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Originally Posted by MonctonRad
Or Quebec City for that matter........
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Even Winnipeg. Took them 15 years to get their team back, and that was only because the NHL were backed into a corner with the owners of the Thrashers not wanting the team and no other city with an available arena with a willing owner with deep pockets.
If Calgary loses their team, it won't be easy to get it back.
One factor helping them is that Rogers won't be happy losing a Canadian team after paying so much for the TV rights with 9 years still left on the deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper
There are plenty of examples of cities being awarded expansion clubs not long after a team has left. Minnesota comes to mind in the NHL.
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The difference is that it's an American city. Like I said with Winnipeg - you can bet the NHL wasn't exactly thrilled to give them a team back.
The only Canadian cities the NHL really wants to protect are the 3 major markets (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) simply because of their size (and for Toronto's and Montreal's history)... and maybe Edmonton (because of Gretzky and it's success).