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I cannot see any city getting an NHL team in the near future. As far as I know, no teams are getting ready to relocate. Those which are even for sale (Edmonton and Tampa Bay), already have prospective buyers and would not be moved out of their current location. There is a rumor about Minnesota, but that rumor has been around for over a year now.
With Jim Ballsillie's doomed attempt at buying and relocating the Penguins and then the Predators at a price well above market value, he has all but guaranteed an expansion team for the Hamilton/Waterloo area in Ontario. But, Bettman says the NHL has no plans to expand anytime in the near future.
Then there is Kansas City, who has sat patiently by waiting on anything to come to their arena. But now their leader (Del Biaggio)has his money invested in 2 NHL teams who are not in Kansas City. Investing in Nashville may be his attempt to get the Predators there at some point, but the Predators will be in Nashville for a while.
The only other contender in my mind would be Las Vegas. From what I have read, Jerry Bruckheimer is laboring very hard to get any professional team to the desert. The type of money he has might be very appealing to the NHL Board of Governors.
Sure there are many favorites on the list who I would like to get one, for sentimental reasons, but it is all about the money now, not the hockey. Could be an interesting 5-10 years in the NHL.
Out of the cities you've listed, I would HOPE that Winnipeg, Hartford and Quebec City would be the first choices. Each of those cities are great hockey hotbeds, and W'peg and Hartford only lost their teams because of the NHL's idiotic 1990's love affair with non-traditional hockey cities (hello, Phoenix!).
Now that the NHL is starting to "right the ship", I would truly hope they decide to return to the cities that built the league. Let's go Winnipeg!!! Let's go Hartford!!!!!!!!!!!
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.
hey the COYOTES are staying HERE and there are many,many Coyotes fans out there.
I am 1 of them,
and why do we get crap for haveing a hockey team,cali,Dallas have one and they don't get that cold,
Just because we are a desert doesn't mean we can"t have a Hockey Team
If the NHL awards a city a new team, it had better be in Canada. Id love to see Quebec City get a team, even though theyd struggle against the Habs. I loved the old Nordiques and wish they would bring them back. Kansas City has already shown they cant support a NHL team, with their massive flop of the Scouts. I dont know why Basillie wanted to move the Preds there. If Jim had any brains at all, he'd have put the team in Canada somewhere, but the Preds recently signed a deal stating they wont move. If the team had to be in the states, Id love to see Milwaukee get a team, I think they could support one no problem. But places like Albuquerque and Oklahoma? Forget it. Bad idea.
hey the COYOTES are staying HERE and there are many,many Coyotes fans out there.
I am 1 of them,
and why do we get crap for haveing a hockey team,cali,Dallas have one and they don't get that cold,
Just because we are a desert doesn't mean we can"t have a Hockey Team
The problem is that the Coyotes belong back in WINNIPEG. Ive hated that move with a passion and have developed a big hatred of the Coyotes because PHX is a goshdanged desert city. Not many there know the game, nor care about the game. 1/2 the crowd there doesnt even pay attention, and whats with the girly dancers? Is that a strip club? Seriously, PHX is a horrible hockey city and they dont deserve a team. Those poor Winnipeg fans who had to watch their team leave are the ones who deserve it. After all, hockey IS Canada's sport and they can play it on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. The kids there grow up playing hockey and in force, completely unlike Phoenix. Put it this way. Picture your D-backs up and moving to, say, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Howd you feel about a traditional American sport (and one that you love and follow and play your whole life) up and moving to some God-forsaken corner of another country where people dont play nor could care less about baseball? Well, thats how Winnipeg folks felt about the Jets moving to frickin Phoenix. Screw the Coyotes, put em back in Winnipeg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here, see what heartache the move caused and put yourself in their shoes:
http://www.smackyeah.com/jets/ (broken link)
and whats with the girly dancers? Is that a strip club?
All Hockey teams have them not just the coyotes and I am sorry but there are many fans here,
I am sure the guys like it that after praticed they don't have to deal with a bunch of snow,The reason not many think of the Coyotes is because of the sports channel or our news channels don't talk much about it,get over it they are not going to be the jets again,
and whats with the girly dancers? Is that a strip club?
All Hockey teams have them not just the coyotes and I am sorry but there are many fans here,
I am sure the guys like it that after praticed they don't have to deal with a bunch of snow,The reason not many think of the Coyotes is because of the sports channel or our news channels don't talk much about it,get over it they are not going to be the jets again,
If the NHL awards a city a new team, it had better be in Canada. Id love to see Quebec City get a team, even though theyd struggle against the Habs. I loved the old Nordiques and wish they would bring them back. Kansas City has already shown they cant support a NHL team, with their massive flop of the Scouts. I dont know why Basillie wanted to move the Preds there. If Jim had any brains at all, he'd have put the team in Canada somewhere, but the Preds recently signed a deal stating they wont move. If the team had to be in the states, Id love to see Milwaukee get a team, I think they could support one no problem. But places like Albuquerque and Oklahoma? Forget it. Bad idea.
Balsillie wanted to move the Predators to Hamilton, Ontario. He actually took deposits for tickets to a team he did not own. The Maple Leafs and the Sabres would have probably put up a fight to the relocation due the close proximity of the team to their fan bases (some stupid rule I can't remember). William "Boots" Del Biaggio wanted to move the Predators to Kansas City. He has rights to the new arena KC has built to provide a "tenant". I think he was hoping for an NHL team. (I am a Predators fan! I know the deal inside and out!)
If expansion comes in the next decade, I would be willing to bet one would go to Hamilton/Waterloo area and the other would be somewhere in the states. I think another team in Texas would be great ( a little bias) to give the Stars some competition. I would love one in Austin, but we had this discussion on the Austin boards a couple of months ago and did not think it would work, so Houston or SA might be the only option. We will see!
I believe most NHL teams have the "girly dancers" now. The Predators have the ice girls who scoop up the ice during intermissions and breaks and then they have the "dancers". By the way, I know of a team whose "girly dancers" had half of their team fired after they were caught doing jello shooters off a popular hockey players stomach! Bad girls or should it be bad boy!
Balsillie wanted to move the Predators to Hamilton, Ontario. He actually took deposits for tickets to a team he did not own. The Maple Leafs and the Sabres would have probably put up a fight to the relocation due the close proximity of the team to their fan bases (some stupid rule I can't remember). William "Boots" Del Biaggio wanted to move the Predators to Kansas City. He has rights to the new arena KC has built to provide a "tenant". I think he was hoping for an NHL team. (I am a Predators fan! I know the deal inside and out!)
If expansion comes in the next decade, I would be willing to bet one would go to Hamilton/Waterloo area and the other would be somewhere in the states. I think another team in Texas would be great ( a little bias) to give the Stars some competition. I would love one in Austin, but we had this discussion on the Austin boards a couple of months ago and did not think it would work, so Houston or SA might be the only option. We will see!
I believe most NHL teams have the "girly dancers" now. The Predators have the ice girls who scoop up the ice during intermissions and breaks and then they have the "dancers". By the way, I know of a team whose "girly dancers" had half of their team fired after they were caught doing jello shooters off a popular hockey players stomach! Bad girls or should it be bad boy!
Houston could maybe support a team. Lots of people think that KC will be the next spot for expansion as a reward for more or less helping the BOG with it's agenda of "spreading hockey in America." The KC specter was a huge part of what got PA to ante up to keep the Pens in Pitt. And Balsillie screwed the pooch totally. Remember that a team in Hamilton would probably have to get the permission of the Leafs and pay for rights to be there. I don't know the particulars of the rule either but even an expansion to there would have to meet the same particulars of a relocation.
I thought I read something just a few weeks ago that the local group buying the Preds met with some issues during negotiations and backed out. That may be OBE by now because I'm not really paying as close attention to it as i used to.
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Ive hated that move with a passion and have developed a big hatred of the Coyotes because PHX is a goshdanged desert city. Not many there know the game, nor care about the game. 1/2 the crowd there doesnt even pay attention, and whats with the girly dancers? Is that a strip club? Seriously, PHX is a horrible hockey city and they dont deserve a team. Those poor Winnipeg fans who had to watch their team leave are the ones who deserve it. After all, hockey IS Canada's sport and they can play it on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. The kids there grow up playing hockey and in force, completely unlike Phoenix. Put it this way. Picture your D-backs up and moving to, say, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. 
Howd you feel about a traditional American sport (and one that you love and follow and play your whole life) up and moving to some God-forsaken corner of another country where people dont play nor could care less about baseball? Well, thats how Winnipeg folks felt about the Jets moving to frickin Phoenix. Screw the Coyotes, put em back in Winnipeg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
