New Canadian franchise inevitable

Kinda screwed up my first effort at a fanshot but hopefully this works. Daly's quote on the Leaf's stance below.

over 2 years ago Hungryhawk 9 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Interesting. I would have thought Winnipeg would be the next logical choice, geographically. But maybe there just isn’t enough population in that area?

by K_Dog on Nov 10, 2009 10:01 AM CST reply actions

Personal opinion...

which must count as much as anything else because as far as I can tell, this league has it’s head buried very, very deeply up it’s ass right now – but I think you are more or less correct. It’s not so much that Winnipeg couldn’t support a team (I think the area fans would just kill attendance comparisons to MUCH larger centers) but more a case of detracting from teams that are just okay attendance and market-wise. I’m talking Calgary, Edmonton, and Minnesota. These cities are within the geographic circle that fans from Manitoba and Saskatchewan are drawn to. Put a team in Winterpeg and you effectively remove that fringe fanbase for the other 3 teams. Sad but true.

"Call Detroit, tell dem... BULLSHIT!"

by Hungryhawk on Nov 11, 2009 9:50 AM CST up reply actions

good point

I never thought of it that way.
I do think that there may be a population boom soon in Canada, when there is a mass exodus of Americans seeking a home north of the border. There are lots of people unhappy with the U.S. and the direction it is headed. Once this happens, there should be enough growth to support TWO new Canadian teams. That is, if you let us in !

by K_Dog on Nov 11, 2009 5:43 PM CST up reply actions

LOL

That’s funny. C’mon up! We’ll put a team in Winnipeg and another in Saskatoon – well played.

"Call Detroit, tell dem... BULLSHIT!"

by Hungryhawk on Nov 12, 2009 12:00 AM CST up reply actions

Never been...

…to Saskatoon. That is the city with the short, mild winters and the long summers, right? Good idea to choose that location. Americans will be moving up there in droves!

by K_Dog on Nov 17, 2009 10:54 AM CST up reply actions

The only flaw with your logic

Is that it will be Americans in that area, and sadly not enough of the country actually knows what the hell hockey is, and may not support it, until they found out about goofy CFL rules, and then are forced into watching one of the best sports around.
Also, just realized that your post might be just a tad bit sarcastic.

wait what?

by pepe126 on Nov 12, 2009 1:02 AM CST up reply actions

true

It will take a while for the non-hockeyfan Americans to convert, but it will happen eventually, simply by osmosis, regardless of how knuckleheaded, ignorant and self absorbed the American is.
Also, the already-hockeyfan Americans like myself would probably continue to follow their original team, but they will hopefully attend local games when their team plays. Like when the Blackhawks play the Saskatoon Sheiks…I’ll be there!

by K_Dog on Nov 17, 2009 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

Winnipeg won't be able to support a franchise

There’s no way the market can support the NHL in the long run. The Metro is under 750K.
By US comparison, here’s where Winnipeg fits into US TV markets: (From Nielsen)

38 West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL 776,080 0.676
39 Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA 743,420 0.647
40 Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa), AL 742,140 0.646
41 Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI 740,430 0.645
42 Las Vegas, NV 721,780 0.628
43 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 709,880 0.618

None of these cities/markets can be classified as “Major League.”

Buffalo, which has been draining population since the city entered the NHL is now the 50th market, with approx 622K. Even though the Sabres are in decent shape, attendence-wise, this does not bode well for the future. It’s possible they might lose the NFL’s Bills, eventually.

The Hamilton, Ontario market is under 700K, so it’s similar to Winnipeg — but, it’s between Toronto and Buffalo. I’d bet another team wouldn’t hurt the Leafs, but might damage the now-sliding Buffalo market.

The NHL’s expansion to Columbus was a gamble, for that market is under 1 million. (As an aside, the NBA is really taking a chance by letting the Sonics leave the 13th ranked TV market for the 45th, Oklahoma City. Even with a new arena, this is going to fail, eventually.)

I just cannot see how another Canadian team is going to help the NHL. It needs to either prop up some of the US markets that still have a chance (Phoenix, Miami) and lose others. (Tampa Bay, Nashville) I’d consider relocating one of those teams to Houston. I doubt the NHLPA wants to lose jobs, so contraction is probably not going to happen. Kansas City has a new arena, without teams — but it doesn’t make sense to go to a market under 1 million. As with Columbus, that’s a big gamble. The aura of new arenas will wear off, and then what?

I understand Columbus has plenty of problems, for Nationwide Insurance has the team running the arena and responsible for its’ operation and booking. That’s proving to be a drain on the team’s finances.

Columbus Business Journal

Atlanta isn’t going anywhere. The naming rights to Philips Arena are tied into two teams in that building.

This may be Canada’s game, but that country has too many small markets that will not be viable for the NHL.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Nov 29, 2009 2:35 AM CST reply actions