If these NHL franchises moved, would anyone care in 10 years?

VLM has now passed the 1,000 mark in terms of posts.  That is not exactly earth-shattering news, and likely is of significance only to me, but I wanted to thank everyone who has contributed to keeping this site alive and on its toes for the past now (almost) three full years.


Warm wishes!

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It’s easy—and probably a bit smug sounding—for those of us based in or near major hockey centers in Canada to opine about the sad state of affairs in "non-hockey" markets that may seem, from a distance, all too prevalent throughout the modern-day NHL.  But it can indeed be frustrating at times to see teams playing in cities with buildings half empty (and many of those on hand for free, or on discounted tickets…) when there are places in Canada that would love to have an NHL team, including, say, Hamilton, Quebec City, and perhaps Saskatoon.

In any event, I’m not writing today to criticize U.S. franchises,  all of them trying their mightiest to make a go of the business end of things. (Surely the long and winding mess in Phoenix has to be resolved soon...)   I’m quite certain we will hear, as we move through another round of collective bargaining that is already underway, just how tough some franchises have it and how much money they are losing. (Maybe it would help if they stopped handing out absurdly rich contracts, but we’ll discuss that another day…)

But let's set ownership stupidity aside.  Here’s my question:  if certain cities lost their NHL teams, would very many people in those markets really, deeply care in say...ten years, or maybe even five?

I know there is a group in Hartford that tries to keep the memory of their one-time NHL team alive.  And there have been modest efforts to return a team to that market.  But I would have to think that is highly unlikely.

Atlanta has had two kicks at the can, just as Winnipeg is getting their second chance in the “modern” era.  I don’t doubt there are some ex-Thrasher fans who very much miss the Thrashers, but I don’t believe it is a big number. Nor do I think we’ll even hear the name "Thrashers" as anything more than a distant memory in a year or two. (It's possible many younger hockey fans don't know there was another NHL team in Atlanta in the 1970s- the old Flames, now, of course, in Calgary...)

So I think it’s a fair question to ask if any of the following franchises would actually, on a serious level, be missed in a few years, if they left town:

• Florida
• New Jersey
• Washington
• Carolina
• Tampa Bay
• New York Islanders
• Nashville
• Colorado
• Dallas
• Phoenix

Again, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that any or all of those franchises should or will be moved (or contracted).  What I am saying is that I just really wonder how much the teams would be missed by many of the fans in those markets as time went on?

Most of us here, in Canada, can't even conceive of the notion of there not being an NHL franchise in Toronto or Montreal, and of course Vancouver.  Ottawa?  Great city, great market, great fans.  Same in Edmonton and Calgary.

But can we say the same about the teams in the markets I mentioned above?  The irony is that in some cases (Long Island, Colorado, Dallas, Tampa, New Jersey and Carolina) these are markets where their team has actually won the Stanley Cup—in some cases (Devils and Islanders) several championships.  I’m quite certain if any former Islander from the early ‘80s era heard this, he’d say I was nuts.  But I just wonder, how widespread is the fan base beyond those who go to the games?  Is it a deep, passionate fan base in markets where hockey is so far down the list compared with baseball, football, college football, basketball, Nascar, etc..

(An aside:  I love what the Predators have done in Nashville.  They have been a model franchise in so many ways, in terms of how you build and maintain a start-up NHL team and organization.  I think a lot of David Poile, Barry Trotz and the way the entire organization goes about its business.  The fans have been outstanding.  But would the majority of people in Nashville really miss the team after a few years?  I include the Preds today on this list mostly because I would love the hear arguments from the thoughtful fans in that market about why the franchise is important, because I would like it to be...)

Again, I’m not advocating wholesale re-locations, though I admit I sometimes wish there were fewer teams in the NHL.  (I believe fewer teams would mean a better quality of game overall...)  Nor am I criticizing fans or suggesting they are apathetic in the markets that I've focused on today.  The fans that do show up at games and that do follow their teams closely are tremendous  hockey fans, no question.

But how many of them are there?

I’m not looking to debate, because I’m not “against” any of those franchises.  We’d all like to see all those buildings filled, in good times and bad.

But I would actually enjoy hearing from fans in those markets to explain why I am wrong.  I hope I am.