Jeremy Jacobs was asked about a team relocating - and refused to answer

[New User Name]

When Canadian born players start complaining about no team in QC, I'll listen.

At least Mario goes home once in a while ON VACATION!

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Ever get asked a question over and over and over again until you were sick of answering it and just ignored it?

Kind of think that's what the relocation bomb is for essentially any tenured NHL exec/governor at this point in time. Though it would be worthwhile to mention that implying relocation could be on the corner could very easily torpedo that NHL's extravagant asking price for Seattle and kind of tick off Vegas for their half a billion dollar recent hole, too.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Ever get asked a question over and over and over again until you were sick of answering it and just ignored it?

Kind of think that's what the relocation bomb is for essentially any tenured NHL exec/governor at this point in time. Though it would be worthwhile to mention that implying relocation could be on the corner could very easily torpedo that NHL's extravagant asking price for Seattle and kind of tick off Vegas for their half a billion dollar recent hole, too.

Exactly why I think Houston will be expansion and we'll be stuck at 33 teams. They still are not ready to give up on Phoenix.

 

[gstommylee]

Exactly why I think Houston will be expansion and we'll be stuck at 33 teams. They still are not ready to give up on Phoenix.

That doesn't mean they are gonna expand again. 33 is just too odd of a number.

 

[Melrose Munch]

That doesn't mean they are gonna expand again. 33 is just too odd of a number.

Which means they're going to find a 34th somehow. Jacobs has shown you in his face he doens't want to relocate and you still deny it.

 

[gstommylee]

Which means they're going to find a 34th somehow. Jacobs has shown you in his face he doens't want to relocate and you still deny it.

And who's going to be #34? Too expensive in TOR (nevermind its just gonna split the fanbase), Atlanta has already failed twice, too expensive for portland etc.

 

[Melrose Munch]

And who's going to be #34? Too expensive in TOR (nevermind its just gonna split the fanbase), Atlanta has already failed twice, too expensive for portland etc.

they'll find someone.

 

[Glacial]

And who's going to be #34? Too expensive in TOR (nevermind its just gonna split the fanbase), Atlanta has already failed twice, too expensive for portland etc.

Toronto is such a large market, it can easily handle a 2nd team. Think of all the potential ticket-buyers shut out because all the tickets are already bought up, potential advertisers that are shut out because other companies got deals first or were able to overpay to get on the rink. Other than ratings and merchandise sales, there are a lot of potential sales that are blocked because there's a bottleneck where only so many can get through. Also think of the value in a cross-town rivalry.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

MM, the issue, as you're finding out, is if you go beyond 32, the leagues feeding those teams also have to go to 34, the 2 leagues feeding the prospects to the NHL (AHL) barely got to 31, and the other barely can get 28, and that's not counting existing markets who cannot financially sustain losses, ie the issue why Quad City will not support pro hockey and ceased membership this year in the ECHL

they'll find someone.

 

[greasysnapper]

This screams Carolina. They literally have the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg Jets architect in Waddell and his assistant Dudley. Watch those 2 work their magic and get that franchise ready for relocation in no time.

 

[gstommylee]

Toronto is such a large market, it can easily handle a 2nd team. Think of all the potential ticket-buyers shut out because all the tickets are already bought up, potential advertisers that are shut out because other companies got deals first or were able to overpay to get on the rink. Other than ratings and merchandise sales, there are a lot of potential sales that are blocked because there's a bottleneck where only so many can get through. Also think of the value in a cross-town rivalry.

Why? You're only splitting the fanbase and not doing anything to really gain more $$$ to the NHL. TV deal will not increase.

Then the second issue.
So who's going to pay over a billionaire dollars in canada? For arena, team, paying off buffalo paying off leafs? I doubt there will be anyone. If quebec can't get a team, then why would another toronto team have any better luck? You're only splitting the pie more than what the league gets out of it. I doubt it happens.

 

[gstommylee]

This screams Carolina. They literally have the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg Jets architect in Waddell and his assistant Dudley. Watch those 2 work their magic and get that franchise ready for relocation in no time.

Umm you do realize the trashers were kicked out of their arena. That's why they left to winnipeg in the first place.

 

[GuelphStormer]

Why? You're only splitting the fanbase and not doing anything to really gain more $$$ to the NHL. TV deal will not increase.

Then the second issue.
So who's going to pay over a billionaire dollars in canada? For arena, team, paying off buffalo paying off leafs? I doubt there will be anyone. If quebec can't get a team, then why would another toronto team have any better luck? You're only splitting the pie more than what the league gets out of it. I doubt it happens.

your silly theory of zero sum is getting old. you clearly do not understand how consumption works on a very basic level and are wholly uninformed about the economics and dynamic demographics of the GTA as well as what parties can quite reasonably afford to become owners. there is a hell of a lot more money - both in fans pockets and in ownership groups - in the GTA than in Seattle. on every level, the league would stand to make considerably more money with a second GTA team than it ever could hope for in Seattle.

 

[New User Name]

Why? You're only splitting the fanbase and not doing anything to really gain more $$$ to the NHL. TV deal will not increase.

I hate this argument. Why? Because it's the furthest thing from the truth. Complete, unadulterated f***ing BS used by those who do not want any more Canadian teams.

Die hard Leafs fans (and there's more of them than any fan base in the NHL) will never switch loyalty to another Southern Ontario team, not a f***ing chance in hell.

NEWSFLASH....there are thousands and thousands of casual/non hockey fans in Southern Ontario that have no allegiance whatsoever to the Leafs. In fact there's thousands that despise the Leafs and are causal fans of other teams. They live to see misery in Leafs nation.

Put another team in Southern Ontario or TWO and you'd have the the second (and third) most rabid fan base and a rivalry much more intense than the Canadiens/Nords rivalry.

The TV deal would increase substantially.

ONE MORE THING: Hockey can certainly grow in Canada.

 

[tarheelhockey]

This screams Carolina. They literally have the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg Jets architect in Waddell and his assistant Dudley. Watch those 2 work their magic and get that franchise ready for relocation in no time.

We’ll just pretend that it all comes down to GM choice, not an arena lease.

 

[powerstuck]

Really, the NHL would be that big with more Canadian teams? Adding more Canadian teams just splits the pie more ways it doesn't make the pie bigger. And the notion that this is all on Jacobs is ridiculous, pretty sure most of the other owners are on board also. Montreal doesn't want a team in Quebec City despite what they say publicly.

I already knew Jacobs was a moron, but now, after those comments, he looks even dumber.

I've been on the QC-needs-A-team bandwagon for years now, however NHL wouldn't be a $10 billion dollar entity, MLB is at about 12-14 (with NFL around 16-18 I believe) and NBA is in between baseball and hockey, NHL will never get higher than 4th. What helps the NBA a lot is that players really interact with fans, i.e. all stars have social media, they interact with the crowd more etc.

Just to make it clear, my comment on NHL being a $10B entity has nothing to do with the league having a team in Quebec City or not.
Jacobs is very (if not the most) influential owner of the league. He's part of the executive committee...a small group which tells every 31 owners what to vote for and vote against.

Jacobs votes in decisions that favor only his other entities which is Delaware North. Him being FOR Seattle but AGAINST Huston is because in Seattle Delaware North will get the food contract for the arena while that's impossible for Huston.

Many other decisions the league took were maybe not the best solutions but were the best for Jeremy Jacobs.

 

[greasysnapper]

Umm you do realize the trashers were kicked out of their arena. That's why they left to winnipeg in the first place.

They were kicked out because they weren't a draw, and they weren't a draw because they sucked.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Why? You're only splitting the fanbase and not doing anything to really gain more $$$ to the NHL. TV deal will not increase.

Then the second issue.
So who's going to pay over a billionaire dollars in canada? For arena, team, paying off buffalo paying off leafs? I doubt there will be anyone. If quebec can't get a team, then why would another toronto team have any better luck? You're only splitting the pie more than what the league gets out of it. I doubt it happens.

I think the answer to both your questions is Bell.

The NHL could easily bring in Bell as another national partner after leaving them in the dark to go solely with Rogers.

As for a second Toronto team, I'm spitballing in thinking Bell might be willing to deconsolidate from MLSE and gain majority ownership of a new team.

The idea that hockey, and essentially revenue, can't grow with another team in Canada/Toronto just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[TheLegend]

They were kicked out because they weren't a draw, and they weren't a draw because they sucked.

Okay.... you cling to that dog food theory that's been repeatedly proven wrong while the rest of us talk about what Jeremy Jacobs didn't say.

 

[tarheelhockey]

They were kicked out because they weren't a draw, and they weren't a draw because they sucked.

That's oversimplifying to the point of missing critical elements.

Atlanta Spirit were a bunch of basketball guys who wanted the Hawks. They had no interest in owning the Thrashers, except to get their hands on the arena rights. Their intent, from day one, was to find a way to liquidate the hockey franchise and make mega-bucks off their relocation.

The Thrashers averaged 15-16K in the first few years after Atlanta Spirit bought the franchise, which isn't bad for a team that had never even had an 80-point season before. There was plenty of reason to believe that the market would support the team if it had ANY kind of traction to build around. Atlanta Spirit was not interested in that. They had no intent to build a fanbase. The entire operation was about playing Atlanta hockey fans for suckers and then cashing out.

 

[LeafShark]

If you've listened to everything that's been said over the last few years, the next four are Houston, Seattle, Quebec City, GTA/Hamilton. Only really Portland has the ability to jump into the discussion at this point, but they already have basketball which hurts them. Kansas City is too sports saturated and really not necessary now that Houston is available.

 

[mouser]

That doesn't mean they are gonna expand again. 33 is just too odd of a number.

The league spent the entire decade of the 1980's with an odd number of teams. It's not that big of a deal.

 

[gstommylee]

The league spent the entire decade of the 1980's with an odd number of teams. It's not that big of a deal.

its 33. 33 is the most oddest number for a league. League can't just keep expanding and expanding and expanding not when you got franchise that have problems. Flames need a new arena. Coyotes need a new arena in a better location. (coyotes to date have yet to address their arena problem)

 

[mouser]

its 33. 33 is the most oddest number for a league. League can't just keep expanding and expanding and expanding not when you got franchise that have problems. Flames need a new arena. Coyotes need a new arena in a better location. (coyotes to date have yet to address their arena problem)

Eh, 33 would be essentially the same situation as the 1980's. Four divisions, three of those divisions have X teams and the 4th division has X+1 teams.

 

[gstommylee]

Eh, 33 would be essentially the same situation as the 1980's. Four divisions, three of those divisions have X teams and the 4th division has X+1 teams.

I just think the NHL can get Houston with out expanding again. I don't think the league wants to expand beyond 32.