^Pretty sure the luxury suites are already sold in the Vegas arena, and would be so regardless of the NFL. That arena will, obviously, host a hell of a lot more than just NHL hockey.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Judging by the evidence of Florida, Carolina, and Anaheim, success on the ice doesn't translate to any sustained increase in popularity or attendance in a market with only shallow support to begin with.
If people in these potential new markets are only going to support a winner, than the NHL is working at cross-purposes by relentlessly expanding the number of teams in the league. In a 32 team league, a new team can't expect to realistically even reach the Finals for 12+ years, and may very well not make it for more than 20.
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In the case of Florida, at least, you are talking about a team that missed the playoffs in 15 of 17 years and went 19 years between victories in single playoff games. There is a far gulf between "realistically reaching the finals" and simply being one of the top 16 teams more than once a decade.