[Rumour] NHL to expand to 34 teams? Houston and Atlanta

[Beninho]

Houston is a great city. I understand the want for them to possibly get a team there after the Stars being a relative success. Atlanta makes absolutely no sense, competing with 3 other major sports franchises in the city, along with college football. I wouldn’t even say the Braves or Hawks have “big fanbases” for being what most would consider a major market.

Expansion is ####ing tiring tho, Flames have enough issues trying to contend and here comes two more teams to dilute the talent pool further. Seattle and Vegas was already annoying being in the same damn division, both immensely profiting on the favourable expansion rules. Will be fun in 3 years when the Flames may be rebuilding and they miss out on another top 3 pick to the Atlanta Deep Fryers

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Didn't Toronto once try to block even the Canucks back in the day because they claimed all of Canada west of Ontario part of their exclusive area? I seem to recall hearing that somewhere before.

It was for having to share the HNIC revenues with the Canucks.

"Speculation long abounded afterwards that the bid was hindered by Toronto Maple Leafs president Stafford Smythe; after a failed Vancouver-based business deal, he was quoted as saying that the city would not get an NHL franchise in his lifetime. Additionally, along with the Montreal Canadiens, Smythe purportedly did not wish to split Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) hockey revenues three ways rather than two."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Canucks

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by blankall

The Hamilton would be all over a new team. People from Toronto basically all talk about people from Hamilton like they are a bunch of uneducated working class hicks. People from Hamilton know this, and don't feel especially fond of anything Toronto. An NHL team would really go a long way towards giving Hamilton it's own identity, beyond just being a suburb of Toronto.

Except that territory issue and it's a big one. When there was talk before about moving the Preds to Hamilton MLSE made it very clear they would block any team being put in Hamilton. It isn't happening.

[Burner]

another team in Atlanta is the only way Quebec City will ever get a team....

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Hamilton isn't in the GTA. It's in the Golden Horseshoe though.

And Edmonton has a Golden Horseshoe. So Edmonton = Hamilton?

[Tsawwassen]

Going to 34 teams would balance the schedule. Get rid of the silly divisions and have two 17 team conferences. Play 16 teams from the same conference 3 times (48 games) and play the 17 teams from the other conf. twice (34 games) and that's 82 games.

[Toonage]

I initially scoffed at the idea but now I've heard enough of the usual boilerplate denials from guys like Bettman & Daly that they said prior to Vegas & Seattle that I'm pretty certain its coming lol.

[EastCoastFlamesFan]

Its been said a million times now, so I'm not brining anything new to the table. My take is just move AZ to Houston and call it a day. 34 teams is way too many. I'd even argue that 32 is too many.

[JBR]

I'm convinced this was a leak by the NHL, sending a message to the voters in Tempe that Houston is waiting if the May 16 vote result is "no" to the propositions.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by JBR

I'm convinced this was a leak by the NHL, sending a message to the voters in Tempe that Houston is waiting if the May 16 vote result is "no" to the propositions.

That might work in a place like Calgary where the team has a big following. I don't think it would really change anyone's mind in Tempe.

[TheIronMaiden]

34 teams, but everyone plays each other only twice . 66 games. Top 16 make the playoffs. No conferences no division.

[squiggs96]

This is yet another instance of Kevin Weekes being wrong. He is a great example of someone who wants to be first, instead of being correct. His biggest miss was the Eichel trade, saying the Flames were offering Tkachuk. He continues to tweet out things hoping for attention, and hoping people forget how many misses he had.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...pansion-future

"We're not in an expansion mode right now," said Bettman on Wednesday, after wrapping up the league's annual GM meetings. "There continues to be a number of people, entities and cities expressing interest in having an NHL franchise where they don't have one, places like Atlanta, like Houston, like Quebec City. But it's not really something, at least right now, that's anywhere close to the front burner for us."

[Reggie Dunlop]

The purported Atlanta bid is predicated on the idea that a new facility is constructed in a suburb, far from the downtown arena the Hawks use.

Because of course that will make all the difference.

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

This is yet another instance of Kevin Weekes being wrong. He is a great example of someone who wants to be first, instead of being correct. His biggest miss was the Eichel trade, saying the Flames were offering Tkachuk. He continues to tweet out things hoping for attention, and hoping people forget how many misses he had.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...pansion-future

I wish they were...I would rather have Eichel than the bag of dunks we have now for the next 9 years...

[troutman]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I disagree, Tie Cat fans hate the Argos with a burning passion, the Forge hates TFC. Hamilton would drop the Leafs in a heart beat.

I’m not sure - Leafs fans are legion all the way to London.

My relatives in Ottawa (50+) have not adopted the Sens. Most are Habs fans.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

The way Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge is growing, I could see them having their own NHL team as well some day. That region is already as large as Winnipeg and growing fast.

Put a team in Woodstock, between KW and London.

https://globalnews.ca/news/8607301/l...growth-census/

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/waterlo...scan-1.5774273

https://www.freemaptools.com/find-population.htm

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

This is yet another instance of Kevin Weekes being wrong. He is a great example of someone who wants to be first, instead of being correct. His biggest miss was the Eichel trade, saying the Flames were offering Tkachuk. He continues to tweet out things hoping for attention, and hoping people forget how many misses he had.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...pansion-future

I don't think there is any serious expansion talk right now, but a denial from Bettman doesn't disprove anything.

[ComixZone]

Weekes back to it:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1647685394220056582

[WCW Nitro]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Weekes back to it:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1647685394220056582

How many stadiums/arenas will they build in Atlanta? The Braves and Falcons had new places opened in the 90's and then were replaced recently and the arena for the Thrashers/Hawks was built just in the 90's too

[Reggie Dunlop]

Guys... the ECHL's Savannah Ghost Pirates are fifth in the league in attendance!


https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/artic...13132_38705101

Houston I can see... Texas does really well with minor league hockey. Georgia has a long ways to go.