dolfanar
Registered User
It seems to me that the whole Hab centric thing is rather recent. I remember in the late 80's early 90s that there were TONS of Black Hawk and Bruins fans around town (no idea why I saw so many blackhawk fans mind you... Denis savard maybe?).
It is true that there is a kind of myopia set in here. But I believe that if a team were marketed right that it could survive or even thrive here, with one caveat: NOT an expansion team. If a decent enough team were moved here (Say the Panthers with a Roberto Luongo) then ti would have enough going for it to build momentum and stick. This whole "Montreal is not a rich enough town" talk doesn't wash with me. If you just split the fan base 70/30 you'd have enough to have a successful franchise.
Toronto OTOH would be better off simply because the Leafs have had almost 40 years of futility working against them vs the Habs 12. The Leafs own inertia would give the new franchise a shot of catching hold. Ofcourse if the Leafs pulled their finger out and won a couple cups right away, the new team would get buried.
All in all I like Hamilton as the best option right now in Canada. If they don't repeat the same dumbass mistakes Ottawa did (stadium/Highway, etc...) then it could be a fine place for a team. In another few years I might see Winnipeg as an option if the Provincial gov is willing to play ball. Quebec needs some more time to forget the Nordiques. That is a city that has had alot of poorly run pro franchises, and needs time to get a hunger for another try.
It is true that there is a kind of myopia set in here. But I believe that if a team were marketed right that it could survive or even thrive here, with one caveat: NOT an expansion team. If a decent enough team were moved here (Say the Panthers with a Roberto Luongo) then ti would have enough going for it to build momentum and stick. This whole "Montreal is not a rich enough town" talk doesn't wash with me. If you just split the fan base 70/30 you'd have enough to have a successful franchise.
Toronto OTOH would be better off simply because the Leafs have had almost 40 years of futility working against them vs the Habs 12. The Leafs own inertia would give the new franchise a shot of catching hold. Ofcourse if the Leafs pulled their finger out and won a couple cups right away, the new team would get buried.
All in all I like Hamilton as the best option right now in Canada. If they don't repeat the same dumbass mistakes Ottawa did (stadium/Highway, etc...) then it could be a fine place for a team. In another few years I might see Winnipeg as an option if the Provincial gov is willing to play ball. Quebec needs some more time to forget the Nordiques. That is a city that has had alot of poorly run pro franchises, and needs time to get a hunger for another try.