SERIOUSLY?!

Nhl news and rumors today hartford whalers return could be in the cards with arizona coyotes relocation - Nhl hockey tempe vote no to arizona coyotes news hartford whalers last game was emotional, nhl 2023 stanley cup parade in vegas is over after the vegas golden knights won the stanley cup , now it's nhl offseason and arizona coyotes moving after 2024 at mullett arena. Nhl trade rumors hockey news today quebec nordiques return arizona coyotes relocation news hartford whalers highlights nhl 2023
#nhl #hockey #nhlnews #highlights

[@alfiesmullet1311]

Imagine how much more revenue the NHL would have generated if the coyotes had moved to another city a decade ago

[@chrispeters8555]

Imagine how much they would have made if they fired Bettman a decade ago and brought in someone who actually knows what there doing!

[@simoncohen9323]

​@@chrispeters8555the game has grown like nobody could have imagined under bettman

[@Scema12]

@@simoncohen9323 it’s grown less then every other major sport in North America.

[@funkmanpushin2751]

@@Scema12 Because it’s competition is American football, basketball, and baseball it’s hard for other sports including hockey to grow as much as the big 3

[@larrygrogan4408]

@@simoncohen9323 , that is true. Doesn’t mean he isn’t a moron nor does it mean it has grown because of him. No way to validate the latter portion of my statement.

[@BM_2002]

The Whalers and Nordiques should've never left

[@Mrbombs102]

The Nordiques sure, But the XL center and Hartford aren't NHL ready. I grew up in the Springfield MA area and know a lot of old Whalers fans. but the Northeast has too many NHL teams on top of each other already, the whalers had a very diehard fan-base but theres no room to grow outside of Metro hartford and western MA. youre fighting with Boston and NY for territory.

[@gerggerggy7757]

@@kevinbadger8030But they merged with the NHL from the WHA correct?

[@brandocalrissian3294]

Well the nordiques have won 3 cups since moving so I think it worked out well for them in Denver.

[@vorsye]

The Nordiques had to leave because of the value of the Canadian dollar at the time.

[@moody9442]

@@vorsye they say that but thats not why. ottawa would have been gone to then.

[@timlagerstedt4308]

Whalers Bruins was such an underrated rivalry.

[@rayspooner1982]

I live in Springfield Ma and I'm a Bruins fan, but as a kid the Whalers were my 2nd favorite team cause they were literally 25 minutes away. I would LOVE to see the Whalers come back.

[@Seldz1]

Hell yeah

[@markfromnyc2619]

Bring back the whale! }3

[@rwboa22]

Let alone Whalers-Rangers, Whalers-Islanders, Whalers-Devils, or even Whalers-Flyers. Whalers-Bruins and Montreal-Quebec rank up there with any major sports rivalry, regardless of league.

[@chizorama]

I would go with forgotten more than underrated.

[@danieldesiata5560]

Dude I'm a Boston fan and I would still love to have the Whalers back. I would have 2 local teams to root for. And yes, the jerseys are fire

[@Mr2tired2care]

As much as I’d like to see the Whalers back, I think the team will do well in SLC. They have an arena and the owner of the Utah Jazz already wants to start construction to make it better for viewing hockey. Plus, some updates to the arena as well. Lastly, SLC is a big winter sports area, and having hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, there is still great hockey there.

[@rhyta5042]

It's a joke to think SLC can support an NHL team, see my previous comment.

[@l-wolverine2211]

@@rhyta5042 I agree! I say send the Coyotes to Houston. Since they lost that bid to Seattle to have an NHL Team, they’re the most qualified to have a Franchise, and they’ll be able to keep the namesake as well. #HoustonCoyotes!!!

[@fredleinweber2819]

@@l-wolverine2211 Agree, either way they need to end up in a central located city based on the divisions. Houston or KC would be perfect.

[@btgkg9639]

@@fredleinweber2819 KC is the best bet. They have had games and sold them out they also can ride the hot wave of the Chiefs championships and in a year could possibly, not saying it’s going to happen, have Matthews and Mahomes in the same city. That would be huge.

[@PCSPounder]

@@l-wolverine2211No buyer in Houston. That’s why we’re having a conversation about ANY other places.

[@briansalce2808]

Johnny I gotta tell ya...as a guy who's lived in CT my entire life, family was former whalers season ticket holders, and watched the whalers leave and the wolfpack come to town this place just isn't attractive to professional athletes especially star players. I've got a buddy who's the current head equipment manager for the wolf pack and has introduced me to the great hockey staff they have at the XL Center, and we do have a decent base of dedicated hockey fans here. But man, thinking back to when Shanahan got here and couldn't stand it and the team leaving for Carolina years before it was actually supposed to because the management wanted out so bad...I just don't see it working out. The lack of local entertainment options in the city outside of the few popular bars and restaurants around the XL center is rough. Plenty of nice quiet places to settle down and live, but ask any CT native we're suffering for entertainment options in the state and things that are really going to want to make top level athletes stick around. Hartfords also a pretty small city, meaning one of if not the smallest hockey market within the city of any NHL team. Would I be happy and go to games if they brought a team back? Yes. Do I think its a good idea? No.

[@chuckscoinscash1425]

But that was before Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun were built.

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

Milwaukee would be a great addition towards the central division. The battle for the Midwest between MN, Milwaukee and Chicago would be S tier.

[@run2fire]

Wisconsin is a great place for hockey

[@slaybomb96]

why wouldn't you throw Detroit in there also? Detroit was in the Central division during the covid season and are original six rivals with Chicago

[@RoscoMontana21]

Because Detroit hasn’t made it past the first round of the playoffs in 10 years. And it’s been like 6-7 since they last made it.

[@slaybomb96]

@@RoscoMontana21 that doesn't matter they still have a history. Chicago has been bad and Minnesota hasn't made it far in the playoffs also

[@djs-9942]

Good pick. I like it Milwaukee

[@henridesjarlais3927]

As an Albertan, it probably isn't a surprise that I hate Quebec lol but they deserve a team over anyone else... true hockey fans they are!!!

[@lilwoodiewood3457]

Why would a albertan hate quebec u have nonthing to do with quebec your nowhere near quebec what they do dosent effect u .. are u just a bigot or something why woulf albertans hate people in quebec thats not normal normal people dont hate based off birth place or where u live u know thats a trait of the disabled

[@the6ig6adwolf]

What people seem to forget is that moving The Coyotes to Quebec or Hartford means shuffling an existing eastern team into the West. No team is gonna willing accept this and it just doesn't make sense. Salt Lake or Houston would stay as a Western Conference team.

[@meddyven]

Truth! That is why if the Coyotes relocate, they will stay out west. Detroit does not want to go back to the west, and Columbus is against it also.

[@AnimeTriviaQuest]

Totally Agree. Most people are like, yeah go to Quebec or Hartford but there are a lot of forces against that. Right now all the divisions are all even at 8 teams each. Move Arizona to the east coast and schedules, division brackets, and having 9 teams in a division (7 where they left from) create all kinds of chaos. Yeah, I know, so EASY to say "Just move Detroit" but it is way more complicated than that. The video mentioned, "How many teams do you need in California!?" But that's hilarious too! It's not our fault Califonia would overlay New York, Jersey, Washington, Carolina, Philly, etc . . . you have 7 teams right there that would geographically (fit into) the same as California. 😂

[@toddpick8007]

Send Columbus to the West.

[@Danielftw13]

@@kazakhstansquar7905 the redwings said they will never go back to the west.

[@XxXNinjaFanXxX]

@@kazakhstansquar7905 they would never.

[@Asmahdan]

The NHL is going to do whatever it can to keep that franchise in the Western Conference, whether it stays in Arizona or not. The only way they could move it to the east, is if they had another expansion team ready to go in the West. Over the course of the next 20-25 years I could see the NHL grow to 40 teams. The way the game is expanding more and more into the U.S., both fan wise and player wise, and the interest that was shown by 6 or 7 groups interested in buying the Senators recently, adding a new expansion team every 3-4 years would be possible. I understand by adding more teams there would be a fear of the league getting watered down, but with other non traditional hockey countries starting to develop more and more NHL quality players, (Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, and even Latvia) over the next 25 years those additional players will help. No one can really tell what is going to happen with the KHL over the course of the next 5 to 10 years either (some teams have left the league too my knowledge) so more players could be coming to the NHL from there as well. With more expansion, the possibility of a team in the west, moving to the east (or vice versa if need be) is possible with timing the move with an expansion team coming into the same conference as the existing team is moving out of to keep the two conferences balanced

[@yippykiay13]

Don’t forget Australia. …Yeah, I was surprised too.

[@cygnusx-1862]

I'm all in for a team in Hartford or Quebec....or both. F San Diego,Houston, and Utah in 10-15 years all 3 of those markets would be in the same boat as Arizona is now....losing a team but Hartford and Quebec would support a team and give it staying power.

[@uranium54321]

Don’t sleep on KC either, they have a full-sized and practically unoccupied arena ready to go in the T Mobile Center and have sold out NHL preseason games there in the past, plus they would stay in the western conference that way

[@geekynerd7346]

They had a team in the past

[@PCSPounder]

I’m sleeping on Kansas City. The city decided some years ago that they don’t want a major league tenant that takes all the revenues and gives the city the expenses. And that’s what the NHL wants, so no hockey in the Sprint Center. Good on Kansas City for that, truthfully.

[@ThriftSchool]

I live in CT and im a coyotes fan. Theres nothing Id want more than to have my Yotes come to CT.

[@younger4042]

We need at least 1 more Canadian team

[@ShortPancake]

Could you imagine watching a Hurricanes vs Whalers game? THAT WOULD BE MENTAL FOR ME (i'm a hurricanes fan)

[@DeE-pt5lz]

its crazy the XL Center was the home to the Hartford Whalers and if this new team moved there that is where they would be playing

[@meddyven]

The XL Center/ ex Hartford Civic Center needs to have a MAJOR reno in order for an NHL team to play there. In this day and age, the seating is wayyy too steep.

[@goosecat8517]

@@meddyventhe issue also would be finding a place to play while the XL Center is getting redone.

[@goosecat8517]

@@meddyvenand you have an AHL team playing home games there too

[@TheNewChevyRoll48]

If the Coyotes are gonna move to Hartford, the city better find some way to get an arena that seats at least 17k. Otherwise they may be able to sell out game after game, but they may also run into the same problem that the Jets are currently facing in selling season tickets in an arena that is last in the league in capacity.

[@coastaku1954]

Theres growing the game, and then there's ignoring true fans of Hockey. Moving Teams to places that don't really want a team and hoping they'll like them later didn't work for Arizona, they need to move to the North where we love Hockey. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Hamilton, Quebec City, Regina/Saskatoon, Halifax, Milwaukee, Portland and Hartford

[@lizardguy4236]

Quebec, Saskatchewan, Halifax, and Hartford don’t have the population to support an nhl team I think that southern teams can work if they’re run well as evidenced by Tampa, LA, Anaheim, and Dallas these teams all have good fan bases because they’re well run and are successful it’s not a bad idea to put a team in Phoenix, Atlanta or Miami what the nhl failed to do was support these teams with good ownership

[@humesspoon3176]

"Hey, guys, let's ignore all the non-traditional places where hockey has done well and only focus on the failed project."

[@FischerFan]

One of these days, Bettman, and the hockey neophytes, will learn that Jerry Moyes was right.

[@FischerFan]

@@lizardguy4236 Quebec City has 5,000 more people than Winnipeg. Therefore, it has the population base and certainly the hockey fan base. The only question you could pose is regarding the corporate clout. As for Phoenix, Atlanta and Miami; for years these markets became the NHL's lands of the ten-dollar ticket. You can't blame everything on ownership if the market doesn't have a fan base to begin with.

[@gabetalks9275]

@@lizardguy4236 Quebec City's metro area is about the same size as Winnipeg's, and Halifax is the fastest growing city in Canada, so don't rule them out. And Hamilton is a satellite city of Toronto in its own small metro area of who's border connects with Toronto's greater metro area. It's big enough for hockey. As for Saskatchewan, you're right. It's too small, but Green Bay is even smaller than both Regina and Saskatoon, yet the Packers are still a resounding success. Saskatchewan would definitely be the same. A small market with a devout cult following.

[@frenchfrey65]

I am quoting another user who made good points about why other cities may not want this team "Where can you move the Coyotes that doesn't present most of the same issues? Practically anywhere you move them, you're either going to battle an NBA team for an arena, and you're going to have hell finding an owner that actually has the team's best interest. And in the case of Quebec City, now you get the added treat of screwing Columbus over- y'know, punish a rebuilding team and fans in a market that cares, to bail out a dead franchise. You wanna see an admission of defeat from Bettman? Fold the team entirely. The Yotes are way too far gone, any rebuilding effort you can put into them is going to take too long for a new city to care. Think about it from Houston, Milwaukee or Kansas City's perspective. Vegas and Seattle get clean-slate expansion teams, but they get a dead husk of a Coyotes franchise with more issues than they can count? It'd be the same shit, different city no matter where you move them to, if it were any other franchise I'd agree with you, but not the Coyotes. If Arizona falls through, don't even bother moving them, just fold the team and expand to Houston or somewhere. Some of the cities you even mentioned, it's not a matter of who they're "competing" with, it's who the hell's gonna pay $300 million to keep them there. Who in Milwaukee would want to put that much money into a franchise whose calling card is LOSING MONEY? That goes against every cardinal rule business people are taught. Norm Fertitta-era Rockets have been entirely awful, he's on the verge of having to lose them, the last thing the Coyotes need is another hair-brained owner in a city that's only really gonna care if they win. Let's be real, how long does the "look guys, we got a new team" air really last in a city like Houston, for a hockey team that's this awful? I'm just saying, a relocation doesn't "fix" the Coyotes, there isn't any "fixing" the Coyotes, they're a blemish on the sport itself and the longer they don't fold, the more of a disaster they'll become." @nmanmeta1116

[@dataminerdaniel]

Wow, thanks for getting me excited about the Whalers returning! Now I get to have my hopes crushed all over again! Seriously, outstanding video! From fan old Whalers fan! Subscribed.

[@fleatactical7390]

Same bro. Have Quenneville coach!

[@braedonmorrissey7548]

@@fleatactical7390 if he is allowed back into this league I might just not watch

[@fleatactical7390]

@@braedonmorrissey7548 Second winningest coach of all time... 26 seasons as a head coach, only two of which were losing seasons (for the Hawks). He made mistakes with regard to the Beach fiasco, but the NHL is better with a coach like him. Trust me, there are plenty of other reasons not to watch the league.

[@cludecat7072]

​@@fleatactical7390 mistakes? I wouldn't call covering up a sexual assault a mistake.

[@NeSeeger]

Its not going to happen because nobody is going to move out of the east to the west.

[@MasonCookMrFamous]

Quick note about San Diego: The Gulls regularly top the AHL in attendance and hockey has a long history in the city. There is also a yearning in the market for a new pro team that won't move to LA and/or Houston.

[@charlesmclearn4642]

I dont mind the idea of San Diego. The Gulls have definitely had success there and I have no doubt that a fourth team could be supported in California (Either in San Diego or San Francisco/Oakland) and I think that the inherent rivalry in in SoCal would make the team successful. However, Pechanga Arena is elderly (Although still top notch apparently) and at least 1,000-2,000 capacity too small for the NHL's liking. Counterpoint would be that there are plans to build a new arena, but that might not come to fruition until after the Coyotes have settled their ownership and location issues.

[@slaybomb96]

there's too many teams in California already like mentioned in the video. I also have family there.

[@MasonCookMrFamous]

@@slaybomb96The SD metro has a higher population then the state of Connecticut (a place that I would love to see an NHL team return. If Connecticut is in the cards, you bet that San Diego is too. Also I live in Southern California, so I know a thing or two about the region.

[@MasonCookMrFamous]

@@charlesmclearn4642 I could easily see a situation where if the NHL decides on SD Morelo sells to the group building and owning the new arena while temporarily playing in Pechanga. Though obviously that would require some shuffling of the divisions, which I’m not sure if the NHL is in the mood for rn.

[@fleatactical7390]

Yeah, but then they won't. The reason they have high attendance... is because of the lack of an NHL team. It's not a predictor that tickets costing three times as much will sell as well.

[@ShinyMew76]

As much as I absolutely love the idea of Hartford coming back, even as an American quite far away from Canada, I feel like the Nordiques are the best choice. They have an NHL ready arena, they have an incredible fanbase, a pre-existing rivalry, and incredibly high demand for a return. It’s THE place to relocate to.

[@SheDontLuvFox]

Quebec has no interest in a team

[@XaviRonaldo0]

and who are you moving into the western conference? NONE of the eastern teams belong nor want to be in the western conference. Only eastern option is Atlanta as it's further west than Det/CMB and would create a fairly local in division rivalry for Nashville who at current is kind of a loner in the western conference

[@ShinyMew76]

@@XaviRonaldo0 Detroit has been in the eastern conference before, and even if they don’t want to be a part of it now, maybe a deal could be made with Detroit.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

@@ShinyMew76 the travel would be ridiculous and the other western conference teams wouldn't like it all either

[@humesspoon3176]

Not in the slightest sense. They're a ridiculously small market that adds next to no new fans.

[@perryegolson833]

I completely agree with the commentary. If the game is about the fans, as they love to claim, and the fans want the Hartford Whalers back, this should be a no-brainer.

[@thesios]

If they move to Hartford, wouldn't they have to negotiate with the Hurricanes to use the Whalers name and logo? Same for Quebec and Colorado, respectively?

[@gregorybogenrief6031]

I've thought this too. Is it even actually possible to get them back if they were to move to hartford? If carolina says no we don't agree to give up the rights to the whalers stuff, they're screwed and would have to be something else

[@TreySarver]

Whalers were my fav team when I was a little kid because I used them in NHL 94

[@jamiesmith397]

I would love to see Arizona move to Hartford. And take back original name the Hartford Whalers and take back the original jerseys they were the best-looking jerseys in the NHL

[@Pajo25ify]

Move Arizona to a safe market like QC or Milwaukee, then have these higher risk, higher reward markets get expansion teams.

[@gabetalks9275]

If there's any team that should be move to San Diego, it's the Ducks. Anaheim is a small suburb of LA, which is already solidly Kings territory. But San Diego is solidly Ducks territory due to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, being so popular down there, that they actually have the highest attendance in the entire AHL. Giving the Ducks their metro area would be better for the team, its fanbase, and the sport, and it would give all three major California cities representation in the NHL. San Diego is a largely untapped sports market that currently only has the MLB team, so the Ducks wouldn't have much competition down there either.

[@kallemetsahalme5701]

moving all the teams to hughest metropolises is very dubious and short-sighted plan from which moving back will be impossible. yes im sure its the wet dream of investors as well as having an nhl team in bejing, tokyo, paris and london but from sports perspective: cmon

[@PlaysBad.38]

That's a great idea

[@dankus9557]

as much as i love this. the Anaheim ducks have too good of a ring to them to move them

[@kylejohnson5493]

Anaheims AHL team is down there… what do you do a lot of the fans would rather see the pros than developmental league anyway

[@dankus9557]

@@kylejohnson5493 true

[@JA-rs3os]

Hartford would be cool. If not Quebec, then Hartford or Kansas City would be my choice.

[@TT-rt9vv]

It’s not going to be Hartford or Quebec. It’s going to have to be a place that will slot in the western conference or else there will be too many teams in the east

[@user-ou2yy4wz1q]

If they go to Québec or Hartford, the Red Wings might go back to the west to make the conferences equal for the number of teams.

[@TheChuckles1985]

Arizona is in the central division in the western conference so it should stay in the western conferences of course :)

[@kwizzeh]

@@user-ou2yy4wz1q Detroit will never go back west and it's delusion to think otherwise. They are even willing to go as far to take legal action if it ever happen.

[@TheChuckles1985]

But most certainly NORDIQUES OR WHALERS should be the teams to REPLACE ARIZONA

[@sports2hedz542]

I would love these but after Vegas win, is the nail in the coffin

[@rubenbarajas2498]

I don't see the Hartford Whalers coming back anytime soon. The market is too small. Believe it or not the Carolina Hurricanes are keeping the memory of the Whalers alive. They currently own the rights to the Whalers name and logo. I don't see the Quebec Nordiques coming back anytime soon. The market is too small. The language barrier would be a problem for players who don't speak French. The Colorado Avalanche are keeping the memory of the Nordiques alive. Colorado currently owns the rights to the Nordiques name and logo. To be honest the best bet for the Coyotes is to relocate to either Salt Lake City or Houston.

[@bcxsniperz8032]

Arizona loves hockey too.❤

[@meddyven]

There has never been a doubt that Arizona loves hockey, it's just that the taxpayers do not want to fund it, and who can blame them.

[@biffstrong1079]

If they move the franchise to Hartford then all the talk about not moving a team to Quebec or Toronto or Hamilton because they don't want a team in the eastern time zone would be proven to be crap. The #1 thing you need to move a team anywhere is a billionaire ready to take it on and lose money. Hartford may have that. Quebec city doesnt have that. Phoenix has been a money sink hole for the NHL. They need to move them out.

[@lilbro2oo7gaming69]

I feel like placing one in Hartford or Quebec City would be great for the western conference, your moving Detroit back into the central and it places a new battle in the pacific as Colorado squeezes in.

[@Asmahdan]

Detroit would fight tooth and nail to stay in the Eastern Conference, they have zero interest in moving back to the Western Conference.

[@BSTR03Hockey]

@@Asmahdanthey definitely wouldn’t want to go back. The whole reason they switched was because they’re in the Eastern time zone. Same story with Columbus.

[@TheStupidSeal10-3-07]

Issue is Detroit and Columbus would throw the book at Gary, they will flat out refuse to move back west. But then who else would you move? Carolina? Tampa? Ottawa?

[@JonMartinYXD]

I would like to see the Coyotes release their pre-Phoenix/Arizona franchise history back to Winnipeg. It just seems so wrong that all that Jets history is now collecting dust in a failed market.

[@gerggerggy7757]

I still don’t understand why Bettman has fought tooth and nail for years to keep the team in Arizona despite all the downturns. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying I hate the Coyotes or wouldnt like the franchise to be successful, but when is enough enough?

[@meddyven]

Agree with your summation. The Coyotes have a cool logo, and aren't hated, they just are an albatross because they can't get a building built.

[@jp6614]

Golf ⛳️

[@TheStupidSeal10-3-07]

@@meddyvenThey have the blueprints and start constructing only to tear it down and go back to the drawing board for literally no reason

[@harleydude-xo8pu]

One reason Hartford moved to Carolina was due to attendance. Suddenly Hartford would have sell out attendance if Arizona relocated. More likely they will relocate to Salt Lake.

[@brendanlynch9062]

There are wayyyy too many reasons as to why this is the case. I can assure you, though, it wasn’t the fans fault. The biggest reason why the whalers left was because the team sucked. The team made SO many bad trades that they weren’t good until their last like, 2 years. There are also so many conspiracies, such as the target for season tickets being sold to “save” the team actually being hit or the decision to move to Carolina already being made when the team was sold in 94 regardless of any success, that explain the team failing. Obviously, I don’t see the whalers becoming a team any time soon. Hartford simply has not grown as much as other cities since the whalers left (economically, population, construction, etc.), and for Bettman blatantly refusing to touch the East of North America. Tldr: the whalers didn’t leave because of a lack of fans but they’re not coming back any time soon

[@BiafraRepublic]

They're more likely to go to Houston tbh. While SLC does have beautiful scenery and potential, the big downside are some of the stricter laws on certain things (alcohol being one). Houston, on the other hand, has an interested owner, an NHL-ready arena in Toyota Center, and as mentioned would have a readymade rivalry with the Stars day one.

[@harleydude-xo8pu]

@@BiafraRepublic You make valid points, although I have some that might persuade the NHL to Salt Lake. Frozen Fury event held every year hosted by the LA Kings at the Vivant center. The Utah Grizzleys a minor league hockey team and the fan base in Salt Lake which is large, seeing a large part of the population are transplants much like Vegas. Utah has a hockey culture and has had players from that area play in the NHL. The Gulf Coast has had trouble with attendance at hockey games, just a couple of years ago there were talks about Carolina and Florida moving due to attendance, even Dallas is having issues with attendance. The one give away Salt Lake is being fast tracked is due to Frozen Fury. Remember when Vegas had their version of Frozen Fury hosted by the LA Kings. Alcohol is no issue seeing the NBA plays there and the owner of the Jazz is who wants the Coyotes in Salt Lake.

[@shawnthibodeau189]

I’d love to see Hartford or salt lake get a team. That would bring a lot more fans than AZ

[@pedrogonzalez5075]

I like for Houston to get the Coyotes to come. We would have the I45 rivalry against the Stars. But we have Salt Lake, Kansas City, Quebec City, and now Hardford to contend with to bring Hockey back.

[@cookiecolin31]

I would love to see Halifax get a team man

[@robertbeaumont790]

Halifax is just over 400,000 people. Way too small of a market.

[@noskyt]

too small of a market unfortunately

[@goalhorn2012]

Market is too small. It’s good for an AHL team, but not an NHL franchise.

[@shawnthompson2303]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too small. You'd have to bring people in from all of Atlantic Canada to be profitable. Same exact reason why you can't put a team in Saskatchewan.

[@chad_b]

That would be great but it would never happen, at least for a very long time. I'm from PEI so I'd love having an NHL team to close to home

[@mst3k54]

If the ‘Diques and the Whale come back, you gotta balance the league out with Utah & Houston teams

[@dioshiba6066]

To be honest while I get the argument that Bettman puts teams in random places, the only time it didn't feel random was ironically enough... Vegas. His worst choices were with the Coyotes and trying to bring Hockey back to Atlanta only for the Jets to make a comeback, which is relevant concerning this topic. The way I look at it Pheonix would be better off in Hartford because either way you look at it, if they relocate they're going to have to redraw the division line ups and that being said it makes little sense that both teams in Florida are in the Atlantic division and departed by the teams in the Metropolitan division. Ideally, I would want Hartford because at the very least, I'd be able to travel from Springfield down to Hartford easily compared to going to Boston or NYC. If anything if a team had to relocate anywhere besides Hartford, Kansas City would make more sense because they hosted NHL in the past if we're talking about a team in America, Alternatively, there's also Saskatoon if there is a potential Canadian expansion down the line. To me putting another team in either Texas or California wouldn't make sense.

[@the_lost_navigator]

Bettman is like Gretzky (when he high-sticked Gilmour) for the chance to hoist a Cup in a city that doesn't know ice outside a cube - he'd do whatever it takes to 'win' while denying and/or deflecting conniving-complicity.

[@Polytrout]

Bettman is trying to grow the game. Although we have more and more players coming out of non-traditional places, I'm not so sure that Gary Bettman should be that extreme and fanatical about hot climates.

[@dixonhill1108]

Ask Toronto how growing the game is working. Raptors/MLS/MLB are taking over.

[@Polytrout]

@dixonhill1108 I'm wondering about the Raptors. Are they gaining popularity because of a White population in relative decline or is it the cost of playing hockey or is it that the Leafs aren't successful enough (read 1967)?

[@toddpick8007]

@@Polytrout Its both we call them the Brampton Rapladesh where im from.

[@braedonmorrissey7548]

@@Polytrout I think their chip 4 years ago helps too

[@Polytrout]

@@toddpick8007 "Rapladesh"? I don't understand.

[@DubsBrown]

I think it’s weird that no one mentions Milwaukee/Wisconsin. It’s basically Canada and they already have the other major sports. A lot of the players are from Wisconsin too, and it would be a nice local rivalry for Chicago and even Minnesota.

[@setheubank314]

More people live in Houston than the whole state of Wisconsin ×5. Definitely wouldn't happen.

[@shaunw9092]

@setheubank314 That's Bettman logic right there, lol...

[@setheubank314]

@@shaunw9092 and that logic is how you end up exactly with another Arizona.

[@DubsBrown]

@@setheubank314 Winnipeg Jets tho

[@kevinwiser1167]

Live in Ct, was in high school for Miracle on Ice, became a Bruins fan when the whale left. I just can’t see the Bruins or NYR letting Hartford have a team. Quebec deserves it, but I think Utah is best option. Stays in west, and the demographic probably would work. Modern arena also works. Hartford CC has good site lines for hockey, but it really needs a massive upgrade.

[@cyrusatkinson3307]

I get the "Growing the game" I do! Raised with the Sharks from the start, was her ein NC when the Canes were playing in G'boro. I also agree that if there is a hungry, passionate fan base, that can and WILL support a team.... let's make this happen man.

[@empire0]

I think Salt Lake City is the best choice, it's great to see there's lots of options though.

[@meddyven]

SLC would be the best option for the Coyotes to relocate too. We want them, the prospective owners want to keep the name and logo's, etc. I do think Maverik Arena in West Valley City is a better option, until the new arena is built. It seats over 14K. And has great sight lines, which is something the Delta Center downtown lacks.

[@braedonmorrissey7548]

@@meddyven the Salt Lake City Coyotes... I'm sorry that's horrible imo

[@rhyta5042]

@@meddyven The Maverik Center is not big enough and I wouldn't bet on the Jazz ownership to run a hockey team, Larry Miller screwed us pretty bad in the past. Very skeptical of this, don't think Salt Lake can support an NHL team period.

[@rhyta5042]

@@braedonmorrissey7548 I'm sure if the team moves, they won't remain the Coyotes. It's going to be awhile before we know if they leave Arizona.

[@Mike-zf4xg]

@@meddyven delta center? when's the last time you've been down town boomer?

[@mikeoshea12]

Yeah, Vegas loves hockey. Until the team goes on a 10 year dry spell and no one shows up to the games.

[@jeremykraenzlein5975]

You seem to like showing pictures of Gordie Howe in a Whalers uniform when taking about them. Why didn't you also show pictures of Mr. Hockey in the city's team's uniform when talking about Houston?

[@audrey3155]

ugh as a ct native i don't even want to slightly get my hopes up. apparently no hometown hockey for me thx gary.

[@Parlimant_Strifey]

I don't think Gary even remembers that Hartford even had a team.

[@WarioSaysSo]

Bettman and the NHL wants to keep a franchise in the Western Conference and NO team in the East wants to move to the West. 1. Houston just seems to be the pick it will be. Like stated, it is a big city, big sports city, rivalry with Dallas etc. Battle For Texas now in Hockey! 2. Kansas City is 2nd most reasonble pick. 3. Salt Lake City as a 3rd is possible but longer shot. Seattle just came up there and is still testing the hockey market at big level. Wish list: 1. Quebec. Near all wants this, but like what many knows, Bettman and the NHL are reluctant to give them a decent chanse despite interest and a big hockey market in the region. 2. Atlanta. Atlanta is a sports city and had support back in the Trashers days BUT poor ownership and poor organisation killed the franchise support. A big market but would it work a 3rd time in Atlanta? Hard to say at the moment...

[@humesspoon3176]

"Quebec City" and "big hockey market" should never be in the same sentence. They're a small, hockey-hungry market.

[@WarioSaysSo]

@@humesspoon3176 Well fair enough. But even outside Canada, there are a lot of existing support for the return of the Quebec "Nordiques". The team was liked in many European countries in the late 80's and 90's for there European players been there just to add.

[@markabendroth1774]

Boise,Idaho home of the Idaho Steelheads & Junior Steelheads, both teams have won their respective league championships & draw good crowds & interest, it's also one of the fastest growing cities in the upper west.

[@sora1498]

hartford and quebec deserve it the most i think. cant think of anywhere else that is as equally die hard for hockey

[@johnnyjoey]

The best option for hockey fans would be Quebec, so Bettman will make sure that doesn’t happen!

[@slayermcrx7519]

a team in Houston would be great as well you have two teams in Texas. As hockey in Texas has gone crazy with semi pro and junior teams sprouting up everywhere in the state. Texas is a market that needs to be tapped more by the NHL because it would be beneficial

[@hectorvega621]

If New York and California can have three while being 4th and 1st Population respectfully. Along Florida having two while being 3rd in Population. Why doesn't Texas have another team in.

[@braedonmorrissey7548]

I'm tuning into EVERY battle of Texas game that will be amazing

[@RpGfreak901]

Houston already has basketball, baseball, and football. Hockey would complete the set! (I mean, Dallas already has all 4 sports teams.)

[@gbalph4]

My thoughts really. Houston and Dallas would have a rivalry in every sport and a revival of the Aeros would be perfect and a guaranteed sellout when playing the Stars.

[@RpGfreak901]

@@gbalph4 Bring back their old WHA name?

[@nikholuaseckert1770]

Johnny my boy, you're forgetting an amazing town which would be a massive net positive and that city is Kitchener, ON. it is growing massively and has an airport and trains to Toronto, Buffalo and Detroit. the city itself already owns an OHL team, it would work. There was some talk about this being a potential place after the 2017 draft

[@LowgaenSchmidt]

If Betmann wants to put a team in a non-tradition location, put an NHL team in my home city of Omaha. We have three USHL teams in this state and thanks to Jake Guentzel, there are hockey fans in Nebraska. I'm sure fans would come to our arena in downtown Omaha.

[@ARCtrooper8248]

You know, my thoughts on this is gary is trying to see if he can get enough places to majorly expand the sport, right now we have 32 right. We have five-six cities that used to have hockey teams, so I think he's trying to get enough markets to find a nice divisible number of teams so he can expand the playoff bracket and the league in general

[@phantomJK]

makes sense. We know Hartford and Quebec could support a team each. That would be 2 more teams in the east though, so either midwest teams would have to move into the western conference (which they don't want) or we need to find 4 more locations (3 in the west) that can support a team and them we have an expansion explosion with 6 new teams added over a short period.

[@ARCtrooper8248]

@@phantomJK well I'm thinking if that is the case the expansions are gonna happen AT LEAST three years apart from each other. Cause that'll give time for teams to recover from the last expansion draft. So it would take like 20 years for the entire thing to shake out.

[@phantomJK]

@@ARCtrooper8248 If they do the expansion draft like how the did for Vegas and Seattle that is quite possible.

[@ARCtrooper8248]

@@phantomJK yeah, between 3-5 years per expansion draft, and the last expansion is exempt. And maybe the worst team is expected as well for good measure.

[@michaelbecker2435]

​@@phantomJKnobody in the east is going to move. I mean if you want force Toronto to move that's fine by me but your never going to get columbus or Detroit to move. yotes if they move will go to houston or SLC simple as that.

[@WannabeBackbencher]

Bettman is such a fucking vampire

[@LockeDemosthenes2]

People in the comments claiming Salt Lake isn't a "hockey market" are absurd. It's very similar in both demographics and climate to Denver, and it obviously did pretty well with an NHL franchise. Also, Utah's arguably the winter sports capital of the US, and I'm pretty sure ice hockey is a winter sport.

[@chad_b]

I'd rather another team in Canada but I'd be cool with the whalers coming back

[@douglemay7989]

As a CT resident, Hartford should NOT have a team. Half of the State roots for Boston, the other half roots for NY/NJ teams. The City of Hartford is a dump.

[@Hammer_1969]

Atlanta being in the conversations too is crazy, I was there when the thrashers had a go, it was ugly to say it nicely, been in Tampa for 4 years and latched onto the Lightning now thank god, put em in a BIG city thats never lost a team please.

[@StephEWaterstram]

The Coyotes original "Winnipeg Jets" do have roots in the WHA which was what really created the name WHA-LERS so they do have origin entitlements.

[@theodorebelmont7922]

Being from Vancouver i love that the NHL has added Vegas , Seattle and hopefully Salt Lake City would be awesome

[@PCSPounder]

Portland > SLC, especially when you don’t have 2/3rds of the metro area that automatically owes 10% of their income to their church. Sadly, Portland’s arena is locked up with a caretaker owner who’s either really trying to unravel her brother’s massively complex estate, or she’s playing games with other rich Portlanders and we might be in for 20 years of BS with the Blazers because of that.

[@seigneurkaradoc5218]

i hope we both have our team back québec and hartford

[@alexeisenbarth4723]

Expanding seems to be getting in the way of pro hockey being played in hockey markets

[@themaestro3034]

I grew up on the coast, half way between Hartford and Manhattan. Hartford games were great: cheap for close seats when my Rangers were in town.

[@Kadooshi]

As a resident of Connecticut, I wouldn’t really say we’re really crazy for hockey, but it would interesting to see one over here. Might start learning about ice hockey since my favorite is soccer

[@pspadotto]

It always confuses me when they talk about bringing hockey back to places hockey apparently already failed. If the Whalers didn't work before, why would they now?

[@XaviRonaldo0]

The Whalers were one of the 4 WHA teams to come to the NHL. Only Edmonton out of those 4 hasn't relocated although Winnipeg got a team back (albeit there's a possibility they move again). The NHL absolutely gutted those teams and their play on the ice suffered for it. Edmonton was smart and got around the NHL doing that to them.

[@dextrosebizarre]

There is a salary cap now, and incomes share between teams. And Nordique Quebec has been sold by a traitor, who wanted the city to pay for a new rink. Since then, the owner of thé biggest compagny in Quebec built a brand new rink with his own money. And Quebec base fans is so strong that they filled the amphitheater for junior hockey game. And the economy of Quebec City rocketed sky in the last 20 years with computer tech industry, unemployment rate is barely 0%.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

@@dextrosebizarre you're still not getting a team moving from the west to the far east

[@MegaAce042]

Here's a hot take, Austin Texas. It's a major city on the rise, they just got an MLS team just a couple years ago, would be nice to see if the NHL can make that a sports city just like they did with Las Vegas with the Golden Knights. If they can succeed in Vegas, I'm pretty sure a team can succeed in Austin, and pave the way for future teams moving or expanding there. But that's just a hot take, in actuality, I would love to see the Whalers come back since my parents grew up as Whalers fans

[@markmazzella5222]

I think another team in Texas should be high on the list

[@KWCline91]

I don't think Austin could field a hockey team. San Antonio perhaps, but Houston is the front runner right now.

[@dfwsociallyisolatednelly7120]

Houston, San Antonio, or Austin, Texas would make far more sense than either Quebec City, Quebec, or Hartford, Connecticut. Even cities like Atlanta, if you wanted to go to the Eastern Conference, but moreover cities like Kansas City, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Portland, hell even New Orleans can financially support a team alot better than those two, if they were serious about growing the sport.

[@domthagreat4065]

​@dfwsociallyisolatednelly7120 New Orleans cannot support a Hockey team, they can barely fill the seats at Pelicans games

[@ryanleedham3643]

Being from MA, I can confirm CT is an underrated hockey market

[@DragoEpyon]

Why in the HELL is Bettman still commissioner?

[@heathclark318]

All this screams to me is the NHL needs to EXPAND... There is no lack of talent and there is a desire for at least 4 markets in the next 2-3 years if Bettmen greenlite the project... EXPAND

[@simoncohen9323]

He will eventually however it's not smart to expand so many teams so quick

[@DeE-pt5lz]

no way, it is a joke as it is the way these expansion teams come in and thanks to Bettman wanting the expansion teams to be competitive right away are allowed to select better players and they have better teams as a result and teams who haven't won cups in decades have to suffer as a result

[@davidfox9947]

There is no lack of good hockey players but there is a lack of truly good NHL level players.

[@heathclark318]

@@simoncohen9323 Totally agree, maybe move that time for the first 1 or 2 teams back to 3 - 5 years. But its going to happen. Have to strike while the iron is hot, plus there seem to be markets interested in a team that can do much better than Arizona has in the least 10 plus years.

[@heathclark318]

@@DeE-pt5lz They dont have to be set up the same and given a longer timeline teams will be able to more than replace the players lost. Will allow a lot of teams to get rid of BAD contracts as well. What Vegas did was amazing but they were in on EVERY big name player on the market which was key to there win. The Misfits were amazing but not the norm. Though far from the expansion teams of the 90-00's who took 3 plus years to even make the playoffs much less win a round or go to the finals twice in 6 years(1st & 6th) So I get what you are saying but it is denying the inevitable and the chance for a few more locales to enjoy the sport we love...

[@bdbdkdfotbrveiw]

Hear me out, and I understand that this is just a pipe dream. But imagine a St Paul hockey team. The twin city rivalry would be insane

[@Zach________]

West has kings ducks east has islanders rangers

[@DeE-pt5lz]

the Wild play in St. Paul

[@Hoovie9596]

St. Paul vs St Paul

[@loC2ol]

I doubt this would ever happen. There’s a reason why all 4 of the Twin City sports teams are called “Minnesota ______” and not Minneapolis _____ or St. Paul ______. On top of the Wild already being on the St. Paul side of the river.

[@bdbdkdfotbrveiw]

@@DeE-pt5lz Minneapolis and St. Paul mixed up

[@SpeedandSplendor]

The Whaler's deal is a ruse ... it's political brownie points for the mayor and helps Gary bump up the sense of urgency fpr potential other locations.

[@Luke-ou6wh]

hot take: Saskatoon/ Regina would work great. The Roughriders are a prime market and the heritage classic worked well in Regina. No reason they couldn’t fill up a hockey arena on a nightly basis

[@KOZMOGRAFX]

Neither city is big enough alone, and driving for 2 to 3 hours in the dead of winter, multiple times per year?... Nope.

[@Luke-ou6wh]

either city would get there own team

[@goflames6706]

@@KOZMOGRAFX Saskatoon similar population to Green Bay

[@KOZMOGRAFX]

@@goflames6706 Football teams host 8-sh home games, which is great for teams like the Sask Roughriders or the Green Bay Packers. A prairie city of 200K is not going to draw 17,000 fans 40 times per year for the NHL.

[@goflames6706]

@@KOZMOGRAFX so do you think Saskatoon can host the NFL which is bigger than NHL

[@jeremykraenzlein5975]

Don't move the Coyotes to Hartford, Quebec City, or any other Eastern Time Zone city, unless you are willing to nonsensically have them keep playing as Western Conference teams, or have the conferences be unbalanced for a while (until newer teams can be created in the West, or relocated back there). It would not be fair to force Detroit, Columbus, or another Eastern Time Zone team to realign to the West to make this happen!

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Only option there is Atlanta. Only 200 miles from Nashville and further west than Det/Cmb

[@jeremykraenzlein5975]

@@XaviRonaldo0 I hadn't considered that, and Atlanta wasn't mentioned in this particular video, but yes, it could work as a Western Conference team. I would have no objection to moving the team to Atlanta, so long as the Atlanta fans are willing to deal with the late night starts, even in key playoff games, and agree that it is out of the question for them to realign to the East until they can do so without unbalancing the conferences or making someone else in the Eastern time zone realign west.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

@@jeremykraenzlein5975 yeah the timezone thing is a problem and it probably doesn't matter. Houston would probably get it ahead of Atlanta anyway. I was just pointing out it's the only viable eastern timezone city

[@TheStupidSeal10-3-07]

@@XaviRonaldo0The only issue is Atlanta has had hockey and it’s failed both times. TBF it was more ownership based, but it’s hard to see Atlanta getting a 3rd chance. God the NHL should’ve kept Atlanta over Arizona, they had the choice between the two teams and Arizona threw dollar bills at them. That would be a storyline though, the team that beat Atlanta out for hockey moves to Atlanta

[@TheWelta]

If Hartford gets the team back before Québec, be sure that you're going to see like a gazillion angry Québécois riot down in Connecticut

[@funkmanpushin2751]

Would suck for me since am Ct native that’s favorite team is the vegas Golden knights

[@mrgreekgm754]

@@funkmanpushin2751 Bandwagon.

[@irtwiaos]

The one problem is conference alignment. You have to strong arm one of Detroid/Columbus to move to the west.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Or move them to Atlanta or further west and they stay in the WC

[@meddyven]

Detroit is adamant about not going back to the west, and Columbus wants no part of it either. That is why, any Coyotes relocation will remain out west. This absolutely, for financial reasons, has to be the last year at that Mullett arena. The league is taking a giant bath, and losing so much in gate receipts, they cannot afford to continue this charade. Arizona has been there nearly 3 decades and cannot get a new hockey arena. The taxpayers do not want to foot the bill. Move them after this coming season.

[@williamwitt6212]

At this point, I'm rooting for Houston. It's not as unconventional as Arizona, but more than Salt Lake City (Winter Olympics much?). The market is HUGE. They have an NHL-ready arena, a natural rival for Dallas, and won't cause a massive divisional shakeup. Call them the Aeros or something space-related, like the Voyagers (in case Betman is drinking the WHA-Hatorade that day) and make their colors White and Maroon with Silver: it resembles NASA rockets, it'd be the opposite of the Dallas Stars, and it'd pay an homage to the to Doan-Era Coyotes. Thank you for coming to my Ted Lindsay Talk.

[@massivecumshot]

"Union"! - Ted Lindsey and Norma Rae.

[@beernpizza761]

Not sure why they can't add a few teams to locations in the US where a professional hockey team would thrive. Hockey needs a boost in fan base, it's currently rising with stars like mcdavid and the aging ovechkin/Crosby but exposure is needed in large market areas. "The battle of Texas" sounds awesome, should be another team there ( as well as CT UT ect.). Look how amazing the Vegas expansion turned out to be.

[@deanfirnatine7814]

Vegas was starved for ANYTHING sports wise and they were a winner at the highest level immediately, do NOT count on that scenario repeating especially in a Houston market saturated with sports.

[@connecticut511]

though the xl center is getting a big renovation, i feel like we need a new arena. a fresh start.

[@sjsomething4936]

Of course, Hamilton is never mentioned, despite the fact that it would have a large and immediately on-board fan base, including Sabres fans who would come over for a cheaper evening out. There’s the added bonus of a lot of players who originated from the area. I’d even like to see Waterloo or Vaughan get a team, the Leafs need a local competitor to satisfy the demand around the outskirts of Toronto, although it would definitely also impact the other leagues a bit.

[@robertcampbell8070]

The Leafs will never let a team move to Hamilton.

[@jeremykraenzlein5975]

Of the five possible relocation cities you named, I count only San Diego and Salt Lake City as non-traditional hockey cities. Houston, Quebec, and Hartford each have great hockey history, with the Aeros, Nordiques, and Whalers, respectively.

[@chessmentor63]

I hardly think the Aeros stint in Houston makes it a traditional hockey city, regardless of who played for them. Quebec and Connecticut are in the northern tier with other storied franchises very close nearby geographically.

[@Pajo25ify]

Salt Lake City has had the Utah Grizzlies since 1995 in IHL/AHL/ECHL. Makes it more of a Hockey market than Houston.

[@jeremykraenzlein5975]

@@chessmentor63 Even when arguably (and I'm making this argument) the greatest player of all time won championships there? I know that it wasn't the Stanley Cup, but it is still the championship that Mr. Hockey came out of retirement to play for. Houston clearly has by far the greatest hockey history of any city which has never had an NHL team.

[@fadilsahib6527]

When will the league understand that this is a league between BOTH Canada AND the US!!?? Why tf does the sport get to grow and expand ONLY in the states and NOT the country that invented it!!!? Like just because Canadians are already fans doesn't mean we don't deserve more teams, do you seriously think people living in Saskatchewan, Vancouver Island/upper BC, Halifax, parts of Ontario far from Toronto and Ottawa, Quebec city, etc. can all come to watch the already existing teams!?? Just because we have fans doesn't mean we want to f*kin watch all the games from home due to not having any nearby teams!! Just like how the US lets each and every corner have some sort of sports team, Canada DESERVES to at least have a team in EVERY big city and 2 in major ones (Toronto & Vancouver) because they have the population in surrounding cities!!!

[@Deltaflot1701]

I know I'll get yelled at for this, but there is a group in Atlanta that is looking to move or expand a team to there as well, one that actually likes hockey, unlike the entire ownership history of the Thrashers. plus there are plans on a new arena, north of the city, making that more attractive to the fans that are there.

[@sportzhouse4512]

I’m mixed about this. As much as I would like to see a team in Hartford or Quebec, Houston and SLC have a better chance. Especially Houston, who would have the potential of getting a lot of fans.

[@dm-ns4zt]

NO ONE REMEMBERS BETTMAN WHEN HE FIRST CAME TO THE LEAGUE STATED HE WANTS AN NHL TEAM IN ALL NBA CITIES

[@Chumbucket77]

That Hartford whalers song goes hard

[@jtjr26]

I think the smartest thing would be for the team to relocate to a city with a solid arena already. Also as much as I would like to see a team back in Quebec City I think the NHL does not want to mess with the conference balance and moving a western conference team to the east would eventually require some conference realignment and that is a headache the NHL does not need or want. I suspect moving a team to a western city is what will happen.

[@lilwoodiewood3457]

That is irrelevant why does a solid arena matter if the city dosent have one then their going get one before they get the team

[@yycguy8722]

Brass Bonanza will be blazing in Hartford 🎉

[@deanfirnatine7814]

Give up on Phoenix, too many of the relocated residents there do not come from Hockey areas, same in Houston, Houston is full of relocated people but unlike Dallas many of them are not from traditional Hockey areas. San Diego would be a disaster, nicest city in Cali by a mile but that is just not a sports town. Best option is Salt Lake City, growing city and its kind of hockey country. Portland might be another fit, they LOVE hockey there, the WHL team can get 20k to some games, its crazy but I admit Portland's reputation has just been destroyed by the soft on crime Mayor and DA, coyotes came close to moving there before, I heard a deal was done but then NHL intervened because they wanted to keep the team in Phoenix area.

[@yippykiay13]

Houston is massive and only getting bigger. There’s a stadium ready to go, it’s in the western conference so the league wouldn’t have to shuffle things around, and honestly they wouldn’t even need to rebrand, plenty of coyotes in Houston, they could save a pretty penny just on branding alone. I was born and raised in Dallas so I don’t really care if Texas gets another team or not (including AHL and ECHL I believe we have four hockey teams already so we’re good) but financially, it makes sense.

[@Nightlingbolt]

Much as I’d love to see a new-age Whalers compete with my Bruins, that’d totally fuck up league alignment. So unless Bettman can secure expansion franchises in Houston AND Salt Lake (or even an expansion Coyotes, since that’s about the only way Arizona will work at this point), then an EST team simply isn’t going to work unless the Red Wings move back to the Central to replace the Coyotes, and I dunno if Detroit’s powers that be are on board with that (there’s a reason for the 2013 realignment, after all).

[@travisreed1730]

I pray that the Hartford Whalers come back. I hope they revamp the Whaler's logo, too.

[@gsdlmj3450]

If you're close to Hartford, you owe it to yourself to check out a Wolfpack game. I went there for Calder Cup finals a while ago and it was a blast. Nice house but it's in no way ready for NHL.

[@loC2ol]

Guys I really don’t think they are going anywhere East of Chicago. Houston or Milwaukee is as far east as they would go.