T1B

Atlanta is a big TV market but a terrible sports market. It's better for the league to have a franchise in a smaller city that will fully embrace their team. 30 teams is clearly too many but you might as well put them in cities that will support their franchise. The Thrashers were a dying team and at least CoyoteFan was going to the games and supporting the team. They're still on shaky ground...only got a stay of execution because they were the next to go.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=367433

Welcome back, Winnipeg! I'd love to see them come back as the Jets...great logo and the originaters of the white-out before every other team bastardized the tradition.

Will they bring back Tim Cheveldae?

And Tomas Steen?

Interesting note...

According to TSN Insider Bob McKenzie, the team in Winnipeg will play in the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference for one year before the league realigns.

I saw that last week.

They could easily shuffle Nashville into the SE division, but there would still be an issue with the Western Conference since Winnipeg should be in the Division with Calgary and Edmonton. I guess they could move Minnesota to the Central Division.

I thought I saw an article last week saying that Detroit might prefer moving to the Eastern Conference, which I can understand.

Gary Bettman wrote:It's nice to be back in Winnipeg after all these years.

Go fuck yourself, cunt.

MuchoBulls wrote:I saw that last week.

They could easily shuffle Nashville into the SE division, but there would still be an issue with the Western Conference since Winnipeg should be in the Division with Calgary and Edmonton. I guess they could move Minnesota to the Central Division.

I thought I saw an article last week saying that Detroit might prefer moving to the Eastern Conference, which I can understand.

Yeah, it's been a tired issue here that the Wings would prefer being in the Eastern Conference although geographically Columbus is the Eastern-most team in the Western Conference. The complaint has been about travel and they could be reunited with the Leafs in the same division. If they leave the West, they'll sever long time rivalries with St. Louis and Chicago so something's got to give.

I'd be fine with the idea you mentioned. Nashville would make sense in the Southeast and would be an upgrade to their conference over the Thrashers. Sliding Minnesota back to the same division as the Wings, Hawks and Blues would be cool for nostaglia sake...back to the days of the Norris with the North Stars. Throwing the Winnipeg up with Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver along with the Avalanche makes too much sense. I don't think there will be a huge cry if the Wings don't get shifted to the East in '12-13...definitely not from me.

Screw_Michigan wrote:

Gary Bettman wrote:It's nice to be back in Winnipeg after all these years.

Go fuck yourself, cunt.

Yeah, he can say that now when the league is strong financially and the Winnipeg market is more attractive with better ownership and a new NHL-worthy arena. Hockey has worked going back to the Twin Cities...I didn't think there was any doubt it wouldn't.

Shoalzie wrote:

MuchoBulls wrote:I saw that last week.

They could easily shuffle Nashville into the SE division, but there would still be an issue with the Western Conference since Winnipeg should be in the Division with Calgary and Edmonton. I guess they could move Minnesota to the Central Division.

I thought I saw an article last week saying that Detroit might prefer moving to the Eastern Conference, which I can understand.

Yeah, it's been a tired issue here that the Wings would prefer being in the Eastern Conference although geographically Columbus is the Eastern-most team in the Western Conference. The complaint has been about travel and they could be reunited with the Leafs in the same division. If they leave the West, they'll sever long time rivalries with St. Louis and Chicago so something's got to give.

I'd be fine with the idea you mentioned. Nashville would make sense in the Southeast and would be an upgrade to their conference over the Thrashers. Sliding Minnesota back to the same division as the Wings, Hawks and Blues would be cool for nostaglia sake...back to the days of the Norris with the North Stars. Throwing the Winnipeg up with Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver along with the Avalanche makes too much sense. I don't think there will be a huge cry if the Wings don't get shifted to the East in '12-13...definitely not from me.

They could also go a route of Dallas going to the Southeast, Vancouver to the Pacific and Winnipeg to the Northwest.

Shoalzie wrote:Atlanta is a big TV market but a terrible sports market.

Well that and there aren't many noggles in the NHL so Hotlanta isn't exactly a great demographic match. Hockey has an almost exclusively Caucasian fan base though I have seen a surprising number of Asians at Ducks games.

mvscal wrote:

Shoalzie wrote:Atlanta is a big TV market but a terrible sports market.

Well that and there aren't many noggles in the NHL so Hotlanta isn't exactly a great demographic match. Hockey has an almost exclusively Caucasian fan base though I have seen a surprising number of Asians at Ducks games.

Who are you? Quad McWheels?

There are tons of noggles in LA and So Cal, but the Kings don't have problems drawing. Same with DC, lots of noggles in DC, Caps draw pretty well. The NHL is just a super fucking expensive sport to attend, period. If NHL tickets were $40 tops, I'm convinced you'd see a hell of a lot more balcks in attendance. Why not? Dudes beat the shit out of each other with giant weapons. Balck people love that shit.

And honestly the answer to your question is that Atlanta is just a shit sports market in general.