Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
The Hurricanes are playing to 8,000 fans. When you watch the highlights from Raleigh there are entire rows empty behind the benches. And the league is still hesitant to move them.
That's how much the board of governors hates relocation.
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Being forced to move from a non-traditional hockey market--Raleigh, Phoenix, Atlanta, etc.--is an indictment of the NHL's decision to put a team in that type of market in the first place. So, Gary and his minions are very, very reluctant to allow it to happen. That's how much they hate being wrong.
Add to that: until they reach 32 teams, there's motivation to keep the appetite for another team high. If you allow the Flames to move to Seattle (or KC, or Hamilton, or Quebec City), you've still got the same number of "hockey-ready" markets available to take an expansion team. If you allow the 'Canes to move from Raleigh, nobody's ever going to consider that location again--and your potential markets for expansion shrink by 1.
Once the league hits 32, I think that's the end of North American expansion and the owners will be much more willing to move the money-losing teams around to maximize revenue.