[News] Update: NHL green lights season-ticket drive for Las Vegas

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

To be honest, I'm most excited about the thought of there being another Toronto team so we don't have to listen to leaf nation 24/7 on 3 networks.

Actually it would be worse as the Leafs would still get their spotlight coverage and the new Toronto team would follow them up leaving the Western Canadian teams further back in the pecking order.

[Owen15]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

The Cheetahs?

The Rhinos

[Ashasx]

34 teams?

Really? Shouldn't we worried about a number of cities that can barely support their teams right now?

The NHL doesn't need 34 teams.

[Poe969]

I honestly wouldn't mind seeing Toronto and Quebec City getting teams as long as they relocate from current struggling teams. If Tampa/Florida were to relocate to Toronto/Quebec City it would be good for the NHL. If they're serious about going into Vegas, it would be great if they just moved the coyotes there and then in a few years move them somewhere else.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The problem with expansion (besides diluting the product by having more teams) is there are two teams that could easily be moved right now in Arizona and Florida, where hockey has never and will never succeed. I think a Las Vegas team has at best a 20% chance of succeeding long term. There's a good chance the NBA ultimately ends up there which I think kills the NHL as I don't see more than 1 sports team being able to have sufficient local support to succeed there. Fans travelling to Vegas for games will only happen for certain teams (namely the Canadian ones), and that amounts to maybe 8 home games a year.

Makes more sense to move Arizona to Seattle and Florida to Quebec City. Doesn't change the conference gap but so what? Can't change the fact hockey's American base of popularity is the Northeast, and punishing a team with a more brutal travel schedule doesn't seem all that fair either.

[saillias]

Meh, everyone in Vegas is a hustler. Someone will make tourists buy these tickets

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

Vegas is a horrible idea for the NHL.

Since it is a small city where almost all the permanent residents work evenings, they will have no loyal fanbase. Sure tickets will sell as casinos buy them to give away and visiting fans invade the arena but they won't have their own fanbase. Which means small TV revenue and small merchandise revenues.

I think that is like saying the entire population of Calgary works in an Oil companies head office. Or everyone in Edmonton works 2 weeks on 2 weeks off at the rigs.

Its only like 20% of the population that works in Hotels, and Casinos now.
And I'm sure that's pretty evenly split between Days and Nights. So your talking about 200,000 out of 2 million people.

We all knew this was coming, I'm not going to pre-judge that its a bad move. I don't even think Phoenix was originally that bad of a move. Moving the rink Glendale was a big mistake that amplified problems that might have been survivable.

[Phil Russell]

I don't think LV succeeds as a hockey market. Remember that a lot of the same arguments about visitors from hockey markets going to games were also made about Phoenix. And I don't see NHL hockey as an entertainment draw for the average LV visitor. Is there local interest in hockey in LV? That's the real question. I don't see it.

[Vulcan]

For what it's worth, watching CBC news and they say that Daley denies it.

[Icon]

so if it were to happen... presume they add Vegas & Seattle to Pacific and move Arizona to Central

2 expansion teams in the same division should improve everyone else's odds in the Pacific for a playoff spot for a couple years.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Expand to Vegas and Seattle.

Relocate Florida to Quebec City.

Wait and see with teams like Arizona and Toronto x 2.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

34 teams?

Really? Shouldn't we worried about a number of cities that can barely support their teams right now?

The NHL doesn't need 34 teams.

This. MAYBE 32 teams, but even then, why? A handful of teams are struggling to survive as it is, and we definitely don't need to spread the talent any thinner than it already is.

[1stLand]

The quality of the league will not be diluted with expansion to 34 teams.

There are so many great players who are on the bubble that don't get into the NHL because of Politics / bad luck / etc.

You could have 50 teams and the quality of play would not be affected.

There are tens of thousands of hockey players out there that could fill 3rd and 4th line roles on any of the 30 teams.

1st and 2nd line players in the thousands.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by 1stland

the quality of the league will not be diluted with expansion to 34 teams.

There are so many great players who are on the bubble that don't get into the nhl because of politics / bad luck / etc.

BS.

Name the great players not in the NHL and not playing in the KHL.

[codynw]

E. Kane / Seguin / P. Kane
Marchand / Giroux / Carter
Heatley / Richards / Jagr
Malone / Ribeiro / Byfuglien

TEAM VEGAS

[Muta]

Has Vegas ever shown a desire to support hockey? Why not start with an AHL team there first?

It would be fun to go watch the Flames on a trip or two down there, but if I were a player, I'm not sure it'd be a fun long-term solution to play for in a city like that. I don't think the whole hockey experience would be the same with so many transient fans from other teams watching games and a nightlife that would be too tempting for someone in their 20's.

[Northendzone]

enough top end talent for 50 - that seems a little unlikely........i'd think there are likely a few guys (maybe 4) out there that could make an impact on the league if they were put in the right situation, with the right guys and i'd beleive that there are likely enough good guys out there to fill 3rd/4th line roles, but i think that overall the talent level would go down if you went to 50 teams......

if there was all of that top end talent out there, i think they'd be playing in the league already

[Huntingwhale]

Terrible idea. The only reason to have an NHL team in Vegas is to live off the coattails of the 'Vegas' brand name and hope that fans will come. I could easily see the team going the way of the Thrashers and moving after a couple mediocre seasons.

[bubbsy]

as far as expansion goes my thoughts are:
1) it would be good if we have even/equal number of teams in each conference and division.

2) is there a deep enough talent pool to add the 50-100 NHL level players (for 2-4 new teams) or are we just going to see an even more watered down talent pool across the 32-34 teams?

3) hearing about teams that struggle financially, every year (ie. yotes, etc) seems to contradict the notion that the league can sustain more teams, so re-location may be a better idea than to expand.

[wretched34]

Found this:
http://www.arenalasvegas.com/about/renderings.aspx
Pretty cool site actually, if you check out the "view arena construction" it's a feed from the construction zone.
The Arena itself I think looks pretty incredible, definitely a Vegas Venue. I'd love to catch a few games there.