Expansion Talk at BOG Meetings?

[The Unknown Poster]

Interesting that Quebecor CEO is at the meetings. I wonder if this can be equated to when Chipman addressed the BOG.

CHRIS JOHNSTON

DECEMBER 7, 2014, 7:23 PM

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The titans of the hockey industry have arrived here not with storm clouds to weather, but a direction to course.

These are extremely heady times for the NHL’s board of governors. Gone are significant front-burner issues that dominated this annual gathering in recent years — namely, collective bargaining and the national Canadian TV rights negotiations — and here is a league that is on a more solid financial footing than ever before.

Now, as the most powerful men in the game sit down together Monday and Tuesday at the Boca Beach Club, this is a time for reflection.

And for planning.

Without question, the largest issue hanging over the proceedings is expansion. A formal process isn’t expected to be launched this week, according to a source, but commissioner Gary Bettman will provide an update on where things are at.

There is a varying level of interest from prospective owners in Las Vegas, Seattle, Quebec and the Greater Toronto Area, among others.

It is only a matter of time before the 30 owners welcome one or two new members. The NHL wants to be cautious in how and where it grows, but there are undoubtedly some on the board that are anxious to rake in their share of expansion fees that could be in excess of $400-million per franchise.

Publicly, Bettman has tried to downplay discussion about the seeming inevitability of a 32-team league.

“Even if we decided tomorrow, it wouldn’t happen for two or three years,” he said last month.

“It’s not a formulaic thing,” he added. “There are lots of other things that we’re doing to continue to grow the game. … There’s no effort crying out for immediate expansion but we are getting expressions of interest.”

The presence of Quebecor CEO Pierre Dion at the meetings in Boca Raton might fuel some speculation about Quebec City’s hopes to reclaim a team, but his attendance is said to be purely about providing an update on TVA’s French coverage — similar to what Keith Pelley and Scott Moore did on behalf of Rogers at September’s BOG.

The new arena being built there is well on its way to completion — Bettman recently admitted to seeing its progress via webcam — but fans in Quebec will probably have to wait for the relocation of an existing team, rather than expansion, according to the commissioner.

Las Vegas and Seattle hold considerable appeal because they would help balance out the number of teams in each conference.

“Eastern expansion, at this point, would probably have more issues to deal with than a Western expansion simply because we’re already out of balance,” Bettman said in November. “I’m not sure that anybody would want to see that get worse.”

Among the other important topics up for discussion by the board is the salary cap. The plunging Canadian dollar has left some GMs fearing that the upper level will drop from its current position of $69-million, but Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly are expected to announce projections for an increase above $70-million in 2015-16.

An update will also be provided on the proposed sale of a majority stake in the Arizona Coyotes to Philadelphia hedge-fund manager Andrew Barroway.

While participation in the 2018 Olympics isn’t on the formal agenda, it could be touched on as part of a larger discussion on the future of international competition. The final details of the 2016 World Cup are currently being nailed down — expect an official event announcement in January — and will be shared with the governors here.

Among those is a plan to field a European all-star team and “Young Guns” team alongside the top six hockey nations, as first reported by Sportsnet last month.

That tournament should be a significant revenue generator, with one source saying that profits are being targeted at $100-million. When you couple that with the possibility of massive expansion fees in the near future, the NHL’s financial picture should only improve from here.

Full speed ahead.

[AtlanticRiderFan]

gary lawless        ✔ @garylawless

Bettman and the NHL have agreed to allow Las Vegas to conduct a season ticket drive to test the market. #nhl

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The battle for a team in Las Vegas continues.

[The Unknown Poster]

Wow. It's one thing to speculate but this ices it. They are going to Las Vegas.

[Noeller]

the league desperately needs retraction...not expansion. Too many teams = too many sub-par players to fill out the rosters. If we went back to 21 teams, you'd see the level of hockey increase dramatically because there'd only be room for the best of the best players.

[New_Earth_Mud]

the league desperately needs retraction...not expansion. Too many teams = too many sub-par players to fill out the rosters. If we went back to 21 teams, you'd see the level of hockey increase dramatically because there'd only be room for the best of the best players.

 

 

I can agree with this somewhat...  But i wonder what would happen if you moved some teams to better markets. I wonder if the owners in Florida or some other places really care if they have sub par teams compared to if these teams had to move to places that fans demanded better.

 

There is the KHL and i think there are enough players around the world to fill all the teams with high skill if you have the owners in the market places that really want to fill it.

 

Oh and i think Vegas is a stupid place to start a hockey team.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Really want QC back but id hate to have separatists own it.

[johnzo]

the league desperately needs retraction...not expansion. Too many teams = too many sub-par players to fill out the rosters. If we went back to 21 teams, you'd see the level of hockey increase dramatically because there'd only be room for the best of the best players.

 

Oh man I'd love to see that.  Imagine how the talent level of teams would rise if you cut the bottom 30% of the league. 

[iso_55]

From everything I have read, the NHL  will not deal  with separatists. 

[The Unknown Poster]

Wasn't the separatist whatshisname meeting with the NHL recently?

I'm torn on this. I love Las Vegas and like the idea of hockey there. And not because I'd likely go see games because I prefer Vegas in the summer. But I think it adds a little edge to the NHL and I think hockey might work there for many reasons. People compare it to Arizona but there are differences. Vegas will have far greater corporate support. The government isn't involved financially. The arena is in the city. And their minor league team has plenty of support.

I'd certainly predict they will be done finically. The issue is having locals and not just hotels and tourists supporting the team. I'm intrigued and supportive.

[iso_55]

I was in Vegas two months ago. The service industry pays poorly. Where are people who live in Vegas going to find the money for season tickets? 

[The Unknown Poster]

I was in Vegas two months ago. The service industry pays poorly. Where are people who live in Vegas going to find the money for season tickets?

That's not their only job segment. Median household income is $53,000. Could be better. But tickets aren't going to be Winnipeg levels.