Would an NHL team work in Cleveland?

[Dawgs89]

Obviously, a new arena, government funding, and a fan base would be a necessity. Could you see it happening? Would you support It?

[Orion]

umm....this is kinda' the football board.

But I don't see why it wouldn't work.  It's a northern city with a bunch of people with ice for brains.

[The Gipper]

1 hour ago, Dawgs89 said:

Obviously, a new arena, government funding, and a fan base would be a necessity. Could you see it happening? Would you support It?

Would not need a new arena.  The Q  works fine for the Monsters  AHL team...and it is being renovated.   It could likely be better than half the current NHL arenas.  Ergo, why would there be a need for government funding?  There would not be.  You would need an owner, yes, and the fan base.   But I doubt that the NHL would be looking at Cleveland, simply because they would not think it that hip or cool to be in Cleveland.  While it is certain that the NHL needs another team to make it to a proper 32,   here are the top DMAs (market areas)  in the country:

Rank	Designated Market Area (DMA)	TV Homes	% of US
1	New York	7,348,620	6.407
2	Los Angeles	5,476,830	4.775
3	Chicago	3,463,060	3.019
4	Philadelphia	2,942,800	2.566
5	Dallas-Ft. Worth	2,713,380	2.366
6	San Francisco-Oak-San Jose	2,488,090	2.169
7	Washington, DC (Hagrstwn)	2,476,680	2.159
8	Houston	2,450,800	2.137
9	Boston (Manchester)	2,424,240	2.114
10	Atlanta	2,412,730	2.104
11	Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota)	1,908,590	1.664
12	Phoenix (Prescott)	1,890,100	1.648
13	Detroit	1,853,030	1.616
14	Seattle-Tacoma	1,808,530	1.577
15	Minneapolis-St. Paul	1,742,530	1.519
16	Miami-Ft. Lauderdale	1,696,330	1.479
17	Denver	1,630,380	1.422
18	Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn	1,519,570	1.325
19	Cleveland-Akron (Canton)	1,498,960	1.307
20	Sacramento-Stkton-Modesto	1,379,770	1.203
21	St. Louis	1,215,570	1.06
22	Charlotte	1,189,950	1.038
23	Pittsburgh	1,160,220	1.012
24	Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle)	1,153,580	1.006
25	Portland, OR	1,143,670	0.997

 

Highlighted do not have NHL....but I suspect they would not want Cleveland.  Las Vegas isn't on this list. 

[Zombo]

Won't happen. You can always drive to Columbus. Or Pittsburgh. Or Buffalo. Or Detroit.

Z

[Bob806]

I would have worked, but the Gunds basically ruined it. When they moved the California Golden Seals here in 1976, they had a back door deal to consolidate with the Minnesota North Stars later on. They used Cleveland in a bad way.

When the NHL expanded into Columbus, that sealed Cleveland's NHL fate. It's a shame, because all hockey teams that were here (AHL Barons, WHA Crusaders, and NHL Barons) all drew well. Face it, we're a minor league hockey market now.

[Dutch Oven]

Cleveland isn't big enough of a market to support four pro teams, and with Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Columbus all within four hours drive, a NHL team in Cleveland would have a small area to draw from.

 

 

[mjp28]

1 hour ago, Dutch Oven said:

Cleveland isn't big enough of a market to support four pro teams, and with Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Columbus all within four hours drive, a NHL team in Cleveland would have a small area to draw from.

 

 

Well they do have Lake Erie to the North, some of those ice fishermen dudes might like hockey.  

Short answer no, I'm kind of surprised the Blue Jackets did hang on and are still playing in Columbus.......stupid name, Blue Jackets WTF is a Blue Jacket anyway?

GO BROWNS & INDIANS  (get used to it).

[The Gipper]

2 hours ago, mjp28 said:

Well they do have Lake Erie to the North, some of those ice fishermen dudes might like hockey.  

Short answer no, I'm kind of surprised the Blue Jackets did hang on and are still playing in Columbus.......stupid name, Blue Jackets WTF is a Blue Jacket anyway?

GO BROWNS & INDIANS  (get used to it).

Native American reference

[wargograw]

Let’s trade the Cavs for one. 

[hoorta]

8 hours ago, Dawgs89 said:

Obviously, a new arena, government funding, and a fan base would be a necessity. Could you see it happening? Would you support It?

This is BS. The Gunds didn't want the NHL in Cleveland, it didn't happen. Columbus? Kiss my a$$ as a hockey town. 

5 hours ago, Dutch Oven said:

Cleveland isn't big enough of a market to support four pro teams, and with Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Columbus all within four hours drive, a NHL team in Cleveland would have a small area to draw from.

Completes horse shi-t. 

[Dutch Oven]

7 hours ago, hoorta said:

This is BS. The Gunds didn't want the NHL in Cleveland, it didn't happen. Columbus? Kiss my a$$ as a hockey town. 

Completes horse shi-t. 

Feel free to tell me how I'm wrong. 

[DieHardBrownsFan]

10 hours ago, mjp28 said:

Well they do have Lake Erie to the North, some of those ice fishermen dudes might like hockey.  

Short answer no, I'm kind of surprised the Blue Jackets did hang on and are still playing in Columbus.......stupid name, Blue Jackets WTF is a Blue Jacket anyway?

GO BROWNS & INDIANS  (get used to it).

The Blue Jackets name was selected because the name pays homage to Ohio's contributions to American history and the great pride and patriotism exhibited by its citizens, especially during the Civil War as both the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus were significantly influential on the Union Army.

 

[mjp28]

Just now, DieHardBrownsFan said:

The Blue Jackets name was selected because the name pays homage to Ohio's contributions to American history and the great pride and patriotism exhibited by its citizens, especially during the Civil War as both the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus were significantly influential on the Union Army.

 

Oh yes I immediately equate that with the game originally inspired by Canadians ice hockey. The Columbus BJs is more like it......especially if it was a woman's team.  

[nickers]

I actually think Hockey would do well.. I went to a couple of games.. it was fun...

[The Gipper]

2 hours ago, DieHardBrownsFan said:

The Blue Jackets name was selected because the name pays homage to Ohio's contributions to American history and the great pride and patriotism exhibited by its citizens, especially during the Civil War as both the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus were significantly influential on the Union Army.

 

Originally the name Blue Jacket came from the Indian Chief:

Blue Jacket
Blue Jacket was a famous Shawnee war chief who opposed white encroachment and resisted against white expansion. Little is known about Blue Jacket's early life. He first appears in written historical records in 1773, when he was already a Shawnee war chief. Throughout Blue Jacket’s life with the Shawnee tribe, it is known that he fought under Little Turtle and they were at the forefront of the white resistance when colonists tried to expand their power as they started to settle in the Western part of Ohio.

But, then it was thought that naming another team after a native American may yet again appear to be "politically incorrect"  they revised the so called meaning of the name to what you describe above.  It is kind of like the claim that the Browns are not really named for "Brown people"....which they may in fact have been if you buy Paul Brown's explanation that the team is named after Joe Louis,  the Brown (as in his skin color) Bomber. While the whole Joe Louis story I believe was concocted by PB to try to quell any claim of vanity and hubris (even though that is exactly why the team is called that).....that is still the supposed official reasoning for the Browns name...black folk.   Likewise, the whole "honoring the Union Army" thing for the Bluejackets is just a way to cover some perceived politically incorrect origin.

Oddly enough, there was some claim that Blue Jacket was not actually an Indian, but was Dutch.  That he may have actually been a white man named Marmaduke Van Swearingen,  though that claim may have been disproved.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Jacket

On the other hand, if he were a Van Swearingen, that could mean that he was related to the family that built the Terminal Tower and developed Shaker Hts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Sweringen_brothers

[mjp28]

This has to be one of the dumbest sports ideas since Herschel Walker went to the Vikings....... 

........In conjunction with Wendy’s Restaurants, the franchise held a “Name the Team” contest throughout central Ohio during the month of August 1997, which gave fans throughout the area an opportunity to name the team. The plan worked out as over 14,000 entries were submitted. During the “Name the Team” contest, majority owner John H. McConnell was asked to fill out a questionnaire for the National Hockey League to help the league get a better idea of what Columbus stands for and the history of the city.

With help from the NHL, the Columbus franchise narrowed the 14,000 entries down to 10 names. Then with the information received from Mr. McConnell, the League and the franchise narrowed the list of potential names down to two – Blue Jackets and Justice...... (WHAT???).

The franchise explored all of the options of the two names, but it was the Blue Jackets name that intrigued the NHL and the Columbus franchise the most.

It was first thought that the Blue Jackets were named after the Indian chief, Blue Jacket, from Xenia, Ohio, but that was not the case.

The Blue Jackets name was selected because the name pays homage to Ohio’s contributions to American history and the great pride and patriotism exhibited by its citizens, especially during the Civil War as both the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus were significantly influential on the Union Army. Ohio contributed more of its population to the Union Army than any other state, while many of the Blue Coats worn by the Union soldiers were manufactured in6 Columbus.

With a name in place, the work really began to pick up. Next on the list were the selection of the logo, jerseys and a mascot. Just as the selection of the name process went, the Columbus franchise reviewed numerous logos before it settled on one primary logo.

The primary Blue Jackets logo that was selected features a star-studded red ribbon unfurled in the shape of the team’s initials, CBJ, with an electric green hockey stick cutting through the center to represent the “J.” The 13 stars represent each of the original 13 U.S. Colonies and signify patriotism. The star on top of the stick signifies Columbus as the state capital.

Shortly thereafter, Stinger was introduced as the mascot, the “Bug with an Attitude.” Stinger is a symbol to characterize the citizens of Columbus known for their hard work and pride for their team ........BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.......

And they ended up with the Columbus BJs.  

[mjp28]

41 minutes ago, nickers said:

I actually think Hockey would do well.. I went to a couple of games.. it was fun...

Hockey is a good, fast hard hitting sport and fun to be at a game but can Ohio and NE OHIO support two NHL teams, I doubt it. 

The old Barons even folded way back when the City of Cleveland had way more people.....I don't know if the metro area will go to the games in sufficient numbers with the Cavs still around.

[nickers]

8 minutes ago, mjp28 said:

Hockey is a good, fast hard hitting sport and fun to be at a game but can Ohio and NE OHIO support two NHL teams, I doubt it. 

The old Barons even folded way back when the City of Cleveland had way more people.....I don't know if the metro area will go to the games in sufficient numbers with the Cavs still around.

Yeah well.. I don't expect the Cavs to make any noise for a few years... The Cavs without LABoob are nothing , sadly... The Indians are close.. they just need to get over the hump... The Browns might surprise.. But I'm not holding My breath...

[mjp28]

9 minutes ago, nickers said:

Yeah well.. I don't expect the Cavs to make any noise for a few years... The Cavs without LABoob are nothing , sadly... The Indians are close.. they just need to get over the hump... The Browns might surprise.. But I'm not holding My breath...

The Indians need a healthy A. Miller and a healthy outfield if they want to advance in October. They should win the weakest division in MLB just on starting pitching top 5 hitting and infield defense. 

BROWNS, eh definitely improved over this decade hopefully they can further improve in 2019.

[The Gipper]

29 minutes ago, mjp28 said:

This has to be one of the dumbest sports ideas since Herschel Walker went to the Vikings....... 

........In conjunction with Wendy’s Restaurants, the franchise held a “Name the Team” contest throughout central Ohio during the month of August 1997, which gave fans throughout the area an opportunity to name the team. The plan worked out as over 14,000 entries were submitted. During the “Name the Team” contest, majority owner John H. McConnell was asked to fill out a questionnaire for the National Hockey League to help the league get a better idea of what Columbus stands for and the history of the city.

With help from the NHL, the Columbus franchise narrowed the 14,000 entries down to 10 names. Then with the information received from Mr. McConnell, the League and the franchise narrowed the list of potential names down to two – Blue Jackets and Justice...... (WHAT???).

The franchise explored all of the options of the two names, but it was the Blue Jackets name that intrigued the NHL and the Columbus franchise the most.

It was first thought that the Blue Jackets were named after the Indian chief, Blue Jacket, from Xenia, Ohio, but that was not the case.

The Blue Jackets name was selected because the name pays homage to Ohio’s contributions to American history and the great pride and patriotism exhibited by its citizens, especially during the Civil War as both the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus were significantly influential on the Union Army. Ohio contributed more of its population to the Union Army than any other state, while many of the Blue Coats worn by the Union soldiers were manufactured in6 Columbus.

With a name in place, the work really began to pick up. Next on the list were the selection of the logo, jerseys and a mascot. Just as the selection of the name process went, the Columbus franchise reviewed numerous logos before it settled on one primary logo.

The primary Blue Jackets logo that was selected features a star-studded red ribbon unfurled in the shape of the team’s initials, CBJ, with an electric green hockey stick cutting through the center to represent the “J.” The 13 stars represent each of the original 13 U.S. Colonies and signify patriotism. The star on top of the stick signifies Columbus as the state capital.

Shortly thereafter, Stinger was introduced as the mascot, the “Bug with an Attitude.” Stinger is a symbol to characterize the citizens of Columbus known for their hard work and pride for their team ........BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.......

And they ended up with the Columbus BJs.  

If the team was supposedly named to honor the Blue Coats of the Union Army, they would have been called the Blue Coats, not the Blue Jackets. I have never heard of the Union Army referred to as Blue Jackets, always Blue Coats.  So I stick by my theory.  I do like the logo though.

[The Gipper]

26 minutes ago, mjp28 said:

Hockey is a good, fast hard hitting sport and fun to be at a game but can Ohio and NE OHIO support two NHL teams, I doubt it. 

The old Barons even folded way back when the City of Cleveland had way more people.....I don't know if the metro area will go to the games in sufficient numbers with the Cavs still around.

Hockey, somewhat like Basketball, likes to put its team into "One Horse Towns".   They want to be the only major league franchise in a city a lot of times.   Ergo: Columbus, Raleigh (who moved from one horse town Hartford), ...in a sense, San Jose though that is a part of a larger market. Its why they went into Vegas (the Raiders announced their move later)...and, of course  the  6 Canadian cities where they are the only game in town.

They need one more team to make an "even" 32.   Some candidates include Canadian cities where there are no teams now:  Quebec City, and Hamilton. It also includes American cities that do have other teams, but no NBA team to compete at the same time of year:  Seattle, San Diego. You never know, a wild card could come out of the woods,   again, a market with no current major league team:  like Va. Beach/Norfolk.

[mjp28]

3 minutes ago, The Gipper said:

Hockey, somewhat like Basketball, likes to put its team into "One Horse Towns".   They want to be the only major league franchise in a city a lot of times.   Ergo: Columbus, Raleigh (who moved from one horse town Hartford), ...in a sense, San Jose though that is a part of a larger market. Its why they went into Vegas (the Raiders announced their move later)...and, of course  the  6 Canadian cities where they are the only game in town.

They need one more team to make an "even" 32.   Some candidates include Canadian cities where there are no teams now:  Quebec City, and Hamilton. It also includes American cities that do have other teams, but no NBA team to compete at the same time of year:  Seattle, San Diego. You never know, a wild card could come out of the woods,   again, a market with no current major league team:  like Va. Beach/Norfolk.

Yes, it's hard to go head to head with the NFL, MLB, NBA for the fans attention and discretionary dollars.

Remember too the NHL actually canceled a whole season awhile back until they could get their finances in order.....players fled to Europe to play not the other way around. 

[The Gipper]

Of course the tendency of the leagues now is to move into the warmer climes and the growing cities in the south and west, and while that is fine, I guess, I am not sure that works for hockey.

Recall.....the NHL has twice left ATL  for Canada:  the Atlanta Flames, named such because of Sherman torching the city in the Civil War, left for Calgary; and the Atlanta Thrashers left to become the new Winnipeg Jets. 

When the NHL merged with the WHA,  they did not take on the team in Houston...who had won 2 titles....or the one in Phoenix. 

Certainly it is true that teams have left the north for the south:   the original Winnipeg Jets are now the Phoenix Coyotes,  The Hartford Whalers became the Raleigh Hurricane,  the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars, and the Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche (though I don't know that you can say that by moving to Denver that they moved to a warm weather city)...it has been as much a two way street with teams in southern areas moving to the north or Canada.  One move was kind of lateral:  the KC Scouts/Colorado Rockies  became the New Jersey Devils.

[mjp28]

The NHL is a little like NASCAR plays better in some locales than others and neither is truly national.....or international. 

[hoorta]

2 hours ago, The Gipper said:

If the team was supposedly named to honor the Blue Coats of the Union Army, they would have been called the Blue Coats, not the Blue Jackets. I have never heard of the Union Army referred to as Blue Jackets, always Blue Coats.  So I stick by my theory.  I do like the logo though.

I agree Gip. Well aware of Blue Jacket, they had an outdoor theater show involving him for many years here in Dayton.  

[The Gipper]

1 hour ago, mjp28 said:

The NHL is a little like NASCAR plays better in some locales than others and neither is truly national.....or international. 

Hockey is definitely "international".  Obviously, it is the national sport of Canada, so that there makes it international......but it is also huge in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Poland,  Czech/Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, Switzerland, South Korea...and in a lot of the Former USSR republics, Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan etc.   About 50 countries had teams that tried to get into the Winter Olympic games:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey_at_the_2018_Winter_Olympics_–_Men's_qualification

[TexasAg1969]

Is this some kind of water skiing sport where you kick the ball with your free foot and slalom with the other?🦈

Or is it one that is more appropriate to the environs of the moon Europa?

[The Gipper]

14 minutes ago, TexasAg1969 said:

Is this some kind of water skiing sport where you kick the ball with your free foot and slalom with the other?🦈

Or is it one that is more appropriate to the environs of the moon Europa?

Are you drunk?  Or on some other drug?

[boo fagley]

22 hours ago, Zombo said:

Won't happen. You can always drive to Columbus. Or Pittsburgh. Or Buffalo. Or Detroit.

Z

Which is why a Cleveland team makes sense because you have 4 natural rivals right there.

[boo fagley]

4 hours ago, The Gipper said:

Hockey, somewhat like Basketball, likes to put its team into "One Horse Towns".   They want to be the only major league franchise in a city a lot of times.   Ergo: Columbus, Raleigh (who moved from one horse town Hartford), ...in a sense, San Jose though that is a part of a larger market. Its why they went into Vegas (the Raiders announced their move later)...and, of course  the  6 Canadian cities where they are the only game in town.

They need one more team to make an "even" 32.   Some candidates include Canadian cities where there are no teams now:  Quebec City, and Hamilton. It also includes American cities that do have other teams, but no NBA team to compete at the same time of year:  Seattle, San Diego. You never know, a wild card could come out of the woods,   again, a market with no current major league team:  like Va. Beach/Norfolk.

Hockey thrives in football towns. See - Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, Pittsburgh,.DC, Denver, Philadelphia

Put a winner out there and they will come. Look at Las Vegas? Who would guess hockey would make it there. Or Dallas, Tampa Bay, Nashville.