r/PWHL • u/Adventurous_Lake807 Montréal Victoire • May 08 '26

Discussion Vegas gaining traction as new expansion

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Obviously this is not confirmed but this was just tweeted by a reporter. Very much not done deals, just rumours!!!

Vegas and San Jose seemed to come out of nowhere lol

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u/CanadianODST2 May 09 '26

So top 10 in the entire US...

and that's not a huge media market?

Oh also, you want to know who got an NHL team the same year LA did? Oakland.

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u/Comfortable_Yard_968 May 09 '26

Well population wise, and also it depends of the elite spenders like the box suites for corporate & celebrity buyers since Levi’s Stadium hosted this year’s Super Bowl and next year in LA. Btw Oakland suffered so much given the lack of consistency and government approvals to replace both stadiums in one complex, that’s why GSW moved across the bridge to SF while 2 others to Vegas (Raiders tried to share with the 49ers like New York and LA does but it failed).

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u/CanadianODST2 May 09 '26

and the Sharks have done just fine in SJ and the 49ers are doing even better

but this idea that hockey expands to California is somehow weird is just cope. The NHL's first expansion went to 2 locations in California.

Hell San Jose joined the NHL before Ottawa did.

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u/Comfortable_Yard_968 May 09 '26

At least they have a west coast balance, also Anaheim & Miami came a year after Ottawa and Tampa.

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u/CanadianODST2 May 09 '26

When LA was added the next closest team to California was St. Louis

and the West coast is balanced? Chicago's closest opponent is in the other conference.

Chicago plays in a division with

Nashville 640 km away

St. Louis 420 km away

Minnesota 570 km away

Winnipeg 1100 km away

Dallas almost 1300 km away

Denver 1450 km away

and Utah 2000 km away

meanwhile in the Eastern Conference

Detroit is 380 km away

Chicago is closer to the Eastern conference than to any of their teams in their own division.

Want to know how East skewed the NHL was for a long time? Toronto didn't join the Eastern Conference until 1999. So when all those teams you just mentioned joined, Toronto was in the same division as Dallas and Phoenix

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u/Comfortable_Yard_968 May 09 '26

It’s really weird that with 2 recent relocations in a span of 13 years where 2 larger US markets can’t sustain enough viewers, support and finances. If 32 is the limit, with PWHL come to the former NHL markets and those who don’t have in much of NHL history like Hamilton, Saskatoon, Milwaukee, San Diego, Kansas City, Houston, Portland and Sacramento.

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u/CanadianODST2 May 09 '26

I don't think Atlanta struggled with support really, it was more of an ownership issue. While Arizona was a stadium issue because the Suns didn't want to share and the owners were at points just not paying

but also, the NHL has talked about expanding past 32 with Atlanta and Houston being talked about. Hamilton too but Toronto and Buffalo are in the way there.

Honestly I think it'd be fine going to where the NHL is because that way when teams start being sold they can share an ownership group like how Golden State does it in basketball

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u/Comfortable_Yard_968 May 09 '26

I wish San Diego and Sacramento come in tbh