Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just having moved here from New Jersey, I can say that Arizona is an atrocious hockey market. I went to a Coyotes-Wings game on a Saturday night earlier this season, and if the place was 60% full, it was a lot, and most of those were Wings fans. Half their games aren't even televised anywhere. I don't know how the NHL expects hockey to last out here.
I'm in Columbus, OH which is in the snowbelt, but even here hockey barely registers. In 4 years, I think I've seen maybe 3 people wearing Blue Jackets gear. I've never heard anyone ever mention the Blue Jackets casually in conversion. It's not the locals don't like sports: every second sentence here is about the OSU Buckeyes. But it's just not a hockey city.
Just the thought of RIM building an Arena and having projects for an NHL franchise may trigger some form of "competition" in town, or even a race as to WHO may built a new arena first an have their logo shown everywhere...
People don't want to get involved till someone else shows interest!
As they say, "Bring it and they will come..."
That's probably as close as Ballsy will get to a team now, building their arena. Not a bad idea actually.
The sunbelt expansions of the 1990's were ill advised. The next hockey team should be in a traditional Northern hockey town.
As much as I'm a fan of hockey in the south, I agree. It was way too much way too fast. I think the NHL should have gotten in cohoots with a professional inline league and helped to bring it along in the south. I think costs could have been kept much lower and the teams could be more successful. Plus it could have been the south's own thing and not something borrowed from another region. But that's hindsight.
[SIZE=3]The NHL has already demonstrated that it doesn’t really care how rich Balsillie is – they’re not interested in his money. At least not yet. Maybe a few years down the road when a few of the southern teams are in dire straits they’ll be in a more talkative mood.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I also think there is about zero chance that the NHL will be expanding anytime soon. The NHL has 30 teams which is as many as MLB and the NBA and only two less than the all-powerful NFL. Now, does anyone really think that the NHL has anywhere near the same impact as the other three leagues in North America overall, to the point where it can justify having as many teams as the others? If anything, the NHL is already too big for its britches.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]That said, contraction is not likely, given the huge franchise fees that owners paid to join the league, plus the fact that so many hockey-starved cities in the northern part of the continent are without teams and clamouring to get one (or get one back). Why eliminate the Atlanta Thrashers or the Phoenix Coyotes when you can just relocate them and pocket some cash?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Regarding Quebec City: there is as much talk about the return of the NHL there as there is in Winnipeg. The thing is that much of that talk is of course taking place in French so many if not most people on this forum can’t understand. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I’d love to see Winnipeg and Hartford back in the league as well, but if I am really honest I must remind some people that these clubs did have some attendance issues on occasion, which the Nordiques never had. I even seem to recall some Jets playoff games at the old 15,500-seat Winnipeg Arena that weren’t even sold out. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]In any event, I think we are likely to see at least some NHL clubs relocated to more traditional hockey markets. Don’t know which markets, but whichever ones they are, it will be a positive development for the sport. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]There is a very interesting article in today’s Toronto Star about NHL teams’ ticket revenues. It goes totally against the conventional wisdom of the NHL under Gary Bettman that very large cities, irrespective of the traditional local interest in hockey (or lack thereof) are better locations for NHL teams that smaller places where hockey is part of the local culture. In its courtship of the Sun Belt, the NHL has always insinuated something to the effect that it’s more profitable to have 10% of people in Phoenix interested than 80% in Quebec City or Winnipeg… [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]For example, teams in large U.S. metro areas like Chicago, Atlanta and Phoenix pull in half the ticket revenue of places three to ten times smaller like Edmonton and Ottawa. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Read all about it![/SIZE] [SIZE=3]http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/433906[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]There is a very interesting article in today’s Toronto Star about NHL teams’ ticket revenues. It goes totally against the conventional wisdom of the NHL under Gary Bettman that very large cities, irrespective of the traditional local interest in hockey (or lack thereof) are better locations for NHL teams that smaller places where hockey is part of the local culture. In its courtship of the Sun Belt, the NHL has always insinuated something to the effect that it’s more profitable to have 10% of people in Phoenix interested than 80% in Quebec City or Winnipeg… [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]For example, teams in large U.S. metro areas like Chicago, Atlanta and Phoenix pull in half the ticket revenue of places three to ten times smaller like Edmonton and Ottawa. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Read all about it![/SIZE] [SIZE=3]http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/433906[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
Thanks for the post! It was nice reading this article. I really hope Buttman wakes up and brings back 2 franchises in Canada (Quebec City then Winnipeg) !
Location: Moose Jaw, in between the Moose's butt and nose.
5,152 posts, read 8,528,010 times
Reputation: 2038
While I do realize the importance of Canada to the NHL and love Canada, even though I'm a Yankee, let's face reality:
There are no cities, in Canada, right now that both have the population and the arena size to support an NHL team. Hamilton, well, Buffalo and Toronto would never let that happen. Quebec, well, they do have just under a million folks with an hour drive, however, no arena and not much in the way of corporate support. Winnipeg is simply, just too small to support a major league team of anykind for 40 to 45 nights a year (unless you kept the ticket prices low) and again, if the Canadian dollar ever went back down to 2002 levels, well, those new franchises would be begging to move back to the USA.
Also, those who say Atlanta and Phoenix don't deserve NHL teams, well, know what you are talking about, having lived and played hockey in Atlanta, I can say it is for sure a town that can support and NHL team. Is it a hockey town, well, proably not, but neither was Tampa Bay until they won the cup. The Thrashers, up until maybe this year, always outdrew the Hawks for attendance. As far as Phoenix, I have not lived there, but I've lived in Las Vegas, which is prefty similiar in demographics and Vegas is a suprisingly good hockey town, so Phoenix can't be that much different.
Living in Quebec City, I can confirm that there is enormous support for NHL comeback. The new mayor is in favor, plus 3 groups of business men are working on some projects for a new arena + NHL franchise.
Corporate support have never been this high. With the economic boost of the last 6 years, the City is more then ready. As for the fans, they would fill a 22K seats arena every single game.
The mayor of Winnipeg, Sam Katz, was in Quebec City this week and suggested to quickly build an arena because he says the City can easily support a new team.
I think you can take Milwaukee off the list. We're an over saturated sports market and there aren't enough dollars to go around. People care more about the Brewers, Bucks and Packers. We have a minor league team and attendance is low even when they're winning.
Location: Moose Jaw, in between the Moose's butt and nose.
5,152 posts, read 8,528,010 times
Reputation: 2038
Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderlusting
I think you can take Milwaukee off the list. We're an over saturated sports market and there aren't enough dollars to go around. People care more about the Brewers, Bucks and Packers. We have a minor league team and attendance is low even when they're winning.
The Blackhawks are basically Milwaukee's NHL team.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
