Seattle awarded NHL franchise

[Laker]

This will start in 2021-22

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/25451216/nhl-votes-give-expansion-franchise-seattle?sf203611192=1

[TheKingpin28]

Same rules as Vegas while Vegas gets to abstain from it. Such bull****. Straight up highway robbery. Happy for Seattle but these rules are a joke.

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[TheValleyRaider]

A bit surprised it will take so long for the team to get started. Vegas was awarded in 2016, started play in 2017. This one's been a long time coming, too

[Grizalltheway]

A bit surprised it will take so long for the team to get started. Vegas was awarded in 2016, started play in 2017. This one's been a long time coming, too
I don't think they want to risk the Key Arena renovation not being complete in time. Vegas already had theirs ready to go.

[TheKingpin28]

I don't think they want to risk the Key Arena renovation not being complete in time. Vegas already had theirs ready to go.

Considering they have to dig 15ft further into the ground, giving them the extra year was the right thing to do.

[MTfan4life]

They should just name themselves the SuperSonics. A lot of people would already have team jerseys!

[Grizalltheway]

They should just name themselves the SuperSonics. A lot of people would already have team jerseys!

They're still holding out hope that the original ones will be back someday.

[dgtw]

Will the NHL go to four eight-team divisions or have eight divisions like the NFL? Not a hockey fan, so I don’t know which would work better for them.


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[TheKingpin28]

Will the NHL go to four eight-team divisions or have eight divisions like the NFL? Not a hockey fan, so I don’t know which would work better for them.


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They will add Seattle to the Pacific and move Arizona to the Central. Personally, I would like them to do this instead. Create pods.

North East: Boston, Montreal, Ottawa*, Toronto
New England: NY Islanders, NY Rangers, New Jersey, Buffalo*
Mid-Atlantic: Pittsburgh, Philly, Columbus, Washington
South East: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville

Great Lakes: Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Winnipeg,
South Central: St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas, Arizona
North West: Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver
Gold Coast: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vegas

-The North East has to look like that in order to maintain arguably the best rivalry in all of sports Boston vs Montreal. Also, Montreal and Toronto despise each other, but Ottawa just makes sense geographically.
-The New England pod would work as they are all within New York or right across the river.
-For the Mid-Atlantic, trying to split up the rivalry of Pitt and Philly as well as Pitt vs Washington is impossible and due to geographic proximity of Columbus, means they go there.
-The South East happens as they are in the "south" and east of the Mississippi and Nashville vs Carolina could develop as they leave the West.

-The Great Lakes would see Detroit come back home to the west and that means they would see Colorado more often and that was THE rivalry of the 90s for hockey
-The South Central happens due to teams in the west being more sparse and unfortunately, someone has to get screwed but all teams would be in either in the Central or Mountain Time Zone
-The North West happens due to geographic proximity
-The Gold Coast happens due to geographic proximity

*indicates potential interchangeability as Buffalo is more of a "natural fit" for those teams rivalries


I wish Arizona would ship out east to Quebec City as then it would look like this and work out even better for geographic positioning:

North East: Boston, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto
New England: NY Islanders, NY Rangers, New Jersey, Buffalo
Mid-Atlantic: Pittsburgh, Philly, Ottawa, Washington
South East: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville

Great Lakes: Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, St. Louis
Central: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg (Travel wise this would suck, but the rivalries between all of these teams are based off of MN xlolx)
North West: Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver
Gold Coast: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vegas

-Quebec City would move into the North East
-Ottawa would jump into New England
-Detroit and Columbus would come to the GL
-The Central would lose St. Louis, Chicago, and Nashville

[TheValleyRaider]

I'm not buying any of that for a realignment plan, especially in the East
- The League just got rid of the smaller divisions. The bigger ones would lead to the pre-94 postseason they want to recreate if they got rid of the wild cards. These don't really add anything
- New York is not part of New England. Buffalo also doesn't fit with the NYC-area teams, Philly is much closer. Buffalo is a Midwest/Great Lakes city
- Plus, Flyers/Pens and Pens/Caps have both been in different divisions and still managed to hate each other all those years
- Detroit begged to be moved East, which makes sense given they are in the Eastern Time Zone (unlike Nashville). Recreating their rivalry with the Avs is meaningless when neither of them is a Cup contender
- If you're going to preserve rivalries, why split St. Louis from Chicago?

I think the current alignment is pretty good (except "Metropolitan" is a dumb division name). Arizona to the Central makes the most sense. It only gets weird if relocation (like to Quebec or Houston) happens, but that's a bridge they'll need to burn when they get their.

[Laker]

Which teams are most likely to relocate- and where would they go?

I keep hearing Phoenix- maybe Carolina- could move.

Houston, Quebec, and Hartford are names that come up- but would the Bruins allow the last one?

[TheKingpin28]

Which teams are most likely to relocate- and where would they go?

I keep hearing Phoenix- maybe Carolina- could move.

Houston, Quebec, and Hartford are names that come up- but would the Bruins allow the last one?

-Hartford is about as likely to get a team as I am to win the lottery. Sure it could happen, but I doubt it. I am guessing Boston and both NY teams would move to block it due to TV market share.

-Houston had support for the Aeros but the Wild moved to Des Moines due to a lease agreement with Toyota Arena. Also, the distance traveled was tough to get players to Minnesota on short notice. This now saves a potential plane trip if the weather is good. Bettman loves his southern teams and I could see them "acquiring" Arizona and then that would make the Central better for time zones and more centralized.

-Quebec will likely not get a city until the following happens: the Canadian Dollar rebounds and comes back closer to the US Dollar; they are able to have Arizona, Carolina, and/or Florida move; and Gary Bettman steps aside and let's someone else be the commissioner, which likely won't happen as the owners love him and the NHL is on the rise for market value for teams in terms of both revenue and tv ownership/viewership. Gary Bettman has utter disdain for Canadian teams, (even if he won't publicly admit it) and would rather grow the game in the South than bring back hockey to established markets.

-As much as the Arizona Coyotes are "committed" to Arizona, which Bettman loves hockey in non-hockey markets, (Vegas works as there was no professional sports teams and they just wanted something to latch onto, hence Las Vegas Raiders moving to claim the football market) I could see them moving due to Gila River Arena. It sucks to get to and is nowhere near anything of "value" (value as in a major downtown). Sorry Glendale people.

-Carolina just sold their team to a new ownership group but IIRC, part of the sale required that Carolina stays in Carolina.




I'd like to see the Panthers leave Miami and move to Quebec, the Coyotes leave and move to Houston (population size alone makes the move viable), and the Hurricanes move back to Hartford for the 2nd greatest jerseys of all time. Don't even get me started on hockey in Atlanta. Such a joke. xsmhx

[TheKingpin28]

I'm not buying any of that for a realignment plan, especially in the East
- The League just got rid of the smaller divisions. The bigger ones would lead to the pre-94 postseason they want to recreate if they got rid of the wild cards. These don't really add anything
- New York is not part of New England. Buffalo also doesn't fit with the NYC-area teams, Philly is much closer. Buffalo is a Midwest/Great Lakes city
- Plus, Flyers/Pens and Pens/Caps have both been in different divisions and still managed to hate each other all those years
- Detroit begged to be moved East, which makes sense given they are in the Eastern Time Zone (unlike Nashville). Recreating their rivalry with the Avs is meaningless when neither of them is a Cup contender
- If you're going to preserve rivalries, why split St. Louis from Chicago?

I think the current alignment is pretty good (except "Metropolitan" is a dumb division name). Arizona to the Central makes the most sense. It only gets weird if relocation (like to Quebec or Houston) happens, but that's a bridge they'll need to burn when they get their.

As I said, I'd rather them go to pods, but it won't happen. Also, you'd have protected rivalries that would occur in this scenario.

[TheRevSFA]

They will add Seattle to the Pacific and move Arizona to the Central. Personally, I would like them to do this instead. Create pods.

North East: Boston, Montreal, Ottawa*, Toronto
New England: NY Islanders, NY Rangers, New Jersey, Buffalo*
Mid-Atlantic: Pittsburgh, Philly, Columbus, Washington
South East: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville

Great Lakes: Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Winnipeg,
South Central: St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas, Arizona
North West: Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver
Gold Coast: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vegas

-The North East has to look like that in order to maintain arguably the best rivalry in all of sports Boston vs Montreal. Also, Montreal and Toronto despise each other, but Ottawa just makes sense geographically.
-The New England pod would work as they are all within New York or right across the river.
-For the Mid-Atlantic, trying to split up the rivalry of Pitt and Philly as well as Pitt vs Washington is impossible and due to geographic proximity of Columbus, means they go there.
-The South East happens as they are in the "south" and east of the Mississippi and Nashville vs Carolina could develop as they leave the West.

-The Great Lakes would see Detroit come back home to the west and that means they would see Colorado more often and that was THE rivalry of the 90s for hockey
-The South Central happens due to teams in the west being more sparse and unfortunately, someone has to get screwed but all teams would be in either in the Central or Mountain Time Zone
-The North West happens due to geographic proximity
-The Gold Coast happens due to geographic proximity

*indicates potential interchangeability as Buffalo is more of a "natural fit" for those teams rivalries


I wish Arizona would ship out east to Quebec City as then it would look like this and work out even better for geographic positioning:

North East: Boston, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto
New England: NY Islanders, NY Rangers, New Jersey, Buffalo
Mid-Atlantic: Pittsburgh, Philly, Ottawa, Washington
South East: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville

Great Lakes: Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, St. Louis
Central: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg (Travel wise this would suck, but the rivalries between all of these teams are based off of MN xlolx)
North West: Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver
Gold Coast: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vegas

-Quebec City would move into the North East
-Ottawa would jump into New England
-Detroit and Columbus would come to the GL
-The Central would lose St. Louis, Chicago, and Nashville

Four teams in a New England pod who aren’t in New England.......

Maybe call it the Empire Pod

i like the idea though. Makes sense

[TheValleyRaider]

Quebec and Houston are, I think, the two most serious options for relocation
- As Kingpin pointed out, Quebec has some difficulties outside of their control that make it less desirable. The Canadian dollar is a big one, but the city being majority French-speaking is another. It's pretty isolated relative to many others, and even most Canadian players don't speak French. Montreal is a much more bilingual city, you can live there easily with just English. Another Canadian team isn't really all that desirable in general, as it doesn't really add anything the league/sport doesn't already have (see also: Hamilton, Toronto 2)
- The new Rockets owner has openly expressed interest in bringing an NHL team here. He owns Toyota Center too, so that's not an issue
- Hartford is a nostalgic pipe dream that is way behind these two (and probably several more options)

The biggest thing is that there really aren't any truly likely relocation possibilities at the moment.
- Arizona is the one everyone mentions, but given how much the NHL has sunk into that team and location, I'll believe it when I see it
- Carolina was possible, but new ownership is committed to Raleigh
- Florida is another name that comes up, but the owner there is committed to Miami
- Ottawa is a darkhorse for relocation if the Canadian dollar gets particularly weak. Their mismanagement at the hands of the league's worst owner is part of that, though hard to see him selling without being forced to
- Calgary is an interesting one, as they really want to replace the Saddledome, but aren't getting any traction in getting $$$ from the city. I don't think they've made any threats yet about leaving, but should probably be at least mentioned

[Laker]

Sunday, for the first time, the Hurricanes will be wearing the Hartford jerseys. I always liked them. I liked the colors and the hidden H inside the W for Hartford Whalers.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Du3evZ-XcAAZM1k.jpg

[POD Knows]

Sunday, for the first time, the Hurricanes will be wearing the Hartford jerseys. I always liked them. I liked the colors and the hidden H inside the W for Hartford Whalers.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Du3evZ-XcAAZM1k.jpgYea, that is actually a pretty decent logo which incorporates the whale's fluke as well.

[cx500d]

Yea, that is actually a pretty decent logo which incorporates the whale's fluke as well.

I wonder if they spent as much money studying that green and white logo as this one university I heard about with a green and white logo did


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[Laker]

I wonder if they spent as much money studying that green and white logo as this one university I heard about with a green and white logo did

The North Dakota Whalers would have been really cool!