SuperSonics leave Seattle, NHL to move in?

[Pierre the Great]

Been thinking, since the NBA is deadset on destroying professional basketball in the Pacific Northwest, this leaves an opening for the NHL.

KeyArena can't sit vacant forever...

If they put a team in Seattle, this will only make the Vancouver-Seattle we're better then you rivalry come into sports. Although I've mainly seen Vancouverites complain that Seattle is better in terms of shopping etc. But nah nah silly Seattle doesn't have a metro system.

Anyway if they did move, you'd have to restructure the NHL Western Conference. Move Vancouver out of the Northwest and into the Pacific. Plus rename the division to fit time zones. Pacific, Mountain, Central.

[Habsfan84]

I never see this happening with the NHL moving to Seatle since they would have to get rid of a team since you cant have an odd number like 31 and if they were ever to relocate it should come to Canada plain and simple.

[simonus]

Seattle (or Portland) wouldn't be the worst idea. Hell, Seattle has a Stanley Cup! There are a few teams that could move over the next 10 years and there are worse places to go than Seattle or Portland.

[Pierre the Great]

I keep thinking a team like Nashville moving.

Bettman isn't going to move a team to Canada.

Vegas

KC - why I have no idea, that's not a sports town

pacific northwest

[House11]

The idea is sound ... I think Seattle could support a team, but it would have to be a team that is moved. I highly doubt the NHL want's to expand anytime soon. But then again with all the money being made recently and the cap going up, maybe that could happen. If a team did move I'd think Florida would be the best choice as Tampa does well there but Miami doesn't. Basically then you'd move Detroit to the east and Move Minny to the central and put Seattle in the Northwest

[simonus]

The idea is sound ... I think Seattle could support a team, but it would have to be a team that is moved. I highly doubt the NHL want's to expand anytime soon. But then again with all the money being made recently and the cap going up, maybe that could happen. If a team did move I'd think Florida would be the best choice as Tampa does well there but Miami doesn't. Basically then you'd move Detroit to the east and Move Minny to the central and put Seattle in the Northwest

if you want to control salaries, the last thing you want to do is create more demand.

[CerebusClone]

The Panthers have drawn pretty good crowds at times, but the franchise is going nowhere, so fans stopped showing up. Like Tampa Bay, I'm quite sure a successful team could make Florida one of the top 10 NHL cities for attendance.

If a team needs to move, it should probably be Nashville or New Jersey. The Devils have been one of the most succeesful franchises in the last 15 years, yet they still cannot drawn decent crowds. What will things be like when the team performs poorly? Can a new arena change things, I doubt it...

As for Nashville, people didn't show up even with the team was doing well 2 years ago, and that'a a pretty bad sign.

[House11]

if you want to control salaries, the last thing you want to do is create more demand.

I don't think the NHL would care about salaries as long as the league is making money ... more teams = more revenue.

the trickle down effect would be more revenue = higher cap = more money for players.

I hope they don't expand.

[Pierre the Great]

The Panthers have drawn pretty good crowds at times, but the franchise is going nowhere, so fans stopped showing up. Like Tampa Bay, I'm quite sure a successful team could make Florida one of the top 10 NHL cities for attendance.

If a team needs to move, it should probably be Nashville or New Jersey. The Devils have been one of the most succeesful franchises in the last 15 years, yet they still cannot drawn decent crowds. What will things be like when the team performs poorly? Can a new arena change things, I doubt it...

As for Nashville, people didn't show up even with the team was doing well 2 years ago, and that'a a pretty bad sign.

Strongly disagree.

I hate to say this, but the NHL doesn't seem to do their homework and look at the facts of fans in certain cities.

When the Miami Heat were good, they still had a hard time selling out their place. Miami is a 1 sport town, football. Time and time again they've proven they're not good at anything else. 10k a game for the Marlins, but when they get into the playoffs its 80,000.

Atlanta, everyone on the planet knows this city sucks as a sport town. Its a city of transplants who have allegiances to other teams. Nobody goes to Braves games, even when they were good. The locals are into football and Nascar. Yet professional sports continues to go back to this city because of the urban area and size. Every time they go back its a mistake.

Kansas City, if they even think about going there, they are nuts. Its a failed town that does not care about anything but the Chiefs. They had a basketball team, didn't last, they can't have 3 teams anyway. There metro is only around 1.5. Insanely small market and fickle folks.

Phoenix, ridiculous another mess of a city full of people who aren't really fans. Spring training towns don't equate to fans.

Tampa, their stadium is ridiculous, there's baseball fans down there but they're Yankee fans.

New Orleans, good grief. Going back to another failure of a town, great idea.

Many examples of bad ideas in N.A. sports.

[CerebusClone]

My point wasn't that Florida or Tampa are great markets, but mainly that they have done well attendance-wise when the team was successful. Could the NHL develop a genuine interest for hockey so that the fans will support their team during off years, I don't know but at least people show up sometimes.

However, New Jersey has maintained a lousy attendance record despite icing one of the most successful franchise in the last decade or two... and I doubt a new arena will change that... let's us for for the Devils and the NHL...

[Trizzak]

But how will the cold arena effect the fans' venti Arabian Mocha Sananis?

Edited July 3, 2008 by Trizzak

[Fanpuck33]

People need to stop seeing Nashville as a struggling franchise, they really aren't struggling as bad as other teams. There were five or six teams, including the Blue Jackets, who failed to meet the criteria for full revenue sharing. Those teams are now getting a 25% reduction in their revenue sharing income. Nashville was one team mentioned that was not one of the teams being penalized. So it seems pretty obvious that other teams are better candidates to be moving. I can't find any info on what other teams were penalized, but I'd have to assume teams like Florida are likely among them.

Personally, I give a lot of credit to Nashville's fans. Ownership tore the team apart and they still managed to average nearly 15,000 fans a game.

[jetsniper]

People need to stop seeing Nashville as a struggling franchise, they really aren't struggling as bad as other teams. There were five or six teams, including the Blue Jackets, who failed to meet the criteria for full revenue sharing. Those teams are now getting a 25% reduction in their revenue sharing income. Nashville was one team mentioned that was not one of the teams being penalized. So it seems pretty obvious that other teams are better candidates to be moving. I can't find any info on what other teams were penalized, but I'd have to assume teams like Florida are likely among them.

Personally, I give a lot of credit to Nashville's fans. Ownership tore the team apart and they still managed to average nearly 15,000 fans a game.

I agree, that rally they had last season apparently had a massive turnout as well. Nashville is actually starting to become a strong hockey market. Same with Tampa, people crap on them all the time but the crowds there have shown they're ready and willing to support their team. At one point the only teams with better attendance was Montreal and Toronto and it's not like anyone is ever going to knock them out of the 1-2 spot.

I'd be down for moving a team like Florida though. Phoenix has never really had any talent worth rooting for so I'm willing to give them a chance, they look like they're about to turn a corner.

[sbhatt]

The NHL would be foolish to move there without plans for a new arena in place....the current arena is outdated, which was one of the big reasons the new owner of the NBA franchise wanted out.

[Pierre the Great]

It was remodelled in '94 how is that outdated?

I've said time and again, Seattle folks hate it that they're the only city in the Pacific Northwest without a public transportation system. Portland, San Francisco and Vancouver all have metros and it is demoralizing to Seattle folks that they don't have anything. In the battle of who's the most progressive, Seattle loses out all the time because no metro.

I got to admit though, Portland has everyone beat still. Until the creme la creme folks in the richest postal code in Canada decide not to be a-hole's to the rest of us and UBC gets a fixed link, we won't top Portland.

Anyway this is why they won't upgrade the arena. They've paid billions for the new stadiums of the Mariners and Seahawks and all they get is the outdated, archaic form of transportation, the interstate highway. hahahahha

Edited July 4, 2008 by Pierre the Great

[sbhatt]

It was remodelled in '94 how is that outdated?

Renovation of an old arena = band-aid on a gunshot wound

[revvvrob]

a couple of you have chimed in to support Nashville, and i'm just going to pile on - i have a number of friends in the Nashville area and they were talking hockey for the first time to me. i think the Predators have set their roots and hockey is in Nashville to stay.

there are certainly other options to be considered first.

how's hockey doing in Atlanta?

[saskhab]

It was remodelled in '94 how is that outdated?

I've said time and again, Seattle folks hate it that they're the only city in the Pacific Northwest without a public transportation system. Portland, San Francisco and Vancouver all have metros and it is demoralizing to Seattle folks that they don't have anything. In the battle of who's the most progressive, Seattle loses out all the time because no metro.

I got to admit though, Portland has everyone beat still. Until the creme la creme folks in the richest postal code in Canada decide not to be a-hole's to the rest of us and UBC gets a fixed link, we won't top Portland.

Anyway this is why they won't upgrade the arena. They've paid billions for the new stadiums of the Mariners and Seahawks and all they get is the outdated, archaic form of transportation, the interstate highway. hahahahha

Yeah, but Seattle has a monorail, which is much cooler.

I love Seattle. I'd consider a move there. Vancouver... not so much.

As far as a team goes... Key Arena is pretty small, is it not? I've never been inside, but on the outside, it doesn't look terribly big.

But yeah, Seattle is a major American metro area... the NHL should never disregard it simply because it's close to Vancouver.

And Vancouver should get off their butts and start building a suitable baseball stadium and get a National League franchise.

[Trizzak]

But how will the cold arena effect the fans' venti Arabian Mocha Sananis?

...nothing? not even a titter? I can't be the only one who dislikes the Starbucks people.

Tough crowd.

[Colin]

Starbucks and burnt coffee? I just read the thread, I'm with you Trizz.

How close to Vancouver is Seattle? A big deterrent might be that proximity because in the NHL if you're within a certain distance you have to compensate the club on whose territory you've just encroached. And I think that number is rather large. I know that's one of the bigger reasons that Hamilton doesn't have a team, and it's one of the bigger reasons why Balsillie didn't succeed in his purchase of the Preds for relocation to London. The NHL doesn't want to encroach on any established market if there's any other choice out there.