IF you could move a team.......

[dtab316]

This is a thread that I had once started about a year or so ago, but with the current situation with Phoenix, I have to re-start it.

If you had the chance to buy an NHL team and move it, which team would you buy and why would you move them?

Now remember that there are certain parameters that must be considered:
1) NO Original 6 team may be moved
2) You must consider current attendance figures, the age of the arena where they play their home games, and the current "assets" of the team (ie, players, television contracts, etc...)
3) You must not take, say, San Jose and move them into Toronto because "I hate the Leafs and they suck" or something of that nature.
4) The city that you move them to must have a viable arena and potential television deal.


Now for my choice. I took a look at the 08-09 attendance figures, both the number of bodies that came to the game and the percentage of capacity.
The bottom 5 are the Islanders, Thrashers, Coyotes, Predators, and Panthers. Now which of these 5 would I buy?

Easy choice. I would purchase the Islanders, as of this date. Why you may ask? Last in average attendance; one of the oldest arenas in existance; television is pretty much non-existant; the team is young, with the potential to grow and learn together; and the New York area just simply does not need 3 teams (Rangers and Devils being the other 2).

Now the hard part. Where to move them to?

Now I may upset some of my Canadian fanset, but I would not move them to a Canadian city. Why? Television. So I keep them here in the States.

The city I have in mind has a new arena, with a potential large fan base; an existing rivalry with another close-by city; and a possibly a great television deal.

That city would be.....Kansas City.

No NBA team to compete with; St. Louis is just across the state and nothing between Football and Baseball seasons for the fans.

Ideas? Thoughts? Send them please.

[RGM81]

NHL didn't work so well last time they were in KC. A horrible team has already existed there and people simply did not buy into it. Sure times have changed and the city has a nice new arena, but if you were to drop the Islanders there I have a hard time believing they'd fare substantially better than the Scouts did, Tavares or no. Football would dominate the landscape for the first half of the season, and by the Chiefs are done, well, usually the Islanders are too.

Nice idea in theory, but in practice it'd be pretty tough to make it last.

For me, bring the Predators up to Canada. Doesn't really matter where, be it Winnipeg, Southern Ontario, Quebec City, or any of the other many long-suffering hockey towns in Canada. They'd instantly get a batch of TV deals, as TSN would air a bunch of games, the regional Sportsnet provider would air a bunch of games, and come Saturday night, so would CBC. If there's not already a suitable NHL-calibre venue, there would be within a matter of time, and the corporate sponsorships and all the rest would soon follow.
The Preds have a couple of players that would be big hits with the Canadian fans, namely Shea Weber and Jordan Tootoo. Weber is a star in the making and if he weren't buried in Nashville he'd be bigger than Phaneuf in my opinion; I like THN's assessment that there are Norris Trophies in Shea's future. Tootoo made a ton of waves in the world juniors a few years ago, and even though his game has turned into more of a reckless style than many appreciate, imagine Don Cherry hyping the kid on Coach's Corner. Finally somebody not named Mats Sundin for them to drool over!

[duwal]

I'd move Phoenix just up to Las Vegas, the building is there, the interest from both residents there as well as massive amounts of tourism and the conference wouldn't change because they could still be part of the Pacific West Division. That's one thing people need to take into consideration. If you move some team like Phoenix or Nashville somewhere significantly farther out of its region one or two teams might have to shift in their divisions to balance out the move

[dtab316]

RGM- I understand the fact that KC HAD a team in the late '70's, but like you stated, times HAVE changed. I grew up in Pittsburgh in the 70's and 80's when the Pens would routinly draw maybe 2,000 people a game.
I agree that KC is and always will be a football city. But between December, when the Chiefs are out of the playoff picture, and when April comes, the fans of the Royals (both of them!) will be looking for some other sport that the team actually has a chance. Give 3 years when the former Isles will be a (perspective) perenial playoff team.
The Scouts (as well as most US NHL teams during that time) had very little to no televison coverage.

I do like your idea of the Predlies moving north, but they still do have a fairly large fanbase. Their games are usually televised throughout the mid-south region. (I live in Louisville KY and get to see the Preds on Fox Sports South).

Duwal- I have to disagree with the Coyotes (or any other team, for now) moving to Vegas. If the building you're talking about is the Thomas and Mack Center, doesn't UNLV basketball games take place there, as well as every December, the National Finals Rodeo takes place there and would get priority over anything else.

Your thoughts about realligning teams within conferences and divisions is sound. But with mine, The former Isles would go into the Central division and Columbus would move into the Northeast.

[30ranfordfan]

The thing is, it's a loaded question. As soon as you put up qualification #4 "The city that you move them to must have a viable arena and potential television deal".

Kansas City is the ONLY city in North America that fits that.

For all the talk, Copps Coliseum in Hamilton is NOT viable for the NHL. If Balsillie wins the court case, and moves the Coyotes to Southern Ontario (which I highly doubt) Copps, IMO, could be nothing more than a holding place.... where the team could play for a couple of years while they build a new arena.

Maybe there are other American cities that meet that criteria (Seattle??). I'm not sure if any of the NBA arenas (that aren't already shared with NHL teams) could easily add ice. That would add to the list.

For the record, I 100% expect to see Phoenix relocated to Kansas City for the 2010-11 season.

Southern Ontario is the best market out there right now..... but I would never move a team there. Put an expansion team in (Hamilton, Toronto #2, Mississauga / Oakville / Burlington, or K-W / Cambridge / Guelph. Any of those areas would work if one more team moved to Ontario).

A market I think would be interesting to see them try: Oklahoma City. They've had a CHL team since the early 90s.... and their attendance had been better than a few of the bottom (in attendance) teams in the NHL some seasons. The team is gone now (as of the 09-10 season) because they pulled the plug on the CHL, in order to get an AHL team.

[marekschwarz33]

Sadly KC is just not ready for an NHL team imo. Only 9000 people showed up to the preseason game last night (I know its only preseason but c'mon). However a CHL is going to start playing here this season so that will likely be a true indicator of how popular hockey is.

[30ranfordfan]

I don't want to suggest for a second that KC is a good spot for an NHL team. I honestly have no idea.

I just don't think it's fair to use the CHL as a gauge. If minor league hockey attendance was a fair measure of how well a city would support the NHL..... Toronto should never have got a team. The Marlies have poor attendance, the OHL teams are among the worst attendance in the entire league. University Hockey, to my knowledge, has never been a draw.

Again, I have no real good idea on how KC would do.... but minor sports and major sports leagues are two totally different things.

Sadly KC is just not ready for an NHL team imo. Only 9000 people showed up to the preseason game last night (I know its only preseason but c'mon). However a CHL is going to start playing here this season so that will likely be a true indicator of how popular hockey is.

[dtab316]

Sadly KC is just not ready for an NHL team imo. Only 9000 people showed up to the preseason game last night (I know its only preseason but c'mon). However a CHL is going to start playing here this season so that will likely be a true indicator of how popular hockey is.

9000 people for a preseason game? In a city that has NO NHL team? I think that's a very good indicator that KC is ready for the NHL.

[dtab316]

The thing is, it's a loaded question. As soon as you put up qualification #4 "The city that you move them to must have a viable arena and potential television deal".

Kansas City is the ONLY city in North America that fits that.

For all the talk, Copps Coliseum in Hamilton is NOT viable for the NHL. If Balsillie wins the court case, and moves the Coyotes to Southern Ontario (which I highly doubt) Copps, IMO, could be nothing more than a holding place.... where the team could play for a couple of years while they build a new arena.

Maybe there are other American cities that meet that criteria (Seattle??). I'm not sure if any of the NBA arenas (that aren't already shared with NHL teams) could easily add ice. That would add to the list.

For the record, I 100% expect to see Phoenix relocated to Kansas City for the 2010-11 season.

Southern Ontario is the best market out there right now..... but I would never move a team there. Put an expansion team in (Hamilton, Toronto #2, Mississauga / Oakville / Burlington, or K-W / Cambridge / Guelph. Any of those areas would work if one more team moved to Ontario).

A market I think would be interesting to see them try: Oklahoma City. They've had a CHL team since the early 90s.... and their attendance had been better than a few of the bottom (in attendance) teams in the NHL some seasons. The team is gone now (as of the 09-10 season) because they pulled the plug on the CHL, in order to get an AHL team.

I have to disagree that KC is the only North American city that fits the parameters. Seattle, as does KC, has nothing between football and baseball seasons. The same with Milwaukee. Other potential relocation/expansion cities could be (US only) Houston, San Antonio, Portland, Cleveland, Hartford, and Vegas. Of the 9 I listed, the only ones that I would even consider KC or Seattle. Houston, San Antonio, Cleveland and Milwaukee all have NBA teams that would/could split fan base or television. Vegas (as of now) and Hartford have arena issues.

[FFIMSMSI2007]

my choice would be....

Wisconsin.

Although I live in the neighboring state of Minnesota,
there are numerous current/former NHL greats that came from
Wisconsin. Not sure where the major population to support a
NHL team is located at in that state?

At least they get snow there during hockey season!