We’ve got plenty of details directly pertaining to the expansion announcement. From our lunch with The Creator to the new expected date we’ll hear the good news to the Quebecor/Carolina saga. This one is chock full of real news. Hosted by Ken Boehlke.
The Creator offered up some pollen, we’re here to spread it.
As much as we can tell you about our super special lunch that we can’t stop talking about.
The new expansion timeline.
Quebecor turned down an offer of $500 million to purchase the Carolina Hurricanes.
Why the NHL cares more about Las Vegas than Quebec City or any other proposed expansion location.
Ken and Dana have a hard time conversing through text and Twitter.
Remember that insurance plan we discussed earlier in the week? Yeah, the one in which we get denied an expansion team and end up with the Carolina Hurricanes relocating to Las Vegas. Well it looks like that may have to be thrown out the window as soon as this time next week.
According to multiple radio hosts in Quebec City, an April 7th press conference scheduled out in front of the Videotron Center (the new arena in Quebec) will bring the announcement that the Canes are moving to Quebec City to become the Nordiques.
Peter Karmanos as minority partner, would settle soon in Quebec and give rebirth to the Nordiques. –Carl Dombroski, NHLNordiques.com
The reports were almost immediately denied by officials with Quebecor, the potential expansion ownership group. However, they really have no choice but do deny even if a deal is done.
We work well with the National Hockey League and the case, quietly, (might) not advance quickly, but (will) advance as it should. Will it be for tomorrow morning? No, I think not. But I think we are high up on the list of important applications to remember in the future. – Brian Mulroney, Quebecor Chairman
He also went on to site the struggling Canadian dollar as an inevitability of the uphill battle his bid is facing compared to Las Vegas’.
How not to coach with Michel Therrien. Will the NHL get a better response with All-American playoffs, and does it possibly hurt Quebec’s chances at an expansion team. Jason’s in the penalty box once again this Saturday. It’s Double Minor with Jason Pothier.
The Super Bowl was awful, lucky for hockey fans, the Stanley Cup Finals can’t suck. 8 goals in one game! Toronto Sun article scares Quebecor. Jason heads to the bin to break down the week in hockey news. It’s Double Minor with Jason Pothier.
Of all the comments, or non-comments on expansion, that came from Gary Bettman’s All Star Game press conference, there was only one that was even remotely interesting.
If someone wanted to give us an application right now, we wouldn’t take it. -Gary Bettman
It’s become clear that the league is only focused on whether or not they are ready to expand, not whether or not the potential cities are worthy.
He went on to say every which way the decision is not coming soon and the process will continue on as it has been. But this is clearly a bit of positive news for Las Vegas as the wait for Seattle is now in no way a hinderance.
Remember way back when, there was some news that the Arizona Coyotes were picking up and leaving the Phoenix area to relocate here in Las Vegas? Well if you don’t, here’s the now clearly false story.
Talking to an Arizona radio station, Coyotes co-owner Anthony LeBlanc had some positive news to share about his franchise potentially getting a new home, and soon.
I’m very positive that we will have something out in the community if not in the next month or two but certainly by the end of the regular season. -Anthony LeBlanc
Why is this significant for Las Vegas? Because it shores up another situation that could have caused the league to have to move one or more of its franchises. With the Broward County deal bailing out the Panthers (and the fact they are dominating) and now this new stadium on the horizon, only the Carolina Hurricanes remain in a tumultuous position.
Speculation has been Quebec City may be a better place to move a team rather than be home to an expansion team. With just the one team left that might have move, the path is completely clear for the NHL to feel comfortable expanding their league and opening up shop in Las Vegas.
Last week there was a “special meeting” that took place to discuss the expansion process and sources indicated that the sticking point is more to do with the draft than the viability of the two candidates.
A new problem may have surfaced though and one that could be crippling to Quebec City’s bid.
The Canadian dollar, or the ‘loonie’, has already slipped below 70 cents on the U.S. dollar for the first time since 2003. Oil is at the heart of this problem, as a large part of Canada’s U.S. dollar income comes from energy industry exports, mostly crude oil. Almost always, when oil falls, the Canadian position against the dollar does the same. – Julianne Geiger, OilPrice.com
You can click through to that link to read more, but the basic premise is that as the Canadian loonie falls hockey takes a hit.
While it could be read as a reason for the league to hit the pause button completely on expansion, it could just as easily be interpreted as a reason for the NHL to continue growing its footprint in America to further themselves from the volatility of the loonie.
Las Vegas offers an opportunity for the league to build a city that’s currently a professional sports wasteland into a hockey hotbed. It’s a city that attracts money from all over the globe that could be going to the NHL rather than to Cirque du Soleil. And finally, Las Vegas would become the league’s 24th American franchise meaning the league would comprise of only 23% Canadian franchises.
More American franchises means more US Dollars being introduced, higher American TV ratings, and more hockey fans consuming the NHL in the United States.
Canada will always be important for the league in many ways, but the less the NHL has to rely on the Canadian dollar the better. Las Vegas offers it, unfortunately for Quebec, it does not.
I long for the days when I can just second guess The Creator’s General Manager or when I can play Head Coach and suggest line changes. That would be easy. Instead, we have been forced to play a year long game of charades where Las Vegas has been left to guess the body language of the NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, mostly because we know about as much after a Bettman press conference as we did before it started. Until Gary learns how to use his words we are left to speculate.
This brings me to latest rumblings that the Carolina Hurricanes are moving to Las Vegas in time for next season. The news is coming just days before the NHL’s Executive Committee are to meet at a not so “secret” meeting in New York. A meeting that Hurricane owner, Peter Karmanos, will attend. It’s not inconceivable that this could happen considering how many hurdles this wave of expansion presents over the last wave additions in 2000. Not inconceivable but about as likely the Arizona Coyotes making Southern Nevada home next season, another hot rumor that was just that.
Inevitably the Hurricanes move has to happen if things don’t change quickly, but why wouldn’t they move them to Quebec who financially needs a team who are closer to winning more than Las Vegas does. Our city is perfectly happy to go through the growing pains with our new team as long as we feel the goal of winning is the end game. Let’s be honest, we’d much rather create our own culture with our own team.
The Hurricanes will have to move and soon if they continue to fill only 61% of their building. Karmanos has already tried to sell off part of his team which no one wants anything to do with. That really tells you a lot about the state and perception of the organization. The Canes lost 1.3 million in the fiscal year ending last June. It’s easy to speculate that Karmanos would love the 17 million that an expansion team would bring to each NHL franchise, money the owners do not have to share with the players. With a debt to value ratio of only 53% it’s almost a necessity that Karmanos gets expansion money now and moves the team later.
I’ve seen nothing to change my mind that Las Vegas will get an expansion team and Quebec eventually gets the Hurricanes.
It’s no secret the NHL is looking to expand, capitalizing on a popularity surge that drove growth in revenue from $2.2 billion in 2006 to around $4 billion in the 2013-14 season. Earlier this year, the league got expansion applications from Las Vegas and Quebec City. But expect the league to approve just one new team, to be located in Sin City, for a record expansion fee of $500 million. The league is likely to want to add teams in the West to balance the league’s geography. -Ben Geier
As mentioned above, they aren’t exactly the most reliable source when it comes sports news (aside from franchise valuations), but it’s nice to see more and more people jumping aboard.
Years ago, and in some cases months ago, you were about as likely to find a pro hockey in Vegas article as you were to find an anti one. Since the last Board of Governors meeting though it’s been overwhelmingly positive when it comes to hockey in the valley.
Quebec City on the other hand is starting to lose its luster apparently.
"Clearly we were the better team early and they were the better team late. In between we did enough to win. If we want to be a more complete team we're going to have to be better for the full 60 minutes." -Cassidy
