Nobody gave them any reason to stay. Not the fans. Not the media. Not the City.

I guarantee you this – talk about moving the Avs or Islanders, and you’d see mass marches, filled parking lots, and two or three ‘old fashioned’ radio stations who would put on campaigns to keep them in town.

For you, and for govtminion here are some Hamilton facts.
Population (metro) – 692,000 about 2,000 less than Winnipeg making it the 9th largest city in Canada. It’s about a 40 mile drive from Downtown Toronto to Downtown Hamilton (and if traffic gets backed up it can feel like hours). It’s about 69 miles to the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

Facility – Copps Coliseum Hockey capacity 17,383 which is 2000 larger than MTS Centre in Winnipeg.

In terms of getting a team govtminion hit the nail on the head (but got one of the city’s wrong) when he said that any team there would be muscling in on territory. The city has the misfortune to be caught in the territories of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabers. Neither franchise wants a team in Hamilton because both believe that it would affect their attendance. Thing is that for fans who would go to Buffalo, increased border security makes it a lengthier process to get in and out, and to be honest people in Hamilton don’t feel an affinity for the Sabers, and haven’t since Tim Horton died. For fans who would go to Toronto, well from personal experience, the 401 at night with heavy traffic can be a nightmare. The financial base exists to support a team in Hamilton and region without harming either the Leafs or the Sabers.

I think Kansas City is the American front the runner far and wide for the next team. Possibly the Coyotes whenever that headache is resolved.

The Canadian front runner has gotta be Quebec. Like Winnipeg they have the itch to get another team back, and they are to my knowledge (insert joke) is a bigger city and Winnipeg.

NEXT TIER

Hamilton for some reason is in the mix, however I don’t know why. My guess is that it would cost them a lot to relocate. Winnipeg just paid the NHL 60 million to relocate, but is Hamilton in Toronto’s territory? If it is you have to add another X million in addtion to the 60 million NHL fee.

LONG SHOTS

Seattle. Nobody has ever brought them up as a possibility. They have a vunue in Key Arena they can play in while a new NHL arena is built. Has no basketball competition and no competition from the end of the NFL season to beginning of the MLB season.

San Antonio could play in AT&T Center and would give the Dallas Stars an in-state rival.

Portland. Has only 1 professional team in that market. They are able to play in the Rose Garden and I believe they sell a decent amount of tickets for the preseason NHL games they host.

Las Vegas. NHL will never place a team in Vegas with all the gambling.

Hartford. Bring back the Whale! However they might be in Boston’s and or either New York’s NHL Territory. But we can dream

Kidding aside, can someone please indulge this ignorant American and explain the fetish with moving an NHL team to Hamilton? I keep hearing it described as either a large suburb of Toronto, or as the Baltimore to Toronto’s Washington D.C.- big city, just very close by. Are either of these really correct? And is there really room for an NHL team to muscle in on Maple Leafs (and Senators, I suppose) territory?

No sarcasm intended in that (well, okay, except that first line), I honestly want to understand this and I just don’t know the situation all that well apparently.

Hamilton? Really? Why not Yellowknife, or Moose Jaw?

As for the radio stations I have to make sure you are aware that there are much more modern media outlets, than radio stations. I suppose there may be some Canadian fans who arent connected to the internet, but down in America, we have it for years.

If moving a team was based on fan support the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders would be moved first.

Bettman better hopes it works out better this time and that they did their research and the owners are in it for the long haul. I hope it does work out.

There is going to be some long/interesting road trips for Winnipeg this year, I would guess they will just write this year off and start fresh in two years. I wonder when the schedule comes out, I will be curious to see how it works out and wonder if those teams in the east will be doing Minnesota/Winnipeg back to backs.

I respect hockey fans everywhere, but not sure which fans in Atlanta were ‘left behind that loved the team’. The whopping 20 or so who showed up to protest the move? That in itself told me everything I needed to hear and averted any ‘sorrow’ for Thrasher fan base. The sports radio stations didn’t show up enmasse, they couldn’t muster more than a few to show up to keep the team in Atlanta?

Again, congrats to Winnipeg, who has proven by passion that they deserve an NHL team.