Follow @TomGidlow Indications are the NHL will be expanding in the next couple of years. Relocation, expansion's ugly twin brother, is also a possibility. Relocation can be a touchy, sometimes abrasive possibility, depending on where you are or where you'd like to see the league go to (or come back to, or leave...).
The two most logical destinations being bandied about for expansion are Las Vegas and Quebec City. Other locales that are in the general discussion (probably more for future years) are Kansas City, Seattle, Hamilton, Toronto, and Boise (just kidding on that last one...though the Boise Potatoes has an odd ring to it), among others.
Las Vegas seems primed for expansion. A new arena, an always bustling city, and a healthy season ticket drive, along with deep-pocketed owners, are setting a solid foundation. Toss in the likelihood of a much-improved expansion draft where better players will be available than in years past, and the odds of a winner being bred earlier are much higher.
Quebec City, though, seems more apt for relocation. And that's where this tale takes a nosedive into the abyss of righteousness, expectation, and the long-term stability of the National Hockey League.
The team I cover here on HockeyBuzz, the Carolina Hurricanes, are now square in the cross hairs of what is sure to be a tumultuous year or two in tobacco country. After Canes owner Peter Karmanos reportedly had a meeting, discussion, or some other form of communication with Quebecor, the ownership group trying to land an NHL franchise in Quebec City, all eyes turned to Raleigh and whether or not the Hurricanes could become the Nordiques.
The idea of this being even a remote possibility leaves a sour taste in my throat. Almost everyone with an opinion on this subject realizes the odds of Carolina uprooting to Canada are very slim. But there's just enough bait on the end of the line to earn the rod holder a bite or two, and in the world we occupy these days, that's all it takes to make a mole hill a mountain.
Karmanos has reportedly been looking for a successor ever since his long time partner Thomas Thewes passed away a few years back. Unable to get a firm commitment from local business owners and entrepreneurs (which is its own story for another day) in the North Carolina area, Karmanos now sits in a precarious position.
Does he sell to any viable interested group? Does that group have a mandate to keep the team in Carolina? Will the league approve the sale of the team, should it happen, to anyone with any inkling to move the Hurricanes?
All of those questions, and more, will be answered at some point. My focus at the moment is the vulture-like quickness of those who can't wait to perpetuate supposed failures and the notion of 'automatic success'.
Quebec will sell out every game, they say. The team will be competitive, and their fans will appreciate the product more. Take one of those wayward 'southern teams' and bring them here, they say. We'll show the NHL the error of their ways.
Except they would be wrong. Regardless of whether or not Quebec 'deserved' to lose their team in the first place, almost every team that's been a target of the "it's a failure, move them!" crowd has been able to earn success given the time necessary.
Give a team a chance, eh? Go back to the Original Six, who had it relatively easy all things considered. These clubs played five other teams and each one of them won a Stanley Cup during the original heyday. Almost every other team that came in the years after the first expansion era - many of whom struggled mightily for many years, even with success on the ice - were given a relative chance to succeed, something many don't seem to have the patience for anymore.
It's easy to say "it just won't work", or "it's not working so it'll never work!" It's harder to stick it out. It should also be harder to mock those who do stick it out - the ticket holders and fans who dedicate just as much as their counterparts in the Great White North. But with the internet more available than ever, that sadly isn't the case.
Good people in Arizona, Florida, Carolina, Tampa (yes, even the Lightning fans were mocked), Nashville (who's mocking now?), and other places have all taken turns being the butt of many jokes. All of these franchises have tasted success, and most of them are starting to grow generational roots. Some just take longer than others. Would anyone who was shouting for Florida to move be saying that now?
So was Atlanta beyond repair? Maybe, maybe not. But that was a unique situation in which the fans largely were indifferent to the team staying or going. The Thrashers (as the Atlanta Flames before them) were not able to grow roots, create a culture of retention or a corporate umbrella of major sponsors, and were fourth fiddle behind three other professional sports franchises in or around the city.
The bottom line is this - however slim the chance, there isn't a team in the NHL as it stands right now that should be moved, or is even a potential candidate to be moved. If Peter Karmanos wants out, the NHL should afford the Hurricanes franchise every opportunity that Phoenix received, and they should be active in finding someone committed to keeping the team where they are. Karmanos doesn't need to sell the team to someone who obviously has little interest in maintaining their presence in Raleigh.
This means unless Quebecor is ready to pony up the $500 million expansion fee, they shouldn't be expecting an NHL team in the long-term, foreseeable future. Not from Carolina, and not from anywhere else. It may not be a popular opinion, but the NHL has a commitment to the areas that have proven they can be successful. And like it or not, Carolina fits in that category.
Thomas Gidlow covers the Carolina Hurricanes here on HockeyBuzz.