Rumor: Bettman Talking Expansion

BonkTastic

ಠ_ಠ
Nov 9, 2010
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Yep, that's pretty much it.

There are far more elaborate sumaries of the situation than the one I provided, but I was only trying to capture the jist of it.

I read a figure once over the last few years that Sunrise Sports & Entertainment make $2 on non-hockey events for ever $1 they lose on the panthers. Now, that's not really a sourced number, and from what I remember it was an "insider" perspective on the finances involved there - just a general idea that someone familiar with how the Panthers operate was willing to provide as an example of the team's financial model - , but the general consensus is that the Panthers are like a poor man's version of the Ottawa Senators: Hockey team generally loses money, but everything attached to the team (arena & parking & non-hockey revenue) more than make up for it.

Now, that could change for SS&E, if the hockey team all of a sudden costs more to operate, or they start to lose non-hockey revenue... but as of right now, in 2015, they're in no threat of moving any time soon. The city of Sunrise basically gifted the Panthers ownership with a licence to print money, and the only red ink they have on their ledger is from the only conditional source of revenue they have in their portfolio - the Panthers.

It's the NHL's alternate-dimension version of Hollywood Accounting.
 

operasen

Registered User
Apr 27, 2004
5,681
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2 more in the West to even out the conferences and Bettman will want them to be US based to influence the next TV rights deal. Seattle and Vegas get the nod.

IF Arizona is moved to one of them because the Glendale fiasco can not be settled, then Toronto could get the nod and play in the West.

Nordiques would be an Eastern team and would require someone to move. For sure Detroit and Columbus would not want that after trying for so many years to get to the East and finally accomplishing it.

The only way Quebec gets a team in this scenario is if one relocates within the East. If not Florida, then who - Carolina?

Maybe the entire Conference setup needs to get re-considered into a West, Central, East setup with the top (league-wide) 16 teams seeded (1-16) for the Playoffs. Possible play-in.

They will get 1B at least for two new teams - wouldn't they really prefer to double that and take more? And Quebec and Toronto would give significant more revenue I'm sure out of the four considered.
 

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