OT: Las Vegas gets NHL franchise in 2017
Looks like it is now official, there will be an NHL team in Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season. It has been a while (2000) since new expansion teams have been added, so it's interesting to read up on the logistics. Essentially, the new team gets an expansion draft to pick a player from other teams, but the established teams can protect certain players. Then they will also have picks in the normal draft.
The new team will join the pacific division (8th team), meaning the West now has 15 and the East has 16 teams.
https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-expands-to-las-vegas/c-281010682?tid=28101…
I wanted it to be Quebec City. But that would have required some East-West realignment.
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Sadly it puts us back to the West, where we will once again play the majority of games in Central, Mountain, and Pacific time.
I think more likely a team like Florida or Carolina relocates to Quebec
Quebec and KC already have arenas, however I think it's more likely a hockey team has success in Canada rather KC. Seattle would be great, but they need an arena and I'm not sure that happens without an NBA team.
I thought there were pretty good data showing that the best place for a new team, market-wise, was Toronto or somewhere within its media market. Hands down. No?
Pretty much every Canadian city above a certain size is a good market for the NHL.
Yeah. I don't get the logic of taking a flyer on a Vegas team rather than putting one in the Toronto market, which would definitely bring in money. I know it's not as sexy to put a second team in a city as it is to play hockey in a glitzy desert tourist destination, but it'd be way lower risk.
I sort of understand the hesitation to put a team in Quebec City again, because it is actually a really small market.
Edit: just did a little research and it looks like Toronto didn't submit a bid to host another team, in large part because there is no proper venue right now and they'd have to build an expensive new arena. Also, the issue of who would own it and how it could infringe on Maple Leaf money and territory are tricky to navigate politically
I still think Toronto will take it's shot at another team eventually though. Too much money being left on the table.
Panthers and Islanders are the ones with negative operating income. Wouldn't they be first to go?
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Can't win a cup with Ovy or Kovy...though Kovalchuk did score 50 a couple times for the Thrashers.
Those hot desert cities have a long proud tradition of Ice Hockey
The one thing Vegas has going for it is it will a desitnation city for fans of the visiting team to visit. Weekday games maybe not so much, but I can see some fans making a weekend trip to Vegas if their team has a game there around/over the weekend. I'm not saying that'll guarantee it works out, but it could help.
The Coyotes (the last desert hockey expansion team) have to compete with the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Suns, and any Arizona State and/or Arizona teams. The Las Vegas NHL team has no competition anywhere in the entire state. The closest would be UNLV basketball. If Las Vegas doesn't get one or both of an NFL or MLB team, the hockey team will have some success.
There's very much something to be said for being the first major league show in town.
They have already gotten 14,000 deposits for season tickets. There's interest in the team.
Las Vegas...Gamblers? Aces? Tumbleweeds? ... Jacks?
/exits thread
Black Knights seems to be the leader right now
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hoover dam? nothing getting through the goal?
High Rollers. Royal Flush.
Interesting development indeed, but it is also kind of nice to see Las Vegas finally get a franchise among the big four professional sports. Now, if they could somehow land the Raiders, they could get something really nice going, and even better, for the first time you can just walk your money over to the bookie at his booth in the mezzanine.
Decent weather, 24/7 entertainment, and you're a shot drive or flight from LA and the ocean.
Weather is decent a few months of the year and actually lethal the rest of it.
So edgy.
Are the going to schedule all home games during the week or all home games only on weekends? I'm not sure which is the better strategy.
What the hell NHL? I thought they were all but out of buisness, maybe they were poorer during contract negotiations. I thought the next expanshion team was canadian, I guess the oil market put a damper on the loonie. The sports radio in Seatle was pretty well convinced they were next.
They are currently building an NHL arena. The city is growing, it seems daily. It's not far from LA. They should be able to put together a decent time from the expansion draft and be fairly competitive.
..this will work well and see it moving to Quebec in not so distant future.
Am I the only one that thinks there will be a very small fan base for this team in Vegas? I mean, I thought the NHL leaders are smart? I would have lauged in someones face if they offered a Vegas NHL team.
Like someone said above, I am pretty much done with that trash hole...I just went for a conference (which is why I only go now) and remembered why I dont go there anymore.
Am I going nuts, or do peole think this is a good idea?
You obviously haven't followed the NHL in a LOOONNNGGG time.
Just another horrible decision in a long list of horrible decision.
If the team ever makes the playoffs, I bet the ice will be fantastic in April, May, and June.
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Am I the only one that thinks there will be a very small fan base for this team in Vegas?No. This is going to be the Coyotes part deux. The only games they sell out after the first season is when transplants get tix for when Chicago and Detroit comes to town.
The Phoenix-Vegas comparisons are not valid. Phoenix and Vegas have one thing in common: the climate. That's it. Miami and Tampa have the climate in common too, and the Panthers barely have a fanbase while the Lightning have a very strong following.
Phoenix is Atlanta in the desert. Nobody goes there on vacation, it's just a big city with office buildings that attracted a lot of out-of-towners looking for a job. Plus it has fairly hostile local politics. Las Vegas has felt they deserved a major-league team for a long time and the politicians, businesses, and locals have been united in their desire to make it happen. The NHL is first on the scene, which is important. They'll have very strong support from the casinos, particularly MGM which owns the arena and most resorts within walking distance.
This is not a sure thing, nothing is. But it's a really good bet, no pun intended, by the NHL.
Meh. When the Panthers had Beezer they were very popular and when TB sucked, they didn't have much of a following.
If you think my point was about geography, it wasn't, and your comparison to fanbases is worse -- loyalty is only as deep as winning in these non traditional markets.