Nashville Predators moving to Canada? NOPE! Sorry, Canucks (and KC!)...

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...


I'd like some reaction to this, especially from our friends north of the 49th longitude:

I talked to a friend originally from Winnipeg who lives near me in southern California. He expressed his belief there will never be a new team in Canada because there aren't any places where there was the population and/or business community to support an NHL team.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

I did not know that about the NY area teams...

As for the Stars, remember people don't kill hockey teams.. Gunds do (yeah, I know it was Norm Greed, but the Gunds started the uck rolling)

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

The 50-mile rule is a killer. Toronto could support another team and create one of the best sports rivalries, ever. It would certainly put the Pedro-Zimmer bru-ha-ha in perspective.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

As I've said, if you pick the right spot in Waterloo Region for a rink, the 50-mile rule would not be a factor. And it would look good on the greedy bastards at 40 Bay Street.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

Here they come:

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

Former friend from Winnipeg living in California?

Um, let's see, Burton Cummings?

And he's wrong. Southern Ontario could easily support another team. Maybe two.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

I still am holding out hope that the Maritimes will get a franchise.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

Don't worry, when Bettman is booted (as he eventually will be) and the Sun Belt delusion is forced out of the NHL's system like a bad case of constipation, up to 6-8 franchises will be on the wing. The Dixie Belt trio of Carolina, Atlanta and Nashville probably first. St. Louis and Phoenix probably next.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

The NHL has always been US-centric. Four of the Original Six were in the lower 48 and all six from the first expansion were as well.

Quebec and Winnipeg only got in as WHA merger material, and those markets were abandoned.

The Predators may be moving, but I'll bet anyone 50 cents (American) they're not moving to Canada.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

The best bets inside the U.S. are Houston and KC. But KC has shown no history of being a successful three-franchise town. It's just too small. Houston could probably work. I mean, with five million people, you could scare up 15,000 fans a night, you would think, although Houston can be like Atlanta when it comes to attendance. Too many people who grew up elsewhere.

Unfortunately for the NHL, Pittsburgh aside, it's much more in the position of having to sell non-hockey cities on itself, rather than cities selling itself to it.

Actually, it would seem like the NHL is in a unique position to go all-out in putting a team in Vegas.

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

I'll take that bet.

As a matter of fact I'll bet you a loonie.

If Jim Basillie moves the Preds, it won't be to KC or Houston, it'll be to the Kitchener-Waterloo area in SW Ontario. I can't imagine he just bought 25 acres of land near highway 401 to build new office towers for Blackberry. Besides being a multi billionaire, this guy is a hockey fanatic. And since the NHL only hears money talking, they'll listen to him if he wants to relocate to Canada.

Within an hours drive you have about 6 million people, a huge corporate bases and they'd be lined up around the block to buy seasons tickets.

Houston? Yeah, real hockey hotbed.

More of the same NHL idiocy: forcing hockey into a market that has no relationship to the sport whatsoever.

Pop Quizz: Which NHL team is now the Kansas City Scouts?

 

Re: Nashville Predators moving to Canada? Sure seems like it...

Not to be a smart-ass or anything, but if SW Ontario is such a slam dunk, why was there no effort to get in on an expansion franchise a few years ago? Hamilton was the only Canadian ownership group to get an audience with the league, right? Hell, they even listened to Norfolk.