Since we all know that there are teams that fail at hockey where they are at now, like the Florida Panthers and Phoenix Coyotes, where do you think a future home can be for an NHL team? I was talking to Natebishop3 in the moderators section, and he said he would welcome an NHL team in Portland. Ignore that NFL part, because that will not happen for a long time. With the Coyotes up for sale, do you guys think they can move to Portland? What about another Canadian team? Winnipeg and Quebec City are the top two in my opinion.
Personally, I think the reason why hockey fails in a place like Phoenix is because of the weather. It's too nice. Too much to do. Too many other sports and not enough culture to back it up. I'm not saying Portland is a hockey town, however, our weather sucks during hockey season. Part of the reason why the Blazers have been so successful here over their history is because of the weather. It rains eight or nine months out of the year here. There's plenty to do during the summer, but very little to do during the doldrums of the winter. We don't exactly have a hockey culture here, but I think one could easily grow with enough time. Bring in the right team, with the right ownership, and I think hockey could thrive. Plus we already have the facility to house a team.
Rose Garden? or something gay like that.... Hartford would be a good place for a NHL team...They could call them the Whalers or something like that. I think Hamilton would be a good place for a team also.
I'm completely dumb when it comes to hockey, but I love having Canada's game played by Canadian teams. I learned most of my Canadian geography growing up by figuring out where the teams the Winter Hawks played were from. Lethbridge? Kelowna? Medicine Hat? Kamloops? Saskatoon? Regina? Brandon? I don't know if they can support it, but I'd rather see 5-8k rabid fans a game in Winnipeg or Saskatoon than 5-8k lukewarm fans in Phoenix who just couldn't get a ticket to the Suns' game. On the US side...Portland, Seattle, Hartford...
I am not sure if Saskatoon has been talked about much for a team. Correct me if I am wrong, Hamilton is the biggest city to get a team in Canada, then there is a second in Toronto, a return to Winnipeg, and a Russian wanted to buy a team and move it to Quebec City, but a Russian owner was shot down. Las Vegas is the most probable city in the US. The "Frozen Fury" has been played for long time no between the Aves and Kings in Vegas and usually sold out, for a preseason game.
At least Paul Allen hasn't sold out and auctioned off the naming rights to the arena. It could be called the TD Waterhouse Center or some lame shit like that. It's called the Rose Garden because we are "The City of Roses." We have a place called The Rose Garden where there are, in fact, roses. It may seem lame, but it's Portland. I'd rather have something intrinsically linked to the city like the Rose Garden than some lame corporate sponsorship like The Bank of America Arena.
LMAO My basketball team plays in a Palace, and Hockey team's Arena is named after a boxer...Lame Corporate sponsors, huh? Edit, the only time guys should talk about Roses is when they are talking about the Rose Bowl.
I remember a broadcast on television once,saying that Toronto is big enough to support one more hockey team...Any thoughts/comments on that?
It is no surprise that the places where hockey is a bad fit tend to be the places where attendance is shit. I mean, look at these locations: Phoenix, Miami, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Nashville, Anaheim, and Raleigh. The NHL's arrogance during the expansion years is obvious. The issue with Toronto isn't that the city can't support another team, clearly it could support two or three, the issue is that a team in the Mississauga-Kitchener/Waterloo-Hamliton triangle area could do some serious damage to Buffalo, I reckon. That and the NHL is stubborn as shit. The NHL needs to look into relocation for at least the Coyotes at the moment but I have no idea what they will do. They have already rebuffed Basille/RIM on what was widely considered to be a peach of an offer so who knows...
Gary Bettman must be removed from the NHL Commisioner status,I nominate DPGB for the position,whos with me?
You make some great arguments here. Toronto can hold another team, but it should be some where else in NA. The Mississauga-Kitchener/Waterloo-Hamliton triangle you mentioned would be a great fit for a team... The Coyotes are being leased away, which means they will be sold... Whoever buys the team should move that team somewhere where it belongs. Miami does not have a team, the Florida Panthers play in a city called Sunrise.. I have a friend there, never knew they played there. Tampa Bay doesn't seem out of place to me, they did win the Stanley Cup a few years after they entered the league. I don't see Nashville and Anaheim leaving either. Atlanta and Raleigh do though.
^ I just listed those franchises because they were among the worst in attendance last season, in addition to a few established but not so good teams (Jersey, NY Islanders). As for Sunrise, whatever man, the Pistons play in Auburn Hills and the Bills in Orchard Park. Same difference.
New York Islanders were close to moving to Kansas City. New Jersey is a good team.. They are just having financial fuck ups, lol. I can't see the Devils moving anytime soon. The Islanders on the other hand, maybe. Unless the rich hockey folk from the Island buy the team and actually make it good.
I'm with ya on this one Nate... F the Rose Haters.. I love that its called the Rose Garden, and that so much is done to preserve and include that in names and sports here. Its Portland perfectly. Ask the Timbers Army how much we love the Rose City as well. To me its just the same as being called the "Motor City" "Emerald City" or "City of Brotherly Love" etc. Nothing wrong with that, cause its part of their history. Some people will hate and not understand no matter what
