NHL Expansion to Vegas - Official

[nate]

I would rather they dont add any.

[Angel Oracle]

I wouldn't mind 2 teams, to balance the conferences.

Four teams is overkill.   No one has over 32 teams in any ML sport.  

 

Has ANY ML sport ever added 4 teams at once?  

I don't remember it ever happening, except for the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, 1976 NBA-ABA merger, and 1979 NHL-WHA merger. 

And those leagues had WAAAAY less than 30 teams at the time.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Angel Oracle

[nate]

Eh when you add teams you dilute the talent.  The talent and competition in the NHL is so awesome right now I can't imagine why they would mess with it.;

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Back in 2004 Las Vegas' then-Mayor Oscar Goodman said that he was contacted by the owner of an NHL club (which he did not name) about moving his team to Las Vegas. There was widespread speculation that the team was the Nashville Predators, although AFAIK this was never confirmed.

[TeemuTrout]

What about Kansas City?  They already have an arena built there with the Sprint Center, they just need a team.

 

No prospective owners, basically. Same problem with places like Portland and Houston.

Edited September 5, 2014 by TeemuTrout

[Tank]

Eh when you add teams you dilute the talent.  The talent and competition in the NHL is so awesome right now I can't imagine why they would mess with it.;

 

that's exactly where i am with this, nate.

[deepdrive]

If Las Vegas builds an arena without a team, they risk becoming the LA football city of the NHL. In other words, the 'option' teams use to extract concessions from their hometown with the threat of "we'll just move to Vegas."

[Angel Oracle]

One team needs to move from the state of Florida.   That much is pretty much certain.

Does hockey truly work in the South?

Atlanta has lost not one but TWO hockey franchises over the years.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Angel Oracle

[Thomas]

One team needs to move from the state of Florida.   That much is pretty much certain.

Does hockey truly work in the South?

Atlanta has lost not one but TWO hockey franchises over the years.

 

Tampa is doing relatively well as a franchise so it would be unfair to lump them in with the Panthers. Plus the NHL seems loath to moving franchises that have had arenas built exclusively for hockey. To be fair it is kind of a dick move and really prevents future cities from considering it.

 

Atlanta is a hard measuring stick because:

1. Atlanta as a sports town pretty much sucks in every sport.

2. The owners for the two NHL teams were dismal

[Angel Oracle]

I was going to mention that Tampa Bay is in better shape than the Panthers, and also has the SC legacy (one Cup won) that the Panthers don't have.  

 

However, the Panthers are also a lone occupant in their building in Sunrise.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Angel Oracle

[Vegas Halo Fan]

If Las Vegas builds an arena without a team, they risk becoming the LA football city of the NHL. In other words, the 'option' teams use to extract concessions from their hometown with the threat of "we'll just move to Vegas."

 

When I lived in Jacksonville this was a threat that several NFL teams used to get stadiums built in their own cities. Jacksonville already had a 70,000 seat stadium in place and a populace known to love football, so cities took it as a credible threat.

 

The difference with the arena in Las Vegas is that it would serve purposes well beyond the NHL and NBA. There are a lot of major events that take place here that would love to leave the Thomas and Mack Center, such as the National Finals Rodeo. I'm guessing that the people behind the arena have been told something unofficially, because I doubt that it would have been designed to conform with both NHL and NBA specifications if it were nothing more than a speculative venture.

 

If placing an NHL team in Las Vegas were to be done without expansion, the Florida Panthers would seem to be the obvious choice. Only Arizona had lower attendance, and I don't see the league pulling the Coyotes out after all the flap about the stadium in Phoenix. As far as the NBA goes, the Milwaukee Bucks seem to continually come up in discussion.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[gotbeer]

Also Vegas.  Other things like concerts.  While Vegas has nice one day concerts or recurring concerts.  I don't think they have a true concert hall that can bring in 15-20k people.  A place where if a major band is doing a tour, a sure stop would be Vegas.  Not to mention things like the Circus, Globetrotters, or even convention events.  I can see a possibility of some company doing a huge premiere event followed by a concert at Comdex if this arena gets built.  And Disney on ice type events, or even getting national events like figure skating championships.  

 

Even without an NHL/NBA team, having an arena that size can bring a whole new dimension to what can be drawn there.

[Tank]

if they build an arena in vegas, i imagine i'll probably start getting phone calls about coming up to sing.

 

time to start clearing my calendar, i suppose.

[Pujols4MVP]

They should also consider Regina a city in the Canadian state Saskatchewan (Birthplace of Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black).

Seattle - Washington, Portland - Oregon, St. Johns - New Foundland(Canada), Halifax - Nova Scotia(Canada).

Quebec already has the Montreal Canadiens.

Another Toronto team would just be another Home game for the Maple Leafs.

 

Teams that should be relocated: Panthers, Hurricanes.

Seattle makes sense because its close to Vancouver Canada.

[Angel Oracle]

It's about time for Saskatchewan to get an NHL franchise.    All of their neighboring provinces have had NHL hockey for years.

 

I imagine the people there are thirsting for more than just CFL football. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Went by the construction site on Saturday (not by design, just happened to be in the area). Can't tell much because of the covers on the fences, and most of the work right now is foundation work.

[HaloCory22]

I was a supporter of Seattle getting a team and after visiting up there last week I'm even more for them getting a team. Its amazing how much that city rallies behind their team. The Sounders and Seahawks get so much attention up there. The NHL would thrive up there.

[NJHalo]

I asked my friend who works for the Devils if they heard anything about expansion. He hadn't, but when he asked GM Lou Lamorillo, he said it has been discussed seriously, and that Las Vegas is a concern. Most GMs are concerned with the distractions for the visiting players offered in Vegas and that it would be the greatest home ice advantage in the league.

Edited November 5, 2014 by NJHalo

[gotbeer]

I was a supporter of Seattle getting a team and after visiting up there last week I'm even more for them getting a team. Its amazing how much that city rallies behind their team. The Sounders and Seahawks get so much attention up there. The NHL would thrive up there.

 

Sonic would disagree.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I asked my friend who works for the Devils if they heard anything about expansion. He hadn't, but when he asked GM Lou Lamorillo, he said it has been discussed seriously, and that Las Vegas is a concern. Most GMs are concerned with the distractions offered in Vegas and that it would be the greatest home ice advantage in the league.

 

Interesting comment about the home ice advantage. I'm guessing that they mean distractions for visiting players rather than the atmosphere in the arena. That said, this city has never had the chance to support our own team at the top level of any sport for an entire season, so it remains to be seen how that would play out.

[gotbeer]

Interesting comment about the home ice advantage. I'm guessing that they mean distractions for visiting players rather than the atmosphere in the arena. That said, this city has never had the chance to support our own team at the top level of any sport for an entire season, so it remains to be seen how that would play out.

 

An off day will just mean so much more in Vegas.  lol.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

The league continues to deny, but the local ESPN Radio station reported via the mother ship that not only is the NHL in Las Vegas a done deal, but the ownership group has already been chosen. I didn't catch the first name they said (I was driving home), but the Maloof brothers are involved.

I just ask two things regarding the name: nothing with a gambling reference, and nothing to pander to the NFR crowd (like our ECHL team, the Wranglers).

See you soon, Ducks and Kings fans.

[Tank]

the las vegas inside straight.

the las vegas flush.

[Lhalo]

The Vegas Redskins.

[halobob]

The las vegas gut shot