evilmrt

This is all true, and we - the fans of the game - know that a team in Vegas will be neglected. It will not have much of a following, and it will be embarrassed by empty seating on a regular basis. Best case, you will see tourists that got free tickets from a casino fill the arena for the 2nd period. This doesn't matter to Bettman and the BoG. 1.6 BILLION is on the table. They don't care, they only see the $$$$$.

Wow, what huge losses. I'm hoping that it wouldn't be 4 teams at once. That would be insanity. 2 seems realistic.

Franzen would certainly get picked with a two or four team expansion. I don't see how he wouldn't. I'm pretty concerned about having two goaltenders to protect, though. When expansion is officially announced, who becomes trade bait so the Wings actually get a something for them?

Here are some pretty interesting figures regarding NHL fan bases in current cities and potential expansion/relocation markets....I'm saddened by the figures on the Detroit Metro Area.... You can clearly see why a 2nd Toronto team is a no-brainer, regardless of what the Leafs want: Vegas looks horrible on paper here.

That's one of the huge advantages of CHL over NCAA. Not to open a can of worms or anything.

Las Vegas Slots. That name should be fun!

They don't have to. Bettman has said that it requires a majority vote by the BoG. Toronto argues that they have a veto vote, but after discussions with the league, they commented something like "we only have one vote, apparently." Mobile, so no source atm, sorry.

To this day, I cannot figure out why they keep trying to keep the Phoenix Arizona Coyotes propped up, while they just bailed on the Thrashers. Not a group I would trust to pull off a 4 team expansion.

So lets say Seattle goes through, and they add Toronto2 and QC. What is the 4th team you add in the West if not Vegas? Portland? Salt Lake City? Albuquerque? Omaha? There are no other cities with any potential NHL ownership interest in the entire Western US.

Some economic analysis from The Toronto Star: Free money for all of the owners? Unfortunately, I think this is inevitable.

No, they can't add 4 expansion teams at once...2 is more than enough. QC can have the relocated Panthers. Toronto doesn't need two teams when the one they have can't win anything lol. From what I'm reading, anonymous sources (could be anyone) claim Las Vegas is "locked up" for an expansion team, but more than one ownership group wants the team. So first, they have that to sort out. Secondly, Bettman and Co. seem to be holding off under they can get Seattle to commit as well. Multiple groups in the running here as well, but a City Council that seems to want to roadblock the whole process. Seattle really seems to be the feather in the cap that Uncle Gary is looking for. I don't see the Vegas team happening without it. Update:

I wish the bucket would have been filled with something else

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

They squeak into the playoffs as a wild card, unless they get bitten by the injury bug. This has been the story for the last couple seasons, so why not this year?

Yeah, that is a huge downer. However, Hakan is still really excited about him, and they're expecting big things from him this coming season in Sweden. So, he's not done just yet.

I agree. I think his play and conduct off the ice during the last playoffs didn't seem to match up with the media criticism at all. So then you have to wonder, is it something along the lines of what you're saying? It is a valid point.

This is an ok deal by Holland. I would have preferred a slightly lower payment, or even better (and more realistic), locking him in for 5 years. But no, KH is going to write up this contract to expire at the exact time RFA rights expire. OK

Good for him, I hope he can put together a respectable team in 4 years. It seems like a longshot, but even a country like Japan has played in the Olympics eight times. Blash now will bring in two new assistant coaches. I wonder how this will impact the Wings' prospect pool.

That thar stupid sport hur hur hur

Hmm, pretty decent plan. I remain skeptical until it is all actually built and developers and investors have signed on. It will be a shame if it turns into something like Westgate, the "entertainment and shopping district" that surrounds the Yotes arena. What a failure that one was.

This is actually an interesting idea. Why not just give each team a power play, say a double minor, and have it be an 8 minute period? Something along those lines. I like the power play OT. Cool idea.

I'll disagree with you since the tie has a long history in hockey, but I'll certainly agree with eliminating the 3 point system. You can see teams all season long hanging on, floating around until the end of regulation just to get one point. No points for losing teams. You didn't mention how you'd end a regular season game. No tie, no shootout....what does that leave you with?

Why don't they just have ties? We just saw the World Cup and they handle ties just fine. The Nhl did as well for the vast majority of its history. There is a line where you just cheapen the sport to appease the general public. It's been crossed with all this OT circus.

You're a genius

I'm not sure if this post is satirical or....