shatner_rules
You're in Trouba
Originally Posted by gscarpenter2002
If they do not, will you leave?
That's not very nice.
Agreed. The respect I had for you is dwindling after that statement. Why stoop to juvenile behaviour, gs?
Originally Posted by gscarpenter2002
If they do not, will you leave?
That's not very nice.
If memory serves, the team (but not the arena) was to be owned by George Shinn and would have been called the Hampton Roads Rhinos.
You just proved my point yet people both here and in the media claim those cities should have been given teams reguardless.The call for expansion bids went out in June of 1996. The Nordiques left Quebec in 1995. The Jets left Winnipeg in 1996. The Whalers left Hartford in 1997.
Except that it's true at 1.6 milllion people. It's even mentioned in it's wikipedia article.
As of 2003, it was the 33rd largest metropolitan area in the US, ahead of NHL franchises like the Carolina Huricanes, the Nashville Predators, and Buffalo Sabres.
Ah of course, if it's written in wikipedia it must be true.
And the worst logo too:Phew, they spared us of possibly the worst name in the history of hockey.
Interesting Winnipeg, Hartford, and Quebec DID NOT put in Bids and did not get teams. Funny how everyone thinks they should have been granted teams without even applying for franchises. Bettman just hates them I guess
Weary already covered this; kdb209 had a follow-up.This is funny. Teams had just left those cities due to financial, ownership and/or arena issues and you expect them to apply for expansion franchises?
No I did not. I pointed out that several people have said in the past that the NHL should not have went to Nashville and Carolina (not expansion but those people don't care to check facts) when Winnipeg deserved a team returned to them when the situation there did not warrant a expansion team nor did the city apply for oneThis is funny. Teams had just left those cities due to financial, ownership and/or arena issues and you expect them to apply for expansion franchises?
GHOST
No I did not. I pointed out that several people have said in the past that the NHL should not have went to Nashville and Carolina (not expansion but those people don't care to check facts) when Winnipeg deserved a team returned to them when the situation there did not warrant a expansion team nor did the city apply for one
This is funny. Teams had just left those cities due to financial, ownership and/or arena issues and you expect them to apply for expansion franchises?
In the case of Winnipeg, the reason the team left was that no ownership group could be formed to keep the team in that city under the then existing circumstances, which included a) a seriously outdated arena with few amenities and hardly any suites, b) a very low Canadian dollar and c) skyrocketing players salaries with no end in sight. The situation has changed in the last ten years. Winnipeg has a new arena, the Canadian dollar has steadily climbed, a new CBA system was put in place that limits players salaries to a percentage of revenue and there are a lot more teams out there many of which aren't doing so well. Under these circumstances, there are clear signs that an ownership group may be willing to pursue a team for that city at some point which gives some Winnipeg hockey fans hope that they could regain a team.
GHOST
Phew, they spared us of possibly the worst name in the history of hockey.
Exactly, WPG has everything needed for a team except an ownership group. I know everyone says the arena is small, but it can get the job done. As for Quebec and Hartford, people asking why these teams didn't apply for expansion during the time frame given have to be pretty ignorant.
Also for QC and Hartford, I'm very glad that Quebec has shown they don't need the NHL to be a true hockey town. The Remparts have some of the best non-pro support in North America. I wonder if fans in QC would be prepared to give up Le Colisee for a hope of the NHL returning. I guess Hartford fans would readily be prepared to give up the Civic Center.
There are discussions in Hartford about building a $400 million new arena to house UConn/an NHL franchise. Larry Gottesdiener, one of the top bidders for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they were on the block, is also committed to trying to buy an NHL franchise. MSG has been kicked out of the Hartford Civic Center and Larry Gottesdiener now runs it. If you do the math, the formula for Hartford getting a new NHL franchise is fairly simple. Larry Gottesdiener buys a team, has them play free of rent in the HCC for a few years, and as soon as it's announced that he has secured a team the politicians stop stalling and build a new arena. I doubt that the new arena will happen anytime soon without an NHL tenant or unless UConn really pushes for it, so this plan all hinges on Larry Gottesdiener and whether or not he's really committed to bringing the NHL to Hartford. He does own $500 million worth of real estate in Hartford, though, so having a major league team in the city to drive up the value of his real estate and provide more business for his tenants could prove to be enough of a financial incentive for him to get it done. If the NHL announces it intends to expand within the next few years expect Hartford to be a big player.
*gag*
i think they'd be better off in new haven. more central and closer to the stamford/greenwich money.i just moved from stratford recently.i would've bought season tix. but if they want those from southern fairfield fans (who they probably dont due to the fact that most from down there are ranger fans anyway) they would have to push the starts back to 8 o clock IMO.