Fans from Canada you should be rooting for an Atlanta expansion. So far your country is 2 for 2 at getting a team to be moved to a canadian city when they leave atlanta
As a fan in Canada, we already have one too many teams as it is here. If another team is forced to move there are near 20 other markets in the US the league should go to before even entertaining a phone call from a Canadian city.
Hockey fan from south florida here, been watching since ‘07 but honestly only started paying attention when the panthers were good. I just wanna thank you for being such a big part of why I was able to learn so much about hockey, your videos meant for the vegas/seattle expansion really helped me out
@Cilvathorne - Glad to have you aboard. The Cats have really come around these last 6 years or so (edit: actually, 8 years. I can't believe how long its been), and I'm really happy that's driving local support up. I feel like they are finally getting noticed by the rest of league, even if its a few years later than they should have been. I'm not in Florida, and my main team is the Red Wings, but ever since Detroit stopped being a playoff team, I was rooting Cats in the playoffs. They play such a great brand of hockey: fun, fast, and physical.
Pat McAfee had the Utah Jazz owner on a couple of weeks ago talking about NHL expansion. That man has a plan and a vision. I’ll be shocked if the NHL doesn’t expand there first.
The move to Dallas made me a hockey fan. I knew the sport existed but never got to see a game. Then the Stars came to Texas and I got to see a game here and there because of where I live and I fell in love with the sport. Now I’m a die hard fan and love the sport.
Always cool for new markets to gain a ton of new fans. More Fans also means more kids pick it up as well. Wild to think that Auston Matthews would be playing Baseball right now if the Coyotes never existed.
I’m a canes fan since 2001. It took a few years for hockey to catch on in NC, and there’s been a decade long slump that drove some fans away… but everytime I’ve brought someone to a Canes game they loved it and became a hockey fan. Lots to love about hockey for fans of football, soccer, rugby etc
Re: Tampa. I lived in the Tampa metro area for a while. The Lightning are a big deal down there, more than the Rays. Maybe it would be different if they had an NBA team, but there's basically zero talk of getting one. At times the Lightning are bigger than the Buccaneers!
@@Borodin410 NFL teams are going to be valuable, no matter what, because the NFL is absolutely huge throughout the US. It's more the vibes I got while living there.
Omaha would work better as an AHL market than an NHL market in my opinion. If the league ultimately makes the decision to move the Coyotes, Houston is the most likely city to move into without having to switch teams around in the divisional/conferential setup.
3:27 Omaha does not need a building, at least not to start. The Chi Health Center in downtown seats 17,100 for hockey. I would give them an AHL team instead
Omaha native here I'd be ok with a minor league omaha team and then the main league being kansas city. The Kansas city chiefs has fans in like 4 states so that's a good idea.
@@jaredmccain7555 I like that idea better. They could also play a preseason game in omaha. That's not totally unusual for other teams to play preseason games in nearby markets
I was in Nashville a few years ago and it really took me aback how much they love their Preds. Went to a preseason game and honestly amazed me how the crowd was mid season form. Had plenty of great conversations with the locals, and I highly recommend the trip.
Since the 90s aka Bettman. New Canadian teams: 1.Ottawa New American teams: 11. Anaheim, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Florida, Colorado, Dallas, Nashville, Minnesota, Atlanta, Columbus, Vegas, Seattle
So he identified all the major cities to grow the game and has been massively successful. Isn’t that the point? If all of those new teams went to small Canadian cities, it would’ve been a financial disaster. Bettman has done a great job.
Could you imagine if Dallas actually changed the name to Lonestars? The Lonestar's jersey with Bill Pullman's face from Space Balls as the logo, A Winnebago as the shoulder patches. They could have had a Pizza the Hut night. Missed opportunity.
Love the Stingers jersey! As a Cincinnati guy, not gonna tell you we do not need a new arena, however Phoenix would be grateful for the Heritage Center.
The fact that Bettman says that they will "consider Quebec if they show enough interest" is INSULTING. there was 19k people for the finale of the Remparts (LHJMQ). And that a JUNIOR team. It's a fucking joke. (and yes you can read that in the most Quebec accent ever)
Quebecor took themselves out of the hunt when they were looking to get into the NHL when Vegas did. You need a billion dollars US to get in, plus you need an owner with really deep pockets.
@@TheHockeyGuy Then don't say the city lacks interests. Say that they lack an owner. I'm not targeting this at you of course, you did say it clearly. But the messaging on the NHL end is just gaslighting.
I agree. Quebecor Inc has showed interest owning a team for years. The have an NHL ready arena. They have the fan interest and passion. It would be great to see the Nordiques come back.
I wish that Wisconsin could get a team, but there is some sort of agreement that Milwaukee is considered covered by the Blackhawks This thing is from a long time ago maybe the original 6 days.. Wisconsin is already great for hockey youth and college hockey. IT just doesn't have a team to root for. Great built in rivals from Chicago, St. Louis, and Minnesota.
I guess it sounds like nobody in Milwaukee is making that push. I think they could support a team better than Cincinnati or Omaha but it seems like those cities have civic leaders and potential owners and Milwaukee maybe doesn’t.
@@penguinsfan251 Milwaukee has supported Major League Baseball for 70 years now, so it's big enough to support the NHL. Wisconsin is one of the most traditional of all US hockey areas. They should have a team. The talk has always been the Black Hawks are against it, but Milwaukee is, in distance, to Chicago like Philadelphia is to New York.
@@RRaquello Wisconsin is definitely not one of traditional hockey locations in the US. Just because it's near other hockey states doesn't make it one. Hockey is popular in northern and western Wisconsin, but Milwaukee it is not. The only traditional US hockey locations are Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and upstate New York. The rest are the rest.
Admirals are a lot of fun to watch. A pro team would create wonderful rivalries with the border states. Maybe name the team for Wisconsin and not just Milwaukee. Draw Packer and Brewer fans.
Hey man, former Houston Aeros season ticket holder... hockey has been very well supported down here, top 5 attendance in their respective league, but run out of town over stadium rights arguments with the rockets in the 90s.
so in your opinion houston is more deserving of a franchise than say a hamilton or quebec city? top 5 attendance is a minor league where tickets were 25$ not 125$ i dont agree with your opinion,but you are entitled to it.
Cincinnati has a much larger metro population than it looks like on paper due to the proximity of the densely populated Northern Kentucky region, but also municipalities that checker the area which aren't in the city proper. It's in the top 30 of the most populous US metropolitan areas, and is home to the ECHL's Cyclones who haven't had a sub-.500 season in two decades (I believe). The Mighty Ducks co-existed there with the Cyclones briefly, and one of the NHL's Midwest player and coaching factories, Miami University, is maybe 30 miles from downtown.
The rivalries are already baked in too. Columbus is the easy in-state one and FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew were instant enemies too. But the 'clones will tear it up all season long until they meet the Toledo Walleye (Detroit's farm team) in the playoffs 😆
To add to your point. Cincy tends to also get the Louisville and Lexington markets in Kentucky as well as Dayton in Ohio. I grew up half an hour from Cincinnati and whenever I went to any of those cities I always saw Reds, Bengals, FC Cincy and even Cyclones gear. Didn’t matter if they were good or not.
The loss of the Thoroughblades AHL team stung in Lexington. I’d say we’d support an NHL team that’s an hour or so away. Get Louisville, NKY, and Lexington on board and you’d likely get a solid following. We already support the Reds, Bengals, and FC Cincy here.
The fact that VGK and SEA have been such quick successes, while an annoyance to those who are of the "my team suffered for 50 years, so these upstarts should too!" bent, is for whatever else you can say about him a definite credit to Bettman and his team in the league offices - not one but 2 new owners who are hopefully happy, plus the existing owners who should be happy with additional revenues in part from existing fans NOT having to be like "eh what a joke" and ignoring the new teams, plus hopefully new fans, is almost staggeringly phenomenal as an achievement.
Regarding the Atlanta Flames: The Flames left Atlanta because the owner's business was real estate, and the real estate market collapsed in the late-1970s. The owner was broke as a result, and had to sell the team to remain afloat. He sold to the highest bidder. I don't know that fan disinterest was actually an issue (though it's easy to see why one would believe it was), but according to former Atlanta Flames living here that I've had the pleasure of speaking with, that's not the case.
You're exactly correct about the Flames. The owner was Tom Cousins who owned the real estate firm, Cousins Properties (still in existence). The Federal Reserve's raising of interest rates (which brought on a recession) destroyed his real estate business, as the higher interest rates meant that banks weren't giving out many loans for construction. This meant that Cousins couldn't acquire enough contracts to keep his company afloat. The only thing that saved his company is that he sold the Flames, and it was to the highest bidder, a Canadian who took the team to Calgary. Attendance for the Flames (all but two years) was mid-tier. Not high, not low, but around the middle. The Flames had greater attendance than the Chicago Blackhawks 6 of 8 seasons in Atlanta. They also had greater attendance than the Pittsburgh Penguins 6 of 8 seasons in Atlanta, and both Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings were outsold at the gate by Atlanta for 4 of those seasons.
@@woyander3202 Not completely sure there, but from what I've read, the possible new ownership of a SLC team would be leveraging their bid for the Olympics to help build a new arena that would then go on to host an NHL team.
I think what a lot of people forget about the Nordiques is that their fans are literally all over North America, and they will support their team in whatever arena they're playing in. Just think how Maple Leafs fans and Canadiens fans can just take over arenas elsewhere.
I live in Omaha and we love our hockey here, but there probably isn’t enough people to consistently fill a large arena. Omaha does really well at supporting college sports. We love the UNO Mavericks for hockey, NE Huskers for football, and the Bluejays for basketball. Omaha also hosts college World Series for baseball.
Realistically we would have to lose the Mavs or Lancers to be able to take on a pro team, whether it's ECHL, AHL, or NHL. Low attendance was one of the main reasons the Knights didn't stick around for more than two seasons, and having 3 teams is likely the reason for the low attendance.
I remember Omaha being a NY Rangers farm team back in the 70s. That's where Fred Shero made his name before being hired by the Flyers and winning his two Stanley Cups there.
I chuckled at the comment about how it's on the Iowa border, so "two states for the price of one". If I learned anything from my friends in western Iowa, it's that there's no way in hell they'd support a team in Nebraska.
I think a good compromise would be to do what the Kings basketball team did back in the 1970s. Have a team in Kansas City and have a handful of games in Omaha. It might be able to work now when it didn't work in the past.
@MisterCaution You're right, nobody would care. I'm not trying to be mean to Columbus but it's just the truth. They're the most forgotten and ignored team in the NHL and probably have been for 20 years.
As a Miami native and Panthers fan for many years I can tell you that I’ve seen a noticeable increase in interest not just in the Panthers but in the sport of ice hockey generally in South Florida. As a panthers fan I always knew that we were the also-ran of South Florida professional sports teams, and that our market was mostly a Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm Beach crowd. It seemed like the Panthers org avoided promoting in Miami because they felt it wouldn’t sell (never saw billboard ads in Miami like I did further North, never heard of an official watch party in Miami…). But now every time I walk around Miami and southern Dade county I see people wearing Panthers merch. The game has captivated people who never knew it or grew up with it. Most Miami residents (whether originally from Miami or not) grew up watching soccer, and maybe basketball. For obvious reasons, hockey was never a backyard/schoolyard game they grew up with. So hockey fandom never enticed them. But the strides the Panthers org has made to put on a good on-ice product, to create an exciting live atmosphere and to make our players into local celebrities has really started to pay off. The game of hockey is incredibly entertaining and Panthers hockey is competitive and exciting. The rules and structure of the game are not unfamiliar to fans of soccer, but the play is much more intense and dramatic. I think all of these things have really grown the sport in South Florida, and the recent Panthers attendance numbers show that people here love hockey.
I wouldn’t be quite so fast to dismiss Omaha, they’ve got a 17-18k downtown arena (maybe 20 years old, so probably needs a refresh), growing population, and a ton of corporate money. Best thing is since there are no professional teams remotely nearby, that money is Bettman’s for the taking. Not a huge deal, but UN-Omaha is always near the top of NCAA attendance rankings, so there is a definite hockey appetite. It’s not the headline grabbing market, but it could be the NHL equivalent of the NBA’s move to OKC.
Well done video. A possible reason for the success of the sunbelt franchises is the fact that a lot of transplants from the Northeast and the Midwest already lived in those locations. I've been to games in Tampa when the Lightning were playing marginal hockey, yet the building was packed with Rangers, Flyers, or Black Hawk fans. I think the league needs to seriously consider, and not neglect Quebec and other traditional hockey markets. Omaha has a rich tradition for junior hockey, and the past 15 yeas or so, college hockey.
There isn't any available land there, and Cobb County wouldn't be able to get the funding after doing such for Truist Park. Forsyth County has agreed to fund much of the costs and they approved the arena plan. It's up 400 and just across the Fulton County line. It has an Alpharetta address.
The T Mobile Center in KC would need some work done both inside and outside (parking) to support an NHL team full time, I don't think that building is ready for a team at the moment
As a Seattle fan, it is great to see the Kraken get the support that they do & I agree with THG that it is a traditional hockey market. It also helps the city in getting the Sonics back as part of the NBA's expansion plans. Hopefully the NBA does the right thing this summer after they sign their new TV deal & announces the return of the Sonics along with possibly a Vegas expansion team. I also want to see the NBA add a second Canadian team (in Vancouver) through expansion or through relocating the Pelicans from New Orleans at some point to take advantage of the surge in popularity the NBA has had in Canada in recent years especially now that there's so many young Canadian players (like Scoot Henderson & SGA) in the league.
Seattle may be a traditional hockey market, but the Kraken expansion also brought hockey to the Coachella Valley, which is absolutely not a traditional market. (And the Firebirds have been drawing amazingly).
The NBA has been on a downward spiral for the last 25-years - its playoff games get less viewers than professional wrestling, which is having it's all time lowest viewership. Why in the world would you want that plague of a league back in your city?
Anaheim struggles to even sell out playoff games. They rely on the oppositions fan bases who happen to catch games while attending Disneyland etc for their survival.
The NHL is at a point where I would say only one team is in trouble. I’d be shocked if Omaha got a team instead of Quebec City. And as much as I’d love to see the whalers back I can’t see it ever happening.
@@Borodin410 Nah, only Arizona at this point. Canadian dollar is so low value that you have a better chance of seeing a team in Jacksonville than Quebec.
Low Canadian dollar just means Canadian teams charge more for tickets. Works out the same in the end. The bottom third of the league in revenue, teams which rely on Canadian teams like Montreal and Toronto to survive through revenue sharing, are almost all in the sunbelt of the US. And yes, you'll see more teams in bad failing markets before you'll see another team in Quebec, because the NHL's plan right now is to try to convince WWE and NASCAR fans to like hockey. LOL! Good luck! @@closethockeyfan5284
I don’t think we will ever see the Whalers again. Hartford is sandwiched right in the middle of the New York and Boston markets. No way any of those 4 teams will want to give up any more television rights, attendance, and whatever else would come with it.
First off want to say I love your videos. I’m from Omaha originally and there’s some things I think got overlooked. Omaha does have an arena suitable for hockey it’s called the CHI Health Center and it’s right downtown. It’s where Creighton Basketball currently plays, it seats roughly 17K for hockey. This is where the UNO hockey team played before the building of the Baxter Arena they currently play in. The population of Omaha is about 830K but with the surrounding suburbs it puts it over 1M. Now I still don’t believe that’s enough to get an NHL team on its own. However it raises some bigger questions about the market and potential expansion. As a hockey fan nobody should get a new team before Quebec City in my opinion. To be so close to finally winning a cup and having another city take your team and win it is devastating..
Great content. I don't see Cincinnati happening. I can see Atlanta happening but as an Atlanta resident I would advise against it. An Atlanta franchise would have to be committed to remaining for at least 20 years with modest attendance. The Hartford-New Britain-Bristol-Middletown metro is almost exactly the same size as Ottawa-Gatineau. That's all I'm gonna say about that. 😁
I wish in these videos you'd mention Milwaukee Shannon! Fiserv Forum (where the Milwaukee Admirals curerntly play) is a brand new arena and the big thing with Milwaukee teams is as long as you have it in the same division as a Chicago team, you get both the Madison/Milwaukee metro area but also the entire Chicago area any time the two teams play. This is a big reason why the Bucks and Brewers have lasted as long as they have despite being in the smallest markets in the US: Chicago fans will pad out ticket and merch sales for the team in MKE.
As a Dallas fan, I like Kansas City as an expansion or relocation. Geographically, it sits nicely in between several existing markets for a short flight or a day long drive. Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Minnesota, and of course St. Louis are within a relatively easy drive / flight which would be great for visiting fans. But beyond having a good team, I think a new owner really needs to invest in the market for the team to have long-term success. An underrated part of Dallas' success IMO, is the fact that the Stars have brought a significant amount of ice to North Texas. There are 8 ice rinks owned by the Stars (16 sheets) and at least 3 other ice arenas where you can play league hockey. It's one thing if your city as a team, it's another if your city also has a place where kids (and adults!) can learn the game and play.
I find it interesting you have Colorado listed as a traditional market, rather than a non-traditional market. While I could definitely see how it could be perceived now as a good traditional hockey market, that has definitely not been the case historically, and the area was much different even as recently as 1995 when the team moved to town. I would say it very well was likely the team moving to town and immediately winning the first pro championship for the town, followed closely by a second cup, which created the hockey market in Denver. Before this, there were a few different minor league teams, some with success, but often times they struggled with attendance and rarely lasted very long before moving out of town. Before the modern era in Denver, the culture in Colorado is somewhat similar to Texas with big mountains in the middle. Very western, lots of farming, cattle ranching, and the like. Since 1960, Denver has been a Football town. Especially after the Broncos went to four Super Bowls between the 70s to early 90s, and CU won a national championship in Football in 1990. This only changed when the NHL rolled into town with multiple future hall of famers putting a product on the ice you couldn't help but love. Especially after three heartbreaking Super Bowl losses in a row, Denver was hungry for a winner, and the Avalanche gave them that, and really cemented themselves in the heart of the city from then on, changing the whole culture of the state. Football is still #1, but I would say hockey is a strong #2, and that is an incredible accomplishment given where it started. So really, the situation with the Avalanche and Stars are very similar. Dallas being maybe a slightly bigger Football market to start with, (the cult of the Cowboys is strong) and the Stars having slightly less success than the Avalanche. But very similar situations, and very similar outcomes, showing you can carve out a new market very successfully with the right product on the ice.
Just given how close Omaha is to Kansas City, it feels like a natural fit for an AHL team to match an expansion in KC, not a whole new NHL team. I am DYING to get a team here in Houston, though. I think there's a lot of potential here, especially if the team leans into a physical playstyle, which would find a LOT of appreciation here. The recent record of playoff success from Vegas and Seattle would also help boost hopes. They could have a lot of fans very quickly.
Cincy is tricky. I live in Kentucky. We generally support the Reds and the Bengals pretty well. I love Cyclones games. Would KY’s golden triangle change allegiances over time? Maybe. Lots of fans here follow the Jackets, Preds, and Canes. I think of Cincy invested in youth hockey programs south of Cincy (NKY, Lexington, Louisville) they’d likely build a pretty big following. The Swords and Jr Preds programs are already fairly involved. You’d really need to pull Southern Indiana, KY triangle cities, and the Cincy and Dayton area populations. I’d be super excited though!
The worst thing about Americanization is the intrusive ads. They're clearly following the path the NFL laid, slowly adjusting the rules so that the product turns into endless ad breaks interrupted by some hockey.
Made football unwatchable for me 10 years ago... NHL is well on their way. Its also the reason soccer, Futbol, will never make it big in the US. Cant sell unneeded garbage in a game that doesnt stop but every 45 minutes
tt128556 I am old school hockey when it was simply the game. none of the constant bombardment with ads . even ads on the boards. Just the purity of the game once before sheer greed too over the world. Now its money money money.
Lightning have a sellout streak over 300 & counting, I don't think anybody can say we're fairweather fans. Only thing is when the Leafs come to town, their fans will happily pay 5x market price & fill half the seats.
You cant' trust "attendance" numbers since teams publish ticket distribution as "attendance" rather than sales or actual attendance. Tickets distributed includes tickets sold, tickets given away to corporations, schools, radio stations, etc for promotion, tickets sold to resellers who often do not sell their inventory, tickets reserved for team and staff friends and family, etc. Teams regularly give away unsold tickets and publish them as "attendance". This is why you can have "sell outs" with half the building being empty. You just can't use team published "attendance" stats. If a team reports a game as anything other than a "sell out" it means they couldn't even give remaining tickets away.
Also, looking to make fans in new markets leads to "audience capture" which changes the game rules and culture for the worse. Expansion into non-hockey markets is just bad for the game, even if it's good for the owners wallets.
All teams in all leagues should be required to report actual attendance (i.e. turnstile count) like they used to many years ago, along with paid attendance.
Actually, it has been the players themselves who have gotten rid of fighting and hitting. After the career of Lindros was cut short, and Crosby lost almost two years recovering from concussions, the players implored the league to impose tougher penalties on dangerous hits, which it finally did in 2011-12. The league resisted, however, even denying that concussion were a problem, but finally gave in. This also lead to a reduction in fighting, which is also a major cause of concussions. @@losangeleskingsfan15
CHI Arena in downtown Omaha seats 16k right now, but is expandable to 19k, I believe. Lots of hockey tradition here. UNO Maverick hockey team could sell out that arena before they moved into the 9k seat Baxter Arena
Every Mavs game I had been to at CHI/Qwest/CenturyLink Center had most of the upper bowl curtained off. To my knowledge they never sold out the full 17,000 seat arena for hockey.
One other thought, I understand your argument for expanding in a city in the US, but I do feel that there may be another side to the argument. If I am the NHL and have one last expansion team to award and the choices are Omaha, Nebraska or (Pick any Canadian city) Hamilton, Ontario I would probably lean towards the Canadian city. Why? There is an element of risk in expanding to a new NHL market in the US. You could very well end up with another Arizona. Having issues from the beginning. In the states, hockey is 4th among the major sports. In a Canadian city, I think that you can very likely guarantee a big interest in a new team. For whatever reasons, teams in the states have struggled in non-traditional markets. Kansas City, Atlanta, Florida, Arizona, Colorado (back in the 1970's), Nashville (struggled in the beginning), and possibly even Carolina went through some difficulties in the beginning. Just my personal opinion, I think that you have a greater chance of success in a Canadian city than you might in a non-traditional hockey city in the US.
Exactly. And we constantly hear the argument that the league won't bring any new fans by putting a team in a Canadian market. And it's getting tired. No, you won't gain new fans and you won't make as much money. But you will have another successful market. You can't ignore a market simply because hockey is already popular. If they want the product again, and they have the money, give it to them. There are plenty of ways to grow the game in non-traditional markets that don't involve putting in a new team. The NFL has a global following, and they haven't added a new franchise in over 20 years. The NBA has a global following, and the last team they added was 20 years ago. And for both leagues, the new franchises were placed in markets that had previously lost a team and had fans already.
I have been saying this for years, even as a Stars fan, hockey in Texas would explode if there's a Aeros 2.0 in Houston, it does well, and a rivalry with the Stars is like what the Rangers and Astros have right now.
BY this logic the league has to continue growing forever - reckless growth - like cancer. Nope. The league is fine so long as its core fans support it, which they always have. @@geoff3103
We want and would support a team in Houston. The Aeros pulled at least 5,000 a night. A NHL team could pulll 18,000 a night with 6.3 Million people in the metro area
Underrated market is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While we have the Badgers college hockey program if you put the team in the Fiserv Forum away from Madison, Wisconsin (where the Badgers play) they'd do pretty well. Only downfall is having to move the Admirals.
As a casual fan ..I live in Australia, love hockey , love the nhl , I’d love the nordiques too come back , love the idea of expansion. In Australia our major sports are going through similar discussions with expansions of our professional leagues … also in short my fave jersey I own is my whalers!!
Also it helps too that the Panthers have embraced their identity as Broward's team and haven't tried to pander to Miami. I live in Broward County and I see Panthers ads fairly often
I moved to the atlanta area after the Thrashers left. If the NHL puts a team in So. Forsyth county, I'd buy season tix. We go to the hawks on occasion and the falcons but it's a pain driving downtown. MUCH easier if the arena was in the north atlanta suburbs. it's where the fan base is by the way
The Maritimes don't have an NHL team. Halifax has approximately 430,000 people with roughly another 150-200k outside of Halifax. You can drive easily to Halifax from Moncton, NB & PEI so why isn't that a consideration? Are they hockey fans, yes but you'd still have the support for the team.
Halifax has been rumored for CFL expansion for 40 years now, and nothing continues to happen. On that note, if they can't get the funding for a modest-sized football stadium, how in the world can they be expected to cover the start-up costs for an NHL team?
I think a good thing to mention with omaha is that it is a very fast growing metro area (over the past 10 years, it's grown about 19-20%). I think the NHL is thinking like the MLS did with Austin or the NBA did with Oklahoma City or even they did with Vegas in being that they want to be the first team that defines pro sports in a fast growing metro area.
The NHL cannot ignore the watering down argument. Yes, it's nice to get a billion for a new team, but the owners will be pissed if they cannot sell their team for more than a billion when they want to sell.
Watering down is less of a problem than lack of parity. If the league consists of the top 800 players in the world as opposed to the top 700 players in the world, do you really think the difference will be that stark?
PLEASE...for the love of GOD...no more expanding. There are so many guys dressing up on NHL rosters that are, at best, AHL caliber guys. Stop watering it down. Please.
The thing is the US markets really do not need most sports fans to be hockey fans because the are so big and wealthy not the whole market but all they need is the same 18000 upper middle class or higher season ticket holders to buy tickets. The truth it is not that hard to make US markets work even if the majority of the sport fans in the market are not real hockey fans.
Re: Atlanta. The Flames were way too early for a southern expansion. The Thrashers were definitely, not, but as you pointed out, it was an ownership thing. It's not a guarantee (though if yet another team moves out, they're probably dead as a market), but it is absolutely possible.
@@justjohnny420 The owners didn't "lose" the arena. The owners also owned the Hawks and the arena. They never wanted the Thrashers and put them up for sale. Then they told any potential buyers that you cannot use OUR arena. So they sealed the fate of the team by not selling to any group that wanted to stay in Atlanta.
I’ve never spent any significant time in Nebraska but I’ve been saying for years that Omaha would be a phenomenal location. Vegas should always be a reminder for the NHL of the importance of being the first major sports team in a market (although the Cornhuskers are down the road). Also about 92,000 fans showed up for a women’s outdoor volleyball game in Lincoln, again just a little down the road from Omaha. Sounds like sports fans out there
The Americanzation is working if you look at all the great American born players now from non-traditional hockey markets like the Hughes Brothers from Florida,Auston Matthews, the best American player of his generation Was born in California grew up in Arizona. This is why I think this is the golden era of American hockey
Arizona has done a fantastic job of promoting youth hockey in the desert. I have friends who moved from Minnesota to Arizona over a decade ago, and their kids play hockey at a pretty high level down there and they've had nothing but great things to say about the programs and the growth of the sport in Arizona. Sure, its not like it was back in Minnesota where there are outdoor hockey rinks on every block, but hockey is supported and the Yotes have been the main reason for that.
@@Borodin410 what does that even mean? There has been zero cost to fans or the league, and not all teams have been as successful growing the sport. Is there something else you're trying to ask or a point you're trying to make? There is no negative here.
In order to expand the league into non-traditional hockey markets, and appeal to people who know little to nothing about hockey or its history, the league has implemented a ton of changes to the spirit and substance of the sport. Original names of divisions, which honoured hockey icons, were jettisoned for generic titles like that of the NBA and NFL. Rules were changed to promote scoring at any cost, because the NHL was competing with the NBA, where there is a goal every half minute. Point systems were revamped to eliminate ties (Americans couldn't comprehend a game ending in a tie) and overtime was turned into a pond hockey gimmick (3v3 and shootouts). The game has been altered beyond recognition so that NASCAR fans in the desert might tune in. @@captbloodbeard
I lived in Atlanta during the Thrashers days. They were practically giving tickets away and the attendance still wasn’t great. Not bottom of the league, sure, but not great by any stretch of the imagination. There was also barely any local support for the team outside diehard hockey fans. Didn’t help either that the team was awful.
Dude, just stop. I went to many Thrashers games every season. The only season was it sparse was in the second half of the last season after we knew that the owners were trying to get rid of the team. Look at the 2006-2007 season. The arena is packed every game. ruclips.net/video/rsSCXRZ75Hw/видео.html
@@rodmunch69 Atlanta United 1st in MLS attendance 7 straight seasons (every season they have been in the league). Atlanta Braves 5th in MLB attendance out of 30 teams. Was 1st in attendance in 2021. Atlanta Falcons 15th of 32 teams in attendance. Top half Atlanta Hawks. Over 99 percent capacity attendance average. You have no idea what you are talking about. Atlanta is 3rd best market in sports attendance amongst markets that have three or more teams in the Big 5.
I know this won't happen, but when people bring up the fact that a Canadian team hasn't won a Stanley Cup in over 30 years, you can point to the CDN$. The $81.5 million cap hit isn't fair as the Canadian teams' revenue is in $CDN and expenses in $USD. That and taxes, players can go south and have a lot more take home pay vs Canada.
While Omaha doesn't seem like a good fit, Omaha has had hockey teams since the 40s. They currently have the Lancers of the USHL and the UNO Mavericks of the NCHC. They don't need to build an arena, they have the CHI Health Arena that seats 17,000. And on top of that, there isn't a major league team in Nebraska or Iowa. Kansas City wouldn't support an NHL team. There's already an MLB, NFL and two soccer teams there. They have an ECHL hockey team there, but they bring up the rear when it comes to support from the city. Now that Atlanta is building an arena in the right area, the right ownership would finally be what would be needed to make a new team success. Arizona needs to be moved to Quebec. It wouldn't be expansion so it wouldn't ruin Bettmanns plans.
At this point, Houston is the 5th most populous metro in the US, so it definitely needs to have a pro sports team in every league (which just leaves an NHL team that it is missing).
I haven’t heard it said much, but is a 36 team league not bonkers? I’d have assumed the balanced 32 team league would have been the endgame for the NHL, but everyone seems so interested in keeping the expansion conversation going.
FL Panthers fan here. Currently drive 45 mins max (with traffic) from Miami to Sunrise for home games. Don’t mind it at all since we love our team. Grew up in Atlanta and don’t know if ATL residents would drive 1 hour south to Forsyth Co. Alpharetta would be much better as it is only a 30-45 min drive with traffic from most places around the city. Would love having an Atlanta team to root for so hoping for the best
As someone in the Atlanta area... the proposed arena in question would be 30 minutes north of Atlanta, not an hour south. An hour to the south is the city of Forsyth. I used to make that drive regularly when I was working. From what I understand, the developer tried to get it done at the site of North Point Mall, and was denied, so the plan moved about six miles north. It's an area of Alpharetta that is unincorporated.
Love the whole video and youre very reasoned. All I gotta say is im not sure sponsorships are really "Americanization". When you drive into Toronto you see ads made out of bushes on the highway 😂.
Houston, Atlanta then KC and Utah all will be my bet for new teams. Cincy already teams all in that Great lakes Region area, and Omaha is just too small right now for a team.
The threat of relocation can absolutely turn a weaker fan base into a stronger one. We saw this in MLS when Precourt tried to move the Columbus Crew to Austin. And in Seattle, the Sonics are still widely recognized despite not being in town for twentyish years. If the NBA ever brings the Sonics back they’d be an instant success. No one wants to have something taken from them.
Now that we know the NHL will return to the Olympics I was hoping that you might be able to do a video on the state of Canadian goaltending. Who is in the pool of candidates? I'm very concerned that we won't have adequate goaltending. Thanks.
"traditional markets" and "high as hell taxes" are synonymous. Canadian fans have a chip on their shoulder that their players would rather play in red and purple states with low income tax.
Yeah and low everything else numbers as well. Low education, low life expectancy, low healthcare, low levels of teen pregnancies, whoops!! Actually that is very high in red to purple states. 😘
@@slytester5636 i dont know what any of that has to do with a hockey player who has maybe 5-15 good years of earning a living as an athlete in order to leave them financially independent for the rest of their lives.
Shannon, OUTSTANDING video. There is not one thing I can disagree with here. That includes what you said about the Coyotes. Thank you for doing this one.
As a Nebraskan getting more and more into hockey; I appreciate that Omaha is featured in an expansion video. Unfortunately, I don't think that Omaha will ever get an NHL team. The metro is too small looking at the other cities on your board. Regardless if we get a team in Nebraska or not, I love your videos Shannon, just keep doing what you're doing.
it would be kinda cool but it's hard to see it as like a regional team, i think most people in kansas or missouri would continue to cheer for the blues, iowa would continue to be either blues or blackhawks fans, so it's not a huge amount of people but if the passion was there, it could work. i've been there, it just doesn't seem big enough, nice city though, super friendly people.
I moved to Seattle 11 years ago and I was surprised at how many people watched the NHL here. Most of them were Vancouver fans because it was the closest team. So yes, I would definitely agree about it being a traditional hockey town. You're also right about Gretzky putting hockey on the map in SoCal. I am an LA native and no one cared about the Quee...erm...Kings at ALL until Gretzky was plastered all over bus benches, billboards, radio, tv and papers. The media went nuts about it and suddenly everyone and their mother was paying attention to hockey. It even spread 100 miles north to Bakersfield where it circled back to Edmonton eventually through the Condors.
Not sure Denver is a traditional hockey market. DU hockey has a great history and the Rockies were around for a minute, but Denver is a high-plains/high-desert mild city with not a ton of local hockey development until more recently. People think it's a mountain town with snow all winter but it's a flat city that can be below freezing one day and t-shirt weather the next day. Omaha deserves an ECHL or AHL team but they're not big enough to support a Big 4 team. It's the Winnipeg of America and no FA would want to go there. Salt Lake City seems like it's come out of no where but with a motivated owner maybe it can work? Houston doesn't seem to have an interested owner. It feels like SLC and Atlanta have the most steam right now. PS I've been more forgiving than 90% of NHL fans with the Coyotes and have wanted them to stay in Arizona, but they've gotta figure it out now or the owner needs to sell the team and they can try again with an expansion team in the early '30s. It's not working and you can't have a pro team play in a college arena indefinitely. pps Tampa loves hockey. I know there's tons of transplants from the northern US and Canada, but the Lightning are really popular there and people know their stuff. I haven't been to Raleigh but they seem like a great case of why patience is necessary--they have done a great job marketing that team and the on-ice success helps too. Sunbelt hockey has some failures and some successes.
For AZ they have said they have bought land now it has to wait to go through, plus they have found 3 other spots. So its still possible, but I do agree something has to happen.
Arizona has a problem: The return on investment in the Coyotes is not enough to draw out investors in an arena. If land was available at the right price no problem. But, there’s that problem of inadequate return on investment and until that is addressed no arena.
I did. THG is great but he relies almost entirely on team reported attendance to evaluate team success. That's the wrong metric since teams grossly inflate their numbers. The only reliable metric is revenue viewed longitudinally and see which teams are actually zombie franchises being propped up by revenue sharing. Teams like the Coyotes, Ducks, Hurricanes, Stars, Predators, Sharks, Panthers. Not successful. @@debuthunter5389
Great breakdown! I still maintain that moving the Coyotes to Quebec makes the most sense. They have the facilities, they have a rabid fan base that will support that team as bad as they’ve been and a local ownership group probably wouldn’t want to pony up the $1 billion US expansion fee. This would allow the league to circle back to Phoenix as a market in future once there’s actually a viable arena plan. Also, big expansion fee. And you’d still have Houston, KC, and SLC for future expansion.
Wish Portland Oregon would be a consideration for the NHL. It would be awesome to generate an additional rival in the Pacific Northwest with Vancouver & Seattle.
The Portland Antfas? Maybe they can set fire to each team bus that comes through while they steal everything out of the opponents lockers. What a terrible city, it will never get another team - and the companies that are there won't be in 10-15 years.
I would much prefer expansion teams being in Canadian locales. Hockey is Canada. Canada is hockey. American interests are primarily economic. The cultural legacy of Canadian hockey should be integral to things.
This often falls on deaf ears when I bring it up in internet forums but we're the only major hockey country without our own professional league, which is ironic given Canada's deep hockey heritage. I love Americans but the NHL is an American-run league.
@@ebashford5334 I feel very strongly about this. As THG knows since I have mentioned this often on his channel…I grew up near the Quebec border in Vermont. The French Canadian heritage there very strong. It has been disillusioning to have American dollars suck the life out of Canadian hockey. Sure there are lots of wonderful fans here in the states and that’s a good thing. Boston Chicago New York for sure. But why not have a full complement of Canadian locales in NHL. Expanding here isn’t going to meaningfully grow a sport that doesn’t enjoy a wide enough media exposure. In Canada it does. I could see American fans adopting some of these teams..as has happened with soccer.
As a counter point, in the entire original 6 era only a third of the teams were Canadian. It felt more like a Canadian league because most of the players were Canadian and the two Canadian franchises won a lot.
@@jacobdill4499 The presidents of the league used to be exclusively Canadian(Calder, Dutton and Campbell.) It felt like a Canadian league to me because of that, along with the players. It changed in the 80s with Ziegler, then Stein briefly and Bettman with his long tenure. But point taken, a lot of the leverage Canada once had to run the league was because of the Canadian players dominance.
@@jacobdill4499 You are so right! Very much the case and in my younger years Americans were not much in number on teams. I remember when Jeremy Roenick played first game for Hawks.. a kid from Massachusetts.
I totally agree with you on Seattle being a traditional hockey market. They've had some level of hockey for over 50 years and those franchises did well on the ice and at the box office
If you want to be shocked, look at Oklahoma City. They were considered previously (many years ago), primarily because they had 10k fans regularly for a very minor league team (Blazers)
“Someday it will be Europe as well” we’re already here! I’m watching from England, our media never reports on hockey so I just use this channel for me hockey news etc
@@SaveznaRepublikaJugoslavija you could easily keep it as is. 50% of teams already make it... Or if you have to expand, you bring in that play in round for the wildcard 7 and 8 spots or some other mix to add intrigue
I’m in Lincoln, roughly less than an hour away from Omaha. Omaha has a building that would work. But the population and popularity would be an issue. The Omaha lancers, and Lincoln stars of the USHL show people like hockey here. But and NHL, don’t know.
I just wish Buffalo could get a team, what a great market that would be.
Pain. Buffalo sports is pain.
As much as I don't want to, I can't help laughing at this joke. 😂
😂
Sad bit is that Pegula would probably take a big offer to sell them off -- and bye bye Buffalo
Buffalo just needs 1 title that almost everyone everywhere can share at least a little (or a lot of) enjoyment in
Fans from Canada you should be rooting for an Atlanta expansion. So far your country is 2 for 2 at getting a team to be moved to a canadian city when they leave atlanta
They'll put 10 failed teams in Atlanta before there is another team in Canada.
Stupid rematk. THG has explained the facts and you are oblivious. Go away.
I can see one more team in Atlanta, but more than that is going to be a very hard sell, even if attendance is good.
There should be a Charlotte team instead of an Atlanta team
As a fan in Canada, we already have one too many teams as it is here. If another team is forced to move there are near 20 other markets in the US the league should go to before even entertaining a phone call from a Canadian city.
Hockey fan from south florida here, been watching since ‘07 but honestly only started paying attention when the panthers were good. I just wanna thank you for being such a big part of why I was able to learn so much about hockey, your videos meant for the vegas/seattle expansion really helped me out
Ya love to see this.
@Cilvathorne - Glad to have you aboard. The Cats have really come around these last 6 years or so (edit: actually, 8 years. I can't believe how long its been), and I'm really happy that's driving local support up. I feel like they are finally getting noticed by the rest of league, even if its a few years later than they should have been. I'm not in Florida, and my main team is the Red Wings, but ever since Detroit stopped being a playoff team, I was rooting Cats in the playoffs. They play such a great brand of hockey: fun, fast, and physical.
@@captbloodbeard This is interesting because I am an Oilers fan living in California. Interesting seeing someone who chose their home team
Go panthers! From Canada
@@brandontong759 Yes, go Panthers!....to Quebec City.
Pat McAfee had the Utah Jazz owner on a couple of weeks ago talking about NHL expansion. That man has a plan and a vision. I’ll be shocked if the NHL doesn’t expand there first.
Publicly they're pushing for expansion but privately SLC knows their best bet is to steal the Coyotes. The timing of their request is no coincidence.
Vision or not..SLC is a metro area of 1.2 million with an NBA team. The guy is nuts.
bootah
I heard the Coyotes may be a candidate for SLC
Utah can have all the money in the world but getting quality athletes to move there, with the restricted freedoms is a hard sell
The move to Dallas made me a hockey fan. I knew the sport existed but never got to see a game. Then the Stars came to Texas and I got to see a game here and there because of where I live and I fell in love with the sport. Now I’m a die hard fan and love the sport.
Always cool for new markets to gain a ton of new fans. More Fans also means more kids pick it up as well. Wild to think that Auston Matthews would be playing Baseball right now if the Coyotes never existed.
same here brother-go stars
I’m a canes fan since 2001. It took a few years for hockey to catch on in NC, and there’s been a decade long slump that drove some fans away… but everytime I’ve brought someone to a Canes game they loved it and became a hockey fan. Lots to love about hockey for fans of football, soccer, rugby etc
Re: Tampa. I lived in the Tampa metro area for a while. The Lightning are a big deal down there, more than the Rays. Maybe it would be different if they had an NBA team, but there's basically zero talk of getting one. At times the Lightning are bigger than the Buccaneers!
Team values suggest otherwise.
@@matthewdaley746the bucs were supposed to be rebuilding this yr, similar to the rams or texans, its a successful season for a very young team
@@Borodin410 NFL teams are going to be valuable, no matter what, because the NFL is absolutely huge throughout the US. It's more the vibes I got while living there.
@@Borodin410team values between the biggest sport and the smallest are an invalid comparison. They’re talking fan support. Surely that’s obvious.
Fan support is almost impossible to evaluate. @@MDK2_Radio
Omaha would work better as an AHL market than an NHL market in my opinion.
If the league ultimately makes the decision to move the Coyotes, Houston is the most likely city to move into without having to switch teams around in the divisional/conferential setup.
@@geoff3103Omaha is bigger than Des Moines
@@geoff3103 1.5 million people live within 50 miles of Omaha. That’s basically twice Des Moines metro population.
3:27 Omaha does not need a building, at least not to start. The Chi Health Center in downtown seats 17,100 for hockey. I would give them an AHL team instead
omaha is never going to happen
Omaha is prefect for a AHL team unfortunately major pro sports won’t work for Omaha
Would Omaha draw fans in the Dakotas away from the Jets or Wild? It might thin the market too much. I like the idea of Omaha though.
Omaha native here I'd be ok with a minor league omaha team and then the main league being kansas city. The Kansas city chiefs has fans in like 4 states so that's a good idea.
@@jaredmccain7555 I like that idea better. They could also play a preseason game in omaha. That's not totally unusual for other teams to play preseason games in nearby markets
I was in Nashville a few years ago and it really took me aback how much they love their Preds. Went to a preseason game and honestly amazed me how the crowd was mid season form. Had plenty of great conversations with the locals, and I highly recommend the trip.
Since the 90s aka Bettman.
New Canadian teams: 1.Ottawa
New American teams: 11. Anaheim, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Florida, Colorado, Dallas, Nashville, Minnesota, Atlanta, Columbus, Vegas, Seattle
Makes you wonder why they put a team in Ottawa, really missed an opportunity to "grow the game"
I believe Bettman had nothing to do with 1991 and 92 expansions
Technically Ottawa was before Bettman.
So he identified all the major cities to grow the game and has been massively successful. Isn’t that the point? If all of those new teams went to small Canadian cities, it would’ve been a financial disaster. Bettman has done a great job.
The USA has 54 metropolitan areas over 1 million people. Canada only has 6.
It is much more about corporate sponsorship in the cities, which is why Atlanta, Houston , Seattle etc are all much more valuable markets
no one gives a fuzk about hockey in these cities and Corporate Sponsorship is not there.
You get better ratings on t v for rodeo
Could you imagine if Dallas actually changed the name to Lonestars? The Lonestar's jersey with Bill Pullman's face from Space Balls as the logo, A Winnebago as the shoulder patches. They could have had a Pizza the Hut night. Missed opportunity.
Barf The Mog could've been the mascot!
Love the Stingers jersey! As a Cincinnati guy, not gonna tell you we do not need a new arena, however Phoenix would be grateful for the Heritage Center.
The fact that Bettman says that they will "consider Quebec if they show enough interest" is INSULTING.
there was 19k people for the finale of the Remparts (LHJMQ). And that a JUNIOR team.
It's a fucking joke. (and yes you can read that in the most Quebec accent ever)
Quebecor took themselves out of the hunt when they were looking to get into the NHL when Vegas did. You need a billion dollars US to get in, plus you need an owner with really deep pockets.
@@TheHockeyGuy Then don't say the city lacks interests. Say that they lack an owner.
I'm not targeting this at you of course, you did say it clearly. But the messaging on the NHL end is just gaslighting.
Hate to break it to you kid - but putting butts in seats is cute and all, but all that matters is TV money.
I agree. Quebecor Inc has showed interest owning a team for years. The have an NHL ready arena. They have the fan interest and passion. It would be great to see the Nordiques come back.
Bettany hates Canada.
I wish that Wisconsin could get a team, but there is some sort of agreement that Milwaukee is considered covered by the Blackhawks This thing is from a long time ago maybe the original 6 days.. Wisconsin is already great for hockey youth and college hockey. IT just doesn't have a team to root for. Great built in rivals from Chicago, St. Louis, and Minnesota.
Milwaukee is a small metro area with an NBA team. Two strikes against. Wisconsin loves hockey. It is just a small market.
I guess it sounds like nobody in Milwaukee is making that push. I think they could support a team better than Cincinnati or Omaha but it seems like those cities have civic leaders and potential owners and Milwaukee maybe doesn’t.
@@penguinsfan251 Milwaukee has supported Major League Baseball for 70 years now, so it's big enough to support the NHL. Wisconsin is one of the most traditional of all US hockey areas. They should have a team. The talk has always been the Black Hawks are against it, but Milwaukee is, in distance, to Chicago like Philadelphia is to New York.
@@RRaquello Wisconsin is definitely not one of traditional hockey locations in the US. Just because it's near other hockey states doesn't make it one. Hockey is popular in northern and western Wisconsin, but Milwaukee it is not. The only traditional US hockey locations are Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and upstate New York. The rest are the rest.
Admirals are a lot of fun to watch. A pro team would create wonderful rivalries with the border states. Maybe name the team for Wisconsin and not just Milwaukee. Draw Packer and Brewer fans.
Hey man, former Houston Aeros season ticket holder... hockey has been very well supported down here, top 5 attendance in their respective league, but run out of town over stadium rights arguments with the rockets in the 90s.
Leslie Alexander was the problem.
Also, not a hockey market. The stadium deal would have been a no brainer if Houston was an actual hockey town.
@@Borodin410 man just go away. You're up and down every comment being negative and rude to everyone
I might appear negative, but I'm not rude. Just stating the facts, which happen to be considered negative to some.@@mackman320
so in your opinion houston is more deserving of a franchise than say a hamilton or quebec city? top 5 attendance is a minor league where tickets were 25$ not 125$ i dont agree with your opinion,but you are entitled to it.
Cincinnati has a much larger metro population than it looks like on paper due to the proximity of the densely populated Northern Kentucky region, but also municipalities that checker the area which aren't in the city proper. It's in the top 30 of the most populous US metropolitan areas, and is home to the ECHL's Cyclones who haven't had a sub-.500 season in two decades (I believe). The Mighty Ducks co-existed there with the Cyclones briefly, and one of the NHL's Midwest player and coaching factories, Miami University, is maybe 30 miles from downtown.
The rivalries are already baked in too. Columbus is the easy in-state one and FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew were instant enemies too.
But the 'clones will tear it up all season long until they meet the Toledo Walleye (Detroit's farm team) in the playoffs 😆
@@dem1s3 My friend landed me a battle of I-71 "Hell Is Real" shirt that makes me very happy.
To add to your point. Cincy tends to also get the Louisville and Lexington markets in Kentucky as well as Dayton in Ohio. I grew up half an hour from Cincinnati and whenever I went to any of those cities I always saw Reds, Bengals, FC Cincy and even Cyclones gear. Didn’t matter if they were good or not.
The loss of the Thoroughblades AHL team stung in Lexington. I’d say we’d support an NHL team that’s an hour or so away. Get Louisville, NKY, and Lexington on board and you’d likely get a solid following. We already support the Reds, Bengals, and FC Cincy here.
All good points
The fact that VGK and SEA have been such quick successes, while an annoyance to those who are of the "my team suffered for 50 years, so these upstarts should too!" bent, is for whatever else you can say about him a definite credit to Bettman and his team in the league offices - not one but 2 new owners who are hopefully happy, plus the existing owners who should be happy with additional revenues in part from existing fans NOT having to be like "eh what a joke" and ignoring the new teams, plus hopefully new fans, is almost staggeringly phenomenal as an achievement.
They also changed the rules to give expansion teams more of an unfair advantage.
Regarding the Atlanta Flames: The Flames left Atlanta because the owner's business was real estate, and the real estate market collapsed in the late-1970s. The owner was broke as a result, and had to sell the team to remain afloat. He sold to the highest bidder. I don't know that fan disinterest was actually an issue (though it's easy to see why one would believe it was), but according to former Atlanta Flames living here that I've had the pleasure of speaking with, that's not the case.
You're exactly correct about the Flames.
The owner was Tom Cousins who owned the real estate firm, Cousins Properties (still in existence). The Federal Reserve's raising of interest rates (which brought on a recession) destroyed his real estate business, as the higher interest rates meant that banks weren't giving out many loans for construction. This meant that Cousins couldn't acquire enough contracts to keep his company afloat. The only thing that saved his company is that he sold the Flames, and it was to the highest bidder, a Canadian who took the team to Calgary.
Attendance for the Flames (all but two years) was mid-tier. Not high, not low, but around the middle.
The Flames had greater attendance than the Chicago Blackhawks 6 of 8 seasons in Atlanta.
They also had greater attendance than the Pittsburgh Penguins 6 of 8 seasons in Atlanta, and both Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings were outsold at the gate by Atlanta for 4 of those seasons.
The advantage SLC has is their heavy push for the 2030 Olympics and the money that would bring in to build their hockey arena
It is also a higher income area with a ton of kids.
And they have a sports guy there that already WANTS a team.
Dont they have an arena from 2002?
@@woyander3202 Not completely sure there, but from what I've read, the possible new ownership of a SLC team would be leveraging their bid for the Olympics to help build a new arena that would then go on to host an NHL team.
If it hasn't become universally recognized what a complete waste of money the Olympics are.
I think what a lot of people forget about the Nordiques is that their fans are literally all over North America, and they will support their team in whatever arena they're playing in. Just think how Maple Leafs fans and Canadiens fans can just take over arenas elsewhere.
I live in Omaha and we love our hockey here, but there probably isn’t enough people to consistently fill a large arena. Omaha does really well at supporting college sports. We love the UNO Mavericks for hockey, NE Huskers for football, and the Bluejays for basketball. Omaha also hosts college World Series for baseball.
Realistically we would have to lose the Mavs or Lancers to be able to take on a pro team, whether it's ECHL, AHL, or NHL. Low attendance was one of the main reasons the Knights didn't stick around for more than two seasons, and having 3 teams is likely the reason for the low attendance.
I remember Omaha being a NY Rangers farm team back in the 70s. That's where Fred Shero made his name before being hired by the Flyers and winning his two Stanley Cups there.
I chuckled at the comment about how it's on the Iowa border, so "two states for the price of one". If I learned anything from my friends in western Iowa, it's that there's no way in hell they'd support a team in Nebraska.
I think a good compromise would be to do what the Kings basketball team did back in the 1970s. Have a team in Kansas City and have a handful of games in Omaha. It might be able to work now when it didn't work in the past.
@@joemckim1183 The Packers used to do that in the NFL, playing a couple of games each year at Country Stadium in Milwaukee. That lasted up to the 70s.
Salt lake city is a no brainer, too many people sleep on Utah but they'd have a ton of fans. Every other on that list would be fighting for fans
I'm not sure if you purposefully omitted Columbus or just forgot about them, but to me that's the perfect way to sum up Columbus in the NHL.
@MisterCaution You're right, nobody would care. I'm not trying to be mean to Columbus but it's just the truth. They're the most forgotten and ignored team in the NHL and probably have been for 20 years.
I don’t know why Cleveland or Cincinnati doesn’t have a team instead.
As a Miami native and Panthers fan for many years I can tell you that I’ve seen a noticeable increase in interest not just in the Panthers but in the sport of ice hockey generally in South Florida. As a panthers fan I always knew that we were the also-ran of South Florida professional sports teams, and that our market was mostly a Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm Beach crowd. It seemed like the Panthers org avoided promoting in Miami because they felt it wouldn’t sell (never saw billboard ads in Miami like I did further North, never heard of an official watch party in Miami…). But now every time I walk around Miami and southern Dade county I see people wearing Panthers merch.
The game has captivated people who never knew it or grew up with it. Most Miami residents (whether originally from Miami or not) grew up watching soccer, and maybe basketball. For obvious reasons, hockey was never a backyard/schoolyard game they grew up with. So hockey fandom never enticed them. But the strides the Panthers org has made to put on a good on-ice product, to create an exciting live atmosphere and to make our players into local celebrities has really started to pay off. The game of hockey is incredibly entertaining and Panthers hockey is competitive and exciting. The rules and structure of the game are not unfamiliar to fans of soccer, but the play is much more intense and dramatic. I think all of these things have really grown the sport in South Florida, and the recent Panthers attendance numbers show that people here love hockey.
100%
I wouldn’t be quite so fast to dismiss Omaha, they’ve got a 17-18k downtown arena (maybe 20 years old, so probably needs a refresh), growing population, and a ton of corporate money. Best thing is since there are no professional teams remotely nearby, that money is Bettman’s for the taking. Not a huge deal, but UN-Omaha is always near the top of NCAA attendance rankings, so there is a definite hockey appetite. It’s not the headline grabbing market, but it could be the NHL equivalent of the NBA’s move to OKC.
There's no metro area to draw from, really. OKC's metro area population is 40% larger.
Well done video. A possible reason for the success of the sunbelt franchises is the fact that a lot of transplants from the Northeast and the Midwest already lived in those locations. I've been to games in Tampa when the Lightning were playing marginal hockey, yet the building was packed with Rangers, Flyers, or Black Hawk fans. I think the league needs to seriously consider, and not neglect Quebec and other traditional hockey markets. Omaha has a rich tradition for junior hockey, and the past 15 yeas or so, college hockey.
Atlanta loves Hockey!! build us an arena next to
Truist park in Cobb county and "They will come" ....
There isn't any available land there, and Cobb County wouldn't be able to get the funding after doing such for Truist Park. Forsyth County has agreed to fund much of the costs and they approved the arena plan. It's up 400 and just across the Fulton County line. It has an Alpharetta address.
The T Mobile Center in KC would need some work done both inside and outside (parking) to support an NHL team full time, I don't think that building is ready for a team at the moment
It was built in anticipation for an NHL team.
man any event downtown at that place makes driving through there an absolute nightmare.. and the royals want a downtown stadium, lol please god no.
No more teams in the irrelevant midwest please.
As a Seattle fan, it is great to see the Kraken get the support that they do & I agree with THG that it is a traditional hockey market. It also helps the city in getting the Sonics back as part of the NBA's expansion plans. Hopefully the NBA does the right thing this summer after they sign their new TV deal & announces the return of the Sonics along with possibly a Vegas expansion team. I also want to see the NBA add a second Canadian team (in Vancouver) through expansion or through relocating the Pelicans from New Orleans at some point to take advantage of the surge in popularity the NBA has had in Canada in recent years especially now that there's so many young Canadian players (like Scoot Henderson & SGA) in the league.
Seattle may be a traditional hockey market, but the Kraken expansion also brought hockey to the Coachella Valley, which is absolutely not a traditional market. (And the Firebirds have been drawing amazingly).
I don't begrudge the idea of Vancouver gaining a team, but I don't want any good fan to lose the team in the area.
@@tmacdermidThe Firebirds logo and jersey design is incredible
The NBA has been on a downward spiral for the last 25-years - its playoff games get less viewers than professional wrestling, which is having it's all time lowest viewership. Why in the world would you want that plague of a league back in your city?
Anaheim struggles to even sell out playoff games. They rely on the oppositions fan bases who happen to catch games while attending Disneyland etc for their survival.
Wrong
The NHL is at a point where I would say only one team is in trouble. I’d be shocked if Omaha got a team instead of Quebec City. And as much as I’d love to see the whalers back I can’t see it ever happening.
Omaha is literally in the middle of nowhere
Every team that relies on revenue sharing to stay afloat is in trouble: Coyotes, Panthers, Bluejackets, Sharks, Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators...
@@Borodin410 Nah, only Arizona at this point. Canadian dollar is so low value that you have a better chance of seeing a team in Jacksonville than Quebec.
Low Canadian dollar just means Canadian teams charge more for tickets. Works out the same in the end. The bottom third of the league in revenue, teams which rely on Canadian teams like Montreal and Toronto to survive through revenue sharing, are almost all in the sunbelt of the US. And yes, you'll see more teams in bad failing markets before you'll see another team in Quebec, because the NHL's plan right now is to try to convince WWE and NASCAR fans to like hockey. LOL! Good luck! @@closethockeyfan5284
I don’t think we will ever see the Whalers again. Hartford is sandwiched right in the middle of the New York and Boston markets. No way any of those 4 teams will want to give up any more television rights, attendance, and whatever else would come with it.
First off want to say I love your videos. I’m from Omaha originally and there’s some things I think got overlooked. Omaha does have an arena suitable for hockey it’s called the CHI Health Center and it’s right downtown. It’s where Creighton Basketball currently plays, it seats roughly 17K for hockey. This is where the UNO hockey team played before the building of the Baxter Arena they currently play in. The population of Omaha is about 830K but with the surrounding suburbs it puts it over 1M. Now I still don’t believe that’s enough to get an NHL team on its own. However it raises some bigger questions about the market and potential expansion. As a hockey fan nobody should get a new team before Quebec City in my opinion. To be so close to finally winning a cup and having another city take your team and win it is devastating..
Great content.
I don't see Cincinnati happening. I can see Atlanta happening but as an Atlanta resident I would advise against it. An Atlanta franchise would have to be committed to remaining for at least 20 years with modest attendance.
The Hartford-New Britain-Bristol-Middletown metro is almost exactly the same size as Ottawa-Gatineau. That's all I'm gonna say about that. 😁
Houston would thrive! The rivalry with the Stars would be incredible as wellZ Building already set and a massive population!
na they would be like what is hockey.
@@andrewryba7864 execpt you're definitely wrong on that point.
I wish in these videos you'd mention Milwaukee Shannon! Fiserv Forum (where the Milwaukee Admirals curerntly play) is a brand new arena and the big thing with Milwaukee teams is as long as you have it in the same division as a Chicago team, you get both the Madison/Milwaukee metro area but also the entire Chicago area any time the two teams play. This is a big reason why the Bucks and Brewers have lasted as long as they have despite being in the smallest markets in the US: Chicago fans will pad out ticket and merch sales for the team in MKE.
Nope. The Admirals play at the old Mecca.
As a Dallas fan, I like Kansas City as an expansion or relocation. Geographically, it sits nicely in between several existing markets for a short flight or a day long drive. Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Minnesota, and of course St. Louis are within a relatively easy drive / flight which would be great for visiting fans. But beyond having a good team, I think a new owner really needs to invest in the market for the team to have long-term success. An underrated part of Dallas' success IMO, is the fact that the Stars have brought a significant amount of ice to North Texas. There are 8 ice rinks owned by the Stars (16 sheets) and at least 3 other ice arenas where you can play league hockey. It's one thing if your city as a team, it's another if your city also has a place where kids (and adults!) can learn the game and play.
I find it interesting you have Colorado listed as a traditional market, rather than a non-traditional market. While I could definitely see how it could be perceived now as a good traditional hockey market, that has definitely not been the case historically, and the area was much different even as recently as 1995 when the team moved to town. I would say it very well was likely the team moving to town and immediately winning the first pro championship for the town, followed closely by a second cup, which created the hockey market in Denver.
Before this, there were a few different minor league teams, some with success, but often times they struggled with attendance and rarely lasted very long before moving out of town. Before the modern era in Denver, the culture in Colorado is somewhat similar to Texas with big mountains in the middle. Very western, lots of farming, cattle ranching, and the like.
Since 1960, Denver has been a Football town. Especially after the Broncos went to four Super Bowls between the 70s to early 90s, and CU won a national championship in Football in 1990. This only changed when the NHL rolled into town with multiple future hall of famers putting a product on the ice you couldn't help but love. Especially after three heartbreaking Super Bowl losses in a row, Denver was hungry for a winner, and the Avalanche gave them that, and really cemented themselves in the heart of the city from then on, changing the whole culture of the state. Football is still #1, but I would say hockey is a strong #2, and that is an incredible accomplishment given where it started.
So really, the situation with the Avalanche and Stars are very similar. Dallas being maybe a slightly bigger Football market to start with, (the cult of the Cowboys is strong) and the Stars having slightly less success than the Avalanche. But very similar situations, and very similar outcomes, showing you can carve out a new market very successfully with the right product on the ice.
As an American, I wish there were more Canadian teams.
Canada isn't a very populated country.
Just given how close Omaha is to Kansas City, it feels like a natural fit for an AHL team to match an expansion in KC, not a whole new NHL team. I am DYING to get a team here in Houston, though. I think there's a lot of potential here, especially if the team leans into a physical playstyle, which would find a LOT of appreciation here. The recent record of playoff success from Vegas and Seattle would also help boost hopes. They could have a lot of fans very quickly.
I thought Bettman was kind of snippy with Ron McLean when they were discussing expansion.
Bettman has an inflated ego and thinks he's holier-than-thou.
I wonder if Québec City is the Arizona escape plan, and their only chance, while expansion is being reserved for American markets
No.
League isn't interested in shuffling divisions again, the escape plan is either Houston or Salt Lake City.
if it is gary would lie tbat it is not till it happens as he hates canada.
ALL OF CANADA HATES GARY.
Cincy is tricky. I live in Kentucky. We generally support the Reds and the Bengals pretty well. I love Cyclones games. Would KY’s golden triangle change allegiances over time? Maybe. Lots of fans here follow the Jackets, Preds, and Canes. I think of Cincy invested in youth hockey programs south of Cincy (NKY, Lexington, Louisville) they’d likely build a pretty big following. The Swords and Jr Preds programs are already fairly involved. You’d really need to pull Southern Indiana, KY triangle cities, and the Cincy and Dayton area populations. I’d be super excited though!
The worst thing about Americanization is the intrusive ads. They're clearly following the path the NFL laid, slowly adjusting the rules so that the product turns into endless ad breaks interrupted by some hockey.
Made football unwatchable for me 10 years ago... NHL is well on their way. Its also the reason soccer, Futbol, will never make it big in the US. Cant sell unneeded garbage in a game that doesnt stop but every 45 minutes
tt128556 I am old school hockey when it was simply the game. none of the constant bombardment with ads . even ads on the boards. Just the purity of the game once before sheer greed too over the world. Now its money money money.
It is the primary reason I pirate streams. No way in hell I'm paying to be advertised to.
@ heathclark318
So does soccer just not have ads in Europe or how do they work in commercials over there?
The digital ad boards are annoying and make the games look like video games.
The NHL would have to be on some hard-core stuff, if they believe Omaha would work.
They'll just support it with revenue sharing rather than admit that it's stupid to put the NHL in Omaha.
Omaha is not getting a team.
They support the college team very well but there is simply not enough people to sustain an NHL team
I disagree. Hockey has roots in Omaha. I think with the right ownership, it'd work
@@geoff3103 You know Des Moines is smaller than Omaha, right?
Lightning have a sellout streak over 300 & counting, I don't think anybody can say we're fairweather fans. Only thing is when the Leafs come to town, their fans will happily pay 5x market price & fill half the seats.
You cant' trust "attendance" numbers since teams publish ticket distribution as "attendance" rather than sales or actual attendance. Tickets distributed includes tickets sold, tickets given away to corporations, schools, radio stations, etc for promotion, tickets sold to resellers who often do not sell their inventory, tickets reserved for team and staff friends and family, etc. Teams regularly give away unsold tickets and publish them as "attendance". This is why you can have "sell outs" with half the building being empty. You just can't use team published "attendance" stats. If a team reports a game as anything other than a "sell out" it means they couldn't even give remaining tickets away.
Also, looking to make fans in new markets leads to "audience capture" which changes the game rules and culture for the worse. Expansion into non-hockey markets is just bad for the game, even if it's good for the owners wallets.
All teams in all leagues should be required to report actual attendance (i.e. turnstile count) like they used to many years ago, along with paid attendance.
Agreed! Until then, appealing to "attendance" as reported by teams to make arguments about fan support are useless. @@rnunez6398
@@Borodin410 That's pretty much why fighting and hitting has gone down.
Actually, it has been the players themselves who have gotten rid of fighting and hitting. After the career of Lindros was cut short, and Crosby lost almost two years recovering from concussions, the players implored the league to impose tougher penalties on dangerous hits, which it finally did in 2011-12. The league resisted, however, even denying that concussion were a problem, but finally gave in. This also lead to a reduction in fighting, which is also a major cause of concussions. @@losangeleskingsfan15
CHI Arena in downtown Omaha seats 16k right now, but is expandable to 19k, I believe. Lots of hockey tradition here. UNO Maverick hockey team could sell out that arena before they moved into the 9k seat Baxter Arena
@@geoff3103 19k is too small for an NHL Arena? Winnipeg has 16k, Jersey has 16.5k...
Every Mavs game I had been to at CHI/Qwest/CenturyLink Center had most of the upper bowl curtained off. To my knowledge they never sold out the full 17,000 seat arena for hockey.
@@geoff3103it’s literally the same size as Winnipeg and Quebec City
One other thought, I understand your argument for expanding in a city in the US, but I do feel that there may be another side to the argument. If I am the NHL and have one last expansion team to award and the choices are Omaha, Nebraska or (Pick any Canadian city) Hamilton, Ontario I would probably lean towards the Canadian city. Why? There is an element of risk in expanding to a new NHL market in the US. You could very well end up with another Arizona. Having issues from the beginning. In the states, hockey is 4th among the major sports. In a Canadian city, I think that you can very likely guarantee a big interest in a new team. For whatever reasons, teams in the states have struggled in non-traditional markets. Kansas City, Atlanta, Florida, Arizona, Colorado (back in the 1970's), Nashville (struggled in the beginning), and possibly even Carolina went through some difficulties in the beginning.
Just my personal opinion, I think that you have a greater chance of success in a Canadian city than you might in a non-traditional hockey city in the US.
Exactly. And we constantly hear the argument that the league won't bring any new fans by putting a team in a Canadian market. And it's getting tired. No, you won't gain new fans and you won't make as much money. But you will have another successful market. You can't ignore a market simply because hockey is already popular. If they want the product again, and they have the money, give it to them. There are plenty of ways to grow the game in non-traditional markets that don't involve putting in a new team.
The NFL has a global following, and they haven't added a new franchise in over 20 years. The NBA has a global following, and the last team they added was 20 years ago. And for both leagues, the new franchises were placed in markets that had previously lost a team and had fans already.
Houston would help grow the game in a giant sports market. I'm here for it
The game doesn't need to grow. It's fine.
I have been saying this for years, even as a Stars fan, hockey in Texas would explode if there's a Aeros 2.0 in Houston, it does well, and a rivalry with the Stars is like what the Rangers and Astros have right now.
Why you like the Stars? Just wondering@@matthewfranke9988
The WHA Aeros should have mafe it to the NHL.
BY this logic the league has to continue growing forever - reckless growth - like cancer. Nope. The league is fine so long as its core fans support it, which they always have. @@geoff3103
We want and would support a team in Houston. The Aeros pulled at least 5,000 a night. A NHL team could pulll 18,000 a night with 6.3 Million people in the metro area
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely not
Halifax would be interesting. Not a large city but the region could possibly support a team.
Underrated market is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While we have the Badgers college hockey program if you put the team in the Fiserv Forum away from Madison, Wisconsin (where the Badgers play) they'd do pretty well. Only downfall is having to move the Admirals.
If there’s another round of expansion that doesn’t include Quebec I’ll be pretty upset.
As a casual fan ..I live in Australia, love hockey , love the nhl , I’d love the nordiques too come back , love the idea of expansion. In Australia our major sports are going through similar discussions with expansions of our professional leagues … also in short my fave jersey I own is my whalers!!
Also it helps too that the Panthers have embraced their identity as Broward's team and haven't tried to pander to Miami. I live in Broward County and I see Panthers ads fairly often
Yep. They're definitely a Broward team. And Palm Beach more than Miami-Dade. Not enough "bling" in hockey for Miami...
Why wouldn't it be a good idea to promote themselves in Miami?
I moved to the atlanta area after the Thrashers left. If the NHL puts a team in So. Forsyth county, I'd buy season tix. We go to the hawks on occasion and the falcons but it's a pain driving downtown. MUCH easier if the arena was in the north atlanta suburbs. it's where the fan base is by the way
Thrashers Night at the Gladiators game on March 2. Get your tickets soon, as three quarter of seats have already been sold.
The Maritimes don't have an NHL team. Halifax has approximately 430,000 people with roughly another 150-200k outside of Halifax. You can drive easily to Halifax from Moncton, NB & PEI so why isn't that a consideration? Are they hockey fans, yes but you'd still have the support for the team.
Halifax has been rumored for CFL expansion for 40 years now, and nothing continues to happen. On that note, if they can't get the funding for a modest-sized football stadium, how in the world can they be expected to cover the start-up costs for an NHL team?
One of the BEST videos i have seen in a long time. Question - I always thought North Stars to Lone Stars made sense. You said, thankfully not. Why???
My logic: well hey, since Atlanta always moves their team to Canada, if they expand to Atlanta again, we may just finally get the Nordiques back! 😝
Nope.
I think a good thing to mention with omaha is that it is a very fast growing metro area (over the past 10 years, it's grown about 19-20%). I think the NHL is thinking like the MLS did with Austin or the NBA did with Oklahoma City or even they did with Vegas in being that they want to be the first team that defines pro sports in a fast growing metro area.
The NHL cannot ignore the watering down argument. Yes, it's nice to get a billion for a new team, but the owners will be pissed if they cannot sell their team for more than a billion when they want to sell.
theyre only going up in price
Watering down is less of a problem than lack of parity. If the league consists of the top 800 players in the world as opposed to the top 700 players in the world, do you really think the difference will be that stark?
I remember the Kansas City Scouts brief existence in the league, and can’t see Omaha fairing any better,…
PLEASE...for the love of GOD...no more expanding. There are so many guys dressing up on NHL rosters that are, at best, AHL caliber guys. Stop watering it down. Please.
The thing is the US markets really do not need most sports fans to be hockey fans because the are so big and wealthy not the whole market but all they need is the same 18000 upper middle class or higher season ticket holders to buy tickets. The truth it is not that hard to make US markets work even if the majority of the sport fans in the market are not real hockey fans.
Re: Atlanta. The Flames were way too early for a southern expansion. The Thrashers were definitely, not, but as you pointed out, it was an ownership thing. It's not a guarantee (though if yet another team moves out, they're probably dead as a market), but it is absolutely possible.
It wasn't an ownership thing. It's just not a hockey market.
@@Borodin410 Keep posting stupidity and everyone will block you.
Atlanta moving a second time has been covered ad-nauseam , even by this very channel. It was 100% an ownership thing. @@Borodin410
@Borodin410 It was an ownership thing though, they did have fans supporting the team. But the owners lost their arena. Not the fans fault
@@justjohnny420 The owners didn't "lose" the arena. The owners also owned the Hawks and the arena. They never wanted the Thrashers and put them up for sale. Then they told any potential buyers that you cannot use OUR arena. So they sealed the fate of the team by not selling to any group that wanted to stay in Atlanta.
I’ve never spent any significant time in Nebraska but I’ve been saying for years that Omaha would be a phenomenal location. Vegas should always be a reminder for the NHL of the importance of being the first major sports team in a market (although the Cornhuskers are down the road).
Also about 92,000 fans showed up for a women’s outdoor volleyball game in Lincoln, again just a little down the road from Omaha. Sounds like sports fans out there
The Americanzation is working if you look at all the great American born players now from non-traditional hockey markets like the Hughes Brothers from Florida,Auston Matthews, the best American player of his generation Was born in California grew up in Arizona. This is why I think this is the golden era of American hockey
They say the same thing every generation.
Arizona has done a fantastic job of promoting youth hockey in the desert. I have friends who moved from Minnesota to Arizona over a decade ago, and their kids play hockey at a pretty high level down there and they've had nothing but great things to say about the programs and the growth of the sport in Arizona. Sure, its not like it was back in Minnesota where there are outdoor hockey rinks on every block, but hockey is supported and the Yotes have been the main reason for that.
At what cost, tho? @@captbloodbeard
@@Borodin410 what does that even mean? There has been zero cost to fans or the league, and not all teams have been as successful growing the sport. Is there something else you're trying to ask or a point you're trying to make? There is no negative here.
In order to expand the league into non-traditional hockey markets, and appeal to people who know little to nothing about hockey or its history, the league has implemented a ton of changes to the spirit and substance of the sport. Original names of divisions, which honoured hockey icons, were jettisoned for generic titles like that of the NBA and NFL. Rules were changed to promote scoring at any cost, because the NHL was competing with the NBA, where there is a goal every half minute. Point systems were revamped to eliminate ties (Americans couldn't comprehend a game ending in a tie) and overtime was turned into a pond hockey gimmick (3v3 and shootouts). The game has been altered beyond recognition so that NASCAR fans in the desert might tune in. @@captbloodbeard
Omaha has an arena that is world class that holds more than 18,000 seats. It’s called the CHI Center.
I lived in Atlanta during the Thrashers days. They were practically giving tickets away and the attendance still wasn’t great. Not bottom of the league, sure, but not great by any stretch of the imagination. There was also barely any local support for the team outside diehard hockey fans. Didn’t help either that the team was awful.
Dude, just stop. I went to many Thrashers games every season. The only season was it sparse was in the second half of the last season after we knew that the owners were trying to get rid of the team.
Look at the 2006-2007 season. The arena is packed every game.
ruclips.net/video/rsSCXRZ75Hw/видео.html
Yeah, Atlanta is a terrible sports city, the armpit of the south.
@@rodmunch69 Atlanta United 1st in MLS attendance 7 straight seasons (every season they have been in the league).
Atlanta Braves 5th in MLB attendance out of 30 teams. Was 1st in attendance in 2021.
Atlanta Falcons 15th of 32 teams in attendance. Top half
Atlanta Hawks. Over 99 percent capacity attendance average.
You have no idea what you are talking about. Atlanta is 3rd best market in sports attendance amongst markets that have three or more teams in the Big 5.
@@willp.8120soccer? LOL! Yeah, you keep going to your to watch games played in the US mainly be 12-year girls. Have fun, ladies.
I know this won't happen, but when people bring up the fact that a Canadian team hasn't won a Stanley Cup in over 30 years, you can point to the CDN$. The $81.5 million cap hit isn't fair as the Canadian teams' revenue is in $CDN and expenses in $USD. That and taxes, players can go south and have a lot more take home pay vs Canada.
Just happy you feel comfortable and enjoy visiting California for sports and Disneyland. An honor to have you visit.
While Omaha doesn't seem like a good fit, Omaha has had hockey teams since the 40s. They currently have the Lancers of the USHL and the UNO Mavericks of the NCHC. They don't need to build an arena, they have the CHI Health Arena that seats 17,000. And on top of that, there isn't a major league team in Nebraska or Iowa.
Kansas City wouldn't support an NHL team. There's already an MLB, NFL and two soccer teams there. They have an ECHL hockey team there, but they bring up the rear when it comes to support from the city.
Now that Atlanta is building an arena in the right area, the right ownership would finally be what would be needed to make a new team success.
Arizona needs to be moved to Quebec. It wouldn't be expansion so it wouldn't ruin Bettmanns plans.
At this point, Houston is the 5th most populous metro in the US, so it definitely needs to have a pro sports team in every league (which just leaves an NHL team that it is missing).
I haven’t heard it said much, but is a 36 team league not bonkers? I’d have assumed the balanced 32 team league would have been the endgame for the NHL, but everyone seems so interested in keeping the expansion conversation going.
FL Panthers fan here. Currently drive 45 mins max (with traffic) from Miami to Sunrise for home games. Don’t mind it at all since we love our team.
Grew up in Atlanta and don’t know if ATL residents would drive 1 hour south to Forsyth Co. Alpharetta would be much better as it is only a 30-45 min drive with traffic from most places around the city.
Would love having an Atlanta team to root for so hoping for the best
As someone in the Atlanta area... the proposed arena in question would be 30 minutes north of Atlanta, not an hour south. An hour to the south is the city of Forsyth. I used to make that drive regularly when I was working.
From what I understand, the developer tried to get it done at the site of North Point Mall, and was denied, so the plan moved about six miles north. It's an area of Alpharetta that is unincorporated.
@@dj4aces oh man!! That makes a big difference 😅
Love the whole video and youre very reasoned. All I gotta say is im not sure sponsorships are really "Americanization". When you drive into Toronto you see ads made out of bushes on the highway 😂.
Houston, Atlanta then KC and Utah all will be my bet for new teams. Cincy already teams all in that Great lakes Region area, and Omaha is just too small right now for a team.
Excellent video, thank you from Victoria BC
Everyone forgets Columbus
Who is a fan of the Jackets lol
Zombie franchise.
oh thats right, they do have a team..
Not for long. @@thewhale9527
Since they're not a runaway success, couldn't put them on the board. Would hamper the narrative.
The threat of relocation can absolutely turn a weaker fan base into a stronger one. We saw this in MLS when Precourt tried to move the Columbus Crew to Austin. And in Seattle, the Sonics are still widely recognized despite not being in town for twentyish years. If the NBA ever brings the Sonics back they’d be an instant success. No one wants to have something taken from them.
Dallas Lonestar would've been epic! May the Scwartz be with them!
Nah, one star rating for a team name 😉
@@colinuk1984 Dad joke of the day! Good job!
@@hockeyinalabama cheers, british humor
They would have played at ludacrous speed.
Now that we know the NHL will return to the Olympics I was hoping that you might be able to do a video on the state of Canadian goaltending. Who is in the pool of candidates? I'm very concerned that we won't have adequate goaltending. Thanks.
"traditional markets" and "high as hell taxes" are synonymous. Canadian fans have a chip on their shoulder that their players would rather play in red and purple states with low income tax.
Yeah and low everything else numbers as well. Low education, low life expectancy, low healthcare, low levels of teen pregnancies, whoops!! Actually that is very high in red to purple states. 😘
@@slytester5636 i dont know what any of that has to do with a hockey player who has maybe 5-15 good years of earning a living as an athlete in order to leave them financially independent for the rest of their lives.
Shannon, OUTSTANDING video. There is not one thing I can disagree with here. That includes what you said about the Coyotes. Thank you for doing this one.
As a Nebraskan getting more and more into hockey; I appreciate that Omaha is featured in an expansion video. Unfortunately, I don't think that Omaha will ever get an NHL team. The metro is too small looking at the other cities on your board. Regardless if we get a team in Nebraska or not, I love your videos Shannon, just keep doing what you're doing.
it would be kinda cool but it's hard to see it as like a regional team, i think most people in kansas or missouri would continue to cheer for the blues, iowa would continue to be either blues or blackhawks fans, so it's not a huge amount of people but if the passion was there, it could work. i've been there, it just doesn't seem big enough, nice city though, super friendly people.
I moved to Seattle 11 years ago and I was surprised at how many people watched the NHL here. Most of them were Vancouver fans because it was the closest team. So yes, I would definitely agree about it being a traditional hockey town. You're also right about Gretzky putting hockey on the map in SoCal. I am an LA native and no one cared about the Quee...erm...Kings at ALL until Gretzky was plastered all over bus benches, billboards, radio, tv and papers. The media went nuts about it and suddenly everyone and their mother was paying attention to hockey. It even spread 100 miles north to Bakersfield where it circled back to Edmonton eventually through the Condors.
Not sure Denver is a traditional hockey market. DU hockey has a great history and the Rockies were around for a minute, but Denver is a high-plains/high-desert mild city with not a ton of local hockey development until more recently. People think it's a mountain town with snow all winter but it's a flat city that can be below freezing one day and t-shirt weather the next day.
Omaha deserves an ECHL or AHL team but they're not big enough to support a Big 4 team. It's the Winnipeg of America and no FA would want to go there.
Salt Lake City seems like it's come out of no where but with a motivated owner maybe it can work?
Houston doesn't seem to have an interested owner. It feels like SLC and Atlanta have the most steam right now.
PS I've been more forgiving than 90% of NHL fans with the Coyotes and have wanted them to stay in Arizona, but they've gotta figure it out now or the owner needs to sell the team and they can try again with an expansion team in the early '30s. It's not working and you can't have a pro team play in a college arena indefinitely.
pps Tampa loves hockey. I know there's tons of transplants from the northern US and Canada, but the Lightning are really popular there and people know their stuff. I haven't been to Raleigh but they seem like a great case of why patience is necessary--they have done a great job marketing that team and the on-ice success helps too. Sunbelt hockey has some failures and some successes.
For AZ they have said they have bought land now it has to wait to go through, plus they have found 3 other spots. So its still possible, but I do agree something has to happen.
Arizona has a problem: The return on investment in the Coyotes is not enough to draw out investors in an arena. If land was available at the right price no problem. But, there’s that problem of inadequate return on investment and until that is addressed no arena.
The problem is that it's not a hockey market.
@@Borodin410 - Lol did you not watch the video?
I did. THG is great but he relies almost entirely on team reported attendance to evaluate team success. That's the wrong metric since teams grossly inflate their numbers. The only reliable metric is revenue viewed longitudinally and see which teams are actually zombie franchises being propped up by revenue sharing. Teams like the Coyotes, Ducks, Hurricanes, Stars, Predators, Sharks, Panthers. Not successful. @@debuthunter5389
@@debuthunter5389he didn't. I'm sure he's one of those "it's too hot to play hockey in Arizona.".
Great breakdown! I still maintain that moving the Coyotes to Quebec makes the most sense. They have the facilities, they have a rabid fan base that will support that team as bad as they’ve been and a local ownership group probably wouldn’t want to pony up the $1 billion US expansion fee. This would allow the league to circle back to Phoenix as a market in future once there’s actually a viable arena plan. Also, big expansion fee. And you’d still have Houston, KC, and SLC for future expansion.
Wish Portland Oregon would be a consideration for the NHL.
It would be awesome to generate an additional rival in the Pacific Northwest with Vancouver & Seattle.
The Portland Antfas? Maybe they can set fire to each team bus that comes through while they steal everything out of the opponents lockers. What a terrible city, it will never get another team - and the companies that are there won't be in 10-15 years.
Portland could support an AHL team, I don't think it's capable of supporting an NHL team. City has a lot of problems, too.
I would much prefer expansion teams being in Canadian locales. Hockey is Canada. Canada is hockey. American interests are primarily economic. The cultural legacy of Canadian hockey should be integral to things.
This often falls on deaf ears when I bring it up in internet forums but we're the only major hockey country without our own professional league, which is ironic given Canada's deep hockey heritage. I love Americans but the NHL is an American-run league.
@@ebashford5334 I feel very strongly about this. As THG knows since I have mentioned this often on his channel…I grew up near the Quebec border in Vermont. The French Canadian heritage there very strong. It has been disillusioning to have American dollars suck the life out of Canadian hockey. Sure there are lots of wonderful fans here in the states and that’s a good thing. Boston Chicago New York for sure. But why not have a full complement of Canadian locales in NHL. Expanding here isn’t going to meaningfully grow a sport that doesn’t enjoy a wide enough media exposure. In Canada it does. I could see American fans adopting some of these teams..as has happened with soccer.
As a counter point, in the entire original 6 era only a third of the teams were Canadian. It felt more like a Canadian league because most of the players were Canadian and the two Canadian franchises won a lot.
@@jacobdill4499 The presidents of the league used to be exclusively Canadian(Calder, Dutton and Campbell.) It felt like a Canadian league to me because of that, along with the players. It changed in the 80s with Ziegler, then Stein briefly and Bettman with his long tenure. But point taken, a lot of the leverage Canada once had to run the league was because of the Canadian players dominance.
@@jacobdill4499 You are so right! Very much the case and in my younger years Americans were not much in number on teams. I remember when Jeremy Roenick played first game for Hawks.. a kid from Massachusetts.
I totally agree with you on Seattle being a traditional hockey market. They've had some level of hockey for over 50 years and those franchises did well on the ice and at the box office
If you want to be shocked, look at Oklahoma City. They were considered previously (many years ago), primarily because they had 10k fans regularly for a very minor league team (Blazers)
“Someday it will be Europe as well” we’re already here! I’m watching from England, our media never reports on hockey so I just use this channel for me hockey news etc
My thoughts? Expand to 36 teams with one team per division.
what about the playoffs though
@@SaveznaRepublikaJugoslavija you could easily keep it as is. 50% of teams already make it... Or if you have to expand, you bring in that play in round for the wildcard 7 and 8 spots or some other mix to add intrigue
Would they go back to 6 divisions?
@@JPMadden - I would say yes. Would you like to see that happening?
@@TheManny717 It might make sense geographically, especially for the southeastern U.S. teams, which are now in 3 divisions and both conferences.
I’m in Lincoln, roughly less than an hour away from Omaha. Omaha has a building that would work. But the population and popularity would be an issue. The Omaha lancers, and Lincoln stars of the USHL show people like hockey here. But and NHL, don’t know.
Blowmaha
Salt Lake City will absolutely be a hit. Sell out every night. The economy for family entertainment in Utah is nuts.