Quebec City must wait to re-join league
Vegas team to be built partly through an expansion draft of non-protected players
By
Mark Schadenberg
Expansion
in the NHL is a good idea, but the question persists that it seems to be about
who has the largest cheque book and not really about where is the correct
market.
The
National Hockey League is expanding to 31 teams by adding Las Vegas.
The
news was made officially official Wednesday as the league gathered in Vegas to
hand outs its hardware (year-end trophies) and announce they had made the hard
decision of selecting Las Vegas over Quebec City (and in essence other
destinations).
I’m
not sure how much of the $500 million entry fee will go to the individual clubs
versus staying in the coffers of the NHL head office, but I do believe the time
had arrived to add teams. My thinking has always been that if you looked at AHL
rosters, the amount of talent exists. There would also be more jobs for sports
stars from Sweden, Russia and other overseas ports.
The
players’ association also wants more top-league jobs and they have gained 23 at
least. The collective bargaining agreement includes almost a 50 / 50
dollar-flow split between teams and players, but it’s how the teams divide
their cash that could be analyzed to permit smaller markets to be stronger and
to find a spot for Quebec City.
If
the current member teams do not think certain clubs carry their share of the
revenue weight, move the team. I think the math is simple, with some obvious
complexities revolving around the utilization of a quick tug on a rug which someone
is standing on.
The
new Vegas Vipers (or whatever their moniker will be) will debut in time for the
2017-18 season. I would think this announcement should have been made a few
months ago so the Vegas Vagabonds could participate in this weekend’s draft.
Maybe not the first or second round, but be given the opportunity to begin
stockpiling prospects in rounds 3 through 7. None of those players would be
ready for 16-17 anyway and would all play junior or college (NCAA) this season.
Quebec City Has A Brand New Rink
QUEBEC
CITY
Quebec
City has an arena already built (Videotron Centre), which replaced the Colisee,
but the Quebec capital does not have a NHL team. I checked out their website at
www.lecentrevideotron.ca and noticed they have many top-level
events booked like concerts by Bryan Adams, Celine Dion (five days in August), Simple
Plan, Maroon 5, and Def Leppard (with REO Speedwagon), plus a pre-tournament
game in the World Cup of Hockey (North America vs Europe), and even a WBC world
championship boxing card.
However,
no team in the NHL standings yet.
Blame
the standing of the Canadian dollar and its current level of hovering around 78
cents.
"There
is no doubt as to the passion for hockey, particularly NHL hockey, in Quebec
City," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a www.nhl.com
story. "There is no doubt as to the suitability of Videotron Centre as a
home arena for a team. And there is no doubt regarding the ownership credentials
or the eagerness to own an NHL team of Quebecor, which has been an outstanding
league partner. These components, the ones within the control of the Quebec
City applicant, are first-rate. The decision to defer, however, were based on
elements over which Quebec City and the Quebec City group had no control
whatsoever."
LAS
VEGAS
The
owner of the Las Vegas club is Bill Foley and he’s already submitted a hefty
cheque simply to be part of the application process.
In
a story on the NHL website, Foley suggested Black Knights would be a good name
for his squad. Foley believes Las Vegas is a sports city and large enough (2.3
million population) for a major sports franchise in hockey.
"Our
great sports town now has a major league franchise, the NHL," Foley said
to Dan Rosen of www.nhl.com. "It's the best of the leagues. It's a
legendary league. Las Vegas is my home along with 2.3 million other people. We
want everyone to be a fan. We're dedicated to it. We'll leave no stone unturned
in our dedication and our pursuit of hockey here in Las Vegas, not just for our
team, but for the community."
The
process of building a team will be fun to watch as the team must select a
general manager and scouting crew, and likely before the 2017 draft hire a
coaching staff.
The
team will recruit players through a dispersal draft of the current 30 teams, so
Vegas will have 30 players (Must pick at least 14 forwards, 9 defencemen and 3
goalies, and at least 20 players with signed contracts for that upcoming 17-18 season)
from a list not protected by the current member teams. The formula is
interesting and may force some teams to fudge and fidget with their numbers
this season as players to be made available will be based on games played and
other factors.
With
Vegas in the fold, there will now be 15 teams in the West conference and 16 in
the East. If the league wants to eliminate this non-balance completely they
will have to expand next to Seattle, Portland or perhaps Houston or Salt Lake
City.
I’m
of the opinion they should also add a team in Quebec City and continue to iron
out some sort of revenue sharing based on market sizes, TV revenue, the Canuck
loonie, population of markets, and the overall financial feasibility for a
franchise in various markets. In other words, maybe it’s time to move the
Scouts out of Kansas City, the Thrashers out of Atlanta, the Barons out of
Cleveland, and the Panthers out of Miami.
Let’s
give the Las Vegas market an opportunity here as they have money commitments
from 14,000 season ticket holders.
The
Las Vegas ice box was built by a group of investors including the MGM Grand and
Anschutz Entertainment (Part of the ownership group of the Los Angeles Kings), and
boasts 17,500 seats along with private boxes. The arena will also attract many
one-time only concerts and other sports events in this tourist destination to
make it a well-funded feasible facility.
New
NHL rivalries will begin, including Los Angeles, Anaheim and Dallas.
“I
think the potential is great here,” Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said
Tuesday in Vegas, where the league held its board meeting and hand out the
annual player awards. “It’s time for our league to expand. I think our game’s
going in the right direction. We’ve got labour peace, the salary cap’s working
well. All the positives are there for a chance for our game to grow.”
LINKS:
https://www.nhl.com/news/nhls-move-to-las-vegas-is-smart-business-decision/c-281013062?tid=281011650
https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2016/06/22/nhl-set-to-bet-on-a-team-in-sin-city-las-vegas.html
http://www.t-mobilearena.com/events/vegas-wants-hockey
http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/five-potential-gm-candidates-for-the-las-vegas-expansion-team/
www.lecentrevideotron.ca
http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/five-potential-gm-candidates-for-the-las-vegas-expansion-team/
www.lecentrevideotron.ca
HOCKEY FAN & FULL-TIME REALTOR
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist
(SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . .
Destination
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