Possible Locations for an NHL Expansion Team

The National Hockey League has been around for a long time. However, when it comes to its teams, only six stand out to be older than the rest. The original six, consisting of the Bruins, Rangers, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Maple Leafs, and Canadiens, have been in the NHL since its very beginning. From 1947-1967, these six teams were the only teams that existed. But, between 1967 and 1974, the league tripled in size due to expansion. The league now had 18 teams, and only one of those teams would later go on to cease operations altogether (the Cleveland Barons merged with Minnesota North Stars, making Cleveland a defunct franchise). The league then continued to grow rapidly, as there was a merger with the World Hockey Association, which resulted in adding four more teams (the Quebec Nordiques, Hartford Whalers, Winnipeg Jets, and the Edmonton Oilers), and then the eventual expansion to 30 teams by the 2000 season. So all in all, it’s safe to say that when the NHL expands, they do it fairly quickly. With a brand new team, the Golden Knights, coming to Las Vegas for the 2017-2018 season, I’ll take a bet saying that there will be a 32nd team joining the league in the near future. However, with this comes the question of where this team will be located. The following is a list of which cities and areas will most likely be considered to be the home for an NHL expansion team and why or why not they would be a good fit.

1. Hartford, CT – Everybody loves the Whalers, and I say that using the present-tense. If you go to Connecticut, most of the sports gear being sold there is Whalers gear. Even in Boston, Whalers gear is commonly sold right next to Bruins merchandise, and it often sells equally as well.  As a city, Hartford itself is struggling financially. Unfortunately for Connecticut, Hartford is the only way for the state to get any real identity beyond being simply “the place I need to drive through between Massachusetts and New York”. Right now, the people of Connecticut split their fandoms between the teams of Boston and New York. With the return of the Hartford Whalers, the state will have something to be proud of and to identify themselves with. Ever since the original franchise moved to become the Carolina Hurricanes, they’ve lost fans. Even after a Stanley Cup victory, the fanbase of the Hurricanes is worse than that of the Whalers, who don’t even exist. While a team in Hartford would certainly help the community and the state of Connecticut, it is a gigantic risk to put a team there. There is a reason why the original Whalers team left. Due to a lack of corporate backing and lack of funds for a new arena, they were forced out of the city. Unfortunately, the situation has not changed for the better. Large companies are currently moving out of the state due to various tax laws that negatively affect businesses. Most recently, General Electric (GE), which was headquartered in Fairfield, CT, just picked up and moved to Boston. Also, the market in Connecticut is smaller due to its lower population compared to Boston and New York City. There aren’t many players that want to play in small-market areas. Although they would have the fanbase, due to competition in the surrounding areas with the Bruins, Rangers, Islanders, and even the Devils, it would be difficult for a smaller city with a brand new team to thrive financially. 7/10: good idea, but too high a risk.
2. Cleveland, OH – Cleveland is on the rise as a city and sports town. Due to the recent successes of the Cavaliers and Indians, the northern Ohio town is looking upwards. This city is slowly becoming a place where people want to play, and the fans of Cleveland are some of the most loyal you’ll ever see. Despite this, I’m not too confident about a hockey team working out. Right now, many people in the area are contently fans of the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets and the prestigious Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s already difficult to establish a brand new franchise anywhere, but even if the league was to bring back the Barons, it would take quite a show for the city to be sold on it. The team would need to be excellent in its early years to be supported by the community. Believeland already has a failing expansion team in the Browns, they certainly don’t need another one. Hell, if the Cleveland Browns came back into the NFL under a name other than the Browns, they would’ve been out of that city within their first 5 years. When it comes down to it, Clevelanders don’t need a hockey team. While there is room within the market there, not many people in Cleveland want a team that badly. 6/10: could work out, but there are better options that want a team more.
3. Atlanta, GA – The NHL has expanded a few times in the past and on multiple occasions they’ve looked to Atlanta. The first team to inhabit the city, the Flames, only played there for nine seasons, between 1972-1980. In the end, the franchise itself didn’t find much success in Atlanta and people slowly stopped going to the games before the team had to move the Calgary. The second team that Atlanta had was the Thrashers, who remained in the city for thirteen years. This team was slightly more successful than the Flames during their time in Atlanta, but still would only sell a limited amount of tickets. In 2011, the team would move to Winnipeg to revive the previously defunct Jets. Atlanta and its citizens simply aren’t interested in a hockey team. The city has already had two, both of which had to leave. The NHL would not take the risk in putting a third team here. 1/10: too risky for the league, there are little to no fans to be had in the area.
4. San Francisco, CA – The Bay Area has been a thriving haven for teams in the NBA, NFL, and MLB. So why not the NHL? San Francisco is one of the most popular places in all of California. It also just so happens to be one of top championship-earning cities in professional sports. Between the Joe Montana-era 49ers and the success of the San Francisco Baseball Giants, there are plenty of titles that belong to the people of San Fran. Although, despite the fact that there would be plenty of people to support a hockey franchise there, it would take away from the already established San Jose Sharks, who are situated only 42 miles south of San Francisco. This might make an absolutely fantastic rivalry, but on the other hand, depending on the success of the two teams, it could ruin one of the two franchises. San Francisco probably isn’t the best place for a team. 4/10: high risk, the Sharks have a lot of support on the line.
5. Oakland, CA – But what about Oakland? Their situation might be just what the thing people are looking for. Oracle Arena, currently home to the Golden State Warriors, can also double as a hockey arena. There isn’t much support for a hockey team by most of the community, but it’s almost a guarantee that they would have fans. Currently, all of Oakland’s sports teams have played in another city at some other time in their team’s history. The Warriors and Athletics both started out in Philadelphia, and the Raiders played in Los Angeles for an extended period of time. Since the teams have moved in, the fiercely loyal fans of Oakland have stood behind them. The only question is whether or not the city’s government would help support the team if they find themselves in a time of need (Raiders and A’s want a new stadium, but are getting nothing from the city). 5/10: With the Raiders rumored to move out soon, it might be tough to move in a new team.
6. Seattle, WA – Why Seattle doesn’t have a team in the NHL already absolutely baffles me. Serving as the hub of the Pacific Northwest, the city is one of the most populated areas in the country. Besides this, Seattle sports are becoming more and more popular. The Mariners have been fairly popular amongst the community, and the Seahawks are currently one of the best teams in the NFC. Unfortunately, the Supersonics no longer reside in the area, but it was due to lack of funding on a new arena. If an NHL team is added, it allows the Seattle area to continue to grow, not to mention that there are more and more Seattle sports fans emerging from around the country. Also, this could help support an NBA expansion team in Seattle, which would share the facility with the NHL team. In a growing area that can’t get enough of the sports world, there is little to no downside in Seattle. Not to mention, this would also add a natural territorial rivalry with Vancouver. 9/10: Seattle wants a team and has a great market for a new franchise.
7.  Quebec City, Quebec – Moving north of the border, the final location being discussed is Quebec City. Quebec once had a team that represented the community and celebrated its French heritage in the Nordiques. The team was in the city for over twenty years and was fairly successful, building up a massive fanbase from most of the French-speaking Canadian population. Unfortunately, the language barrier was part of the reason why the team had to move out to Colorado. First of all, players were worried about being on a team where everyone almost exclusively spoke French. Also, when broadcasting their games from home, the audio would only come in French. So for example, if you wanted to watch the Bruins play a game in Quebec on TV, you would have to sit through the game listening to a broadcast team speaking a different language. This absolutely destroyed the team in TV ratings, and by the time the team asked for a government bailout, it was refused and the team was sold. However, the situation of today’s Quebec has resolved most of these issues. Now through the wonderfulness of television, it’s possible to watch games in multiple languages. The TV problem would no longer exist and the fanbase is already there. Currently, most of the people residing in Quebec root for the Canadiens, their second favorite team. The Habs are only second to the beloved Nordiques, which has had a fairly large fan base even after their move. The only issue I see is the language barrier for players and the desire to play in a community where it would be difficult to communicate. 8/10: the fanbase and support is there and a huge problem from the past is resolved, but it comes down the athlete’s desire to play.

Written by Rick Wronski