7 Cities that could get the Coyotes *NHL Relocation Update*

NHL Arizona Coyotes relocation update on cities that might lure them
My Twitter - / realpatrickmcl

[@byrddgang6066]

The Blackhawks have been a roadblock to Milwaukee getting a NHL since at least the late 80s. The Bradley Center was designed and built with the intent of landing a NHL team.

[@C_A65]

Sounds like a classic chicago thing to do.

[@willp.8120]

It's funny that Chicago is very apathetic for their hockey team unless they are winning. Given the size of Chicago, you'd think they'd be one of the tops in attendance, but their attendance leaves a bit to be desired for their size.

[@RobimusPrime]

Really. I wandering why Milwaukee don’t have a NHL team. It’s a cold/snow city, it should be a given that they have a pro hockey team

[@kenmills194]

It's the same for Hamilton with the Sabres and the Leafs in the way.

[@grapefruitsodags8387]

They need to realize Wisconsin is a bigger hockey state than Illinois Illinois is just farmland and a lot of people there don't have the money to play hockey button Wisconsin. It's one of the most snowiest in the front states and their hockey team is there so the NHL really needs to get one. It's the NHL's choice not the Blackhawks.

[@brmhandle]

Kansas City’s arena deal carries a very interesting kicker: there is a $40 million dollar trigger clause for building upgrades the minute an NBA or NHL lease is signed. Add in the lack of an anchor tenant, I think KC is an unconventionally attractive choice for the league.

[@dland24]

I didn’t know this. That’s interesting!

[@wilderac2250]

For Atlanta, they can’t play in State Farm arena anymore. After the Thrashers left, the Hawks owners redesigned their entire stadium to accommodate Basketball Only seating. They even put a bar on the ground floor behind the court. If the nhl moved back to Atlanta, they’d need to play somewhere else

[@jonathanpena7165]

There’s a proposal for a massive development in Alpharetta to get hockey back to Atlanta

[@brucelyons5004]

Don't play at State Farm Arena. Historical Thrashers season tickets numbers show that the majority of individual families (not corporations) that purchased season tickets were from the Alpharetta area, or at least from a 10-15 mile radius from that area. Band-aid scenario would be to play at Gas South Arena for one-two years, which is currently beating both Phoenix (NHL) and Tempe (AHL) in overall attendance last year.

[@willp.8120]

@@brucelyons5004 I would say that while Alpharetta appears to have the greatest concentration, there are a lot of hockey fans not only in Alpharetta, but also Roswell, John's Creek, Cumming, Milton, Sandy Springs, East Cobb, Cherokee County, South Forsyth, Duluth, Suwanee, Buford, and over to Kennesaw and Acworth.

[@nortonhatfield7312]

They could try playing in the Mercedes Benz stadium.

[@cameronvandevelde4186]

@@nortonhatfield7312 that would be sweet! but an Atlanta potential NHL Team won't play in a football size stadium

[@michaelmarkowski204]

When the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary, they played in the old Stampede Coral arena (7,000 seats) for 2 or 3 years until the SaddleDome was ready. I agree if the team is relocated, move them into an arena in the new city if it's up to minimal NHL standards and play there until the new facility is built.

[@jimbobogie8204]

How to bring back the Quebec Nordiques: 1. Expand to Atlanta, 2. Wait

[@iamwesterncanadian570]

Why the National Hockey League can't figure out to put that team in Houston is beyond me

[@andretoles9505]

It's madness,bring 5hem here to Houston already

[@Stango42]

Nahhh it’ll be Utah

[@penguinsfan251]

The Coyotes are not moving to the Eastern time zone. There are 16 teams in each conference and the Western teams already travel a lot. Neither Detroit or Columbus will move to the West. This cancels Quebec or Hamilton or Atlanta. Atlanta renovated State Farm Arena and made it a basketball only facility. The hockey locker rooms are gone. Milwaukee, Portland and Salt Lake City are all small markets with NBA teams. This crosses them out. That leaves Houston and Kansas City. First, KC. KC has an NHL ready arena, no wintertime pro sports, a metro area of about 2.5 million and a ready made rivalry with St. Louis, which is 250 or so miles away. Houston has a metro area of 8.5 million, an NHL ready arena, potential ownership as the NBA Rockets owners want an NHL team and some pro hockey history. Both KC and Houston fit the Central Division blueprint. The NHL moved the Thrashers within a sumner. The Coyotes could be moved in the same amount of time. Truth is, and it is sad for Yotes fans, it is better to get out of AZ ASAP.

[@willp.8120]

The Atlanta Braves, Falcons, and Hawks all once played in the western division or western conference, despite being on the opposite side of the country from teams in their division, such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.

[@brandynhenry7107]

If the city isn't a legit big city and it already has an NBA or NHL team, it's never getting the other. They don't intrude on each others smaller markets. SLC/Milwaukee has 0% chance as the NBA would view it as a declaration of war by the NHL and it's better for both if they don't piss each other off

[@bobbowie9350]

Det probably not coming back

[@RoadTripzz14]

Listen the NHL is so poorly run they don’t care bat guano about eastern / western realignment. In 1967 Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were in the newly created expansion Western Division. Do you really think these hard eyed businessmen identify a profitable market that will support a team long term but abandon it because “geez we need a team in the Central Time Zone”?

[@penguinsfan251]

@@willp.8120 Yes, they did, Will. But not now and not for several years. NHL travel is not cheap.

[@JeanPierreLevac]

Québec City did not renovate their arena, it was built a couple of years ago (2015) and would be in the top 10 arenas in the NHL as far as capacity is concerned. Over 18000 seats and they will be sold out most of the season if not all.

[@penguinsfan251]

The reasons I put out against Quebec still stand. If an Eastern Conference team were in trouble, Quebec would stand a slightly better chance.

[@willp.8120]

Where's the number of butts to fit in the seats going to come from? Looking at satellite imagery, Quebec City is tiny. It's very little.

[@JeanPierreLevac]

@@willp.8120 Legitimate question, though if you understood how big a thing Ice Hockey is here you wouldn't be asking that question. Tiny City, Huge Fanbase.

[@JeanPierreLevac]

@@penguinsfan251 Good point.

[@scottlow6342]

@@willp.8120 then explain Green Bay for the NFL 🙄

[@CreightonRabs]

Breaking down my thoughts on these seven cities: 3:49 I get that Salt Lake City is a growing market and while the Jazz' ownership seems committed to bringing the NHL to Utah, it just seems like a long shot. Then again, a potential rivalry with Colorado would be pretty interesting. Also worth noting that the SLC arena is pretty old (I believe it dates back to the 1990s as the Delta Center). 5:24 Houston seems like the most logical option for Phoenix. One of the reasons hockey left Houston was because of the previous ownership's lack of enthusiasm for hockey. Tillman Fertita might end up buying the Coyotes (or at least a controlling stake of the franchise) because you're correct in that he's made no secret about wanting to bring the NHL to Houston. Also, much like with Dallas, a lot of potential hockey fans have relocated to the Houston area from the more traditional hockey markets (Chicago, NYC, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philly). I know that when, for example, the Pens play in Dallas, a lot of transplanted Pens fans make the trip from Houston, Austin and even Lubbock in addition to those who live in North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth). (Of course, it also helps that the Stars have made deep playoff runs in two of the last four seasons.) As for Austin, the closest NHL-ready arena - or even hockey ready arena - is the HEB Center in suburban Cedar Park, which seats about 8,000 and already hosts Dallas' AHL affiliate. UT's Moody Center, which is about 10-12K for basketball, isn't even close to NHL ready from what I've seen. 7:32 Atlanta already has two NHL teams - Calgary and Winnipeg (2.0). Does the NHL really want to fail in Atlanta for a third time? I just can't see that happening, even with these proposed arena schemes for an NHL arena in Atlanta. 9:14 Phoenix: the only other option would be the old Veterans' Coliseum (yes, it's still active), so I don't know what options are left. 10:02 Kansas City would be my second choice behind Houston. Royals issues notwithstanding, T-Mobile Center is already NHL ready and I think there's a market for something to fill the gap between Chiefs and Royals season (there's nothing else to do in KC, other than KU basketball). Perhaps the right ownership group can commit to building a decent club in KC (see: Carolina Hurricanes post-Karmanos) and bring in some corporate support. 11:18 Quebec City: The Nordiques ultimately moved to Denver in part because the city is more Francophone compared to Montreal, which drove away a lot of Anglophone and European players in the past. Also, the Canadian exchange puts Quebec City at a massive disadvantage compared to other markets. 12:49 As for Greater Toronto getting a second team: you know the Maple Leafs would rather relocate to Saskatchewan than let another NHL franchise in the GTA/Golden Horseshoe (which would include Hamilton), to say nothing about the Buffalo Sabres (who apparently draw a decent fan base from the southern end of the Golden Horseshoe - Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, St. Catharines).

[@ckstaff]

Owner of the Jazz seems pretty committed to bring in NHL. Sounds like even if it isn't the Coyotes.

[@PredatorKingdom]

Jazz Owner wants NHL franchise and they have the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympics coming so a new NHL facility will get built.

[@DoctorEw220]

Quebec would be a good idea, but it depends on how the Canadian dollar is doing, and if Gary Bettman is still alive.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Kansas City isn't getting another hockey team. The Kansas City Scouts were a notorious flop and it's a small market.

[@samelmudir]

Id love to see an all Quebec born or francophone team in QC like Bilbao in la Liga

[@Golbez1991]

Living in Qc City right now, I have to unfortunately agree with cold hard facts: even though the city is 700,000 + in population, the metropolitan area is just under a million. Plus, the Montréal Canadien is only a 2 hr 30 min away drive from town. Yes, I miss the golden days of the extreme rivalry between the teams, but as long as Bettman's in charge, he won't put a team here. But I gotta hand it to my fellow neighbors, we are passionate for our dear Nordiques. The Colisée was jam packed at every home game even when the team was at rock bottom in the standings.

[@brianjones7660]

Sabres fan here….loved the near-hate relationship we had in the late 80s onward with you guys and the Bruins with division playoffs….wow. Intense isn’t the word. We’d go to Le Colisee and that guy who would play on a trumpet to get the fans going 😍 would start up and they’d start yelling….and the night Rob Ray was in the penalty box when a drunk guy jumped in with him, and paid the price 😳 Great players and great games…..long gone now.

[@gregrehkemper8196]

As a ginger myself, I'm embarrassed to hear one of my kind say something as thoughtless as saying Quebec City over Houston. Houston has a legendary sports fans base, the money, the sponsorships, the media, and hockey history. I would say if we had to pick one of 2 markets that failed twice, QC would be far behind Atlanta. The NHL's goal is not to stagnate until the Canadian Dollar drops again and fail, they want to establish themselves, grow the game, reach new markets and inspire new superstars. Houston marks all all those goals in a ready market that will snatch up merch like no tomorrow. If the people of QC really loved hockey as much as they pretend to, maybe they should move closer to it. I hear houses are cheap in Texas.

[@bryantmoore2696]

Atlanta's arena was recently retrofitted and basically surrendered the hockey footprint in favor of a more intimate atmosphere.

[@benjaminwirth1208]

Surprised you didn’t talk about Milwaukee much. A) top 5 arena in the nba ready to go for games immediately. B) second largest hockey state in the country. C) There’s a huge plot of land in the downtown district right next to Fiserv that could be a building spot for an arena in the meantime.

[@michaelmarkowski204]

Most NHL players are lactose intolerant, so Wisconsin is out.

[@chriskay1449]

1. Fiserv Forum is already hockey ready. They do not need to build a hockey facility. 2. That "empty plot of land" has already been redeveloped and they are building comemercial and retail centers on it. They aren't building another arena. 3. Milwaukee will never happen because of the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks. He considers that his market and he will not give it up.

[@brianjones7660]

​@@chriskay1449point 3...think Buffalo and Hamilton in years past 😮

[@scottboyenga7532]

From what I understand, Chicago has historically blocked this.

[@chriskay1449]

@@scottboyenga7532 They have. The Bradley Center was built not only for the Bucks, but to try to get an NHL team to Milwaukee. Chicago blocked it from ever happening.

[@timsmith428]

..it would be nice if it was like the Thrashers move. Wake up tomorrow, put the dog out, make coffee, and turn on your computer..."what they've moved?"...

[@timzebulon1452]

The two largest consolidated metropolitan areas without a NHL team are Houston (8th largest Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area or CMA with an estimated 2022 population of 7,533,096) and Atlanta (10th largest CMA with an estimated 2022 population of 7,088,898). Both are larger than the Phoenix CMA (13th with an estimated 2022 population of 4,999,734). Moreover, Salt Lake iCMA s considerably smaller at 22nd with an estimated 2022 population of 2,746,164, and so is Kansas City CMA at 27th with an estimated 2022 population of 2,535,652. The best move for a relocation of Arizona or the addition of NHL expansion teams is to Houston and Atlanta. Both Atlanta and Houston are prosperous CMA with many corporate headquarters that would support NHL teams financially and expand NHL fanbase. Indeed, the Atlanta CMA has more than the combined populations of the Salt Lake CMA and the Kansas City CMA.

[@assassssasa]

WHA Aeros outdrew the NBA’s Rockets in the 1970’s IHL/AHL version of the Aeros still did pretty well for a minor league product in a major league city They left for Iowa over rent increase from Rockets owner at the time

[@petercena9497]

I still remember when The Summit was sold out for a Jets-Aeros game. Believe it was in 1975.

[@C_A65]

MILWAUKEE is the best move. Wisconsin has deep hockey culture and they would be an instant hit in the state. Guarantee it.

[@brianjones7660]

Chicago enters the chat...😈

[@mpgartland]

Here's my case of Kansas City. Of course, being my hometown, I am bias. In the case for relocation, the NHL would need to meet some criteria. 1. Growing metro population that is already well established. 2. Ready NHL arena. 3. Stay within the western conference in the central division. 4. Sports-crazed city. 5. Doesn't want to share revenue with another tenant (namely the NBA). All potential cities meet #4. Portland is knocked out by #1 & #5 (their population is declining). Atlanta and Quebec City are knocked out by #3. Salt Lake City is knocked out by #2 (sort of) & #5. Houston is knocked out by #5. That leaves Kansas City as the only option that meets all the criteria. Another thing that could knock out Houston and Atlanta is the NHL may want to expand relatively soon. Yes Bettman denied the rumors, but insiders have said otherwise. Houston and Atlanta have deep pockets that the NHL may want to use for expansion. If the Coyotes moved to either of those cities, the NHL would lose out on a lot of expansion money that Kansas City otherwise can't afford. They want to make the most money possible, right? In terms of ownership, David Pagnotta of the NHL network said on Twitter that the Hunt family (owner of the Chiefs) may have interest. I know it's a long shot, but it's possible. Patrick Mahomes and Mayor Quinton Lucas have also shown support for it, although that is just fluff at this point. Plus we have coyotes here. Edit: Forgot Austin, they don't meet #2 at all.

[@awong2668]

you just convinced me , as a Sacramentan, to choose you over Sacramento for the co-existing NBA situation

[@stuartrubin5730]

Kansas City had an NHL team for a short time and it failed there. That should eliminate Kansas City under criteria #6.

[@Steve_Hunts96]

@@stuartrubin5730 Because the Scouts had disastrous ownership before they relocated to Colorado, and then to NJ to become the Devils. Kansas City truly has never had a real chance to be a hockey town, and T-Mobile Center is a fantastic arena despite now being there for 14 years. An ECHL team currently plays in T-Mobile Center, and from what I’ve seen, the atmosphere at those games is fantastic despite it being a league lower than the AHL! If the Coyotes relocated to Kansas City, I feel the city would really support them, as the city doesn’t have another sports team that plays a bunch of home games during non-baseball season, and for football, you only get 8 home games per season (excluding playoffs), so in terms of fans attending games is concerned, Kansas City has time where it can work!

[@mpgartland]

@@stuartrubin5730 Sure, 50 years ago. Much different city now.

[@DeadAir21]

The NHL doesn’t necessarily care about rule #3 because they’ll just realign if need be. Kansas City may not even want a team. T Mobile Center is a pretty busy arena and that’s because they don’t have a sports team tying up dates. Non sporting events always make more money than a sporting event.

[@kingtk414]

Coyotes fan here that lives in Milwaukee. If they must leave AZ. Bring them north to a city that has 2 arenas, and a history of loving hockey. The Admirals don’t draw much solely because of being a minor league team.

[@C_A65]

Agree. Wisconsin folks should make more noise about this. After all, Wisconsin has deep hockey culture. It's a win - win.

[@brianjones7660]

@@C_A65 but Chicago enters the chat.....😡

[@coltex2397]

Houston makes perfect sense compared to all the other cities! You can’t avoid the massive market and corporate dollars Houston has compared to the other cities listed.

[@canadianmtb_8275]

Screw Houston lol they have Dallas already!

[@coltex2397]

@@canadianmtb_8275 lol!!!! Oh Canada… no more hockey teams for you!

[@niclazzari2309]

@@canadianmtb_8275 Dallas and Houston are about a 4 hour drive apart from each other lol they're not close

[@connecticut511]

HARTFORD

[@davidlafleche1142]

@@connecticut511 Too small.

[@molonlave2193]

Please bring the NHL to Houston

[@tonyreyna1067]

I agree

[@noahfinegan1422]

No

[@TheGarudaKurd]

Aww man I want all 4. Heck add Milwaukee and Greater Toronto to it aswell.

[@matthewlucas6954]

It would be nice if Cleveland got an NHL team since we already have the other big three sports and we used to have the Baron from 1976-78. Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is also awesome hockey venue for the Monsters.

[@dumpsterfirelife]

Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA is a better temporary option than State Farm, even with less seating. The Braves' success is because of the move outside of the city. They put the team closer to the people that actually go to the games, and took the horrible trip to and from the former Turner Field out of the equation. Getting to downtown Atlanta SUCKS. Putting the team downtown, even temporarily, is a recipe for failure. Nobody wants to have to make any extra trips down there, especially on a weeknight. The proposed arena site is far north of the city, and Gas South is closer to the fan base they would need to pull from for the theoretical site, which is far north of the actual city.

[@willp.8120]

The Braves have had better success since they moved to the suburbs. I think hockey will do better as well. I do think that basketball, football, and soccer need to stay downtown. Baseball and hockey work best in the northern suburbs because these sports are primarily attended by white people and that is where the fans live in the greatest concentrations.

[@aidanw9378]

I got a 'Gilbert Tourism' ad on this video. That's hilarious.

[@nategz9875]

San Antonio already has an arena too. As a Houstonian, i dont want my tax dollars to go to a new stadium. We need more public transportation and cops.

[@jasonmartinez5116]

The problem with San Antonio is that the AT&T Center isn't NHL ready, it's designed for Basketball. When the AHL's Rampage were still in SA before their relocation to Vegas, the sightlines were different and the scoreboard wasn't center. I don't want another Barclay's Center like situation. If AT&T Center needs to be NHL Ready then it would need renovations. Houston's Toyota Center is NHL ready for sure.

[@cryptointuition5052]

Practically anywhere in Canada, bordering the U.S. with a decent population would be a great spot. Quebec, Montreal, perhaps Hamilton. Houston, would be huge for the Franchise. It makes all the sense to go there. But, we'll see

[@FischerFan]

Quebec City is the only remaining market in Canada that should receive consideration. 1) It has a new arena ready for an NHL team 2) It will not present any territorial infringement with an existing franchise.

[@sylvainbeaulieu6300]

Don't be surprised if the Coyotes, with the help of Gary Bettman, will return to Phoenix.

[@spectrevampire]

I heard somewhere that the NHL offered Milwaukee a team back in 1999, but city officials declined the offer over concerns the city wouldn't be able to sustain the team. I don't know if it's true, but if it is, that might hurt our chances of landing a franchise.

[@bryantmoore2696]

Utahs arena is similar to Phoenix and Indianapolis arenas. Meaning that they are basketball structured by seating and sight lines. Furthermore the rink surface would have abstracted views. Not fitting for an NHL franchise

[@ElmerFudd16]

Neither is a 4600 seat shared college arena that's never full...

[@cjhan9816]

NHL needs to fix its other teams upon future relocations: Coyotes, Hurricanes, Predators, Devils, Jets. Here are lists of U.S. major cities for potential NHL teams: Houston, SLC, K/C, Milwaukee, Indianapolis. 4/5 U.S. major cities are cold climates, diverse industries, corporate sponsors, healthy populations. However, 1/5 is a sunbelt city (Houston) due to its greater metro ppl of 8 to 9 million above with diverse industries & corporate sponsors. The end!

[@ElmerFudd16]

None of those teams are actually leaving except the Coyotes though.

[@cjhan9816]

@@ElmerFudd16: We shall see.

[@crawf668]

They will end up in Houston with no doubts.

[@louisnemzer6801]

Bring hockey back to KC!

[@peteruhlig9004]

If they go to Houston the team should be called the Houston Galaxy, goes good with the Stars.

[@davelb87]

Bucks ownership has been pretty clear in its unwillingness to share their arena with the NHL, but the lack of a team in Wisconsin is crazy. AHL team doesn’t draw particularly well, but hockey is played all over the state and there was a time in the not too recent past that UW hockey outdrew most school’s basketball programs. There would definitely be an appetite for top-level hockey. Another one worth at least discussing is Omaha. 17k seat downtown arena, UN-Omaha is consistently top-5 in NCAA attendance, so there’s an appetite, no competition from other professional leagues. Problem is it’s only slightly larger than Quebec City. It really comes down to a question of finding a city with guaranteed support (QC, MKE) or one where you can “grow the game” (somewhere in the sun belt)

[@reedermh]

One of the "big 4" sports leagues already has a team in San Antonio.

[@nickpelz4373]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Indianapolis. It's a metro area of about 2 million and had supports the Colts and Pacers

[@gracielynn9623]

My hockey team is the Carolina hurricanes, so where they move doesn’t really bother me, but I would like to see Salt Lake City. These big markets don’t always support their teams. Doesn’t matter how big the media market is, a lot of times the Giants cities just don’t give a shit. These small markets always embrace their teams, and they are some of the most passionate. Salt Lake City or Kansas City Would be my pics and my hope to Landis team.

[@PredatorKingdom]

I heard from Elliotte Friedman the other day that the NHL is going to exhaust every measure to keep the Coyotes in Arizona. I think their best bet is to work with the new Suns owner on moving back into Footprint Center as I don't see the other land opportunities like Mesa happening because they don't want to go through another voting process. Quebec City definitely not happening because of the Canadiens and Bruins territorial rights mainly Montreal would block that from ever happening. Also, Elliotte said the NHL isn't going to want to lose the Coyotes to the Eastern Conference, so I doubt any eastern cities gets them. The best bet would Utah if they did move because Jazz ownership is interested in an NHL franchise and they have meirts to build a new arena with the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympics coming back to Salt Lake City more than likely.

[@terryslota2224]

egotistical hypocritical POS bettman will do anything to save face....

[@ckstaff]

Interesting that a MLB group in Salt Lake has actually announced a new MLB stadium in Salt Lake city limits is in the process while a new triple A stadium was announced outside of Salt Lake city limits. Kind of confusing as does Salt Lake plan MLB and triple A and 2 new stadiums. Is it a build and they will come or do they know something already? My hunch is NHL is coming to Salt Lake whether it is the Coyotes or another team. Is NHL expanding?

[@willp.8120]

Atlanta has the Braves and the AAA Gwinnett Stripers. I do think having two teams like that would be too much a stretch for the population of the Salt Lake market.

[@ddddirge]

They're currently trying for one last chance in the site of Fiesta Mall in Mesa... Sure it's a worse site compared to the Tempe one but I think it's still better than crawling back to Glendale, especially since I think the city is happier without them now... If all else fail, the only possible relocation is Kansas City or Houston... Kansas City have NHL ready arena while Houston probably gonna push to add the team there and they can temporarily play in Rockets arena, probably getting renovatwd to fit hockey too... Salt Lake City only in contention if they can nail the Winter Olympic that will comes with new arena... 🤔🤔🤔

[@willp.8120]

Arizona's lease doesn't end until 2026. If they extend to the end of their lease, they could move into a brand new arena on Atlanta's suburban northside. There are two proposed arenas, and one will likely begin construction by this time next year. They could complete it right before the 2026-2027 season. If the Coyotes decide to leave sooner, then they can play temporarily either in the State Farm Arena or Gas South Arena.

[@HighpointerGeocacher]

Tearing down the Fiesta Mall and building a new arena at that site may not be a bad idea. It is accessible as it is right off the Superstition Freeway. Undoubtedly less expensive to build there than in Scottsdale, where land values are higher. Over 1.3 million people in Mesa and the cities and towns that border it - Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction, and Queen Creek.

[@TheSonicsean]

The Rockets arena is still I think hockey ready, that's where the AHL Aeros played.

[@penguinsfan251]

@@TheSonicsean It is hockey ready.

[@robbisson6317]

It’ll be QC, they want the proper expansion lotteries for the states.

[@paulmezzetta6905]

Coyotes franchise needs to stay in Western Conference. No team in Eastern Conference wants to go to Western Conference.

[@coltex2397]

Houston!!!!!

[@snotloutisagod2956]

Bring the Coyotes to my home city of Houston and rename them the Aeros. We do have a great venue built for hockey and we are the fourth largest city in the nation, but the question is that will Houstonians be receptive to a hockey team here? On second thought, the Aeros of the WHA and then later of the IHL and AHL were successful.... It would make for a good rivalry with the Dallas Stars (who I am rooting against and rooting for the Knights to win) I liked what I had seen when I attended my first hockey game in Las Vegas and I would definitely be willing to root for a team in Houston should the Coyotes decide to move here.

[@CreightonRabs]

Tillman Fertita appears more receptive to having an NHL team than the previous Rockets ownership group was. Whether that means buying the Coyotes outright or taking a majority ownership remains to be seen, but that's why I said Houston would be my first choice. I don't see any viable options to keep the team in Arizona now that the Tempe deal is dead.

[@nbamerchant]

Give them the light blue oilers colors and voila perfect team

[@jeasongagnon4332]

Ummm the process, the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in the same summer.

[@terryslota2224]

LMAO read in the Az. Republic rag that the Coyotes did a twitter poll on where the Coyotes should build in Az. they said they had 100,000 respondents????? where are these so called 100,000 respondents when the Coyotes play their homes games?????? they can't even fill a 5k arena in Tempe....

[@seansibley9371]

Salt Lake has an ECHL team that has half full arenas for playoff games

[@dland24]

I live in KC and I’m a huge hockey fan, the Blues are my team. I’d love to see KC get a team but I don’t see it happening. I think the fan base would be passionate and would turn out. I don’t see that being a problem as you mentioned. Royals are a disaster but stadium is far and ownership has been terrible. The main barrier is T-Mobile Arena. It looks great from the outside but the inside needs upgrades. Also, I’ve heard countless times the arena makes more money hosting concerts and events than they would with a tenant so there’s no real appetite for an NBA or NHL team from that angle.

[@jmoneymaker96]

If Vegas gets the A’s then why can’t KC get the coyotes or a expansion nba team?

[@jmoneymaker96]

Also I’m an established avalanche fan for years living in KC. So I likely wouldn’t root for the division rival coyotes if they did move here.

[@Supernova2464]

6:40 one of the most consistent teams with attendance is the Texas Stars based out of Cedar Park just outside of Austin, while yea it is a much smaller arena I think it shows that Austin is ready for a professional sports franchise. . At least it can help them cope over the Longhorns

[@michaelmarkowski204]

Austin and San Antonio are good choices for MLB teams, but I think the two new expansion franchises are going to go to Nashville and SLC.

[@Supernova2464]

@@michaelmarkowski204 what league?

[@michaelmarkowski204]

@@Supernova2464 MLB

[@Supernova2464]

@@michaelmarkowski204 kinda came out of left field (no pun intended)

[@michaelmarkowski204]

@@Supernova2464 I think the biggest obstacle to Austin getting a MLB team is the Astros and Rangers would probably be against it. Austin is an impressive, growing city. MLS is there.

[@nategz9875]

Im from Houston and I think Salt Lake City makes the most sense. Unless youre winning we dont support. Texans games are empty and so are Dynamo. We also got a lot of competition. Concerts, dynamo, texans, astros, rockets, u of h, and boxing/ufc. Salt lake you just have the jazz,byu and utes to compete with.

[@chriskay1449]

Milwaukee is not happening. The Chicago owner will block all attempts to go there. That said, Fiserv Forum is already built with Hockey in mind as the Bucks want to continue to host NCAA Frozen Four events in the future.

[@Feurmc_]

State farm arena got a major renovation and they rid of all the freezing equipment and it’s also now an nba only arena now

[@willp.8120]

That wouldn't be too hard to fix. It would require bringing back in the equipment. This happens all the time. It would require a renovation of perhaps a few weeks, if that. The arena still has enough room for a hockey rink, but they have less goal end space for seating on one end, as part of that area was turned into a "bar" or something like that. Quite a dumb thing to do right beside a basketball court, but I digress. Regardless, even if they don't move into State Farm Arena, we do have Gas South Arena that holds about ten thousand seats and is where the Atlanta Gladiators play and either one of these arenas could be used as a temporary facility until the the new NHL arena is opened up in the northern suburbs.

[@saintbrownthetrojan]

Rating cities that could get them on a probability scale of 0 to 5: Salt Lake City: They are already wanting an MLB team. They'll self-implode if they get 3 teams. No way Salt Lake City can fit that many teams unless they grow their city by a LOT. Maybe if the MLB team falls out, otherwise 1/5. Houston: This is the most ideal choice for the NHL. Big city, similar market to Arizona, and instant rival with Dallas. 5/5. On a side note, the NFL will probably be first to go to Austin. Atlanta: No. The NHL tried twice and failed twice. 0/5. Phoenix/Scottsdale: This may happen, but it's a longshot at this point. 1/5. Kansas City: This could happen, but it is not a good look with the Royals garbage. It would be very fun, though. 2/5. Quebec City: Oh, if only if it wasn't small and Montreal wasn't already there. Maybe, but don't count on it. 1/5. Toronto/Hamilton: 0/5. No explanation needed. This would be stupid. Milwaukee: This would be an interesting option, as Milwaukee is a northern state and would make loads of potential rivals. I would go for this if I were the NHL, honestly. 3/5.

[@brandynhenry7107]

Problem with Milwaukee and Salt Lake is it has an NBA team. The two generally avoid each others smaller markets. Milwaukee/SLC would be by far the smallest metro with both. It's currently Denver which is a lot bigger, plus it basically has an entire region to itself which SLC would sort of have but Milwaukee would not. NBA has a hold on pro sports in Utah it would never have otherwise. The NHL moving there would not be taken kindly by the NBA The two leagues basically have an unsaid compact with each other to not play on each other's playground unless the city is truly so big it doesn't matter

[@saintbrownthetrojan]

@@brandynhenry7107 The Jazz owner seems to be ecstatic about the NHL to Utah. But it is just too small. Milwaukee’s metro area is also similarly sized (0.3 million more people in metro area than in SLC)but the city is not as willing right now.

[@brandynhenry7107]

@@saintbrownthetrojan long term SLC will probably be a lot bigger and it would probably punch above it's weight for its population size. I do think the dynamic would work better there than in most places of equal size, but it's just too small. there's a lot more overlap to corporate sponsorship and the types that actually go to the games and especially season ticket holders and who fill the suites(vs. general fans) than people realize. it gets to be a rough ask getting a city that small to fill an arena every other day for most of the year at the prices both leagues want to charge

[@FischerFan]

@@brandynhenry7107 Milwaukee is also a very saturated pro sports market. It is the smallest market in MLB which is currently dealing with situations involving the A's and even the Rays. Even the Reds have been drawing crowds as low as 7,000 this season. I'm all for Milwaukee having an NHL team. It is an American market in genuine hockey country.

[@jasonmartinez5116]

Atlanta's teams actually had decent attendance. Idk about the Flames maybe poor attendance for their last two seasons in ATL, Thrashers just had shit ownership

[@kimcokevin]

Does it really matter what the outside of an arena looks like? Isn’t Atlanta kind of a bad sports town?

[@gabingston3430]

I think Kansas City would be a better place for an NBA team than an NHL one. Missouri already has the Blues in St. Louis, and Kansas is known for being a basketball crazy state, so KC would be a perfect market for the NBA IMO.

[@saintbrownthetrojan]

Florida is a crazy football state by that definition. And... well... just look at the pro teams there.

[@willp.8120]

Yeah, Kansas City is more of a basketball town than it is a hockey town. While attendance for the Kings wasn't great, it was relatively better than the Scouts and the current Mavericks.

[@noahfinegan1422]

Kc isn’t getting an nba team

[@nicholas4662]

Gary Bettman dream of nhl Pacific Seattle Sacramento (Vancouver) San house Los Angeles Anaheim San Diego (Calgary) Los Vegas Arizona ( moves back to pacific) Central Salt Lake City (Edmonton) Colorado Dallas Houston (Minnesota) Memphis (Winnipeg) Nashville St. Louis Chicago Metro Boston (replaces Washington) Pittsburgh Philadelphia New York rangers New York islanders New Jersey Columbus Louisville (Detroit replace Carolina spot) Southeast Carolina Washington Atlanta( Buffalo) Orlando (Ottawa) Jacksonville (Montreal) Tampa Florida montgomery (toronto) Next 4 expansion teams Pacific Tucson Central Austin Metro West Virginia (Charleston ) Southeast Charlotte

[@jasonstemm6450]

Hartford?

[@adanalyst6925]

The whalers make a comeback?

[@saintbrownthetrojan]

The Boston Bruins will say a few choice words about that.

[@sawyertuide7636]

As much as we’d love it, no. Same thing with any other city without a sports team right now (so Omaha, Louisville, Austin, and El Paso). If there wasn’t a city with a population of 7.3M in their metro area you’d have like a 1% chance.

[@tonywlaschin7842]

Some pundits say the NHL would prefer the team remains in the western conference. Detroit or Columbus as eastern time zone cities don't want to move back to the west.

[@willp.8120]

At this point, I'd take Atlanta being in the west if it means we get an NHL team back.

[@brianjones7660]

Owners won't. Traveling was too much cost wise and time wise. Ask Detroit.😮

[@jmoneymaker96]

I live in KC and I’ve already established myself as an avalanche fan for years now. If we did end up getting the coyotes I wouldn’t root for them since they are in the same division as the avs.

[@davidwillisph.dcoastalalab5395]

Unfortunately, Milwaukee is not a possibility without the Blackhawks approval. The original 6 teams get extended territorial rights. Milwaukee is in that region and can’t get a franchise without Chicago’s consent. Chicago has never been willing to even discuss a team in Milwaukee. I believe the Bruins and Montreal would have the same veto power over Quebec City but choose not to use it. Not sure on the last two.

[@PredatorKingdom]

Same thing with Quebec City with the Bruins and Montreal regional rights blocking Quebec City from ever getting an NHL franchise. Some teams have territorial rights, so the Blackhawks clould block Milwaukee from happening.

[@dvferyance]

What is this obsession with Milwaukee? It's too small of a market for the NHL as long as the Bucks are there. Indianapolis or Cleveland would be better options and I see no chance of them getting a team either.

[@davidwillisph.dcoastalalab5395]

@@dvferyance The minor league team there does well and there is more of a hockey culture in Wisconsin than Ohio or Indiana. It's bigger than most of the other cities on this list.

[@dvferyance]

@@davidwillisph.dcoastalalab5395 It's smaller than Denver the smallest market with both the NBA and NHL.

[@chriskay1449]

@@dvferyance Wisconsin is a hockey mad state. If FLorida can have an NHL team where hockey is hardly king, Milwaukee sure as hell can when they are located in a hockey mad state. They are far more hockey mad than any of the examples you mention.

[@georgeawestjr.9087]

Some possible choices: Hartford, Connecticut, after they lost the Whalers to Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, North Carolina area, now the Carolina Hurricanes. Kansas City, Missouri, Cincinnati, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, Houston, Texas, and, Salt Lake City, Utah. As for Atlanta, two possible suburban cities. Alpharetta and Marietta, Georgia IMHO.

[@HighpointerGeocacher]

Hartford would be ridiculous. The entire state of Connecticut is a lot smaller, in both population and land area, than Maricopa County, AZ. Connecticut is also declining in population. or growing at a very miniscule rate. A higher percentage of the state's population lives closer to New York City than to Hartford, so these people support the New York City area teams. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Hartford has a population of around 121,000. Three Connecticut cities in southwestern CT within the greater NYC metro area (Bridgeport, New Haven, and Stamford) are more populous than Hartford. In addition to Phoenix, the Phoenix metro area has eight suburban municipalities that are more populous than Hartford. One should seriously consider Charlotte as a potential NHL location, as this would create a phenomenal Carolina rivalry with the Raleigh-based Hurricanes.

[@georgeawestjr.9087]

@@HighpointerGeocacher I didn't think about Charlotte. Good choice. Thanks.

[@HighpointerGeocacher]

@@georgeawestjr.9087 Consider that the combined population of North and South Carolina is now over 16 million, yet the Carolinas are greatly underrepresented by its presence of major pro sports teams.

[@willp.8120]

​@@HighpointerGeocacher The southeast, in general, is underrepresented and the Midwest is over represented.

[@frankpaparo4839]

I don’t want to loose the yeots if they find a way to stay in az do it cuz the fan base there is passionate but there are also people who aren’t convinced by hockey in the desert and worried it could fold if all in

[@michaelleroy9281]

Forget anywhere east , they should stay in the middle or western part of North America

[@scottlevin4487]

If it’s salt lake. The name is going back to the delta center after next year.

[@yorkmartin8569]

Feels like everyone banging the drum for Quebec City are not thinking about conference alignment in this whole thing. If you move Arizona east who are you sending west? You know the Red Wings will fight that tooth and nail. Columbus? It’s really only those two and they’re both EST.

[@hamburglar83]

I will always root for a canadian city (especially beautiful Quebec City) over a southern city. I also think they should of put a second team in Toronto a long time ago.

[@MikeyKaos716]

So, Hamilton would likely be considered the GTA for the purpose of those odds, and no way the Maple Leafs allow a second team in the market. And save with the Sabres if they have a say - no way they will allow Hamilton to steal any of the fans in that region. And again, the simple fact that no Eastern conference team will want to move to the Western Conference is ignored. So, unless there's a second team moving to a Western Conference location city (Pacific, mountain, and central time zones), the Coyotes aren't going to move into an Eastern Time Zone city (all 16 teams in the east play in the eastern time zone, none of the Western Conference 16 do, and Detroit wanted out of the Western Conference).

[@kibitznec700]

Like the team in the Rollerball movie.

[@cheifcrazybuffalo8390]

As long as Alex Merulo owns the Coyotes there will be no relocation that has be made clear

[@Erick2009909]

I prefer Salt Lake City,Saskatoon,Cleveland,Wisconsin,Austin Texas to relocate. I don’t want quebec is too much issues. Not even Atlanta. I also like Indiana it could be a hockey state.😊

[@johnpatterson4272]

Give the Coyotes a home in Canada. Halifax, Quebec City, Hamilton, Regina or maybe even Kelowna. Although Salt Lake City is not a bad idea.

[@mrgreekgm754]

Kelowna lol.

[@johnpatterson4272]

@@mrgreekgm754 They didn't do well in a larger city like Phoenix, perhaps a smaller city will be more receptive.

[@mrgreekgm754]

@@johnpatterson4272 Lol.

[@northernsurferboy]

Bettman already said he doesn't have interest in Atlanta right now and sees Houston, Atlanta and KC as expansion sites, no interest in Quebec but Videotron has deep deep pockets the Montreal Canadians would complain to Bettman about sharing the province with a Quebec City team, the Videotron Centre was partially built for a future winter olympic bid their junior team gets big crowds, the current Jazz arena is a basketball first building like when the Islanders were in Brooklyn and would be the smallest capacity of any NHL team would probably need a new building any NHL bid or Coyotes relocation most likely be tied to Salt Lake City winning the winter olympic bid in 2030 or 2036, if the current Rockets owners don't buy the team then it makes no sense to pay out of the Toyota Center because the team won't get the building revenues, the KC building turns a profit without hockey and there is no committed ownership, the Suns new owner is interested in the NHL and to renovate the Footprint Center to accommodate hockey properly instead of what it was like when the Coyotes played there last time would cost $160 million and like Houston if the team is paying rent it makes no sense to go there long term, the Coyotes apparently were popular at the Footprint arena because the fans were closer

[@brianjones7660]

Run on sentences don't convince me. Try again....😮

[@jtjr26]

Sometimes I think the NHL is too focused on going to big untapped markets and not paying enough attention to the potential fan base they might be moving into. In the last 25+ years, the has expanded into the sunbelt of the US and they have been some successes and failures. As for potential relocation cities, I have to wonder how much of an appetite there will be for the NHL there will be in the cities mentioned. Houston & Kansas City has a lot of other sports options. The NHL has failed in Atlants twice. The Atlanta Flames left there in 1980 and moved to Calgary and the Atlanta Thrashers moved from there in 2011 to become the Winnipeg Jets. I think Atlanta should be avoided. Have not heard much about Milwaukee. What I know is Quebec City may not have the population base of some of the other potentials but hockey will be the number one draw in the city and get regional support. The passion for Hockey in Canada but specifically Quebec is enough to sustain 2 teams. The Montreal Canadians did not suffer any loss of support when the Nordiques were there in the past and would not in the future. Also, the Nordiques did not leave there for lack of support. They left over trouble getting a new arena, which they now have. I hope the NHL stops fighting to get a team in Quebec City but I suspect they will.

[@TheSonicsean]

People said that Winnipeg was too small to support a team in 2011, and they're still here.

[@willp.8120]

​@@TheSonicsean and in the bottom five in attendance.🤣

[@FischerFan]

@@TheSonicsean Yeah, big city snobs. One pattern I've observed is that resentment towards Winnipeg for getting the NHL back tends to come from two places: 1) Southern Ontario 2) Saskatchewan Add to that list one a-hole/traitor somewhere in Edmonton who wants Winnipeg to lose their team, yet is all supportive for keeping teams losing money in Arizona and Florida.

[@patrickrimbao4233]

If Quebec has more people and businesses, Quebec will be my first choice if i was Gary Bettman, as the only pro team in that city, like the Canadiens in Montreal, it sure will be a great revenues. people love it and rivalries of Quebec would sure be good for hockey. Meanwhile teams like the Panthers and Coyotes and even the Sharks which has all the right check points but lack in passion, which sometimes that's all you need.

[@MarloSoBalJr]

Knowing Gary Bettman, this guy would turn every stone to assure his precious PET PROJECT stays in Arizona. They seriously need to give up! Houston or KC 🙌🏾

[@meddyven]

Everyone associated with Hockey hates Bettman, except those who are trying to lure a team to their city. Arizona has been nothing but a MAJOR disaster for the NHL, and the league governors need to wash their Hands clean of this mess, and go to a better market.

[@ericguerbilsky2579]

Québec City would sell out every have with the support of the Habs

[@Gil5876]

Cincinnati!

[@damienchance2622]

How about Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, Rhode island or any state would have the NHL team

[@owen3721]

Rhode Island roots for the Bruins.

[@iamblichus5318]

12:23. How passionate can Houston be? Do you realize how many “Yankee” transplants live in the greater Houston area?

[@RAZORSHARK717]

I would say Little Rock, Arkansas. Our arena holds 18,000. I really do think Little Rock can support a NHL team.

[@baylor06]

😂😂😂

[@willp.8120]

Come on.🙄

[@noahfinegan1422]

Lol

[@willp.8120]

Little Rock might be able to support a AAA baseball team, maybe. (Baseball is very popular in Arkansas, they just don't have a very large population). They could support a SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey Team) franchise. Probably a USL soccer team or MLS-level II team, much like the Atlanta United MLS team also has Atlanta United 2 that plays in a lower league.

[@owen3721]

Could Little Rock support an NFL team?

[@tylermanter1548]

Hopefully Houston .

[@jimmytrebert1422]

The eastern united states and Canada not a option or even Houston. Only SLC or Kansas City Better I think. Columbus Blue Jackets could move out of the Metropolitain division to make room for the Coyotes in Quebec or Connecticut?

[@ajchristlieb]

I think Kansas City would be kinda cool, giving the Blues another close up rival. And they wouldn't have to realign the divisions.

[@user-ol5so5um8i]

KANSAS CITY,OKLAHOMA CITY,Salt Lake city,SAN DIEGO,ATLANTA,BIRMINGHAM,HOUSTON,Cincinnati,Indianapolis,Omaha,Milwaukee could be in NHL MAYBE DO ARIZONA AGAIN WITH ROADRUNNERS

[@BOBT3AM]

Quebec the arena is not a renovation its a brand new state of the art arena that just open in 2015

[@georgeawestjr.9087]

Would the Canadiens lose fans if the Coyotes move to Quebec City?

[@BOBT3AM]

@@georgeawestjr.9087 Not so much and Quebec City can compete with Mtl easily for the fans alot of habs fan like me want Quebec City to have they team because we all know it will be a success guaranteed and that would make one of the greatest rivalry return

[@davids9520]

Toronto? Are the Maple Leafs moving? Two teams in Toronto? Unlikely.

[@overbanked]

A second team in Toronto seems very unlikely

[@meddyven]

Whoever came up with this 2nd Toronto suggestion is off their rocker. Despite not winning the Cup since '67, Toronto is all Leafs.

[@petercena9497]

I remember the Toronto Toros.

[@meddyven]

The WHA Toros. Blast from the past

[@CharlieND]

Houston makes the most sense for the Coyotes all things considered. They're the 4th biggest city in the US; they should have gotten a team decades ago. Not to mention the city has a good reputation for being passionate behind their current teams. Also, it would work perfectly since the Coyotes can stay in the central division. I just gotta ask, in the thumbnail, why did you specify the states that the American cities are in but you didn't specify the province that Quebec City is in?

[@willp.8120]

If Atlanta expanded its city limits to the size of Houston's city limits, it'd have a population comparable to that of the city of Houston.

[@brianjones7660]

Atlanta needs to expand it's city limits to be west of the Mississippi River. Keep up with us please.....

[@memestillidie]

Not every city wants to build additional stadiums? especially when they are now costing a billion dollars? and when you already have baseball, football, and basketball? I think Atlanta would rather fix/expand their roads then have another professional sport team, specifically a hockey one.

[@willp.8120]

Atlanta's roads are in good shape, but there's no reason we can't add an outer perimeter expressway. We really need one. That said, Atlanta needs an NHL team again. Atlanta has two proposals, both backed by municipal and county politicians and workers. One even has a potential owner for the team.

[@memestillidie]

@@willp.8120 ah so thats where the bias comes from, your from the Atlanta/Georgia region. Lost two teams due to losing money and poor attendance. Would much rather see Houston, Kansas City, or Salt Lake City get a shot before going back to Atlanta.

[@willp.8120]

@@memestillidie Are you people that ignorant? Read the comments. I have explained Atlanta's situation, thoroughly. It's hard to believe that the ignorance around Atlanta still exists. 1. Atlanta Flames. The Flames left because the owner was a real estate developer by the name of Tom Cousins. He owned a business named Cousins Properties. It was a major commercial real estate business in Atlanta, particularly in high rise and office construction. During the late 70s, during the Jimmy Carter Administration, interest rates were raised insanely high. This increase in interest rates was so bad it led to a recession because it impeded the flow of capital amongst businesses. This meant that Mr. Cousins had trouble securing tenants for his properties because those potential tenants were less able to qualify for loans on account of the higher interest rates. This meant fewer customers and less development. It nearly put him out of business, and it would have had he not sold the Flames. In the sale, Cousins was looking for who would give him the most money for his NHL franchise. It so happened that the individuals who bought the team took the Flames to Calgary. There were many other offers that would have kept the team in Atlanta, but because they offered less, Cousins did not sell to them. The Flames were a mid-range attendance team. During their eight seasons in Atlanta, they outsold in attendance the Pittsburgh Penguins six times, the Chicago Blackhawks six times, the Detroit Red Wings four times, and the Los Angeles Kings four times. The move had nothing to do with a lack of fans, as you can see. It had to do with the impact of an increase of interest rates on the owner's real estate business. Cousins properties is still around and has expanded their development to many other American cities. 2. Atlanta Knights. The Knights were Atlanta's International Hockey League (IHL) team between 1992-1996. During this time they had terrific attendance, boasting the highest attendance amongst the IHL, and they also won a Turner Cup in 1994. The team was well-supported by fans. It became a thing that when they sang the Star Spangled Banner, the fans would yell "Knights" when the line came up that said, "gave proof through the KNIGHTS that our flag was still there". The Knights left Atlanta in 1996 because the venue in which they played, Omni Coliseum, had to be imploded to make way for the construction of a replacement arena, Philips Arena, on the same site as the Omni, that was to be used by the city's new NHL franchise, the Thrashers, that had been recently awarded to Atlanta. The team moved to Quebec City and became the Rafaels, as this was Quebec's replacement team after the Nordiques moved to Denver. 3. Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers story is a bit complicated, but you need to know the story if you don't. In 1996, Atlanta was awarded a franchise to begin play in 1999. This team became known as the Thrashers, a name related to the Georgia State Bird, the Brown Thrasher. It was the second choice in a survey that the public wanted, but the owner of the team, Ted Turner, chose the name Thrashers instead. Anyhow, Ted Turner did not own the team for very long. In fact, before the team ever began play, he sold all of his sports' teams. He had already sold the Braves shortly before selling the Thrashers. With the sale of the Thrashers, he also sold his other sports franchise, the Atlanta Hawks. In the sale, Time Warner was the company that acquired Turner Sports (Thrashers, Hawks, Philips Arena). The first few years went off without much of a problem, but Time Warner made one fatal error in the early 2000s for the fate of the Atlanta Thrashers. They merged with America Online (AOL), the dial-up Internet service company and became known as AOL-Time Warner. Within a few years of the merger, cable Internet and DSL began to take customers away from dial-up. AOL-Time warner did not move quick enough into the cable and DSL market, continuing to focus their attention on dial-up service. However, by 2004, AOL dial-up service was already seeing a lot of losses of customers, that they'd continue to see up through 2011. During this time, in 2004, AOL-Time Warner was losing money and it put the company in a bad financial position. As part of restructuring, the company decided to sell its sports franchises and Philips Arena as a measure to acquire capital and secure the company (In fact, it wasn't too long after they sold the teams that AOL and Time Warner went their separate ways.) This is where the problems come in, because AOL-Time Warner bundled the teams and arena rights, again, just as Ted Turner had, but the ownership group that purchased the Thrashers did not want a hockey team. They were a group of guys from multiple cities around the country who wanted to own a basketball team. Their primary tprimary purchase target was the Atlanta Hawks. Yet, because the sale included the Atlanta Thrashers, they went ahead and purchased the team as a way of getting the Atlanta Hawks. From the get-go, most of the ownership group did not want the Thrashers. They were intent on selling the Thrashers shortly after they acquired them, but not all owners within the group wanted to do that. Some owners were set on selling the team, so in order to prevent that, two of the owners, if I remember correctly, namely one, decided to sue the other owners to prevent them from selling the team, given that a majority of the group was all that was needed to override the decision of those who wanted to keep the Thrashers. For a number of years, lawsuits were brought between different owners within the group known as Atlanta Spirit Group, LLC. These lawsuits had a significant impact on the amount of capital funds available to use on their franchises, and because they by and large preferred the Hawks, what funds they did have, most were used on the Atlanta Hawks. At the time, they signed Joe Johnson to some insane contract that was like a record contract. Joe Johnson wasn't even worth that much as a player, and he wasn't that good to demand such a contract, but they gave it to him, anyhow. During this time, the Thrashers suffered because the ownership group chose to use the bare minimum on the team. The only time when they didn't was for two seasons when Atlanta Spirit Group was going through litigation and they decided to go ahead and fund the team well and acquire some good players alongside Ilya Kovalchuk so that the value of the team would rise so that when the court cases were resolved and they were given the go-ahead to sell the team, they could demand a higher price. This is when the Thrashers had some good players that led them to their only Division championship and only playoff series. Players like Marc Savard, Ilya Kovalchuk, Marion Hossa, Keith Tkatchuk, "Slava" Kozlov, etc. However, the court cases dragged on longer than they had anticipated and as a result their funding became inadequate to maintain lots of these good players. As a result, they sold them off to other teams. Even Kovalchuk left in 2009, and from that point on Atlanta Spirit Group's only purpose, it seems, was to maintain the bare minimum funding and wait it out to sell the team. Of course, this impacted the franchise and they again became a "losing team". The court cases had dragged on for about six years and a court decision gave the go ahead to sell the Thrashers in 2011. Shortly after that, around January of 2011, it was leaked out that Atlanta Spirit Group was going to sell the team, perhaps to someone else in a different city. This had the "Oakland A's" effect, as attendance plummeted, and the lack of fans in the seats from January 2011-April 2011 had a big impact on naysayers saying, "see, nobody goes to their games", "Atlanta isn't a hockey market", "Nobody in Atlanta cares about hockey". The facts, however, speak for themselves. Atlanta was never last in attendance, and all but a few years they were mid-range in attendance. In their eleven seasons, they outsold the New York Islanders eight times, the Phoenix Coyotes eight times, the Nashville Predators six times, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks five times, the Chicago Blackhawks five times, the Washington Capitals five times, the Boston Bruins three times, and the New Jersey team five times.

[@joelfriedman9933]

Atlanta lost 2 NHL teams so far, no more chances

[@tylermanter1548]

Houston .

[@davidgarrett6951]

Atlanta should not be on the list, they've already failed twice at keeping a team

[@willp.8120]

1. Atlanta Flames. The Flames left because the owner was a real estate developer by the name of Tom Cousins. He owned a business named Cousins Properties. It was a major commercial real estate business in Atlanta, particularly in high rise and office construction. During the late 70s, during the Jimmy Carter Administration, interest rates were raised insanely high. This increase in interest rates was so bad it led to a recession because it impeded the flow of capital amongst businesses. This meant that Mr. Cousins had trouble securing tenants for his properties because those potential tenants were less able to qualify for loans on account of the higher interest rates. This meant fewer customers and less development. It nearly put him out of business, and it would have had he not sold the Flames. In the sale, Cousins was looking for who would give him the most money for his NHL franchise. It so happened that the individuals who bought the team took the Flames to Calgary. There were many other offers that would have kept the team in Atlanta, but because they offered less, Cousins did not sell to them. The Flames were a mid-range attendance team. During their eight seasons in Atlanta, they outsold in attendance the Pittsburgh Penguins six times, the Chicago Blackhawks six times, the Detroit Red Wings four times, and the Los Angeles Kings four times. The move had nothing to do with a lack of fans, as you can see. It had to do with the impact of an increase of interest rates on the owner's real estate business. Cousins properties is still around and has expanded their development to many other American cities. 2. Atlanta Knights. The Knights were Atlanta's International Hockey League (IHL) team between 1992-1996. During this time they had terrific attendance, boasting the highest attendance amongst the IHL, and they also won a Turner Cup in 1994. The team was well-supported by fans. It became a thing that when they sang the Star Spangled Banner, the fans would yell "Knights" when the line came up that said, "gave proof through the KNIGHTS that our flag was still there". The Knights left Atlanta in 1996 because the venue in which they played, Omni Coliseum, had to be imploded to make way for the construction of a replacement arena, Philips Arena, on the same site as the Omni, that was to be used by the city's new NHL franchise, the Thrashers, that had been recently awarded to Atlanta. The team moved to Quebec City and became the Rafaels, as this was Quebec's replacement team after the Nordiques moved to Denver. 3. Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers story is a bit complicated, but you need to know the story if you don't. In 1996, Atlanta was awarded a franchise to begin play in 1999. This team became known as the Thrashers, a name related to the Georgia State Bird, the Brown Thrasher. It was the second choice in a survey that the public wanted, but the owner of the team, Ted Turner, chose the name Thrashers instead. Anyhow, Ted Turner did not own the team for very long. In fact, before the team ever began play, he sold all of his sports' teams. He had already sold the Braves shortly before selling the Thrashers. With the sale of the Thrashers, he also sold his other sports franchise, the Atlanta Hawks. In the sale, Time Warner was the company that acquired Turner Sports (Thrashers, Hawks, Philips Arena). The first few years went off without much of a problem, but Time Warner made one fatal error in the early 2000s for the fate of the Atlanta Thrashers. They merged with America Online (AOL), the dial-up Internet service company and became known as AOL-Time Warner. Within a few years of the merger, cable Internet and DSL began to take customers away from dial-up. AOL-Time warner did not move quick enough into the cable and DSL market, continuing to focus their attention on dial-up service. However, by 2004, AOL dial-up service was already seeing a lot of losses of customers, that they'd continue to see up through 2011. During this time, in 2004, AOL-Time Warner was losing money and it put the company in a bad financial position. As part of restructuring, the company decided to sell its sports franchises and Philips Arena as a measure to acquire capital and secure the company (In fact, it wasn't too long after they sold the teams that AOL and Time Warner went their separate ways.) This is where the problems come in, because AOL-Time Warner bundled the teams and arena rights, again, just as Ted Turner had, but the ownership group that purchased the Thrashers did not want a hockey team. They were a group of guys from multiple cities around the country who wanted to own a basketball team. Their primary tprimary purchase target was the Atlanta Hawks. Yet, because the sale included the Atlanta Thrashers, they went ahead and purchased the team as a way of getting the Atlanta Hawks. From the get-go, most of the ownership group did not want the Thrashers. They were intent on selling the Thrashers shortly after they acquired them, but not all owners within the group wanted to do that. Some owners were set on selling the team, so in order to prevent that, two of the owners, if I remember correctly, namely one, decided to sue the other owners to prevent them from selling the team, given that a majority of the group was all that was needed to override the decision of those who wanted to keep the Thrashers. For a number of years, lawsuits were brought between different owners within the group known as Atlanta Spirit Group, LLC. These lawsuits had a significant impact on the amount of capital funds available to use on their franchises, and because they by and large preferred the Hawks, what funds they did have, most were used on the Atlanta Hawks. At the time, they signed Joe Johnson to some insane contract that was like a record contract. Joe Johnson wasn't even worth that much as a player, and he wasn't that good to demand such a contract, but they gave it to him, anyhow. During this time, the Thrashers suffered because the ownership group chose to use the bare minimum on the team. The only time when they didn't was for two seasons when Atlanta Spirit Group was going through litigation and they decided to go ahead and fund the team well and acquire some good players alongside Ilya Kovalchuk so that the value of the team would rise so that when the court cases were resolved and they were given the go-ahead to sell the team, they could demand a higher price. This is when the Thrashers had some good players that led them to their only Division championship and only playoff series. Players like Marc Savard, Ilya Kovalchuk, Marion Hossa, Keith Tkatchuk, "Slava" Kozlov, etc. However, the court cases dragged on longer than they had anticipated and as a result their funding became inadequate to maintain lots of these good players. As a result, they sold them off to other teams. Even Kovalchuk left in 2009, and from that point on Atlanta Spirit Group's only purpose, it seems, was to maintain the bare minimum funding and wait it out to sell the team. Of course, this impacted the franchise and they again became a "losing team". The court cases had dragged on for about six years and a court decision gave the go ahead to sell the Thrashers in 2011. Shortly after that, around January of 2011, it was leaked out that Atlanta Spirit Group was going to sell the team, perhaps to someone else in a different city. This had the "Oakland A's" effect, as attendance plummeted, and the lack of fans in the seats from January 2011-April 2011 had a big impact on naysayers saying, "see, nobody goes to their games", "Atlanta isn't a hockey market", "Nobody in Atlanta cares about hockey". The facts, however, speak for themselves. Atlanta was never last in attendance, and all but a few years they were mid-range in attendance. In their eleven seasons, they outsold the New York Islanders eight times, the Phoenix Coyotes eight times, the Nashville Predators six times, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks five times, the Chicago Blackhawks five times, the Washington Capitals five times, the Boston Bruins three times, and the New Jersey team five times.

[@bparker2227]

move them to houston and change their jerseys to creamsicle

[@emblemanic8553]

i just moved to san antonio and i think austin would be awesome!

[@michaelleroy9281]

Austin doesn't have an NHL ready arena

[@jasonmartinez5116]

San Antonio doesn't either, but the AT&T Center is big enough for an NHL sized rink, it just needs to have renovations to properly be NHL ready

[@Lempira27]

Scottdale Arizona is the perfect place for them.

[@FischerFan]

Yeah, to keep losing money.

[@sportsguy9326]

Quebec City and Kansas City

[@richardcheng7563]

Quebec City should get the Coyotes.

[@terryslota2224]

if they went east, the nhl would have to move an east team west, to keep the league balanced, so it would seem Houston would be the perfect place...P.S.BUT they may make a deal with one of the indian reservations. the Gila River tribe pours a lot of advertising$$$$$$ to the Coyotes...the soap opera continues...

[@nortonhatfield7312]

How about new orleans, san Antonio, Indianapolis, Sacramento, or Portland?

[@owen3721]

New Orleans already has the NBA's Pelicans. I could see Portland.

[@jasonmartinez5116]

Portland easily as Moda Center is NHL Ready. Golden 1 Center, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and AT&T Center would need to be renovated to be NHL ready, since those arenas are designed for Basketball. We don't need another Barclay's Center situation. Also for Portland, they would move to the Pacific Division. San Antonio is more likely if they want to stay in the Central. Another option that's never mentioned could be either Oklahoma City or Tulsa. Tulsa has the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL, and the BOK Center is NHL ready. OKC's arena is NHL ready I think as well. An OKC or Tulsa team can mean an instant rivalry with Dallas

[@GoWestYoungMan]

This needs to go to Quebec City or the Golden Horseshoe: preferably Hamilton. Only 3 teams in all of eastern Canada is absurd. The New York City area alone has 3 teams. The Quebec City media market is 1.2 million people. Yes, it's small but no smaller than that of Ottawa and Winnipeg. It's absolutely a big enough base and will instantly become a provincial rival for Montreal.

[@penguinsfan251]

Not. Gonna. Happen.