Seattle never should have lost the Sonics.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Well, the same reason they lost the Sonics is the same reason they will have a problem getting funding for a new arena/reonvations. They couldnt get it for the Sonics and thats why they left town

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"I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup Rings plugging my ears...." -Patrick Roy in reference to Jeremy Roenick's trash talking

fuck it, im back... FOR NOW. TILL ANOTHER JINX IS MADE. assholes. makin me come back.

key arena was renovated in the mid 90s. it used to be seattle center. it was a dump before the renovation, and after, it was a nice arena, but was quickly outdated. seattle is in the fold to get an NBA expansion team next wave of expansion, on condition of a new arena. so a new arena is also probable.

as for portland, its a good city and all, but the trailblazers are number 1 there. hell, the blazers hold the north american pro sports record for longest sold out streak. a hockey team in portland would not do as well as the blazers, and it might be a slightly better situation over atlanta or phoenix, but the bottom line is, in both those cities, the NBA team gets huge support, while the nhl suffers. it would happen in portland too.

thirdly, and lastly. the detroit red wings will not, and have been told this by the nhl, they will not be an eastern conference team. they will move nashville and columbus first to the east. will. not. happen.

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I would love to have Columbus moved to the EC. Two Sabres away games a season I could go to would be AWESOME.

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mechaphil

right? i love the jackets. well, i love steve mason.

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If someone would move to, say, Kansas City from the EC, then moving Nashville or Columbus to the EC would be the easiest, most logical step the NHL could take.

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mechaphil

I'd very much like it if the Coyotes moved to Seattle. Vancouver isn't too far of a drive to go see a game, but it would be nice to be able to just drive 20 minutes to Seattle to catch some action. (And a lot of people up here would love to see a pro hockey team)

Well when you only have one pro sports team in a city of course its gonna be the number one team. If you put a hockey team in Portland I think they would do well. However I dont think they could support both the WinterHawks and an NHL team but I see no reason why they couldn't at least try Portland. If the arena holds enough than they have a leg up on Seattle and other cities.

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Driver of the Tyler Ennis Bandwagon, Ridin' shotgun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon, chillin' on the Luke Adam Bandwagon


Eh

I really think that if they were to relocate, it should be to a Canadian city.

yeah, but A. the rose garden isnt exactly new. they would want a new arena eventually, whereas seattle would build a new arena rather easily.

and its not like the people of portland just go because its the only show in town. they absolutely LOVE the blazers. an NHL team would not supplant them.

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Well until there is another show in town they will obviously love their trail blazers. I'm just saying why not try a market close to Canada that currently only has one pro team.

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Driver of the Tyler Ennis Bandwagon, Ridin' shotgun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon, chillin' on the Luke Adam Bandwagon


Eh

id rather try seattle, which has baseball and football, but no winter competition. plus seattle is a larger city.

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I think Portland would be a bomb hockey city, but Seattle will be a better bet. They have no winter sports option and would be a city that could completely focus on hockey after football and before baseball.

Seattle >>> Portland at this point.

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mechaphil

apparently, paul allen, owner of the blazers runs the rose garden. and his response to an NHL competing in the rose garden is a flat no. he will not let it happen in his building. and they wont build an arena for a relocated team.

so, a team in portland has 000000.00000 traction.

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So this guy doesn't want more money? If it's his building why would you say no? that is 41 games of extra revenue he could have.

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he thinks the added cash flow wouldnt offset the money he would lose due to people going to hockey games over trailblazers games, and also, because suites are leased by year, with more events, the cost would skyrocket, leaving many vacant.

also he said there is ZERO corporate interest in an NHL franchise in portland. and as well, the winterhawks would fold or move if that happened.

you have to remember, oregon has been hit VERY hard by the recession, almost as bad as we have here in michigan.

in short, portland isnt an option.

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Where was this said at?

I dont know how this guy can be a billionaire and not understand that basketball fans and hockey fans are two very different breeds, and that if corporate sponsors will get behind the NLL and MLL out west, they will also support NHL. It seems like he's missing simple business practice principles here.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

Actually, Jay, the Portland Lumberjax folded because of a lack of corporate support and luxury boxes being filled. So the NLL failed. And the MLL has a single western team (the Denver Outlaws, which is located in the biggest city of an inexplicably lax-crazy state) - they didn't make the same mistake the NLL did by trying to expand away from being what it is, a regional league.

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mechaphil

Don't correct me damn it!

Either way, it would be the only NHL franchise in Oregon, even Seattle wouldn't be a bad spot. I'm just curious as to what Paul Allen's motives are to opposing NHL hockey in Portland, and why he feels he'd lose money leasing the building out to a franchise. I mean, if the nets and devils can share an arena (Prudential Center) why couldn't they?

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

Well, the difference here is that Paul Allen owns the Rose Garden, whereas The Rock is owned by the city of Newark.

A lot of people (beat writers, team people with the TBlazers) believe that Paul Allen doesn't want to take the financial gamble of investing in an NHL team, what with the immense costs of a professional hockey team (boards, cooling system, zambonis, equipment, payroll, etc etc). We're talking hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate and retrofit an existing (and pretty old) arena alone, and on top of that is the yearly upkeep and pay roll. He's looking at an inital investment of 400 to 500 million right off the bat, possibly.

Then you've got the possibility of Paul Allen leasing out the arena to a prospective owner, but even then he'd either have to front the costs of retrofitting the arena for hockey use, or he'd have to trust that the owner will front the costs for it. Do you think Paul Allen really wants to be on the wrong end of an owner defaulting on expensive payments (a la Tom Hicks and his half a billion in owed lease payments in Dallas)?

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mechaphil