We’ve already discussed the term hurry up and wait in a prior post, but I thought it was necessary to bring it back up and alter it slightly to… hurry up and keep waiting.
First, there has been some rumors that the league is waiting for Seattle to get their affairs in order. I’m sorry but wasn’t there an expansion deadline in August that all cities who were interested in a franchise could take part in? Everyone declined to pony up the $10 million application fee except Quebec and Las Vegas. However, this apparently came as shock to the league who appears to be dragging their feet until the cities they want to date can knock on the expansion door. I’m sure Seattle is a nice city, but they were so against hockey that the wording for a new arena clearly stated that it would be NBA or nothing to get a shovel in the dirt. Perhaps the league should have lowered their ridiculous expansion fee number of $500 million to have attracted more attention.
I want to say this one more time. The league must be very careful how it handles this situation because once a market full of people, who feel very secure that they can go on without a league who doesn’t want them, gets the feeling that they are being used as bait to get other cities to bid they will turn their backs forever. If you drop the ball on this, Adam Silver will be in this town faster than you can deny that Justin Bieber is Canadian. Unfortunately, they will leave a scar that won’t easily be healed. We already feel like Bettman is dating us because his dream girl won’t talk with him.
I like to deal with facts and the facts have always been, how could the league possibly grant expansion teams when teams like the Panthers, Hurricanes, and Coyotes are on a thin sheet of ice in their own end. Where would these teams go if you used Las Vegas and Quebec for expansion markets? Here lies the true problem.
Make no mistake about it, Gary, Las Vegas wants you but we don’t need you to solidify us as a community. Perhaps you need to feel loved and needed and that’s why you make us hurry up and waiting.
jf
We are the city that gets used by leagues to push other markets to get their bids together. It’s happened before, most recently MLS. I don’t think that’s the case here as there is the possibility of a team relocating. It could be the league will relo a team to Vegas, Seattle, or Quebec and grant the other to expansion franchises.
Ken Boehlke
Love the positivity. Hopefully you are correct. I’m at the point that I don’t care if it’s relocation or expansion.