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The Bucks finished 24th of 30 in the NBA for the 2009-10 season in attendance. Not too impressive given the team's winning season and playoff appearance which isn't an every-year occurrence for the Bucks.
Compare to Chicago, where the Bulls were a .500 team that barely squeaked their way into the playoffs - wouldn't have happened if they played in the West - and came close to selling out a much larger arena every night. That's the difference a major market makes.
KC's a similarly sized market to Milwaukee or Indy but an NHL team would not have the NBA to compete with - just the Chiefs for a few Sundays in the first half of the season. If the team wins, I'm sure they'd have no problem commanding some attention locally when the Royals get started up in April.
Before the NHL places another team in the American South or Midwest, I think they're going to have to answer to Canadian fans about getting teams back in Winnipeg and Quebec City (and maybe adding one to Hamilton, Ontario).
If you're the NHL, you can gamble by expanding to a place like Houston, Kansas City, Indianapolis, or Milwaukee, where franchises would be competing with other sports for entertainment dollars, or you could locate to a hockey hotbed with not much else going for it.
Probably the best solution is some mixture of the above Canadian cities and new American markets. Teams currently in Phoenix and Miami, and perhaps even Atlanta and Nashville, should be top candidates to be relocated, if expansion isn't realistic.
Before the NHL places another team in the American South or Midwest, I think they're going to have to answer to Canadian fans about getting teams back in Winnipeg and Quebec City (and maybe adding one to Hamilton, Ontario).
If you're the NHL, you can gamble by expanding to a place like Houston, Kansas City, Indianapolis, or Milwaukee, where franchises would be competing with other sports for entertainment dollars, or you could locate to a hockey hotbed with not much else going for it.
Probably the best solution is some mixture of the above Canadian cities and new American markets. Teams currently in Phoenix and Miami, and perhaps even Atlanta and Nashville, should be top candidates to be relocated, if expansion isn't realistic.
Hamilton is a possibility but Copps Coliseum is a bit dated by modern standards, it's a rather small market on its own and would have to compete with the Maple Leafs for not only fans but media attention. Then there's Buffalo and Detroit not too far away.
Winnipeg seems to me the best Canadian candidate, really. It's not a particularly large market and their new-ish arena is small by NHL standards. But it's a market where the NHL team could be the main attraction, and even with only 15,000-something seats the Coyotes would stand to draw more if they moved back and became the Jets again. Same with some other underperforming franchises, like the Islanders.
Quebec City in particular has a lot of things working against it - it's a French-speaking city (compared to Montreal, a larger and more bilingual market), the same old Colisee is still the main arena and it's geographically isolated from the rest of the league's cities. Even the best players the Nordiques had were quite obscure to all but fans in eastern Quebec and the most diehard of NHL fans elsewhere. Remember when Eric Lindros refused to sign with them? Remember when you had to be quite the hockey follower to know who Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg or Owen Nolan were before the team moved to Denver? We certainly heard of these guys by the time they were raising the Cup in the Rockies.
Phoenix moving back to Winnipeg would not be too farfetched these days, though the league has remained commited to keeping the team in Arizona. The only other Sun Belt city really worth discussing is Houston, for its market size and facilities. In the Midwest, the only viable options with modern facilities are Kansas City and Indianapolis, with KC probably being the more likely place for a team to succeed as it lacks an NBA franchise.
The northeastern U.S. doesn't have much prospects, with so many teams already there, and some struggling. The Islanders will probably leave sooner or later. As for the West Coast, Seattle is a possibility if they get an arena built, but it would also likely bring about the resurrection of the Sonics in some form and the NHL would have to compete with that. There isn't much else out West. Portland and Salt Lake City are a bit small to support both the NBA and NHL at the same time.
Hamilton is a possibility but Copps Coliseum is a bit dated by modern standards, it's a rather small market on its own and would have to compete with the Maple Leafs for not only fans but media attention. Then there's Buffalo and Detroit not too far away.
Winnipeg seems to me the best Canadian candidate, really. It's not a particularly large market and their new-ish arena is small by NHL standards. But it's a market where the NHL team could be the main attraction, and even with only 15,000-something seats the Coyotes would stand to draw more if they moved back and became the Jets again. Same with some other underperforming franchises, like the Islanders.
Quebec City in particular has a lot of things working against it - it's a French-speaking city (compared to Montreal, a larger and more bilingual market), the same old Colisee is still the main arena and it's geographically isolated from the rest of the league's cities. Even the best players the Nordiques had were quite obscure to all but fans in eastern Quebec and the most diehard of NHL fans elsewhere. Remember when Eric Lindros refused to sign with them? Remember when you had to be quite the hockey follower to know who Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg or Owen Nolan were before the team moved to Denver? We certainly heard of these guys by the time they were raising the Cup in the Rockies.
Phoenix moving back to Winnipeg would not be too farfetched these days, though the league has remained commited to keeping the team in Arizona. The only other Sun Belt city really worth discussing is Houston, for its market size and facilities. In the Midwest, the only viable options with modern facilities are Kansas City and Indianapolis, with KC probably being the more likely place for a team to succeed as it lacks an NBA franchise.
The northeastern U.S. doesn't have much prospects, with so many teams already there, and some struggling. The Islanders will probably leave sooner or later. As for the West Coast, Seattle is a possibility if they get an arena built, but it would also likely bring about the resurrection of the Sonics in some form and the NHL would have to compete with that. There isn't much else out West. Portland and Salt Lake City are a bit small to support both the NBA and NHL at the same time.
I knew of all of those Nordiques players, but that was because I was a big hockey fan when I was younger and played the sport myself, but also because of NHL '93/'94/'95 for Super Nintendo.
I knew of all of those Nordiques players, but that was because I was a big hockey fan when I was younger and played the sport myself, but also because of NHL '93/'94/'95 for Super Nintendo.
What about Hartford getting a team back?
Yeah, I played that a lot back in the day too.
Hartford made plays for the Penguins and Predators recently, but both fell through. Mario Lemieux mainly entertained the offer simply to light a fire in Pittsburgh's butt to get them a new building, which they got. Before the recession Hartford was looking at replacing the old civic center to attract a team but that's quieted; without that, the NHL isn't coming back. If it did, however, the city of Hartford owns the old Whalers name, logo and colors and if a team moved there, they would almost definitely become the new Whalers.
It's a traditional hockey market but very small and not growing. It's also very close to NYC and Boston, and there are already four NHL franchises not too far away. The only team I could see moving there is the Islanders. Maybe. That is if a new arena doesn't get built in New York but it does in Hartford, which is unlikely in itself.
We have a state of the art arena here in KC owned by AEG waiting for an NHL team to inhabit it. As long as they fielded a decent to winning team, the NHL could work here. People have been wanting it for a long time.
We supported our IHL team, the Blades for many years and have a new minor league team that drew sellouts out at 8K seat arena out in the suburbs this season.
The Coyotes are one of my favorite teams and I would love for them to come here. We wouldnt even have to change the name as Coyotes are prominent in this area.
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Indianapolis Pacers would always out draw the NHL
First, it is INDIANA Pacers.
Second and more importantly, I wouldn't be so quick to suggest this. We (Indianapolis) have sold out Conseco Fieldhouse for our Indiana Ice, a USHL Tier 1 team. If the Pacers follow through on their threat to leave town; I don't think the city is going to let a world class venue sit empty.
Second and more importantly, I wouldn't be so quick to suggest this. We (Indianapolis) have sold out Conseco Fieldhouse for our Indiana Ice, a USHL Tier 1 team. If the Pacers follow through on their threat to leave town; I don't think the city is going to let a world class venue sit empty.
Atlanta sold out hockey games when the minor league Atlanta Knights were in town in the 1990s. I think they did well because the tickets were so cheap.
Second and more importantly, I wouldn't be so quick to suggest this. We (Indianapolis) have sold out Conseco Fieldhouse for our Indiana Ice, a USHL Tier 1 team. If the Pacers follow through on their threat to leave town; I don't think the city is going to let a world class venue sit empty.
Thanks for the Heads Up TT....if the Pacers Leave Indiana I'm Sure That The NHL could be a Shoe IN....otherwise Nahhh...
Actually, I just listed the cities in no order. The last I checked Bridgeport was Conneticut's largest city so thats why i'm throwing them in the mix.
Yeah your right but your wrong also!!! You and i both know Hartford is in a whole different category greater than Bridgeport!!! That's like saying Columbus,OH is bigger than Cleveland,OH (Statistically it is but morally NO, NO NO!!!)!!!!!!!
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