You could make a case for each, if not all. Problem is, they’re all out East, so there would have to be three more added out West or re align conferences/divsions to level things back out. Also, the league would be closer to 40 teams at that points. Thoughts?
by Clerkdidnothingwrong
25 Comments
Quebec and Hartford, unfortunately, aren’t viable options for an expansion team. Quebec is just a smaller, worse, Winnipeg when it comes to a corporate base and Hartford has like 120,000 people. There’s no room to grow the game in either location as well.
Atlanta is more likely to get a third attempt than Hartford or Quebec City is to get a second.
I’ve never heard anyone suggest Hartford as a viable expansion location.
I do miss the Thrashers pretty badly…
The only thing Hartford has going for it is a bitchin logo
Maybe 3rd times a charm for Atlanta or hey how about this….stop trying to force it, it doesn’t work there.
The nordiques logo is fire
Atlanta has had two hockey franchises in different decades. That city doesn’t deserve another one.
The Northeast & Atlantic regions are never getting another team. Gary is all about expanding into new markets, not giving into demand of existing ones.
Balancing East-West geographically makes no sense when you look at the population distribution of the US, and to a lesser extent Canada.
The population of the US is highly concentrated on the East coast and West coast (but actually just California.)
Comparatively few people live on the Western half of the US.
[Here’s](https://images.app.goo.gl/CK6d4k2XQu4urMJT6) a population density map of the US.
You can never split the NHL evenly East-West because you’d have too many teams in underpopulated regions or force too many teams into California.
Detroit back to the Western Conference!
The Hartford Whalers are the greatest team the NHL neigh any sport has ever had.
Probably not fiscally possible but I’d love to see a team for one of the Atlantic provinces of Canada
My brother lives in Hartford and it breaks my heart every time I get off a plane and am bombarded with Whalers apparel. Blows my mind that the team left nearly 30 years ago. The fans there are still so loyal, I could swore it was 15/20 at most
All of these teams failed for a reason, and that reason hasn’t really been addressed in any of these markets. Winnipeg is proving trying the same thing again will yield the same results
To be fair, Quebec comes up for anyone else but Buttman. The man doesn’t want another Canada franchise.
Does anyone else love the thrashers logo or is it just me?
Québec should come back. Huge hockey market there. Arena would always be full even if they finish last
Whalers had one of the best uniforms in hockey, and the Nordiques are just iconic
32 teams is enough to be honest…
Please give me back the Thrashers, man. I’ve been hurting ever since they left.
Hartford and Quebec need to be back. It looks like Atlanta 3 is a sure bet already.
I still don’t know why the NHL doesn’t put a teen in Saskatchewan? They get 15k fans to lacrosse games and nobody plays the sport there. People wear watermelons on their head to watch CFL football in -40 weather. They would pack the SaskTel centre every game.
I feel like Quebec has a lot more people wanting a team than Hartford does. And Hartford has a lot more people wanting a team than Atlanta does.
Also when will the NHL expand to Uganda?
Atlanta doesn’t deserve a 3rd team! They never supported it from day 1 even when they played downtown. They had 2 teams the Flames 🔥 and Thrashers both which failed. Poor ownership as well as low sell outs. Hartford is complicated as arena XL Centre is too old but merchandise sell like hot crazy still. Quebec city if it were that easy it would of been said and done. The Videotron Centre is more then NHL ready but its a very small market that the NHL is not interested right now and the Canadian dollar is not really strong right now
If the Nordiques or whalers come back, I would break out all my old jerseys and switch back to either on a heartbeat. The nordiques were my team as a kid and then the whalers after they moved.