Quote:
Originally Posted by yourbestfriend
Nobody outside of Alberta cares about the BoA history, this will be a purely money and arena play. Atlanta and Houston both have urban populations of 4.5M+ and more importantly, are major economic and hubs in the US. Both are top10 for the most fortune500 headquartered companies in the US. That trumps Calgary, and most other NA cities in potential corporate and retail revenue.
Add to this Atlanta has just put forward a plan for a $2B entertainment district which includes a hockey arena that can be completed in 3years and you can easily see why it's not hard to connect the dots for relocation, whether that's Calgary or Arizona. I don't see why Edwards wouldn't be chomping at the bit to relocate to Atlanta if that deal gets approved. By all accounts he's a cheap bastard, so if someone else is taking the risk and putting up the arena money... why wouldn't he want in on that.
The Oakland A's also just agreed to relocated their team to Vegas basically because of a stadium. Both these facts have definitely provided enough ammo for Edwards and Bettman where any talks of relocation is much more than "talking big".
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Yes, I'm sure the league can't wait to move this stable, reliable, rabid hockey fanbase that is Calgary to the twice failed Atlanta market. I'm sure prospective owners are lining up down the block for their chance to lose millions every year. Heck, the Thrashers were losing all kinds of money when the salary cap was only $59M, now it's set to rise closer to $90M by the time the 3rd Atlanta franchise drops the puck. I'm also certain that the other owners would be happy to pick up the tab at the end of the season since there's revenue sharing. Absolutely, rich businessmen aren't risk-adverse at all, they love taking giant financial risks. Yes, Atlanta, here we come again! 3rd time is a charm! Think of all the great headlines and optics and delicious drama that's sure to come the league's way, bet they're just rubbing their hands together for that day.