The Americanization of the NHL and Its Relation to Future Expansion

Fans from Canada you should be rooting for an Atlanta expansion. So far your country is 2 for 2 at getting a team to be moved to a canadian city when they leave atlanta

I just wish Buffalo could get a team, what a great market that would be.

Pat McAfee had the Utah Jazz owner on a couple of weeks ago talking about NHL expansion. That man has a plan and a vision. I’ll be shocked if the NHL doesn’t expand there first.

The move to Dallas made me a hockey fan. I knew the sport existed but never got to see a game. Then the Stars came to Texas and I got to see a game here and there because of where I live and I fell in love with the sport. Now I’m a die hard fan and love the sport.

The fact that Bettman says that they will "consider Quebec if they show enough interest" is INSULTING. there was 19k people for the finale of the Remparts (LHJMQ). And that a JUNIOR team. It's a fucking joke. (and yes you can read that in the most Quebec accent ever)

Hockey fan from south florida here, been watching since ‘07 but honestly only started paying attention when the panthers were good. I just wanna thank you for being such a big part of why I was able to learn so much about hockey, your videos meant for the vegas/seattle expansion really helped me out

Omaha would work better as an AHL market than an NHL market in my opinion. If the league ultimately makes the decision to move the Coyotes, Houston is the most likely city to move into without having to switch teams around in the divisional/conferential setup.

I’m a canes fan since 2001. It took a few years for hockey to catch on in NC, and there’s been a decade long slump that drove some fans away… but everytime I’ve brought someone to a Canes game they loved it and became a hockey fan. Lots to love about hockey for fans of football, soccer, rugby etc

Re: Tampa. I lived in the Tampa metro area for a while. The Lightning are a big deal down there, more than the Rays. Maybe it would be different if they had an NBA team, but there's basically zero talk of getting one. At times the Lightning are bigger than the Buccaneers!

It is much more about corporate sponsorship in the cities, which is why Atlanta, Houston , Seattle etc are all much more valuable markets

Since the 90s aka Bettman. New Canadian teams: 1.Ottawa New American teams: 11. Anaheim, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Florida, Colorado, Dallas, Nashville, Minnesota, Atlanta, Columbus, Vegas, Seattle

I was in Nashville a few years ago and it really took me aback how much they love their Preds. Went to a preseason game and honestly amazed me how the crowd was mid season form. Had plenty of great conversations with the locals, and I highly recommend the trip.

Love the Stingers jersey! As a Cincinnati guy, not gonna tell you we do not need a new arena, however Phoenix would be grateful for the Heritage Center.

Could you imagine if Dallas actually changed the name to Lonestars? The Lonestar's jersey with Bill Pullman's face from Space Balls as the logo, A Winnebago as the shoulder patches. They could have had a Pizza the Hut night. Missed opportunity.

I wish that Wisconsin could get a team, but there is some sort of agreement that Milwaukee is considered covered by the Blackhawks This thing is from a long time ago maybe the original 6 days.. Wisconsin is already great for hockey youth and college hockey. IT just doesn't have a team to root for. Great built in rivals from Chicago, St. Louis, and Minnesota.

3:27 Omaha does not need a building, at least not to start. The Chi Health Center in downtown seats 17,100 for hockey. I would give them an AHL team instead

Hey man, former Houston Aeros season ticket holder... hockey has been very well supported down here, top 5 attendance in their respective league, but run out of town over stadium rights arguments with the rockets in the 90s.

Regarding the Atlanta Flames: The Flames left Atlanta because the owner's business was real estate, and the real estate market collapsed in the late-1970s. The owner was broke as a result, and had to sell the team to remain afloat. He sold to the highest bidder. I don't know that fan disinterest was actually an issue (though it's easy to see why one would believe it was), but according to former Atlanta Flames living here that I've had the pleasure of speaking with, that's not the case.

Cincinnati has a much larger metro population than it looks like on paper due to the proximity of the densely populated Northern Kentucky region, but also municipalities that checker the area which aren't in the city proper. It's in the top 30 of the most populous US metropolitan areas, and is home to the ECHL's Cyclones who haven't had a sub-.500 season in two decades (I believe). The Mighty Ducks co-existed there with the Cyclones briefly, and one of the NHL's Midwest player and coaching factories, Miami University, is maybe 30 miles from downtown.

The fact that VGK and SEA have been such quick successes, while an annoyance to those who are of the "my team suffered for 50 years, so these upstarts should too!" bent, is for whatever else you can say about him a definite credit to Bettman and his team in the league offices - not one but 2 new owners who are hopefully happy, plus the existing owners who should be happy with additional revenues in part from existing fans NOT having to be like "eh what a joke" and ignoring the new teams, plus hopefully new fans, is almost staggeringly phenomenal as an achievement.