only has an estimated population of just over a million. There's no way 10m people live within an hour of Halifax.

 

[Golden_Jet]

There is absolutely not 10 million people within an hour of Halifax

My bad I thought we were talking about Hamilton not Halifax, ya Halifax won’t get a team.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Didn’t realize you know, who has and hasn’t offered cheques.
All we know is Houston balked at 0.75 billion and now it will be 1.5

Fertitta balked at $750m, but this is a different multi-billionaire (Friedkin) who has the dough and is apparently willing to pay.

 

[LeafGrief]

Of course they are. The Ponzi scheme of their franchise values falls apart if they stop adding teams. If they get to 36, they'll soon consider 40.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Of course they are. The Ponzi scheme of their franchise values falls apart if they stop adding teams. If they get to 36, they'll soon consider 40.

I’d say having less teams, which means harder to get one, would increase value more over time.

 

[Puckclektr]

Who exactly in Canada has offered the NHL a check for an expansion team? Name names.

What you are really complaining about is that no Canadian investment group is willing to risk their dollars on a Canadian expansion team. Whose fault is that?

Jim Balsillie tried. Bettman could easily put a team in town and you know the Leafs hold the power to stop it....hockey fans suffer in Toronto. meanwhile empty seats are still a thing in the south.

 

[LaPlante94]

Saskatoon would never sign a single free agent, they would be on every single No Trade List and the minute any of their players had any value they would be holding out or demanding trades. A Saskatoon NHL franchise would essentially be like a feeder team for the rest of the league.

Winnipeg is three times larger than Saskatoon. Think about that.

For the record, the Saskatchewan Roughriders play in Regina, not Saskatoon, but the team draws from all over the province, something is *much* easier to do when you have eight home dates on the schedule, not 42.

Yeah I was more so interested in the kind of environment they could bring to the league because if any province can get a crazy environment for a CFL team then I can only imagine how crazy they could be for a NHL team. I doubt Canada gets another team though because I doubt Gary allows that.

 

[Chockey22]

The only option in Canada that makes sense from a financial perspective would be Toronto 2.0; but the Leafs would block that. I know it's nice to blame Bettman for not having a second team in Southwest Ontario, but the blame in my view lies entirely with the Leafs.

 

[3074326]

I’d say having less teams, which means harder to get one, would increase value more over time.

If less teams = more money, they wouldn’t be expanding

Next part of the post isn’t necessarily directed at you.

The folks saying it will make the game worse are just repeating the same arguments that were made before every other expansion, and the league is doing just fine. Talent is not an issue. I do agree that 32 is a good spot though.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Jim Balsillie tried. Bettman could easily put a team in town and you know the Leafs hold the power to stop it....hockey fans suffer in Toronto. meanwhile empty seats are still a thing in the south.

The NHL doesn't "put" teams anywhere, but only reviews applications, and wasn't Balsillie the guy who was selling tickets before he even had a deal and was rejected as the owner of two US teams too?

 

[FerrisRox]

Yeah I was more so interested in the kind of environment they could bring to the league because if any province can get a crazy environment for a CFL team then I can only imagine how crazy they could be for a NHL team. I doubt Canada gets another team though because I doubt Gary allows that.

Gary has absolutely no say in the matter.

People often seem to misunderstand what the Commissioner of the NHL does - and what power he has - and as a result, Gary Bettman gets blamed for all kinds of things.

The Commissioner is the highest ranking executive in the NHL, but he works for the Board of Governors, and it is them, and them alone, that have votes on matters like adding a shootout, changing the playoff format or granting expansion franchises.

Bettman gathers information and data for them about viable cities, markets, sponsorship opportunities, TV markets, growth of the game, average income, etc. He can make recommendations. He can make strong suggestions. But he has no vote. Only the Board of Governors do. So the notion that Bettman could veto a possible expansion location is simply not possible.

All of that being said, as someone who has been to a few Rider games, and seen firsthand the way that province supports and loves the team, I too would be fascinated to see how they would embrace an NHL club. We were so close, back in '82, to getting an NHL club in Saskatoon. Would have been pretty wild.

 

[Golden_Jet]

If less teams = more money, they wouldn’t be expanding

League is expanding because owners can’t say no to $50 million each, for every new team now.

 

[rynryn]

really shitty environment for expansion talk right now. Sure the billionaires will all have a lot of extra pocket change but the average hockey enjoyer might see hockey tickets and jerseys as less important than feeding their kids. idk.

 

[T REX]

I really disagree that the talent pool can support that many teams. Theres like maybe 15 good goalies inethe league and you want to add 8 more goalie spots into the league? At this rate the next wave of stars are going to be scoring 250 points a season

its possible that the owners know this and think it will be great for the leagur

 

[ozzie]

Is Toronto a hockey town or Leaf town. I don’t think a second team succeeding is a slam dunk.

My guess is 4 American teams with Houston entering the league. Unfortunately I think they try Atlanta again too. They really want that expansion money.

 

[Voight]

Enough teams to add a play-in round for the playoffs?

I hope not. One of the worst ideas that the NBA has come up with.

 

[Mr Positive]

The more, the merrier, I say