Quote:
Originally Posted by ericmacm
ESPN reporter John Buccigross just posted on Twitter that Atlanta is maybe back on the radar, along with Houston for a new expansion. The new team would potentially be based out of the Alpharetta neighbourhood, half an hour away from downtown Atlanta, and supposedly has a very large potential ownership group that wants to make it happen. This was also confirmed by another NHL insider source. |
I'm not sure what to make of NHL insiders leaking and playing coy with expansion news. Seems like test balloons to see how people react. Is Alpharetta anywhere near where Gwinnett used to play? I seem to recall an ECHL or AHL team in Georgia that did fine for a number of years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericmacm
These are the two biggest markets in the US with no team. Based on the earlier rumour about Austin, Houston, and Toronto2, it looks like Atlanta is that fourth piece in the run up to 36 teams. Definitely stings about Quebec City, but the reality is that our dollar sucks and our cities are generally not as rich or as lucrative for media contracts as US cities.
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Market is simply tapped out from a revenue perspective, particularly if we are to consider whether or not Rogers (or anyone else) will pay more for the next TV contract if there is another team. If it's up to Canada's media conglomerates I can imagine which market they would choose between a second GTA team or Quebec City, the issues with the latter market (as you've pointed out) notwithstanding.
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