Report: Toronto one of four cities to get NHL expansion team

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Over 3M people... 3.5M in the greater CSA... Top 20 media market, so I think it could potentially support all 4. Particularly since the region is sports crazed.

cleveland had an nhl team for a few years, the barons, see above.

personally i think the nhl needs to contract by four teams, not expand.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

cleveland had an nhl team for a few years, the barons, see above.

personally i think the nhl needs to contract by four teams, not expand.

I was thinking the same thing. Remember when MLB tried to contract a few years ago?

There are some NHL teams barely staying afloat out there. The sports market is saturated, it's tough to find enough people with expendable cash to fill up arenas, stadiums and fields.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Actually Columbus and Nashville, two relatively newer teams, have very high attendance rates nearing capacity. It is because of the reason just mentioned above...........they don't have any other sports teams so the cities have embraced them 100%.

The problem with going to large cities that have every team sport known to man is that you are competing with other sports that already have a huge fan base and already get seasons tickets for those other sports and don't have the money or time to spend on another sporting event.

Nashville also has the NFL Titans...and if you count is Columbus has the MLS Crew.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

cleveland had an nhl team for a few years, the barons, see above.

personally i think the nhl needs to contract by four teams, not expand.

Totally agree...

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by atlantaguy

Not really, the Thrashers had a lot of support. The management sucked, BAD.

And this is a hockey town, believe it or not. The Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL play here in a 13,000 seat arena in the Northeast suburbs, and have rabid fans.

http://www.gwinnettgladiators.com/

There are several professional ice rinks here, and a couple of Northside High Schools have hockey teams. People need to remember that there are hundreds of thousands of transplants from the North here.

Not sure that a team with average attendance of 5,000–5,500 is indication of a thriving hockey culture...

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G

Not sure that a team with average attendance of 5,000–5,500 is indication of a thriving hockey culture...

So look up the Thrashers attendance figures.

The point is that hockey is popular here, period. Cities lacking a hockey culture hardly have High School teams, do they?

Minimalize it as much as you wish, we're used to people being clueless about Atlanta/the South.

[Jasonhouse]

Originally Posted by hudkina

I think the NHL would do okay if the teams are in the right area. For the most part, expansion into the south has failed, so I think relocating teams from Florida, Arizona, etc. would probably be better in the long run. I don't think it would be terrible to see a couple expansion teams bringing the total to 32, like the NFL, particularly in a couple more Canadian cities where even smaller markets will likely have bigger fanbases than larger sunbelt markets. Canada could easily support 12 teams, with 20 teams in the U.S. mostly in the northern cities.

WTF?

Why does Tampa magically lose its franchise?



Ever bother to go to a game here? Or even look up the team's history here?

Try looking up who owned the NHL's attendance records until those 'winter classic' type games in outdoor stadiums started popping up.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by atlantaguy

So look up the Thrashers attendance figures.

During the brief history of the Thrashers, their attendance was middling at best and most often in the lowest third of the league.

Originally Posted by atlantaguy

The point is that hockey is popular here, period. Cities lacking a hockey culture hardly have High School teams, do they?

Then why make a point of describing the size of the stadium they play in (13,000)? A stadium, mind you, they don't even fill halfway.

Originally Posted by atlantaguy

Minimalize it as much as you wish, we're used to people being clueless about Atlanta/the South.

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G

During the brief history of the Thrashers, their attendance was middling at best and most often in the lowest third of the league.



Then why make a point of describing the size of the stadium they play in (13,000)? A stadium, mind you, they don't even fill halfway.

How fucking cute! Bravo!

And?

What exactly is your point here? I said there was fan support for hockey here, which there is. I said the Thrashers had horrible owners, and that the Gladiators have rabid fans. Both true.

You are the one that veered over to "a thriving hockey culture," something I never claimed or mentioned.

If it makes you feel somehow superior that you live in a place that supports hockey on a higher percentage basis, wonderful!!! I'm thrilled that Atlanta's subpar support for pro hockey helps you out with your self worth and identity.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

cleveland had an nhl team for a few years, the barons, see above.

personally i think the nhl needs to contract by four teams, not expand.

yeah, I had the great privilege of attending a Barons game in the late 70s with my dad. Don't remember any of it though -- I was like 3 or something.

I don't think Cleveland would even be a consideration for expansion though, since Columbus has the Blue Jackets. Cleveland should definitely have a pro team though, considering how prominent hockey is in the area. It's pretty weird that places like Nashville, Arizona, Tampa, S Florida, etc. have hockey teams, but cities like Cleveland and Milwaukee do not.

[Wheelingman04]

Seattle should have a team.

[DBR96A]

Relocate the Coyotes to Seattle and the Panthers to Milwaukee. Add franchises in Hamilton and Quebec. Realign the divisions as such:


Atlantic

Boston
Buffalo
Columbus
Hamilton
Montreal
Ottawa
Quebec
Toronto


Metropolitan

Carolina
New Jersey
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay
Washington


Central

Chicago
Dallas
Detroit
Milwaukee
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg


Pacific

Anaheim
Calgary
Colorado
Edmonton
Los Angeles
San Jose
Seattle
Vancouver


BAM! Perfect division alignments.

[Shawn]

^--- I guess you gotta stick Columbus somewhere . . .