wow. You clearly put a lot of though and research into that selection. Dallas is viable but colorado isn't? Attendance is the main driver for market sustainability in san jose but that rule doesn't apply to dallas? Oh yeah and a california team has to go (not san jose because people go to the stadium) and you know the ducks won so it has to be LA. Great criteria nuck fans arg.....
- danielmacd

Like where I said Colorado has proven to make money in the past? That not viable? Learn to read. San Jose gets fans in, historically so has Dallas and Colorado. The Ducks are a very good team, and if they were the ONLY team in the LA area they'd be viable. The Kings, while in downtown, are 3rd fiddle in the Staples Center to both the Lakers and the Clippers ( ) in a location that most people who may be the average casual fan have much better stuff to do at night.

Question, are you from the Carolinas or Georgia? Only way anyone can read that poorly.

Like where I said Colorado has proven to make money in the past? That not viable? Learn to read. San Jose gets fans in, historically so has Dallas and Colorado. The Ducks are a very good team, and if they were the ONLY team in the LA area they'd be viable. The Kings, while in downtown, are 3rd fiddle in the Staples Center to both the Lakers and the Clippers ( ) in a location that most people who may be the average casual fan have much better stuff to do at night.

Question, are you from the Carolinas or Georgia? Only way anyone can read that poorly.
- keslover17

Yes I read your colorado statement wrong. It doesn't make it any less stupid. Your logic is a team made money in the past so they are good. It was your random assumption that a california team had "to go", and that attendance and past success are blanket milestones that make teams viable.

Dallas is a viable team as is colorado and san jose but not for the simplistic reasons you stated bellow.

As for the kings being third fiddle.... Again, that has no bearing on a franchise success and your assumption that the clippers are more liked than the kings is arguable.

I learned to read when I was three and mastered in when I finished top 5 in high school and deans list at McGill. You must be from Wasilla Alaska because the only way someone can make points like you is if they were taught by sarah palin.

Yes I read your colorado statement wrong. It doesn't make it any less stupid. Your logic is a team made money in the past so they are good. It was your random assumption that a california team had "to go", and that attendance and past success are blanket milestones that make teams viable.

Dallas is a viable team as is colorado and san jose but not for the simplistic reasons you stated bellow.

As for the kings being third fiddle.... Again, that has no bearing on a franchise success and your assumption that the clippers are more liked than the kings is arguable.

I learned to read when I was three and mastered in when I finished top 5 in high school and deans list at McGill. You must be from Wasilla Alaska because the only way someone can make points like you is if they were taught by sarah palin.
- danielmacd

What I'm saying with Colorado and Dallas is that they have had several years of very successful results, both on and off the ice. One bad year in both does not make either a bad market, it means they need changes with the team, and that's happened. The Kings aren't a big enough draw, and as the area seems to watered-down from two teams with another one in-state, the worst drawing team and the worst performing team (the Kings) should have no place in the league. Move 'em to Kansas or something.

Rivalrys are the key. I want the old Norris intact damnit!
- gobluenotes

YES!

THIS!

Leafs
Blackhawks
Red Wings
Blues
Wild
Nashville

Jumble up the other teams and your have yourself the old Norris again.

Though this would probably mean no cups for these teams in the future. In the 80s and 90s while every other division was busy winning championships, the Norris was busy trying to kill eachother.

And it was great hockey. I remember watching Wendel Clark kill half of the guys in that division, including teammate Kevin McGuire...god I miss the Norris!

Pacific NW
Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Portland Kodiaks (Coyotes)

Pacific
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
LA Kings
Las Vegas Strip (Stars)

Mid West
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche

Great Lakes
Toronto Maple Leafs
Hamilton Steelers (Islanders)
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings

Northeast
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators

Atlantic
Pittsburg Penguins
Philladelphia Flyers
New Jersey Devils
Washington Capitals

Phoenix Coyotes move to Portland
New York Islanders move to Hamilton
Dallas Stars move to Las Vegas
Florida, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Nashville, Buffalo all fold

Play each team in your Division 6 times each (18)
Play each team in your Conference (other Divisions) 4 times each (32)
Play each team in other Conference 2 times each (24)
74 game schedule starting in October, completed by mid March
Playoffs based on top-16 teams each Conference (1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, etc.)
Stanley Cup awarded no later than the week prior to Memorial Day weekend.

Pacific NW
Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Portland Kodiaks (Coyotes)

Pacific
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
LA Kings
Las Vegas Strip (Stars)

Mid West
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche

Great Lakes
Toronto Maple Leafs
Hamilton Steelers (Islanders)
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings

Northeast
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators

Atlantic
Pittsburg Penguins
Philladelphia Flyers
New Jersey Devils
Washington Capitals

Phoenix Coyotes move to Portland
New York Islanders move to Hamilton
Dallas Stars move to Las Vegas
Florida, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Nashville, Buffalo all fold

Play each team in your Division 6 times each (18)
Play each team in your Conference (other Divisions) 4 times each (32)
Play each team in other Conference 2 times each (24)
74 game schedule starting in October, completed by mid March
Playoffs based on top-16 teams each Conference (1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, etc.)
Stanley Cup awarded no later than the week prior to Memorial Day weekend.
- BigWaveDave

Great divisional setup

There are some real geniuses here wanting to fold teams like the Islanders, Sabres and Kings. Whether or not these teams have won a Cup, there is still a long standing history and fan base behind each one. Definitely a whole helluva lot more than one-hit wonders like the Lightning, Ducks and Hurricanes (yeah, yeah....I know, the old Whalers from the WHA era. However, if the fan base in Connecticut were anything close to what it is in L.A., you'd still have a franchise there.)

(WARNING: heavy bias coming.....)

Duck fans: You can thank Bruce McNall and Wayne Gretzky personally for the bandwagon pulling up to your house for you to board when you most likely don't have, or never did have, the gumption to stick it out with the one team that had been in So Cal likely well before you, or your caricature team, were conceived. Your boys can run off four in a row and the team is still a punchline to the joke "What pro sports team was created from a crappy Disney movie that eventually was s**tcanned by its rich creator?"

Atlanta, Nashville, Florida, Columbus, Buffalo and the Islanders gone

Carolina moved to Hamilton

Tampa Bay moved to Quebec City

Phoenix back to Winnipeg

This gives us

The Gretzky Division
Calgary
Colorado
Edmonton
Minnesota
San Jose
Vancouver

The ? Division
Anaheim
Chicago
Dallas
LA
St Louis
Winnipeg

The ? Division
Boston
Hamilton
Montreal
Ottawa
Quebec City
Toronto

The ? Division
Detroit
New Jersey
New York
Philly
Pittsburgh
Washington

Atlanta, Nashville, Florida, Columbus, Buffalo and the Islanders gone

Carolina moved to Hamilton

Tampa Bay moved to Quebec City

Phoenix back to Winnipeg

This gives us

The Gretzky Division
Calgary
Colorado
Edmonton
Minnesota
San Jose
Vancouver

The ? Division
Anaheim
Chicago
Dallas
LA
St Louis
Winnipeg

The ? Division
Boston
Hamilton
Montreal
Ottawa
Quebec City
Toronto

The ? Division
Detroit
New Jersey
New York
Philly
Pittsburgh
Washington
- The Canucklehead

People who say Buffalo should fold should probably stop liking hockey bc you have shown you no nothing about hockey and really fyi Buffalo is the top American hockey city and we will win the cup this year to show you !!!

Atlanta
Phoenix
Nashville
Florida
NY Islanders
Tampa Bay

If the NHL will in fact contract, I have written an argument for the reality of SPORTS.

Respectively, A committed ticket purchaser pays on average $100.00.

With 6 teams out of the league, A butterfly affect occurs.

Here is some light math -

1 arena = (ON AVERAGE) 18,000 Seats and Plenty more tickets sold

18,000 + 6 = 108,000 ( seats )

The average, which is 100$ per seat, would be 180,000 dollars for one game.

Magnify 180,000 41 home games per one team.

I am sure I do not have to spell the rest of this math equation out.

My point being is that it will save an average ticket buyer 100$ per 41 days of 365 days a year... making the total savings per/yr around $4,100.00.

1. Fans will have more money to spend on family things.

2. Fans will have more time to spend creating something like a garden or volunteering at your local anywhere ( why volunteer? Because you just gained $4100 dollars per year )

3. There are about 1 hockey player(s) per 1,000 fans. I think 1,000 low-end, low money income per/yr fans could use the 2.4 million some random hockey player was paid to play.

More to come..

My earlier post was one of what is sure to be hundreds of reasons why.

Any one who said Buffalo would lose their team are just haters. Even before Pegula their was no stats to suggest that the team was financially unviable nor was the fan base deteriorating. Even now the teams fan base is still going strong. We have a ton of community hockey programs run by the Sabres growing the fan base further in demographics that normally dont follow hockey. Contrary to popular believe we dont need southern Ontario to survive, a team around Hamilton wont effect us the way people think it will. The Buffalo market is really strong. Especially for a rust belt team. The 6 teams that would be gone are most likely Florida, Phoenix (if they make it till then), Dallas, Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Columbus

Do people who reply to your blogs even watch hockey? I agree that Atlanta should not have a team and so did the NHL and that is why they play in Winnipeg now. The New York Islanders are under new ownership and are moving to the Barkley Center next season. It is in Brooklyn, but that is on Long Island. I would have no problem with Florida, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Arizona, Columbus, and unfortunately Winnipeg being the six odd teams out. Tampa Bay has talent and a Stanley Cup and still has to give it's tickets away. Florida is in the same boat. The rest would just be swallowed up by the laws of attrition. I am sure this will never happen and expansion, although ridiculous, is more likely to occur. Please know something about hockey when commenting on hockey. It makes it more interesting.

Any one who said Buffalo would lose their team are just haters. Even before Pegula their was no stats to suggest that the team was financially unviable nor was the fan base deteriorating. Even now the teams fan base is still going strong. We have a ton of community hockey programs run by the Sabres growing the fan base further in demographics that normally dont follow hockey. Contrary to popular believe we dont need southern Ontario to survive, a team around Hamilton wont effect us the way people think it will. The Buffalo market is really strong. Especially for a rust belt team. The 6 teams that would be gone are most likely Florida, Phoenix (if they make it till then), Dallas, Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Columbus
- CodyMFFC

Our lists are similar, and the only reason I chose Winnipeg before Dallas is the Stars have done a similar job in promoting hockey in Dallas as Buffalo has in their community. I am from Niagara Falls Canada and Buffalo is a strongly supported franchise. I worry about Winnipeg because there are no big corporate sponsors in that community.