NHL OR NBA, let the message board decide!!

[TheSmokinPun]

That will never ever happen. Rocket Richard would come back from the dead and prevent this.

They dont belong anywhere but Montreal, they are Montreal. When I think of the city, first thing that comes up is the Canadiens. That would ruin KC as a hockey city, or anywhere if they ever moved, because people would see the city as stealing the most successful franchise in NHL history and the 2nd most successful championship winning major league sports team in North America.

[Ez Street]

Some dipshit thinks KC should focus on the AHL for now, since the NHL is apparently not ready to move to KC.

http://www.cjonline.com/interact/blog/d ... or_the_ahl

[ntbpo]

Screw the AHL. KC is too large of a city and it has a state of the art facility, some professional team will eventually move into the Sprint Center. I hope KC gets a NHL over an NBA team so we could get some good Blues/KC rivalry games goin!

[Ez Street]

With that logic, what do you think of the Houston Aeros?

[KansasCityCraka]

Trying to get Kevin Constantine back to KC?

[TheSmokinPun]

As much as I would love any hockey team to come here, I'm afraid the AHL would hurt us more than help us. People would shun the team for not being the BIG LEAGUE. It may be successful for say Houston, but the Aeros in one form or another have been around since the WHA. There's at least 4 AHL cities that are trying in several ways to get a NHL team. Hartford wouldnt be considered until they build a new arena, Hamilton has to fight with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment not wanting another team in Ontario.

A lot of people, including me, say that Winnipeg is ready for the NHL again regardless if their arena doesnt have 20k seats. They dont need it. They would fill that arena every night plus SRO even if they were in last. Houston's arena is like the Sprint Center, it's hockey ready now. People talk about Vegas but Vegas doesnt really have a NHL ready venue, but KC, Winnipeg, and Houston do.

[Ez Street]

The problem with all those markets, including ours, is lack of potential ownership.

Having no team looks worse than having an AHL team, I think.

Who would want to risk an NHL venture when the market hasn't had a team since the freaking Outlaws left town.

Having an AHL team is a bridge toward the NHL, as you can begin to re-build the fanbase. It would be a lot easier to sell season tickets eventually if you have fans conditioned to going to games.

McGannon and Co. are not doing KC any favors. One exhibition between two teams with no local juice (ex: LA and New York) will not prove our worth.

[GRID]

I would love to have an AHL team at Sprint.  It's a good level of hockey.

Not sure people in KC will go through the troubles of going downtown and paying for parking and the higher prices of tickets and concessions at Sprint when there is a CHL team in Independence though.

For that reason I think AHL would fail here.

I'm not sure that KC would support an NHL or NBA team anymore.  I was once very confident this city could, but the attendance at Royals, Chiefs, Speedway etc are way down.  The Royals draw off the charts small crowds now while 9k show up to see the worst baseball you could pay to watch (tbones) because they think it's so much cheaper.

Can KC put 17k in a downtown arena for every home game?  I really have my doubts, even after the economy recovers.

[KCFutbol]

Knowledgeable hockey fans would rather see AHL hockey than the beer league hockey that is the CHL.

[GRID]

Knowledgeable hockey fans would rather see AHL hockey than the beer league hockey that is the CHL.

agreed.

But is there enough?

Denver has NHL and two CHL teams last time I checked, so it could work.  But it takes a special market.

I want NHL or at least AHL at the Sprint Center, but I'm afraid in this town, the CHL team will be enough to create havoc on any AHL team.

Like I said, see the tbones.  I can't stand them and neither can my kids, but they out draw most higher level MLB farm teams and even the Royals on many week nights.

This is a very "cheap" city.

[KCFutbol]

agreed.

But is there enough?

Denver has NHL and two CHL teams last time I checked, so it could work.

Good question. Omaha is a great hockey town but was unable to support three teams, Lancers (USHL), Knights (AHL), and UNO (NCAA Div 1).

In this economy, two teams in KC may be too many. It's too bad because I really miss hockey. I loved attending Blades games when we first moved here.

[jlbomega]

At this point we need to start looking at the AHL.  Pro franhise relocation regardless of sport just does not happen much anymore.  Look at how difficult it was to finally move the Expos out of Montreal.  Teams have no interest in moving these days.  Moving is only a threat to the local fanbases to pony up their tax dollars so owners can build nicer stadiums that generate more revenue to line their pockets. 

How many pro teams have moved in recent years that did not involve the sale to local ownership in the new town?

[Ez Street]

I can see where most folks in KC wouldn't know about the CHL club and only be aware of the AHL team. A lot of folks didn't know about the shitty Outlaws team that called Kemper home, because those leagues don't have the resources needed to advertise like the AHL can.

The CHL will stick to the 100,000 citizens in the Independence area and the AHL squad could concentrate on KC Metro and maybe even points like Lawrence and St. Joe.

The two league are night and day, play wise, but their tickets are probably similarly priced.

[mgsports]

Seattle has the Storm as a WNBA and no NBA team at the moment because they are in OK City know and also have the Mariners and Seahawks.
Independence is Hockey here for now.
Olathe needs a Minor League team.

[KCFutbol]

WNBA team is what we need.
Independence is Hockey here for now.
I say some where in Johnson County KS area for some kind of Sports team.

WNBA. Thanks, but no thanks.

What kind of "Sports team" do you think Johnson County needs? Just curious.

[NDTeve]

WNBA team is what we need.
Independence is Hockey here for now.
I say some where in Johnson County KS area for some kind of Sports team.

Couldn't disagree more. WNBA?? How many people would that bring out? 1,000...and not exactly the demo that PandL needs to succeed.

[WSPanic]

No way we get a WNBA team before an NBA team. You generally don't see one without the other - and for good reason. The WNBA isn't a stand-alone league.

I think the only city that has WNBA and no NBA is Connecticut (I know that's not a city - but who the hell knows/cares where they play).

[KCMax]

Couldn't disagree more. WNBA?? How many people would that bring out? 1,000...and not exactly the demo that PandL needs to succeed.

They average about 8,000 fans a game. I don't see how that would hurt at all unless it took prime dates. But yea, its not happening without an NBA franchise.

[NDTeve]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

"Oh....51st State...."

[KCMax]

NHL meets with business group hoping to score another team for Toronto

The most obvious candidate for a move is the Phoenix Coyotes. The franchise is tied to an arena lease in Glendale, Ariz., until 2033, but the team is bleeding money with losses estimated to be in the area of $35-million (U.S.) this year. The NHL stepped in to keep the team afloat for the 2008-09 season, and there is some speculation that the league may attempt to negotiate a break-fee with Glendale in order to sell the club to a new owner.

One source at the NHL governors level said "there is something happening in Phoenix," but did not know specifics. League commissioner Gary Bettman did receive permission from the NHL governors recently to increase the league's line of credit to $190-million, in part to subsidize the Coyotes for at least one more season.

In Toronto, the group was told by Mr. Daly that the NHL is "not currently considering expansion nor do we have any intention or desire to relocate an existing franchise," according to a source.