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Originally Posted by rrskylar
I've said the same thing all along, Thunder Bay always seemed like a poor choice. Wonder if Calgary and Edmonton re-visit having their A' teams in their buildings if the Jets/Moose thing works?
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Highly doubtful. The AHL wouldn't do well Calgary or Edmonton because the WHL is so well established in both of those markets and between the 2 on a business level its a clear choice. The WHL brings in potentially the same amount of revenue and requires far less operating budget due to the geography and salary differences in both leagues. San jose is also sharing the SAP center with the farm club. The problem with double occupancy is a lot of the modern arenas of today are just way to big for minor clubs. MTS Centre and SAP can get away with it because with a simple curtain they do a fairly good job at disguising themselves as a smaller arena with a low ceiling and only one row of suites. I don't think it would fair as well in Philly or Ottawa where the abundance of dead space would suck any atmosphere right out of the place.
The Leafs have what every team will be striving towards when it come to affiliate models. The Habs will have the same once Bell Place in Laval (30 minute drive from Montreal) is complete. However True North has the true fairy tail situation. 2 teams, 1 set of bills, Not just close to home but AT home in a perfect size arena that can pull off the needs of both franchises almost flawlessly. All they need is the fans to show up which I believe will happen. The Moose could also provide the added bonus of keeping the MTS centre viable for when the Jets grow out of it and need a new building a few decades down the road