More Teams by 2017?
It has been a long warm summer but fall is in the air and that means, hockey season is near! Once again I put my lucky hockey puck on my desk (Toronto Maple Leafs) and I place my lucky beaded necklace on my wall, again a token of my love for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don’t forget to wear my hockey jersey on the cold days and my Leaf t-shirt on the warmer winter days. I cannot go to sleep in the season without my Leaf t-shirt on to keep me in dreams of Toronto winning the cup! I made a promise to myself years ago that I cannot die till my team, the Leafs win the Stanley Cup. I know, I know, this promise might be broken but I am only 51 right now so it gives the team some time. I want to be in the crowds of thousands walking down Young Street in downtown Toronto when they win. I hope that the team can fulfil my dream and I don’t need to play with a hologram to be included in the celebrations! C’mon team!
Now to the news of the day: In August I read an article that read ‘expansion’ in the NHL. The write-up was written by Howard Bloom from Sports Business News and a writer from the Province newspaper in Vancouver, Tony Gallagher. The article read that there might be an NHL expansion of four new teams Vegas, Toronto, Quebec City and Seattle by 2017. I have not heard any more about this, have my readers? The expansion fees would bloat the league with $1.4 billion.
The reason I bought this up is: do we need more teams in the NHL and all by 2017?
Does Vegas need a hockey team to gamble on? I am not sure if their locals are ‘into’ hockey like some cold climate cities. I think it might just be another craze fad to the Vegas crowds. Toronto is another story. Let us face the music together on this, if the Leafs cannot win, what makes another team better? Maybe the city can put their money/power and grace into the Leafs instead of a new team? I would second that motion. Seattle is building an arena for the NBA. Hockey was not discussed at all in the plans for the city. Then there is Quebec City. I am not 100% sure what is happening there but it looks like a no go.
I am wondering if this is an anniversary myth or what? 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the league.