I am going to keep following this story and I will link up any news I see pertaining to this story. I believe the NHL is failing miserably in non-traditional hockey markets and I believe the NHL needs to correct these mistakes. I find it interesting that Bettman is now open to going back to markets in Canada that had teams previously.
CHICAGO — Gary Bettman seems more open than ever to bringing NHL franchises back to Winnipeg and Quebec City.
The NHL commissioner has been open about the league’s interest in the two cities recently. He says it has more to do with the economics of the sport than a change in his point of view.
“I think people tend to rewrite history,” Bettman said Sunday night in an interview with The Canadian Press. “When the Nordiques and the Jets left, there was no building and no possibility of a building. And there was no one who wanted to own a team there any more. You can’t maintain a team in those circumstances.
“Those two factors have apparently (changed). In one case it’s been reversed and in another case they’re trying to reverse it.”
Bettman is confident Winnipeg’s MTS Centre is capable of housing an NHL team and has heard from key officials in Quebec about their desire to build a new arena there.
Just as importantly, he has received serious interest from prospective owners. Mark Chipman and David Thomson of True North Sports and Entertainment made a serious pitch to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and return them to Winnipeg, and Bettman says he’s heard from more than one “substantial” group in Quebec.
Interestingly, a painful year for hockey fans could wind up being a major factor in the rebirth of big league hockey in the two cities. Bettman credits the salary cap system that came out of the 2004-05 lockout for making it possible.
“I don’t think you would have found owners interested in those markets without the current economic system,” he said.
The most likely scenario that would see the number of Canadian NHL franchises increase is through.
