The arena issue is a biggie, but Seattle would seem to make a great fit for the NHL.  It would ease the travel burden on Northwest teams, create a natural rivalry with Vancouver, and add a market that’s twice as big as Kansas City to the national TV footprint.

Posted by Forechecker from Nolensville, TN on 10/14/08 at 08:48 AM ET

American Cities that ought to have NHL franchises:

Seattle, Portland, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Hartford

Some cities to consider:

Salt Lake City - winter olympics, sizeable population,
Houston - over 5 million people,
Las Vegas - untapped market, big sponsorship chances,
Oklahoma City - i guess.,
Kansas City - 2 million people, new arena.

Franchises to relocate:

Nashville, Florida.

Atlanta is just too big of a media market to abandon. Tampa and Dallas have proven southern expansion can work. Phoenix looks to grow over the next 5-10 years.

Posted by underthechestnuttree from LaSalle, Ontario, Canada on 10/14/08 at 09:03 AM ET

Please don’t bring OKC into this.  We have a fantastic fanbase for the CHL team here, but there isn’t enough money to throw around for an NBA team and an NHL team.  The Blazers are supported because you can still go to a game for less than $100 a seat.  Unfortunately, the NBA won the race for the hearts and minds (and wallets) of the people of OKC.

Posted by Mike @ MHH from Oklahoma City, Ok on 10/14/08 at 09:25 AM ET

High humidity levels seem to have a substantially negative impact on ice conditions, so wouldn’t humidity issues be a problem in the Seattle area? From an HVAC standpoint, it’s always harder to dehumidify a large structure than it is to simply cool it.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/14/08 at 11:11 AM ET

Do you really think that the Baltimore Washington DC area really has enough of a fan base to hold 2 teams?  According to ESPN the caps only have 83% attendance, and Baltimore is only like 40 miles away. There are a ton of people who live in Baltimore and work in DC, or live in DC suburbs and work in Baltimore and so on. The two cities are so connected that you would figure if there were fans in Baltimore, they would be going to games already, and have a team.

Anyway, I’m all for moving Florida to a west city, lets say Seattle, and Nashville to Milwaukee. Then add a team in Portland, Salt Lake City, Winnipeg, and Quebec. Then move Detroit and Columbus to the eastern conference.  If I did all that right, that should be 34 teams, 17 in each conference, and no one from the eastern time zone in the western conference.
Obviously that would take a good while, i’d say spread it out over like 8 years,

Posted by Kevin from Pittsburgh on 10/14/08 at 11:56 AM ET

Along with Seattle’s history competing for the Stanley Cup, the Portland Rosebuds were the first team in the States to play in the Cup finals.

None other than the Mullet himself, Barry Melrose, has called for an NHL team in Portland. Melrose coached in the WHL for some time and was able to see firsthand how hockey-rabid the Winterhawks fanbase is. He also commented on how the Rose Garden is already a first-class hockey facility. Plenty of luxury boxes, etc.

Maybe Portland is being punished for naming it’s hockey team “Rosebuds.”

@OlderThanChelios: Seattle and Portland’s weather is not substantially different from Vancouver BC. Maintaining ice in the PacNW is nothing compared to Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, or Raleigh.

Posted by Mojo Tooth on 10/14/08 at 12:00 PM ET

Baltimore would not work for hockey - it is indeed far too close to DC.  Many, many people work in the District or in Arlington, Virginia and live in Maryland - including northern suburbs of Baltimore, which have become bedroom communities for the DC area.  Roads and commuter trains are packed during rush hours.

Besides, Baltimore is much more of a football town (and they adore lacrosse).  They loved their Colts, love their Ravens, and are currently notorious for their quietness in Camden Yards at Orioles games.  I can’t see them supporting their own hockey team distinct from Washington.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/14/08 at 12:19 PM ET

Just the mere mention of NHL expansion and/or relocation and Las Vegas has to stick its nose in it.

I love this town to pieces but even golf is a bigger deal than the NHL...let alone the ECHL’s Wranglers.  Las Vegas has barely 5,000 legitimately devoted hockey fans and the Orleans Arena’s 7,778 seat-capacity is at 65%-70% full on game nights even with a first-place team.  Hell, the Wranglers were the Kelly Cup Finalists and even during the KCFs, we sold out only one of our three home games.

Just stop with the Las Vegas courtship...please.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 10/14/08 at 02:03 PM ET

I love this town to pieces but even golf is a bigger deal than the NHL...let alone the ECHL’s Wranglers.  Las Vegas has barely 5,000 legitimately devoted hockey fans and the Orleans Arena’s 7,778 seat-capacity is at 65%-70% full on game nights even with a first-place team.

This is the stuff that the NHL needs to listen to when they talk about expanding to Las Vegas. It’s one thing to look at the size of a market, but it’s a completely differet thing to look at the interest within that market. Maybe Lil’ Gary would be better served by listening to the locals than making “commitments” made by investors.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/14/08 at 10:14 PM ET

Mind you, also, the ticket prices for the KCF playoffs were astoundingly affordable and yet more people would rather trash their dollars on the tables and machines or spend it on other casino activities such as the awesome fine dining and Cirque du Soleil shows.

I’ve yet to hear of a casino host (other than the Orleans Arena) fulfilling requests for rinkside seats for an ECHL hockey game.

I’m available for market research, NHL.  You’re not going to succeed in Las Vegas when both locals and visitors have waaaaay too many entertainment options in a town that is without question, “THE Entertainment Capital of the World.”

A bunch of hardworking guys trying to win a hockey game or topless cabarets?  Take your pick.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 10/15/08 at 01:25 AM ET