4/3/2023 0 Comments Nhl 21 expansion team ideas![]() ![]() With Milwaukee already hosting three of the four major sports, hockey would be a great addition to a historic sports city. There’s no doubting the popularity of ice hockey in Wisconsin given the continued success of the Badgers and youth hockey in the area. Pros: NHL ready arena, large market, TV revenue, instant rivalry, growth down southĬons: Potential success in southern market 4. As far as the league is concerned, having such a large US market like Houston should cause a major jump in TV revenue alongside the large increase in fandom that would come with another team in Texas. It will also help the game’s overall popularity down south. The presence and rivalry should also help to bolster youth hockey in the area. Not to mention, another Texas team will undoubtedly start an instate rivalry much like the one in Pennsylvania between the Penguins and Flyers.įurthermore, as the NHL attempts to grow the game, expanding their presence down south to such a large market allows them to cast an even wider net geographically. The Toyota Center, once home to the Houston Aeros hockey team, provides an NHL ready arena that holds over 18,000. ![]() With over 2.3 million residents calling Houston home, there is no doubt in Houston’s ability to support an NHL team. Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States, making it the largest city currently not sporting an NHL team. Pros: Passionate fanbase, Whalers nostalgia, NHL ready arena, TV revenueĬons: AHL team proximity, smaller market 3. (Photo Credit: Hartford Wolf Pack/ Flickr) On a positive note, the current home of the Wolfpack, the XL Center, provides for a NHL-ready arena. While Bridgeport is unlikely to severely dampen an NHL team’s success in Hartford, the Wolfpack, currently based in Hartford, would likely have to relocate to allow for success at both the NHL and AHL level. ![]() While Hartford would have no competition with any other sports outside of the college arena, local AHL teams could cause a bit of an issue. Furthermore, Hartford’s combined statistical area (csa) population is just shy of one and a half million people, which can easily support an NHL franchise. However, bigger cities like Bridgeport, New Haven and Stamford are all less than two hours away. Much like Quebec City, it doesn’t stand out to the NHL given the relatively low population numbers compared to bigger cities on this list, as well as the past two expansion cities. Hartford is another city that has history hosting a well-known and liked NHL team. Pros: Passionate fanbase, NHL ready arena, nostalgia surrounding Nordiques, instantaneous rivalries, even number of Canadian teamsĬons: Small market, likely low TV revenue 2. Not to mention, the desire of many NHL fans to see the rebirth of the Nordiques and their iconic jerseys. Lastly, thanks to the Videotron Center, whichever team would land in Quebec would already have an NHL caliber arena to call home. Secondly, the location and tradition would create instant rivalries with many of the Canadian teams like Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. Nevertheless, is there a city craving an NHL team more than Quebec? The answer is probably no.įirstly, a team in Quebec would even out the number of Canadian teams to eight, making divisional realignment more of a possibility. As recently seen with the ESPN deal, the NHL prioritizes their TV revenue and would find placing a team in a big US market more beneficial. While Quebec is the perfect fit for an NHL team, the NHL is more likely to put a team there via relocation as opposed to expansion. Which city could get an NHL team after Seattle? Here are the top five candidates: 1. Prior to Vegas joining the league in 2017, the NHL hadn’t expanded since 2000 when they added Columbus and Minnesota. The NHL has grown from six to 31 teams since the first round of expansion in 1967. ![]()
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