Quote:
Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis
Seattle will have at least three, possibly four pro teams who will be more popular than an NHL team (don't underestimate the Sounders), and UW football has an elite coach and was just in the playoff. Seattle is not LA or NY or Chicago, there's only so much sports dollar to go around, and there's also more entertainment options besides sports in Seattle than there is in Calgary. The NHL team would need to be really good, really fast to not become a total afterthought in that market.
Also have to fight hard for corporate dollars. In Calgary, no offense to the Stamps, the Flames have no competition. I think you're confusing me thinking Seattle is a terrible market. Seattle is simply not a better market for an NHL team than Calgary by any objective analysis. Seattle as a market probably won't be awful like say Phoenix or Raleigh, but if everything were equal as an owner you'd much rather have an NHL team in Calgary than Seattle. You will make more money, possibly by far.
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Seattle's economy is twice the size of Calgary's, and that's when Calgary's is booming. Seattle has a diversified economy, meaning it is less affected when one industry is hit by a recession or specific market forces. Calgary's economy is a one trick pony, and that pony is looking long in the tooth. With very little innovation and diversification taking place in the Calgary economy, the future is uncertain at best. People have been warning about the bottom dropping out of the O&G sector for decades, and the need to diversify, and Calgary has done nothing to do that. Couple that with a weak Canadian dollar, tied directly to the price of a barrel of oil, and you can see why the owners would be considering long term options. Better to be a small fish in a big pond with lots of water and food, than a big fish in a pond that has almost dried up.