wanderer34

Time will tell whether the VGK survives in Vegas, but the VGK deserves a chance, although I'm no fan of keeping a sports team in Vegas due to gambling interests and unsavory influences. I agree, Atlanta was overall a major failure for both the Flames and the Thrashers. Both teams made the playoffs, but could never generate any fanfare the way the Nordiques, the Jets, and the Whalers did due to geography as well as maybe demographics. Metro Atlanta may be much bigger in population than Winnipeg, Quebec, and Hartford, but it doesn't make it a strong hockey market. With the exception of CA, TX, and FL, outside of those states, hockey just isn't a strong enough sport than football, baseball, or basketball outside of CA, TX, and FL. There's enough expats from the Northeast, the Midwest, and even in Canada to support the Kings, the Ducks, the Sharks, the Stars, the Panthers, and the Lightning, and you have strong fan bases for those teams as opposed to the Coyotes, the Thrashers, and the Hurricanes. Winnipeg deserved to get the Jets back because they have a new arena plus fans who are willing to support the Jets through thick and thin, The same can happen to Quebec if Buttman can get his head out the owners' asses and understand that you have to place hockey teams in strong markets, not bigger markets like Phoenix and Atlanta which doesn't have a strong fan base for hockey. The only 90's expansion team I'm willing to helping is the Florida Panthers. They're a victim or location, not fan support, especially when the Panthers haven't even been competitive until the past couple of seasons, thanks to Coach Q. Only way to save the Panthers is to renovate the FTX Arena and make it suitable for hockey and move the team to Miami. I can understand moving the Dolphins from the Orange Bowl to Miami Gardens due to infrastructure, but moving the Panthers from Miami to Sunrise was a huge mistake on late owner Huizenga's part, even though it seemed fair to move the Panthers to Broward to centralize the fan base. Miami is too lucrative of a city and a market to not have a professional sports team as Miami currently has four and a fifth pro sports team would help Miami and the NHL out. If there was enough space to place a hockey team since with Seattle, there's 32 NHL teams, I'd give Houston and NHL team. Only problem is that with the mathematics, plus during playoff time, where eight teams from each conference compete with one another and the other half stays at home, having 32 NHL teams is perfect because it balances all those teams when it comes to the playoffs. Orlando will never get an NHL due to being too close to Tampa Bay, likewise San Antonio, while not close to Houston, is close enough and ditto to Dallas, Portland had a better chance of getting a baseball team than a hockey team, and Austin, as big as it is, is just not a strong pro sports town and more of a college town, similar to Columbus. Ask the hockey fans in Winnipeg. If Winnipeg can get a hockey team back in Manitoba, then Quebec fans are able to attract hockey back to Quebec City and even ditto for Hartford!!!