I could continue going with the Canadian national anthem, but I think you get the picture. It is common knowledge that hockey is the lifeblood of Canada. Take high school football in Texas and basketball at Rucker Park and put them together, that's how much hockey means to Canada. While the youngsters are learning to skate before they can read, the adults are spending every last loonie to support their local hockey team, whether they are mini-mites or NHL superstars.
So why do I care you ask? Well, the latest news is that the Atlanta Thrashers are officially on the move to Winnipeg, bringing an NHL team back to the city. So I got to thinking. How much could the league benefit from a mass exodus of teams from non-supportive US cities to Canadian metropolises? While other bloggers here are asking for hockey teams to come to cities like Milwaukee, I say why not send them where they will be fully appreciated. I sat down and thought about the potential of capturing the magic of the United States vs. Canada gold medal game in the 2010 Winter Olympics and putting it into the NHL.
Unfortunately, this means that many US cities are going to lose their professional hockey team. The following cities are the likely victims of my "hockey exodus":
Atlanta Thrashers move to Winnipeg
This move is finalized now. Atlanta has ranked 22nd, 23rd, 30th, 29th and 28th in attendance during the past five seasons and actually has over 200,000 less people than Winnipeg Most hockey fans will remember the Winnipeg Jets, who moved from the city in 1996. This move is going to be the beginning of the movement north.
Phoenix Coyotes move to Quebec City
Phoenix is likely the next team on the move. While Phoenix is one of the largest cities in the country, it has failed to help the Coyotes make a profit. Even "The Great One" can't bring the Coyotes out of the red. All signs point to this franchise going back north-of-the-border. Quebec City has been without an NHL team since '95 and are ready to support a franchise once again.
New York Islanders move to Hamilton
Jim Balsillie has been trying to bring the National Hockey League to Hamilton for many years now, but always seems to fall short of his goal. However, don't expect him to give up until he succeeds. Look no further than the Islanders as a likely suitor for Hamilton. The Islanders aren't second fiddle when comes to professional sports in New York, they are behind the Yankees, Rangers, Giants, Jets, and Mets. No one will miss the Islanders, and Mr. Balsille is persistent.
Nashville Predators move to Saskatoon-Regina area
Nashville almost moved in 2007, but fell through when a deal didn't materialize. The team is now owned by a group of investors that want to keep the team in Nashville, but the team continues to be in the bottom 3rd of the league in attendance. Nashville has nearly 200,000 more people than Saskatoon and Regina combined, but is also a country music mecca, not a hockey hotbed. Recent success has likely kept the Preds in Nashville, but if they fail to get it done on the ice, a move may be imminent.
Columbus Blue Jackets move to Thunder Bay
Out of all the teams on the list, Columbus may be the least likely to move. They made the playoffs for the first time in the 2008-2009 season, but have had minimal success otherwise. Following the lockout in '05, the Blue Jackets have been near the bottom of the league when it comes to filling seats, and if that trend continues, those seats could become vacant permanently. As far as my potential location of Thunder Bay, it's just a thought. A waterfront arena that could bring fans in from Northeastern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan could be enough to fill the seats. Again, this move is very unlikely, but could be profitable investment for someone willing to take a risk.
Florida Panthers move to Halifax
I will preface by saying that Hockey in South Beach doesn't sound right. The Panthers actually play in Sunrise, FL, a city with less the 100,000 people in it. While they had some success in the mid-90's, the Panthers have not made the playoffs for a decade. Add on the fact that they are in an area that does not contain real hockey fans, and you can see the demise of this franchise sometime during the LeBron era in Miami. Halifax is the polar opposite of Miami, it lives and breathes hockey. The city has hosted the Ice Hockey World Championship and several other sporting events, which in Canada, generally always include hockey. Given their ability to attract hockey fans, Halifax would be a much better location for hockey than Sunrise, FL.
My New NHL Layout
The final part of my plan would be to realign the divisions. The goal here is to maintain divisional rivalries but create a new sense of US vs. Canada. Unfortunately, some teams in the states are gonna to be in Canadian division, but oh well, you get the picture.
US Atlantic
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres
US Central
Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Redwings
US Pacific
Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche
Canada Atlantic
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Quebec City (Coyotes)
Boston Bruins
Canada Central
Hamilton (Islanders)
Thunder Bay (Blue Jackets)
Halifax (Panthers)
Saskatoon-Regina (Predators)
St Louis Blues
Canada Pacific
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg (Thrashers)
Minnesota Wild
I love everything about this idea. I have said for years that it is stupid to try to sell hockey in the south...stupid.
ReplyDeleteI agree with pretty much everything except for Thunder Bay. I just don't really see that working. I think there should be a team in the northwest US, like Seattle maybe. And, of course, there should be a team in Milwaukee!!
Seriously though, Milwaukee can support a small market club, we need hockey in Wisconsin. Somebody, please help us.
I actually love all the divisions too, with one exception. I don't like the Blues leaving the division with Detroit and Chicago. The Blues haven't been great lately, but there is a lot of history between those three teams. Other than that, great!
Disagree entirely... There are definitely positive strides being taken to sell hockey in the South. It's hit or miss, as we have seen in Atlanta, but one failure is not grounds for shipping half of the league across the boarder, where every street block has its own team. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a failing franchise likely to be shipped out, so does that mean the NFL should vacate? Not a chance.... most of the problems with these franchises starts with ownership, and runs down through the organization. Take a look at a successful team like the Nashville Predators for example. That team got a rough start, but is now thriving, and has more support than ever. Dig into some of the hockey statistics for Nashville, and it is absolutely amazing the impact the team has had. The hockey movement is growing, it just needs few right situations to come up and drive it further. More US vs. Canada in the Olympic gold medal game type of thing will only help grow the sport. Hockey is growing, and they need to figure out a way to continue building upon the success stories in the South, not vacate them. There was once a time when "hockey would never catch on in the West coast".... come along one Great One, and you have the Ducks, Sharks, Kings.... 3 strong franchises in the state of California. The biggest issue with most of these failed franchises is ownership and the structure of the organization, not the location.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that the main problem is the ownership and structure, I believe it is the fan base. Let's look at those Nashville Predators post-lockout.
ReplyDeleteIn the 05-06 season, they managed to lock up the 4th seed in the West, yet were 25th in attendance that season. Again in 06-07 they were the 4th seed, but still only 23rd in attendance. 8th/27th, MP/27th, 7th/26th, 5th/21st is how the shaped up the last 4 years. Despite their somewhat success on the ice, they have still failed to fill seats.
Looking it at from that aspect, I would say that the front office has done its job putting a competitive team on the ice and it's the fans that aren't showing up. When you are winning, but still not selling tickets, that's a real issue.
Take the New York Knicks for example, they have been horrible during the past decade, yet they have not falling below 10th in attendance during that time. Or take the Carolina Panthers, who during the last 5 years have been 6th in overall attendance and have ranked no worse than 13th in attendance percentage during any season in that time. Yet, they only finished above .500 in 1 of those seasons.
Those are franchises that have a fan base, regardless of performance. That is something I don't see hockey getting in the south. They have NASCAR, college football, NFL, college basketball, MLB, NBA, and NHL, in that order. More kids in the US dream about playing in the MLS than the NHL, it's just the way of things. Unfortunately, hockey is not a true American sport and it likely never will be.