NHL picks owners for likely Vegas team | New York Post
2014/11/12 1 Comment
The second most famous newspaper in New York is commenting on expansion. It’s getting hot in here.
Endless Possibilities. Zero Consensus.
2014/11/12 1 Comment
The second most famous newspaper in New York is commenting on expansion. It’s getting hot in here.
2014/09/13 Leave a Comment
The Florida Panthers have always been the easy whipping-boy for the “hockey doesn’t belong in non-traditional markets” crowd. They are also always the first picked on by the “NHL realignment is easy, just do this….” crowd.
The reality is, they have one of the cushiest arena leases out there (and for 14 more years). So I’ve never put too much stock in the Panthers-to-this-city-or-that noise. But this recent article makes things a little more interesting.
Obviously, owners of franchises always talk a lot of crap when they are trying to squeeze more “free money” out of the tax base, but when an owner starts saying thing like “unsustainable” and talks of getting a break on what would be an $80 million lease buy out, there may be a little fire to that smoke. Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s mostly posturing to get the $80 million subsidy they’ve tried to twice in the last little while (coincidentally the same amount as the lease buyout amount)… but, my adjective has shifted to “mostly” from “totally.”
I’m sure new owner Vincent Viola would totally take the taxpayers’ money if it happens, but I also don’t think it’s far-fetched for him to move the team if he doesn’t get an even more favorable agreement in Sunrise.
That was a really long intro to the following musing for a new map (it’s been forever since I made one, I know).
Picture if you will, an NHL where the league finally admits they are ready to expand. Thanks to crazy money being talked about for a second GTA team, and, I’m sure somewhat crazy money for a return team for Quebec City, some 1-2 billion bucks are to be split between the 30 ownership groups. If Viola can negotiate down from the $80 million he’d have to pay Sunrise to leave, plus a bunch o’ new money in his pocket, it’s not too far-fetched that he’d do it.
Now in this scenario he could be the owner for the “we don’t have an owner” but let’s get the NHL in Vegas hullabaloo we’ve all heard. Or he could be the guy that finally hitches his wagon to Hansen and gets the MOU changed to allow hockey-first in the Seattle arena deal? Or perhaps he could just move over to existing NHL arenas in Kansas City or Houston. Whichever way, let’s look at the maps that show this new NHL… just in time for the league’s centennial celebration:
The Seattle Version:
The Las Vegas Version:
The Houston Version:
The Kansas City Version:
Some notes:
Schedule:
48 games — Home and Home versus non-confernce opponents
28 games — 2 Home/2 Away versus conference-mates
6 games — An additional Home and Away versus one team in each of the other three conferences (rotates through all teams each eight years)
I think that works out. 82 games
Caveats for all this: I’m tired and not good at math, so there might be something wrong in the above schedule… I have no insider info on the goings on of the NHL, the Panthers, or any other team… I’m just a guy with photoshop, wordpress, a nurse wife working an overnight tonight and a daughter that mercifully went to bed at a decent hour … No need to call me an idiot in the comments, I already know this… don’t take this seriously (hey, my name is Tom Fulery)… I don’t wish any ill on the Panther fan base—losing a team must suck really badly (my friend and former Thrashers season-ticket holder, still isn’t over it)… I used the “Toronto Legacy” logo from the now defunct torontolegacy.com site—I claim no rights to it (nor any of the other logos)… I stuck a scorpion in Las Vegas, just cuz.
Thanks and good night:
— TF
2014/08/29 2 Comments
From PuckDaddy. I like the article (minus the attributing some pre-Bettman expansion to Gary).
What if NHL expansion is actually a really good idea? (Trending Topics) | Puck Daddy – Yahoo Sports.
2014/08/29 Leave a Comment
Always fun to get FiveThirtyEight’s insights on things:
Half Of The NHL’s Rumored Expansion Cities Don’t Make Sense | FiveThirtyEight.
2014/04/14 Leave a Comment
Welcome back to the playoffs. Feel free to download this Facebook cover photo to show your support for the boys in Victory Green as they take down the ducks.
PS – If your name is George Lucas, please don’t sent some Sith lord over to my house because I used your ’83 design. Much love (except for the young Anakin crap… and the Jango Fett mess… and the “died of a broken heart” garbage).
2014/04/14 1 Comment
For those of you who missed it over the last little while, here is link to my map/infographic of the “big four” affiliated professional hockey leagues in North America. There are additional minor professional and major juniors things in there too.
2014/04/06 2 Comments
Everyone seems to be confused on the new format of the NHL playoffs this year. Here’s your primer:
—TF