Ottawa Senators receiving bids for more than 900 million USD (1.24 billion CDN)

[Karl Eriksson]

This could definitely be true but how is it OK to just completely ignore the recent history of actual franchise sales? To think that there is zero chance they could purchased and relocated is just delusional.

It’s literally a contractual condition, so there is zero chance

 

[Sensatauro]

Thrashers team sold then moved to Winnipeg.

Whalers sold then relocated to Carolina 2 seasons later.

Jets sold and moved to Phoenix.

But no, this NEVER happens! There's a 0% chance this could happen to the Senators!!

You really are serious and not trolling. Bruh….

Since you have terrible reading comprehension, or the memory of a fish, but conditions on the sale include a major caveat that hurts your theory they will be moved. That condition, is the team MUST stay in the Ottawa area, and NO BIDS with relocation as part of its bid will be accepted.

But you do you boo. Believe you’re right and that the team will relocate with this new owner. It’s a free world. Just stop attacking posters that are giving you facts. You’re retorting with childish nonsense is a bad look

 

[KevinRedkey]

Thrashers team sold then moved to Winnipeg.

Whalers sold then relocated to Carolina 2 seasons later.

Jets sold and moved to Phoenix.

But no, this NEVER happens! There's a 0% chance this could happen to the Senators!!

What part of "only bids with a guarantee of staying in Ottawa will be considered" do you not understand?

You'd have a point if no one wanted the team I guess, but there are multiple bidders willing to sign on the dotted line to keep the team in Ottawa. It's 100% sure at this point.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Report: Senators have nine bidders, some offering up more than $900M

The Ottawa Senators have nine parties interested in purchasing the team, with some of the bids valuing the team at more than $900 million, according to a report Thursday in Sportico.

www.sportsnet.ca

Surprised that one of the smaller markets in the NHL is getting bids for more than 900 million, which might showcase the health of the league at the moment. Thoughts?

I think it’s more indicative of how much billionaires are willing to blow on their own vanity.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I think it’s more indicative of how much billionaires are willing to blow on their own vanity.

It’s tied to a massive real estate project and potentially the largest entertainment destrict in the city. It’s not hard to see why.

 

[Pink Mist]

What an enormous amount of money for the 2nd favorite hockey team in Ottawa.

3rd favourite team, I'd say

 

[Golden_Jet]

What an enormous amount of money for the 2nd favorite hockey team in Ottawa.

Better than your franchise, that plays in a barn. Least Senators won’t get moved , you have no rink , owner threatened to move team.

 

[Voight]

Ssshhh, be kind.

When people realize the sens have one of the biggest television markets in the league, they feel insecure.

Seriously it amazes me how people don't realize how narrow a span of a time the sens have had any kind of success. Their first playoff game was only 21 years before their last. That's a single generation of kids who grew up with a winning team. I take it for granted when childhood sens fans start having kids there's gonna be explosion in the popularity of the team.

Brady Tkachuk is gonna do as much for the Sens as Tage Thompson will do for the Sabres.

It's not about talent it's about charisma. Guy makes the dullest of games fun. Contrast to the not to be mentioned team where even winning lacks passion.

He has a toddlers face so yea, kids will love him

 

[Golden_Jet]

3rd favourite team, I'd say

Enjoy your team when no one re-signs

 

[HSF]

It’s actually surprisingly low the conversion considering the proximity and lack of success from Toronto. Leafs games in Ottawa are sold out, but Sens games in a regular season usually have tons of empty seats unless there’s something meaningful about the game.

I know a lot of huge hockey fans living in Ottawa who only exclusively go to the Leafs games in Ottawa, or Habs, or whatever opposition team they’re cheering for. Mostly, they go for the opposition and cheap seats, rather than loyalty to the Sens. More Leafs fans go to Buffalo, probably because it’s closer even though Ottawa has similar priced tickets and you don’t have to cross a border.

Location wise though Ottawa has huge potential sitting between two of the biggest fanbases in the NHL.

Will take a generation

we are already seeing change. Dubas grew up a Sens fan and he is fairly young

almost no one will change teams unless they live in the city

 

[Golden_Jet]

It’s actually surprisingly low the conversion considering the proximity and lack of success from Toronto. Leafs games in Ottawa are sold out, but Sens games in a regular season usually have tons of empty seats unless there’s something meaningful about the game.

I know a lot of huge hockey fans living in Ottawa who only exclusively go to the Leafs games in Ottawa, or Habs, or whatever opposition team they’re cheering for. Mostly, they go for the opposition and cheap seats, rather than loyalty to the Sens. More Leafs fans go to Buffalo, probably because it’s closer even though Ottawa has similar priced tickets and you don’t have to cross a border.

Location wise though Ottawa has huge potential sitting between two of the biggest fanbases in the NHL.

I would suggest taking off the blue glasses lol.
Sounds like you don’t know many people then.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Novy-Williams: It's pretty rare to have this many groups seriously trying to buy a sports franchise

Eben Novy-Williams from Sportico on 9 groups bidding on the Sens, whether NHL teams are undervalued, and what's next in the sale process

www.tsn.ca

 

[KingAlfie11]

For all of you who think the Sens will be moving you gonna be disappointed because it's 100% certain that the new ownership will build a new arena downtown and Ottawa is a hockey town, you can't compare teams like Toronto and Montreal who have been around for 100 years to the Sens who celebrate their 30th anniversary it take time to build a fan base. The Sens will be in Ottawa for a long long time.

 

[TheFinalWord]

This could definitely be true but how is it OK to just completely ignore the recent history of actual franchise sales? To think that there is zero chance they could purchased and relocated is just delusional.

Yeah...it's zero. Sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[Kimota]

What an enormous amount of money for the 2nd favorite hockey team in Ottawa.

And by that you mean third.

 

[rojac]

I‘m originally from Brockville about an hour south of Ottawa on the St. Lawrence River and while I think most of the hardcore Leaf fans I knew there remained Leaf fans, I also knew a lot of casual Leaf fans who became Sens fans. I assume the same is true for Hans fans In the area.

As for Leaf fans at Sens games, aren’t a lot of those Leaf fans purchasing those tickets on the secondary market, primarily from Sens season ticket holders who often sell off games like the Leafs and Habs at high prices to effectively lower what they’re paying for those tickets. It’s the same reason you see a lot of Habs fans in Toronto when Montreal comes to town.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Thrashers team sold then moved to Winnipeg.

Whalers sold then relocated to Carolina 2 seasons later.

Jets sold and moved to Phoenix.

But no, this NEVER happens! There's a 0% chance this could happen to the Senators!!

Ok fine, there’s probably a 1-2% chance. If you want to pin your hopes on that it would be fun, I guess.

 

[PromisedLand]

would be interesting is Bell can sell of their shares of the Leafs and buy Ottawa

It would be interesting watching Rogers Vs Bell or Leafs Vs Sens

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Better than your franchise, that plays in a barn. Least Senators won’t get moved , you have no rink , owner threatened to move team.

Easy there, big shooter

 

[the_fan]

Supposedly you can bid even if you don’t have money. I’m gonna do it for fun

 

[IranCondraAffair]

I know people like to talk about relocation, but if you're going to do so, you should be serious. It isn't an accident where they put NHL teams. In order for Ottawa to ever even consider being moved, there has to be a better market available. For Canada, here is the population centers by population:

# 1. Toronto.
# 2. Montreal.
# 3. Vancouver
# 4. Calgary.
# 5. Edmonton.
# 6. Ottawa.
# 7. Winnipeg.
# 8. Quebec City
# 9. Hamilton
#10. Kitchener

Which is this mythical Canadian city that is going to be a better draw for Hockey fans than Ottawa? Ottawa is much larger city than the closest competitor, Quebec City, by population, is growing at twice the rate of Quebec City, and is in Ontario which has a much larger population than Quebec. There is a reason the Norqiues now play in Denver. What about the USA though? A good proxy is metro areas by population. Here is the list and the number of NHL teams in each:

New York: 3
LA+Inland: 2
Chicago: 1
Dallas-Fort Worth: 1
Houston: 0
Washington: 1
Philly: 1
Miami-Fort Lauderdale: 1
Atlanta: 0
Boston: 1
San-Fran-Oakland-San Jose: 1 (Sometimes San Jose is separate)
Phoenix: 1
Detroit: 1
Seattle-Tacoma: 1
Minneapolis-St. Paul: 1
San Diego: 0
Tampa-St Petersburg: 1
Denver: 1
St. Louis: 1
Baltimore: 0
Charlotte: 0
Portland: 0
Orlando: 0
San Antonio: 0
Pittsburgh: 1
Sacramento: 0
Cincinnati: 0
Las Vegas: 1
Kansas City: 0
Cleaveland: 0
Columbus: 1
Not listed:
Raleigh: 1
Nashville: 1
Buffalo: 1

The only places that stand out as significant improvements economically are Houston and Atlanta. Atlanta was tried twice and failed twice. They might still try again with expansion. Houston is being considered for expansion as well. The cities listed between Baltimore to San Antonio are all technically larger markets than Ottawa, but the cities themselves are either smaller core cities, unlikely to have a better market due to competition with other spots teams, lack Canada's preference for Hockey, have much smaller economies, et... and would likely be lateral moves (if not worse).

That's it, that is why the Sens will likely never leave Ottawa. Unless it is to relocate to San Diego, Atlanta, or Houston, there is likely no better place for them to go.

 

[Akrapovince]

So as many has pointed out, the condition of the sale is that relocation is prohibited.

I’m curious, does this caveat hold true regardless of the length in time of ownership? If five years down the line, if they were to entertain the idea of relocation will they be forced to sell to another ownership group who will then have the same restrictions brought upon them?

Seems like an infinite loop, stay in Ottawa or sell to someone who will also have to stay in Ottawa.

 

[OhBennyLeonard]

I know people like to talk about relocation, but if you're going to do so, you should be serious. It isn't an accident where they put NHL teams. In order for Ottawa to ever even consider being moved, there has to be a better market available. For Canada, here is the population centers by population:

# 1. Toronto.
# 2. Montreal.
# 3. Vancouver
# 4. Calgary.
# 5. Edmonton.
# 6. Ottawa.
# 7. Winnipeg.
# 8. Quebec City
# 9. Hamilton
#10. Kitchener

Which is this mythical Canadian city that is going to be a better draw for Hockey fans than Ottawa? Ottawa is much larger city than the closest competitor, Quebec City, by population, is growing at twice the rate of Quebec City, and is in Ontario which has a much larger population than Quebec. There is a reason the Norqiues now play in Denver. What about the USA though? A good proxy is metro areas by population. Here is the list and the number of NHL teams in each:

New York: 3
LA+Inland: 2
Chicago: 1
Dallas-Fort Worth: 1
Houston: 0
Washington: 1
Philly: 1
Miami-Fort Lauderdale: 1
Atlanta: 0
Boston: 1
San-Fran-Oakland-San Jose: 1 (Sometimes San Jose is separate)
Phoenix: 1
Detroit: 1
Seattle-Tacoma: 1
Minneapolis-St. Paul: 1
San Diego: 0
Tampa-St Petersburg: 1
Denver: 1
St. Louis: 1
Baltimore: 0
Charlotte: 0
Portland: 0
Orlando: 0
San Antonio: 0
Pittsburgh: 1
Sacramento: 0
Cincinnati: 0
Las Vegas: 1
Kansas City: 0
Cleaveland: 0
Columbus: 1
Not listed:
Raleigh: 1
Nashville: 1
Buffalo: 1

The only places that stand out as significant improvements economically are Houston and Atlanta. Atlanta was tried twice and failed twice. They might still try again with expansion. Houston is being considered for expansion as well. The cities listed between Baltimore to San Antonio are all technically larger markets than Ottawa, but the cities themselves are either smaller core cities, unlikely to have a better market due to competition with other spots teams, lack Canada's preference for Hockey, have much smaller economies, et... and would likely be lateral moves (if not worse).

That's it, that is why the Sens will likely never leave Ottawa. Unless it is to relocate to San Diego, Atlanta, or Houston, there is likely no better place for them to go.

For those interested, a handful of posters have dissected this to the extreme over at the Buccigross Atlanta thread.

This is the most recent U.S. Census data though:

1​	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA MSA	19,768,458	Rangers Islanders Devils	Knicks Nets	New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA
2​	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA MSA	12,997,353	Kings Ducks	Lakers Clippers	Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA CSA
3​	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI MSA	9,509,934	Blackhawks	Bulls	Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI CSA
4​	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA	7,759,615	Stars	Mavs	Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK CSA
5​	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX MSA	7,206,841	-	Rockets	Houston-The Woodlands, TX CSA
6​	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA	6,356,434	Caps	Wizards	Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA CSA
7​	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA	6,228,601	Flyers	76ers	Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA
8​	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA MSA	6,144,050		Hawks	Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA-AL CSA
9​	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA	6,091,747	Panthers	Heat	Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL CSA
10​	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA	4,946,145	Coyotes	Suns	Phoenix-Mesa, AZ CSA
11​	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA	4,899,932	Bruins	Celtics	Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT CSA
12​	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA	4,653,105			Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA CSA
13​	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA MSA	4,623,264	Sharks	Warriors	San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA
14​	Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI MSA	4,365,205	Redwings	Pistons	Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI CSA
15​	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA	4,011,553	Kraken		Seattle-Tacoma, WA CSA
16​	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA	3,690,512	Wild	TWolves	Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI CSA
17​	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA	3,286,069
18​	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA	3,219,514	Lightning
19​	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA	2,972,566	Avs	Nuggets	Denver-Aurora, CO CSA
20​	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA	2,838,327			Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA CSA
21​	St. Louis, MO-IL MSA	2,809,299	Blues		St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL CSA
22​	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA	2,701,046		Hornets	Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA
23​	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA	2,691,925		Magic	Orlando-Lakeland-Deltona, FL CSA
24​	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA	2,601,788		Spurs	San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX CSA
25​	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA	2,511,612		Trailblazers	Portland-Vancouver–Salem, OR-WA CSA
26​	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA MSA	2,411,428		Kings	Sacramento-Roseville, CA CSA
27​	Pittsburgh, PA MSA	2,353,538	Penguins		Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV CSA
28​	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX MSA	2,352,426
29​	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA	2,292,476	Golden Knights		Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ CSA
30​	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA	2,259,935			Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN CSA
31​	Kansas City, MO-KS MSA	2,199,490			Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS CSA
32​	Columbus, OH MSA	2,151,017	Blue Jackets		Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH CSA
33​	Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN MSA	2,126,804		Pacers	Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN CSA
34​	Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA	2,075,662		Cavs	Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH CSA
35​	Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN MSA	2,012,476	Predators		Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro, TN CSA
36​	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA	1,952,185	Sharks		San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA
37​	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA	1,803,328			Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC CSA
38​	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA MSA	1,675,774			Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT CSA
39​	Jacksonville, FL MSA	1,637,666			Jacksonville-St. Marys-Palatka, FL-GA CSA
40​	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA	1,566,487		Bucks	Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI CSA
41​	Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA	1,448,411	Hurricanes		Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC CSA
42​	Oklahoma City, OK MSA	1,441,647		Thunder	Oklahoma City-Shawnee, OK CSA
43​	Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA	1,336,103		Grizzlies	Memphis-Forrest City, TN-MS-AR CSA
44​	Richmond, VA MSA	1,324,062
45​	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA	1,284,566			Louisville/Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–Bardstown, KY-IN CSA
46​	Salt Lake City, UT MSA	1,263,061		Jazz	Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden, UT CSA
47​	New Orleans-Metairie, LA MSA	1,261,726		Pelicans	New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond, LA-MS CSA
48​	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT MSA	1,211,906			Hartford-East Hartford, CT CSA
49​	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY MSA	1,162,336	Sabres

As I mentioned in the other thread the glaring absence on here is Austin, Houston and Atlanta do have NBA teams that would compete with the NHL weekly.

The only fear I have with Houston is some of its "super region" TV market goes into W. Louisiana which is a great place but it is old, stagnant growth, non-educated demo and all about football and basketball whereas Austin in all directions including stretching to Houston is pretty much young highly educated and high income.

 

[CanadienShark]

Ottawa market definitely has potential. There is a ton of Leafs or Habs fans ripe for the picking.

 

[snag]

If some person of corp is going to pay hundreds of millions over market for a team, that is all the more justification for a city to tell them to f*** off when they come holding out their hand looking for hundreds of millions with the demand/expectation for an arena to make them more money.