I've never understood the idea that Canadian markets are saturated for the NHL. I don't think this has ever been true and it is certainly less true today than in any period in the past 20 years at least. Canada's population is changing rapidly with much of the change fueled by immigration. Since the Nord's left the country has seen a 25% increase in our population. Many of these people have no exposure to hockey. Local teams inspire significant growth in interest from many people who otherwise would not invest anything in the game. I saw this clearly in Edmonton, a city that had a rich hockey heritage. And despite this heritage the level of interest in the NHL in the city is in my opinion far far greater than it would be otherwise.
No, its almost a specious argument. Doesnt compute. The NHL was as you know extremely reluctant to expand from the late 50's through the early-to-mid-60's and did so as the official story goes to "grow the game & capture broadcast revenues" from the burgeoning television market. Revenues that to this day have proven elusive in the US to say the least paling in comparison to their big league peers over the past 50yrs..... and note that in reality the NHL was more concerned about anti-trust suits having barred the door on Cleveland, LA & elsewhere, cities/owners who in demanding to be let in & denied threatened a rival league, litigation etc.
Now, I've never had, dont have a problem with that objective provided critical thought is applied, that altruistic & benevolent co-op (League, Team, Sponsors) developmental programs accompany the launching of new teams in any given market but unfortunately thats never happened. Check Book Expansion. Take the money & run. New club in a virgin market left to its own devices. Marketing through osmosis. Burdened with huge debt having dropped whatever on the expansion fee, a building in so many cases, major expenses & costs before youve even iced a team & way behind the 8Ball financially before a pucks ever dropped.
As any manufacturer, distributor or retailer, a service provider, a salesperson, a politician or whatever/whomever will tell you, and as is just plain basic good old common sense dictates you go after the low hanging fruit first. Take the paths of least resistance in cultivating crops & taking your product/service to market. You take the most cost effective routes available. You build a base. A Strong foundation. You expand your terrain, prepare & cultivate new lands & markets on the foundations upon which youve built your solid cash crops in the heartlands.
Then & only then do you start looking at interesting export markets but before youve even gotten to that point you have to ask yourself if youve maximized all of the potential revenue streams from the acreage in the heartlands and in the case of the NHL the answer is a resounding NO. No, they have not. They have instead taken paths of extreme resistance, the Commissioner & formerly President of the NHL little more than glorified Firefighters fighting rearguard actions when things go south, blowup in their faces. The lack of critical thought & planning/support with new markets (and labor relations along with marketing) absolutely appalling.
Canada & the Northeastern US are not "maxed out", not even close to it. Billions of rich lands left idle. Revenue's lost, left on the table, revenues they can never recapture, gone, untapped, yet still sitting there (Quebec City & Southern Ontario) completely unserviced, underserved. Low hanging fruit left to rot on the ground season after season after season. You really have to ask yourself, "who does this"? Why?... and as like most things NHL the answers arent pretty & speaks to the institutionalized culture of the Leagues duplicitous self dealing owners who's only real interest is in not growing the game but in growing their own franchise values, keeping costs & expenses to a bare minimum, networking & expanding if possible their own empires be it media, financing, concessions & catering, brewery interests or whatever it might be.
Thats not to broad brush the lot of them, now all 31 BOG's as there are some great owners. Just not enough of them. The good ones, those enlightened are in a minority and as the NHL is run essentially as an autocracy by Jeremy Jacobs, a hierarchy established decades ago by the Norris & Wirtz clan with no change in site anytime soon.... well, how can one not help but be cynical, that collectively & individually this crew & regime like all who proceeded them couldnt find their asses with both hands and a map. That the riches of Quebec City & Southern Ontario have been left to rot on the ground in beyond fertile lands.... and given the implausible reasons and excuses as to why & how that could be.... leaves one almost speechless.