[Rumour] Forbes. NHL could announce relocation in June

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by calf

These kind of denials say to me that it's totally happening.

There are 3 responses, deny, no comment or confirm. If they confirm, it's happening. If they say no comment, then obviously it is happening, otherwise they would deny it! If they deny it, well they're denying it so obviously it must be true!

[codynw]

Probably a dumb thought, but could this rumour have anything to do with the Penguins being for sale? Would someone buy the Penguins just to move them? Would the NHL even allow it?

[getbak]

There's no way the NHL would allow the Penguins to leave Pittsburgh.

[mikeecho]

Originally Posted by calf

These kind of denials say to me that it's totally happening.

I won't be convinced that relocation is possible until Dreger goes out of his way to squash the rumour. Then I know for sure that it's on!

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by The Original FFIV

@BizballMaury: File this under rumor.... NHL relocation around the end of June.

Writer for Forbes suggesting relocation could be announced in June.

TSN1040 in Vancouver speculating Florida to Quebec but of course there is the mess in Arizona.

Looked and didn't see this news in the likely threads. Hope this warrants its own thread. Mods delete if u think otherwise.

They just like the thought of Luongo being forced to move north again.

[Fischy13]

I never put much of a second thought into this as its total orange Julius esque and then some. When I was in Vegas 6 weeks ago, a cab driver, yes that's right, told me his brother was with the NHL in some capacity, never believed him for a second. Anyways his brother started in the NHL with the Atlanta Flames. Chatted up about how I was from Alberta and a Flames fan. Anyways, his brother said Arizona will be relocating to Las Vegas. I said no way Bettman lets Arizona get away. He'd fight tooth and nail to ensure that place is successful.

With Daley quoted saying that no team is relocating this year, read that Las Vegas arena isn't complete, and with Arizona and their lease agreement in the news, maybe they are trying to get out in time for the Vegas arena completion and the team will move there for The 16/17 season....

Long shot this guy had a real story but I did push him on some questions just to see how much he knew and tried to trip him up. He knew all that I asked, for what it's worth.

[TheCommodoreAfro]

Las Vegas seems to me like it would at least have potential. Something I don't think the Coyotes franchise has anymore given where they are.

The Florida rumours also interesting, but I would think they would milk expansion fees out of a Canadian market rather than simply relocating a franchise. So I have a harder time believing the QC stuff.

[troutman]

I doubt anything is happening this year. Quebec will be ready in September.

Depending who you believe, there are a number of markets in trouble - Phoenix, Carolina, Anaheim, Columbus, Nashville, Florida, New Jersey. Even San Jose loses $ year after year. Ottawa?

http://www.forbes.com/nhl-valuations/list/

[Tinordi]

I doubt anything is happening this year. Quebec will be ready in September.

Depending who you believe, there are a number of markets in trouble - Phoenix, Carolina, Anaheim, Columbus, Nashville, Florida, New Jersey. Even San Jose loses $ year after year. Ottawa?

http://www.forbes.com/nhl-valuations/list/

Which makes you cringe for the next round of the CBA negotiations.

[Resolute 14]

As others have noted, unless Glendale is seriously trying to void the lease with the Coyotes, then the rumour is almost certainly bunk.

Looks more like someone trying to invent a story.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

As others have noted, unless Glendale is seriously trying to void the lease with the Coyotes, then the rumour is almost certainly bunk.

Looks more like someone trying to invent a story.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=147108

[Resolute 14]

Why else do you think I would have mentioned the questions surrounding the lease with Glendale?

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I would never say never, but I still do NOT see the Panthers moving any time soon. Yes, they need to get more fans to games, but other than that, the team is in decent shape and is building well. I said it before and I'll say it again: Win consistently, and there will be fans in that building. Go back to being a bottom feeder, and the team will undoubtedly move. The same could be said for any franchise that missed the playoffs more than 95% of the time in the past 20 years.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Coyotes are just a matter of time but there's no way it's the Panthers this season and I personally still don't buy Quebec City as an NHL destination. It's a smaller market than Hamilton and ticket prices are a lot higher than they were when the Nordiques were playing in front of an average of 14,000 fans.

Remember 14,000 fans was 95% building capacity. That, with the worst team in the history of the league, prior to Edmonton - with ticket prices on par with Habs tickets. Let's not forget that the Flames went through a span of 6+ seasons with just over 80% capacity in the dome.

Attendance was never the problem in QC

[troutman]

Regional TV Ratings in some of these markets is miniscule (even LA):

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/n...urgh-penguins/

PIT has ratings almost 40X greater than FLA.

[rhino]

Originally Posted by taco.vidal

What else is the NHL going to say?
Denial till the bitter end.

Well they have a history of denying relocation rumours

Bettman denies report Thrashers moving to Winnipeg

Winnipeg hockey fans may finally have an NHL team to cheer, after the Jets left for Arizona in 1996.

A report in the Globe and Mail says True North Sports and Entertainment has bought the troubled Atlanta Thrashers and plans to move the team to Winnipeg, with an official announcement expected Tuesday.

True North owns Winnipeg's MTS Centre arena, along with the American Hockey League team the Manitoba Moose.

However, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman denied the report Thursday night, during his weekly radio show. According to the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution, he said it was still just "speculation."

"I can tell you that with certainty that there is no deal for this team to move," he said. "Am I predicting that there will never be or that there won't be at some point in time? No, I'm not saying there is or there isn't."

Bettman has routinely said he prefers to keep a team in its current market, to the chagrin of Canadian fans in Winnipeg, Quebec City and southern Ontario waiting for a team.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by rhino

Well they have a history of denying relocation rumours

Bettman denies report Thrashers moving to Winnipeg

Winnipeg hockey fans may finally have an NHL team to cheer, after the Jets left for Arizona in 1996.

A report in the Globe and Mail says True North Sports and Entertainment has bought the troubled Atlanta Thrashers and plans to move the team to Winnipeg, with an official announcement expected Tuesday.

True North owns Winnipeg's MTS Centre arena, along with the American Hockey League team the Manitoba Moose.

However, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman denied the report Thursday night, during his weekly radio show. According to the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution, he said it was still just "speculation."

"I can tell you that with certainty that there is no deal for this team to move," he said. "Am I predicting that there will never be or that there won't be at some point in time? No, I'm not saying there is or there isn't."

Bettman has routinely said he prefers to keep a team in its current market, to the chagrin of Canadian fans in Winnipeg, Quebec City and southern Ontario waiting for a team.

^ Link
http://www.ctvnews.ca/bettman-denies...nipeg-1.646228

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by troutman

Regional TV Ratings in some of these markets is miniscule (even LA):

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/n...urgh-penguins/

PIT has ratings almost 40X greater than FLA.

Ratings are irrelevant (for now). RSNs make all their money on carriage fees. Advertising dollars are barely a blip. I have read that Florida actually has a very lucrative tv deal (even though their numbers are so small that they are probably not much higher than can be accounted for by dogs accidentally stepping on the remote or people forgetting to turn off their tv).

Also, of note, I think those are percentage ratings. LA would be something like .6 percent of 5.6 million households(18 million people). Where Pittsburg's DMA is 1.1 million households.

As to the original post, I wouldn't trust anything Forbes writes about sports. I've seen many articles they've published that are pretty much just made up. Even their team financial ratings are mostly built from guess work, without much in the way of any inside knowledge.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Ratings are irrelevant (for now). RSNs make all their money on carriage fees. Advertising dollars are barely a blip. I have read that Florida actually has a very lucrative tv deal (even though their numbers are so small that they are probably not much higher than can be accounted for by dogs accidentally stepping on the remote or people forgetting to turn off their tv).

Also, of note, I think those are percentage ratings. LA would be something like .6 percent of 5.6 million households(18 million people). Where Pittsburg's DMA is 1.1 million households.

As to the original post, I wouldn't trust anything Forbes writes about sports. I've seen many articles they've published that are pretty much just made up. Even their team financial ratings are mostly built from guess work, without much in the way of any inside knowledge.

I don't raise the ratings as a revenue issue, but as a measure of local interest.

Hockey avidity is another measure:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...e-stanley-cup/



http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Dai...arborough.aspx

[polak]

Isn't Florida's lease unreal? The team loses money but the ownership make hand over fist on the arena? Can't see them giving that up.

I think Arizona to Las Vegas is what we're hearing about. I doubt Quebec is getting a team any time soon. Last thing the NHL will want to add is another small market Canadian team with zero relevance in the US.