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Potential Atlanta NHL Expansion Team Thread

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rojac said:
Based on this article from last year, I'm not sure how interested Oak View, who will be running the Hamilton arena, are in having a NHL team there.

www.sportsnet.ca

Hamilton arena boss Tim Leiweke eyes many sports for renovated facility

The man leading a $280-million renovation of Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre says it doesn't make sense to pursue an NHL team for the full-sized arena, but sees plenty of interesting sporting opportunities for the facility.
www.sportsnet.ca www.sportsnet.ca
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Leiweke is a partner of the NHL in almost half the arenas in the league. Again the whole dynamic would be different if the NHL was actually willing to go there.
 
Hamilton has interested folks, for sure, but do they have interested folks willing to spend a billion+ dollars for a team? I have yet to see that.

Heck, I don't recall Hamilton having interested parties when the asking price was "only" half a billion not too long ago. I think Hamilton and Quebec City has long since been priced out.

And, to be clear, there are probably at least a dozen current teams that wouldn't have been willing to pay that kind of money to start up. Benefit of being already in.
 
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No Fun Shogun said:
Hamilton has interested folks, for sure, but do they have interested folks willing to spend a billion+ dollars for a team? I have yet to see that.

Heck, I don't recall Hamilton having interested parties when the asking price was "only" half a billion not too long ago. I think Hamilton and Quebec City has long since been priced out.
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Hamilton as a market likely is persona non grata after the 2 aborted takeovers of Nashville for one that the league so no to...
 
CHRDANHUTCH said:
Hamilton as a market likely is persona non grata after the 2 aborted takeovers of Nashville for one that the league so no to...
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Eh, I wouldn't go that far. The Ballsillys and the like? Sure, the NHL doesn't want to chat to them. But if someone offered a billion from there or just about any market, I honestly think that the NHL would at least engage a conversation with them.
 
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We talking about a city (town?) that no american has ever heard of getting an NHL team? (again)

NHL is big market hunting. Hamilton is a non-starter.
 
CHRDANHUTCH said:
Hamilton as a market likely is persona non grata after the 2 aborted takeovers of Nashville for one that the league so no to...
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I feel like this is more of a thing to hold against those who don't play by the rules, and isn't something held against the market as a whole. I'm with @No Fun Shogun in the belief that Hamilton (and QC at this point) has been priced out. Sure, there might be billionaires who want to bring the league there, but make no mistake, the Leafs will demand a king's ransom to play in their backyard.
 
dj4aces said:
I feel like this is more of a thing to hold against those who don't play by the rules, and isn't something held against the market as a whole. I'm with @No Fun Shogun in the belief that Hamilton (and QC at this point) has been priced out. Sure, there might be billionaires who want to bring the league there, but make no mistake, the Leafs will demand a king's ransom to play in their backyard.
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it's more protecting Buffalo then it is MLSE/Toronto.... since the Sabres territory includes Niagra, that's why you haven't seen a serious run at Hamilton.... remember, as well, Delaware North is based in Buffalo , even though Pegula Sports owns the Sabres
 
dj4aces said:
I feel like this is more of a thing to hold against those who don't play by the rules, and isn't something held against the market as a whole. I'm with @No Fun Shogun in the belief that Hamilton (and QC at this point) has been priced out. Sure, there might be billionaires who want to bring the league there, but make no mistake, the Leafs will demand a king's ransom to play in their backyard.
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The price tag in Hamilton is at least $2B, and could be significantly more if the league determines Buffalo is a part of the indemnity. I'm pretty sure that price tag would put every market out, not just Hamilton.
 
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aqib said:
Because the league didn't want to. Not because there weren't people willing to pay for it. That's the argument I'm having now.
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You have proof of that of course…

Because you know I followed events up there for a long time and am aware of the attempt back when the NHL opened up for applications and the only two who get consideration were Vegas and QC.

Putting in a non-refundable $2 million doesn’t get get you anywhere other than a quick sniff. Seattle got more attention and none of the three groups then even got to the arena stage.
 
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TheLegend said:
You have proof of that of course…

Because you know I followed events up there for a long time and am aware of the attempt back when the NHL opened up for applications and the only two who get consideration were Vegas and QC.

Putting in a non-refundable $2 million doesn’t get get you anywhere other than a quick sniff. Seattle got more attention and none of the three groups then even got to the arena stage.
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Seattle didn't apply in 2015. Again Hamilton not applying in 2015 was after 4 different attempts were shot down. Here is what Bettman said in 2014: (sidenote he said no expansion on the horizon and then announced a process a year later)

So why would someone go through the effort if they know the answer is no? Here is another one where he was throwing cold water on Hamilton: https://macleans.ca/general/the-interview-gary-bettman/

Now he doesn't do that with any other city that makes an expression of interest. Heck he is practically begging Houston to make a bid.

Anyway this is an Atlanta thread and I didn't mean to hijack it with talk of other cities. I was just responding to questions directed at me before and that took us down this tangent.
 
aqib said:
Seattle didn't apply in 2015. Again Hamilton not applying in 2015 was after 4 different attempts were shot down. Here is what Bettman said in 2014: (sidenote he said no expansion on the horizon and then announced a process a year later)
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I know they didn't apply...
But Bettman waited a couple of extra months for one of those three groups to apply. Once he saw where everyone was at he moved on..... and then OVG came along a little later.

IIRC Bettman said there were roughly a dozen requests for application packets. Not sure how many were returned with a $2 million check.

aqib said:
So why would someone go through the effort if they know the answer is no? Here is another one where he was throwing cold water on Hamilton: https://macleans.ca/general/the-interview-gary-bettman/

Now he doesn't do that with any other city that makes an expression of interest. Heck he is practically begging Houston to make a bid.
Click to expand...

Better reread the article..... Bettman doesn't throw any cold water in that interview. He made the same patent response he always makes. He points out the questions that need answers to any potential franchise.

To quote:
Q: You don’t think it would be a slam dunk that a second franchise in southern Ontario would be profitable?

A: I have no doubt that they would fill up the building. I don’t know what their media arrangements would be in an area that is very saturated. Is Copps Coliseum the right building? Who’s going to renovate it? Should there be a new building in Kitchener or Waterloo or London? Is it easy to get in and out of Hamilton 41 nights a year? These are all questions where, if we get to that point, have to be determined.
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aqib said:
Anyway this is an Atlanta thread and I didn't mean to hijack it with talk of other cities. I was just responding to questions directed at me before and that took us down this tangent.
Click to expand...

Well..... you started bringing all the other things into this.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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TheLegend said:
I know they didn't apply...
But Bettman waited a couple of extra months for one of those three groups to apply. Once he saw where everyone was at he moved on..... and then OVG came along a little later.

IIRC Bettman said there were roughly a dozen requests for application packets. Not sure how many were returned with a $2 million check.



Better reread the article..... Bettman doesn't throw any cold water in that interview. He made the same patent response he always makes. He points out the questions that need answers to any potential franchise.

To quote:




Well..... you started bringing all the other things into this.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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No I was directly asked about my comments about non-traditional markets and I stated it was because with a finite number of teams a team in one market means a team in another market doesn't get one and I named Hamilton as one. Then that's when the "no one will pay the fees" discussion started.
 
WeaponOfChoice said:
I've only heard of Sunrise and Glendale because of sites like hfboards
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I would say that general ignorance of Canadian cities isn't a real valid argument against [insert city here] getting a team, but pointing out suburbs hosting teams in much larger metropolitan areas isn't really a winning counterargument.

After all, nobody talks about the Elmont Islanders of the NHL, the Cumberland Braves and Arlington Rangers of MLB, or the Orchard Park Bills, Foxborough Patriots, East Rutherford Giants and Jets, the Inglewood Rams and Chargers, Arlington Cowboys, Landover Commanders, or the Santa Clara 49ers, after all. Or that all "Las Vegas" teams really play in unincorporated Paradise. We all get metro areas exist.
 
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