Should the NHL allow 3 teams within a 50 mile radius?

I don't think so.





I think the Rangers should stay, because they're a member of the "entitlement 6" and regularly compete - possibly upgrade their arena to hold 30,000.


The Islanders should go to Quebec City. I got seats on the glass for the Pens/Isles game for $75. That's pretty sad.


The Devils should move to Cleveland (the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL play in an NBA arena that could support an NHL team, and they draw more fans than the Devils do).





I don't want to hear about things like, "history". Neither of these teams could sell out a phone booth, and it's because the NYC metro area has too many damn teams.





By comparison, the closest team to Pittsburgh is Columbus - 185 miles.





There are a ton of markets that a team could thrive in the US and Canada- Milwaukee, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Halifax, Cleveland, and I could go on. NYC does not need 3 teams (and yes, the Devils count as an NYC team - you can see downtown NYC from the Prudential Center).|||No I don't think they should be allowed to do that|||Devils are one of the most profitable teams in the league. Why should they be moved, especially now that they play in a new arena?|||Why would Devils move? Idiot.....



Pittsburgh closest is Philly are you mental?



Halifax cant handle a team.



Did you even think this through before asking smh your stupid|||Hmmm. Start your own league and we'll see how your parameters work out.





- OR -





Let things be and wait until enough people populate more Canadian cities, and enough corporations decide to not only set up shop in said cities, but be profitable enough to feel compelled to throw revenue at teams and arenas that hypothetically could exist there.





Until the rules of business change, you'll have to wait until it takes more than an arena full of butts to keep a team in the black.





Face it, the opportunities are in America rather than the land where Hockey Deserves To Be.|||This question might be the most stupidest thing I've ever read.


Of course the Rangers can stay... But upgrading to 30,000? LOL, that's not even possible if you even think about it.


The Islanders have been struggling for the past few years, but that doesn't mean that they should be relocated. And with how much talent they have, and the possibilities of signing better players because of the cap space they have.. I don't think so... Getting a glass seat for 75 bucks? Congrats, but why would they make tickets more expensive if the team is not doing well. I agree that that the attendance isn't that well, but once they become more and more better with the talent they have, they'll be one of the teams with a playoff spot.


The Devils? Are you kidding me, and to a crappy city like Cleveland? The Lake Erie Monsters have a total attendance out of all their home games of 225452 and have played 36 games at home for an average of 6263 a game. On the other hand, New Jersey has a total attendance out of all their home games of 522469 a game and have played the same amount of games(36) and have an average of 14,513 a game... I really have no idea how you think that the Lake Erie Monsters are beating the Devils in attendance, there not even beating the Islanders,last in attendance with an average of 10650. The only reason NYC has so many teams is because of the population. That's why they have 2 teams or more, in every league,(NFL-Giants, Jets, NHL- Islanders, Rangers, Devils, NBA-Nets, Knicks, and MLB- Mets, Yankees)


Where does the random Pittsburgh statement come from? Vancouver is over 100 miles from another team too, and so is Dallas. What are you trying to prove?


Milwaukee-Maybe, But I don't think they would have a good fan-base, probably playing in half-empty stands everynight


Saskatoon-No Stadium that could support an NHL team


Quebec City- No stadium that could support an NHL team(I know they have one, but it only seats around 15000 which would make it the smallest arena in the NHL)


Halifax-No stadium, not enough population. Most NHL teams are located in cities with at least 500,000+


Cleveland-does anyone like hockey there? No fan base probably, because we all know how "awesome" Cleveland teams are right?


I don't know what you're trying to tell but the only reason NYC has 3 teams is because of the population.|||Ha. Well.





First of all... yes, the closest other NHL arena to pittsburgh is in columbus, but DC, Philly, and Buffalo are all within a few hours drive, as well.





And the reason that the NYC area has multiple teams is... well, the population is roughly EIGHT or NINE TIMES the size of the Pittsburgh area. (Pittsburgh MSA = ~2.3 million, NYC MSA = ~19.1 million). It seems to me that Pittsburgh should only have 1/8 of the number of teams that NYC has. Since NYC has 3... and 1/8 of 3 is less than one half... I round down. To zero. Sorry, Pittsburgh has to be folded.





I think it's ironic that a pittsburgh fan is arguing that because of poor attendance, other teams should fold. Are you aware of Pittsburgh's attendance pre-Crosby? Abysmal doesn't even begin to describe it.





Not to mention: How are you expanding MSG to hold 30,000 people (midtown manhattan doesn't have tons of extra room, you know)? How would you make an NHL team thrive in Milwaukee, Saskatoon, Halifax, or Cleveland?





And to the Debbie's fan who started bashing the rangers... HA. I don't even have time for you. NJ residents' inferiority complex is hilarious.|||Say what? Upgrade MSG to hold 30,000 people, that's never going to happen and neither is the the Devils moving since they just built a brand new arena in Newark, you actually think they'll vacate an arena they just built? There is 20 million people in the Tri-State area that surrounds NYC, they have more than enough people to support three teams. Name me one area between Pittsburgh and Columbus that would even be considered to have a pro sports franchise, there isn't one. The Pittsburgh and Columbus markets don't have enough people to support more than one team. But yup lets just let a team that just built a brand new arena four years ago get up and move. And there is no market between Pittsburgh and Philly that would support a pro team either.|||You are wrong. The Isles and the Devils don't draw big crowds TODAY, but when the teams were winning, they all sold out. New York divided into three teams is a far bigger hockey market than Quebec even, and none of the other options are even close in terms of potential markets.





New York/3 still has far more corporate presence than any of your other suggestions. Places like Halifax or Milwaukee could not even come close to the corporate support needed.





There are a number of NHL teas that could make good options for a move, but the New York area has no problems|||Yes they should. if the Isles weren't so bad, people would go to the games. The Devils have a solid attendance and the Devils/Rangers rivalry is one of the league's best. This sounds like an anti-NY rant more than anything. I could see the Isles moving but the Devils? Why should the Devils move? They just built a state of the art arena and they have a history of winning. They shouldn't move just because you don't like seeing the NYC metro area having 3 teams.



Toronto can handle two-three teams too and they pretty much already do have two teams (Buffalo and the Leafs).



@Anthony- nice bash of the Rangers since they're in playoffs and could get as high as the 5th seed, wish the Devs could say that. And what happens if the Devs can't afford Parise and he signs with say the Islanders (who have a ton of money) the Devs will be garbage. And actually, the Rangers have one of the best farm systems, while the Devils is among the worst. You haven't been paying attention. And no true Islander fan would root for the Rangers you putz so they don't steal fans. Maybe we'd go to more Islander games if Wang would invest money into the team instead of complaining that he can't get a new arena. I'm probably going to have to wind up rooting for the g-damn Rangers because the Isles will move to Quebec City.|||It's not about distance it's about population. And with close to 18 million people in the New York metropolitan area, three teams can be justified. That's 6 million per team - a lot more than any of the other cities you list. (Halifax and Saskatoon...Seriously?)





When the Islanders were good, they often sold out the Coliseum. They have been mismanaged for years, but that's not because they play too close to the Rangers. A team that bad would have attendance problems in Cleveland, too. The Devils have never had great attendance, but it's OK when they are playing well.





And finally, the NHL wants to have the NY area saturated - it means a lot more $ on their TV contracts than being able to say "we have teams in Cleveland and Halifax".





So, yes, it's fine to have three team in 50 miles when the population and payoffs support it.|||Hmmm.........teams like OTTAWA and EDMONTON bleed money and we should move teams more financially viable to other cities why?



I laugh at the Halifax suggestion, you need to do some research. A 10k arena? A population of 150k? Not much in the way of corporate sponsorship? What a silly notion.



The Rangers "upgrade their arena to hold 30k?" Another ridiculous notion.



I can't even touch this Q anymore.|||It helps with rivalries, which helps with fans. Back in the 80's/90's, the Islanders had a pretty good fan base. Them sucking for ten years ruined that. Once they start playing well again a year or two from now, their attendance will rise and their tickets won't be $20 anymore. Then they'll get a new arena (They have the space, they just need a better owner) and they'll outsell the Rangers in ten years.

The Devils have been the most successful of the three teams, and do have strong showings sometimes at their arena. Okay, so the Monsters sell more tickets then the Devils: the Devils' sell their tickets for 3-4x more money. If an NHL team went to Cleveland, their attendance would probably be less than the Monsters, because AHL tickets are so cheap, and it's not Cleveland has any other good sports team. Also, the Devils have a new arena, so they won't move anytime soon.

As for the Rangers, they have the worst prospects out of the three teams, they have arguably the worst team (The Islanders/Devils have been plagued by injury, and had a very weak first half) and basically ride on Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist to finish each year 10th place. If one of them goes down with injury, they'll finish 14th or 15th place. Dubinsky and Callahan have been pretty good this year, but they're not great, or even that young, and their only really good forward can't stay healthy. Let's say the Rangers do upgrade their arena...they'll still sell less than 18,000 seats every game. If anything the Rangers should move, and the Islanders should move into the Garden, because the Islanders and Devils have bright futures (Which start next year), while the Rangers have a future that says "9th Place." Just because they're an original six team doesn't mean they're better than everyone else. And none of the teams lose many of their fans to the other organizations. Really the only thing going for the Rangers is that they play in NYC, which means tons of sponsorships and such.

If anything, the Devils and Islanders lose fans to the Rangers, not the other way around. If you take out the Rangers, both teams increase in attendance, while if you take out the Islanders or Devils, the other two teams' attendance stays the same, while the new team could possibly lose attendance.