I don't want to beat this into the ground, but I think you're missing my point. While it would be great to have the NHL back in hartford, there are still some pretty substantial issues that need to be worked out before that can happen. My point is, in general, it may not be as easy as just building an arena and holding up a blank check. I truly hope it is, though.
One of the main sticking points I see is how hockey is perceived by the NHL in Hartford. The Whale did a mediocre job of drawing fans (very fair weather and really only came out when the team was winning or the initial threat of a move came up). The A draws nobody for a variety of reasons. For some, it's the NYR affiliation. For others, it's the level of competition. For still others, it's the lack of exposure to the team to make you want to go to a game. Aside from the lame commercials every now and then, the Pack gets virtually zero attention. I work downtown and can hit the HCC with a well-thrown rock from my office, but I couldn't tell you when the next home game was or what the standings are. Lots of that is my own fault, but the info on the team is not stressed in the media and I honestly don't care enough to go look it up. Long story short, the casual hockey fan is not being reached well.
Should things work out to the point of a team agreeing to move here, the NHL gets to approve/disapprove it. If they don't see a strong support for what's in place now, they may get cold feet and reject it. Let's face it, the NHL and Bettman do not have the interest of the Hartford hockey community in mind. They want to go where they can turn a buck