The NHL has talked about expansion. They haven’t added teams to the league since 2000. In 2000 both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild entered the league to increase the total of teams from 28 to 30, the total we have today. Two ownership groups submitted paperwork to the NHL for phase one of their formal expansion process. The two groups are located in Las Vegas, Nevada and Quebec City, Quebec. They submitted bids ahead of yesterday’s 5 p.m. Eastern Time deadline. Both had to pay $10 million to the NHL, $2 million of that is non-refundable. Are both of these cities really a place the NHL should put an NHL team?
Las Vegas hasn’t had a pro team from the NHL, NFL, NBA, or MLB at any point. They do have an Arena Football team called the Las Vegas Outlaws who began play this year. Back in 2001, Las Vegas had a team with the XFL. This was the World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon’s football league. He hoped to compete with the NFL. The team was also called the Las Vegas Outlaws. They played at Sam Boyd Stadium. The league folded after one season due to loss of revenue.
The only NHL presence in Las Vegas has been preseason hockey games over the course of the last few years. They seemed to have drawn fairly well. These games have been played against the Los Angeles Kings.
Quebec City deserves a hockey team. They had an NHL hockey team from 1979 to 1995 called the Quebec Nordiques. During those seasons, the team had a total record of 497-599-160. They won two division titles and made the NHL playoffs nine times. The team was forced to relocate to Colorado ahead of the 1995-1996 season due to financial reasons. The Canadian dollar was worth only $.70 of the U.S. dollar at the time.
Quebec watched as Colorado won the Stanley Cup in 1996 and again in 2001. They’ve hungered for professional hockey ever since. The closest team to Quebec is about 157 miles, the Montréal Canadians. It’s the perfect place for NHL expansion. Quebec would support it just like other Canadian cities do. It’s a hockey city. Expansion in the NHL isn’t expected until the 2017 season. There will be two teams added and more cities may apply.
Which city deserves a hockey team more?
I agree Quebec would support hockey. Not sure about the fan base in Vegas. Seems like Phoenix struggles with attendance. Vegas certainly has the money to build a good team, and can you imagine the gambling in the arena!!!