Which Locations (Arena) Are Ready To Take On An NHL Team?

[Sens Mile]

In Advance, if this thread has already been made and I cannot find this than sorry for beating a dead horse. Everyone knows the Coyotes situation this year is serious and they may need to relocate. Not talking about ideal situations (Because it is Quebec City) but what teams are ready right now to host and NHL team?

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[Routerhead]

Speaking only about arenas ready to host hockey, Kansas City is tops on that list. Sprint Center is new and needs a tenant, and was built with hockey in mind. Portland's arena is also hockey-ready. Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena is also hockey ready, though there's no way Cleveland would get a team as long as Columbus has one.

My list:

Kansas City (Sprint Center)
Portland (Rose Garden)
Cleveland (the Q)
Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse)
Louisville (Yum! Center) Why you would do this, I don't know, but it's an arena
Atlanta couldn't resist
Houston (Toyota Center)

Beyond this, other arenas probably need work. Am I missing any?

 

[Krishna]

Winnipeg

But possibly portland.. Maybe when i visit my family near there, ill have something interesting to do

 

[dronald]

Hamilton, but some upgrades would be nice.

 

[htpwn]

Hamilton.

Gary Bettman would disagree.

 

[Hockey Monk]

Phoenix! We will need a team soon
Salt Lake City
Omaha (Quest Center built in 2003 holds 17k for hockey)

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Speaking only about arenas ready to host hockey, Kansas City is tops on that list. Sprint Center is new and needs a tenant, and was built with hockey in mind. Portland's arena is also hockey-ready. Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena is also hockey ready, though there's no way Cleveland would get a team as long as Columbus has one.

My list:

Kansas City (Sprint Center)
Portland (Rose Garden)
Cleveland (the Q)
Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse)
Louisville (Yum! Center) Why you would do this, I don't know, but it's an arena
Atlanta couldn't resist
Houston (Toyota Center)

Beyond this, other arenas probably need work. Am I missing any?

Conseco is not. It is essentially basketball specific and a good chuck of the lower level on 1 end needs to be removed. Center Ice isn't at center court.

 

[tiredman]

Québec.

A team could play in the old colisée for a few season until the new arena is completed.

Bettman confirmed it.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/dossiers/vers-un-nouveau-colisee/201009/15/01-4315874-bettman-une-equipe-de-la-lnh-pourrait-jouer-temporairement-au-vieux-colisee.php

 

[GreenHornet]

Atlanta couldn't resist

Nor SHOULD you resist. Getting A$G out of the picture would make Philips Arena ready today.

Beyond this, other arenas probably need work. Am I missing any?

The Baby Dome in New Orleans. Yes, there are plenty of other reasons why NOLA is not a candidate for relocation or expansion (as has been discussed in another thread), but the building itself IS NHL-ready. They played minor-league hockey (with capacity over 17,000 and plenty of luxury boxes, IIRC) in there when it first opened.

 

[MoreOrr]

Phoenix! We will need a team soon
Salt Lake City
Omaha (Quest Center built in 2003 holds 17k for hockey)

Beat me to it. Omaha should be on that list. ... 16,680
Also...
Tulsa ... BOK Center ... 17,096
Hamilton ... Copps Coliseum ... 17,383

And of course Atlanta should be on the list, even if the OP could resist.

 

[JMROWE]

Hamilton is the most ready right now with ownership waiting in the wings & plans to renovate Copps Coliseum all set to go just afto to get the mob like tatics of the leafs & to lesser exteint the sabers when comes to teritory .

 

[worstfaceoffmanever]

Just based on arena size/quality?

Portland's Rose Garden
Kansas City's Sprint Center
Milwaukee's Bradley Center
Houston's Toyota Center
Oklahoma City's Oklahoma City Arena
Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena
Tulsa's BOK Center
Louisville's KFC Yum! Center (questionable upper bowl sight lines and I'm uncertain how many seats would be removed)

And if Winnipeg is now the rule rather than the exception, add Little Rock's Verizon Arena, New Orleans' New Orleans Arena and Des Moines' Wells-Fargo Center to that list.

As far as the Canadian venues go, Copps Coliseum is approaching the end of its life cycle, but could probably still house a team in its current state. Quebec's Colisee is a whole other ballgame: it's sixty years old and would have to undergo substantial renovations (again) to house an NHL tenant even temporarily.

 

[JMROWE]

Just based on arena size/quality?

Portland's Rose Garden
Kansas City's Sprint Center
Milwaukee's Bradley Center
Houston's Toyota Center
Oklahoma City's Oklahoma City Arena
Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena
Tulsa's BOK Center
Louisville's KFC Yum! Center (questionable upper bowl sight lines and I'm uncertain how many seats would be removed)

And if Winnipeg is now the rule rather than the exception, add Little Rock's Verizon Arena, New Orleans' New Orleans Arena and Des Moines' Wells-Fargo Center to that list.

As far as the Canadian venues go, Copps Coliseum is approaching the end of its life cycle, but could probably still house a team in its current state. Quebec's Colisee is a whole other ballgame: it's sixty years old and would have to undergo substantial renovations (again) to house an NHL tenant even temporarily.

I agree with you to certin extent but Copps Coliseum is 25 years old & with the current renovations plan it could last another 40 - 50 years . Your right about le colisee it 60 years old & falling apart & would afto do major renos to be NHL. ready .

 

[Sens Mile]

Québec.

A team could play in the old colisée for a few season until the new arena is completed.

Bettman confirmed it.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/dossiers/vers-un-nouveau-colisee/201009/15/01-4315874-bettman-une-equipe-de-la-lnh-pourrait-jouer-temporairement-au-vieux-colisee.php

While nothing would make me happier than to have eight teams in Canada, doesn't this seem unrealistic. Any team that would function in a 10,000 arena, especially for three years, would hemmorage large amounts of funds, to the tune of (20 mill a year)?

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

I can't really find anything about just hockey for KFC Yum! Center but I would imagine ice shows have a similar rink and it says the capacity for ice shows, arena football, indoor soccer and circus is 16,000 so they would have to remove a little over 6,000 seats. Pretty clear that it was designed for basketball.

http://www.arenaauthority.com/docs/Yum Center Fact Sheet 2010.pdf

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Conseco is not. It is essentially basketball specific and a good chuck of the lower level on 1 end needs to be removed. Center Ice isn't at center court.

Yeah, I was going to bring that up, too. The USHL's Ice play there every once in a while, and they need to completely revamp the building to get it hockey ready. I could see a team being planted in Indy and playing at Conseco, but it would be a major hassle for them and, with the reduced seating capacity, would probably be suitable for an AHL team at most.

 

[Bob1321]

While nothing would make me happier than to have eight teams in Canada, doesn't this seem unrealistic. Any team that would function in a 10,000 arena, especially for three years, would hemmorage large amounts of funds, to the tune of (20 mill a year)?

we have more seat than the MTS center in winnipeg

so the colisée can be use temporarily

 

[MoreOrr]

we have more seat than the MTS center in winnipeg

so the colisée can be use temporarily

Let's stop that idea of moving Detroit East right in its tracks. The Coyotes move East, to Quebec City.

 

[Bob1321]

i like it alot

 

[GordonGraham]

While nothing would make me happier than to have eight teams in Canada, doesn't this seem unrealistic. Any team that would function in a 10,000 arena, especially for three years, would hemmorage large amounts of funds, to the tune of (20 mill a year)?

15300 seats in the old barn

 

[Sens Mile]

15300 seats in the old barn

Though I only read 10,000. Thats great news, make it eight!!

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

well the air Canada center really needs an NHL team

(someone had to)

 

[Fuzzy Bunny]

Have to think it's Kansas City. No harm in giving them a chance w/ new arena issues in Quebec City. The arena in Kansas City is a real gem as well.

 

[JMROWE]

Hamilton
Quebec City
Kansas City

Are the most NHL. ready cities right now & all have issues such as Hamilton with teritory issues , Quebec City needs a new arena & Kansas City has arena but no ownership group has come forward . Still theses 3 cities in my opinion are the most NHL. ready & should have teams there within the next 5 - 8 years .

 

[Rocko604]

Kansas City - Sprint Center
Portland - Rose Garden
Houston - Toyota Center