So the NHL is thinking out loud about seeing another team in this area and MLSE is publicly going along with it. Could be a bunch of flap but I hope it comes true. The talk is having the team in or near Toronto, but I still think the ldea of having the team in K-W makes far more sense. It increases the accessible area for NHL hockey, it's centered in an area of 1M+ people. Fans couls come from as far west as London, from as far east as Mississauga plus there is Hamiton and western Niagara. Some also argue for a team in the north end to draw fans from York region and as far as Barrie/Orillia and from Durham region as well. Of course both ideas are good but I think K-W is the better idea.
Waterloo Blackberries or the Ontario St Pats or York St Pats out of Vaughan or King City. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2008/10/22/7163131-sun.html Stanley Cup Winners [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1921-22 Toronto St. Pats [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://www.tmlfever.com/StanleyCupWinners.html[/FONT]
Balls to that, Hamilton or London would make the best selections. London Knights in the NHL...now that'd be something.
Chiming in here... Interesting that the powers that be want to put either an expansion or relocated team in Toronto--in my view another way to put in more revenue into the league coffers. If the NHL wants to put a second team in Toronto or the greater area, put a team back in Winnipeg, which recently built a new arena, and/or Quebec City (I don't know if they've put in a replacement for Le Colise--the old Nordiques grounds) as well... I doubt the NHL will go into Hamilton proper (it was tried with the Nashville Predators)--another starved market but a team there would cut into the Buffalo Sabres' market, and also the Toronto Maple Leafs given the proximity. Rather see the league return to the abandoned Canadian cities from the 1990s. If the two team concept works for Toronto, then maybe try it in Montreal (if a team can't return to Quebec). Cheers!
Kenora In all seriousness though, the only real options are a 2nd GTA team or a team in the K-W area that could draw from Kitchener (~210,000), London (~370,000), Mississauga (~705,000), Hamilton (~650,000) and surrounding areas. As for people saying Winnipeg, Quebec or Montreal 2 you have to remember that when the story about a potential 2nd Toronto team was mentioned it was also said at the time the reason was that the owners (not Bettman himself) want to get Jim Balsille into the NHL. If they want him in the NHL they are unlikely to try and force a Kitchener-based owner to have a team as far away as Winnipeg or Quebec.
I wasn't proposing in between towns. I was merely stating that that K-W is in a location that is easily accessed from as far west as London and as far east as the Western Edges of the GTA and Hamilton. K-W is also very likely as RIM has a large undeveloped property on the edge of Waterloo that is just off the 401 that would likely be the location of a new purpose-built NHL arena.
Isn't hockey dying in GTA? Just read this article to see what I am talking about: http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/michele_mandel/2008/10/27/7216281-sun.html
I bet the Leafs are to blame. They have disenfranchised most hockey fans in the GTA. However, the article just says participation is down. I highly doubt the hockey will ever die as a spectator sport in the Toronto. "They plan to completely restructure so that there is just one house league, greatly reduce registration fees by as much as 30% from the current $420 and seek professionals to help them reach out to ethnic families. " It amazes me how uneducated some people are. Ethnic families? Wtf? Doesn't everyone have an ethnic background? That is so retarded. Anyhow, a second team would definately rejuvenate interest in the sport.
