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Is NHL Expansion to Vegas a done deal?


hf101

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Several sites are reporting that future NHL expansion to Vegas is a done deal.  

 

 

Tony Gallager of the Vancouver Providence  wrote: "Sources close to the situation have indicated Las Vegas is a done deal, the only thing to be determined being which owner will be entitled to proclaim that he brought the first major league sports franchise to Sin City."

 

 

Mark Harden of theThe Denver Business Journal wrote: 

A joint venture of Denver investor Philip Anschutz's entertainment business and MGM Resorts International has broken ground on a $375 million arena in the Las Vegas area that local boosters hope will be a lure for major-league basketball and hockey teams.
The 20,000-seat venue, west of the Las Vegas Strip between the New York-New York Hotel and the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, will host concerts and other entertainment events as well as conventions and boxing and Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts, developers say.
The arena is being built on a 16-acre site by Las Vegas Arena Co., a venture of AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). It's slated to open in spring 2016 -- potentially in time to host the Republican National Convention, for which the city is bidding, although Las Vegas has designated the Las Vegas Convention Center as the potential RNC site.
The arena will be surrounded by The Park, an entertainment and dining district.
The project is privately funded. A previous arena proposal by AEG and Caesars Entertainment was halted in 2012 after a ballot measure authorizing a sales-tax surcharge to fund the project failed to make the Nevada ballot.
Vegas does not have major-league basketball or hockey teams yet, but -- signaling the arena owners' hopes of attracting major teams to Vegas -- NBA and NCAA great Bill Walton and NHL Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille were on hand for Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony, as was boxer Floyd Mayweather.

 

 

Speculation is that this arena opening in the spring of 2016 will have 3 to 4 levels of box suites and two levels of seating. 

 

It seems then that Seatle and Vegas will be Expansion teams and Quebec may be a relocation option for the Panthers is they can end their lease which runs until 2028.

 

 

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It would sure look like the NHL is going to be the first major sports league with a team in Las Vegas. It would first have to go through the board of governors and I'm not sold on that part yet. Expansion means expansion draft and in today's NHL, teams wouldn't be as willing to give up talent as they were in the past. Plus with better off teams still on the hook for the failures of other teams through revenue sharing, they would need concrete evidence that this team would succeed right away, which is a hard sell. There has never been a pro sports team there, so there's no idea what the sports market is like. Not to mention I think it would be a bad idea to put professional athletes with million dollar salaries into the gambling capital of the world..... Needs a ton of help to get done, in my opinion. Would be cool to see a new team and jersey in the league

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i actually hate this..water down the league even more..there are teams that have more cotton candy vendors then fans yet we expand..move the teams that can't support a team not expand..this is like the house boom of the 90's it will collapse 

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Reports indicate the city of Seattle will join Las Vegas, Quebec City and Toronto as new homes for NHL expansion franchises! Read more HERE:http://bit.ly/1ooqLHb

 

hmm... that is interesting.  4 New Expansion teams would make the league unbalanced again, at 34 teams.  I don't think that reporter has the plan right.

 

 If the Panthers were to move to Quebec then this would be even more odd at 33 teams.  But if the Islanders moved to Toronto then we would have league expansion at only 2 teams and a balanced East and West at 32.    Possibly we would then see the Eastern  conference divisions lines changed  NE and SE maybe?  NE and Atlantic?  Tampa Bay be moved back into the (Metro) division with Carolina.

 

I do have to say I think I rather like that plan.  

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What a coincidence, I was just thinking we need another team in the middle of damn desert. Thanks Uncle Gary.

 

But a place where people will fly to take in a game for their favorite team and enjoy a few nights stay in Vegas.

The Players will love it.  :P

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hmm... that is interesting.  4 New Expansion teams would make the league unbalanced again, at 34 teams.  I don't think that reporter has the plan right.

 

 If the Panthers were to move to Quebec then this would be even more odd at 33 teams.  But if the Islanders moved to Toronto then we would have league expansion at only 2 teams and a balanced East and West at 32.    Possibly we would then see the Eastern  conference divisions lines changed  NE and SE maybe?  NE and Atlantic?  Tampa Bay be moved back into the (Metro) division with Carolina.

 

I do have to say I think I rather like that plan.

Islanders are in Brooklyn for the forseeable future...

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While I normally like the idea of MORE hockey, and one can certainly get more hockey with extra teams in the league, given the state of the league, and the various issues they currently have in many other areas, I really hope the NHL takes it's sweet time doing another expansion.

 

They should take a breath, solidify what they currently have, sort out current markets, promote the league better, get the officiating all on the same page with the same consistency, and sort the various safety, contractual structure, and team finances out as well.

 

I honestly believe there is talent all over the world that teams CAN be stocked with quality players, but there is just so much that goes into expanding a single team, let alone more, that I think the NHL at this point in time would be spreading themselves too thin.

 

The NHL should certainly be looking at expansion plans....a good league is always forward thinking...however, just because they think about it, kick around some ideas, or even have meetings with various city, state, and investing officials, it doesn't mean they should do it right away....not without fixing what they have now, anyways.

 

And that aforementioned number in expansion fees? Yikes....for a league that constantly cries "Poor!" or "Losing Money", that just seems out of reach right now.

 

And is Vegas really a prudent market? Or is this another one of the Gnome's hair brained schemes to throw something out there to see if it sticks?

Granted, I know some may have said the same thing about hockey in Florida, but when we are talking Nevada and Vegas, that is an entirely different animal in more ways than one.....and I think we all know that what happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas, and there are very good reasons for that.

The NHL should think long and hard before seriously considering a pro team in that state......Vegas in particular....especially in light of other cities whom are not only probably better suited for the sport, but some of which already have NBA teams and arenas in place and can better sustain a new hockey franchise while it builds its fanbase.

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Seattle, Quebec, Toronto (it IS about time that the hockey capital of the world got a REAL team)? Those are great ideas. Las Vegas? Uhm..............

 

I'll say this too: While I'm not opposed to expansion, I think 4 teams at once is too much. I think Bettman knew he couldn't do Las Vegas without doing Seattle, and then he was afraid of angering an already angry (and rightfully so) Canadian fanbase if he didn't expand north of the border too. So, personally, I think this is too much too fast all based on a desire to get into one market that's a horrible idea to begin with.

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From an expansion draft point of view, I could see teams leaving their players with ridiculous contracts uncovered. Expansion teams could find themselves forced to pick up David Clarkson's contract, for example, depending on the format. 

 

And engineering a stadium to have half decent ice out in Vegas is going to be a feat in and of itself.

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I think it's more of a "things got ahead of the league" issue, and now they are trying to control the message.  Bettman is all about his time/his way.  

 

Vegas seems to be done, by several legitimate accounts.  The Imp didn't get a chance to announce it himself, so he's now pissed.  

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   According to Exlund....(lol)...it's Markham, Ont that is indeed in the running, not Hamilton, as some might think. He even gave a Chicago White Sox analogy for a potential new Markham team, and the Leafs would be the Cubbies, which is a GREAT way to view it. Apparently, the Markham folks already have an arena ready to go...I'm thinking it is a step up from the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. I saw the Greatful Dead there decades ago, and it was a very nice arena (smoked a ton of Ganja in the penalty box there, but that's a story for another day...lol).....BUT it only has a max of 16,000+ which is not ideal for todays NHL.

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According to Exlund....(lol)...it's Markham, Ont that is indeed in the running, not Hamilton, as some might think. He even gave a Chicago White Sox analogy for a potential new Markham team, and the Leafs would be the Cubbies, which is a GREAT way to view it. Apparently, the Markham folks already have an arena ready to go...I'm thinking it is a step up from the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. I saw the Greatful Dead there decades ago, and it was a very nice arena (smoked a ton of Ganja in the penalty box there, but that's a story for another day...lol).....BUT it only has a max of 16,000+ which is not ideal for todays NHL.

Another question is how many-if any-club boxes/club seats would that arena have.

Those are the cash cows for teams, in regards to ticket sales.

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