As the National Hockey League’s (NHL) preseason is off to a running start, new rumors have surfaced regarding a potential expansion of the league. When asked about expansion league commission Gary Bettman has remained open, but uncommittable to the possibility. [2] At a 2023-24 preseason press conference, Bettman addressed expansion rumors stating, “If you’re interested in expansion, submit your applications and we’ll evaluate them.”[3] This preseason’s rumors have the top contenders for an expansion team as Houston, Texas and a third attempt in Atlanta, Georgia.[4]
The last league expansion was during the 2021-22 season introducing the Seattle Kraken.[5] For the first time since 1999, when the NHL had 28 teams, the league has even divisions.[6] Currently, there are eight teams for each of the four divisions.[7] During his 30 year and counting tenure as commissioner, Bettman has led the way with the addition of eight teams.[8] This expansion is the largest since the late-1960s to mid-1970s when the league grew from the Original Six teams to 18 teams in less than a decade[9] However, growth is often accompanied by arguments, both for and against the expansion of hockey.
The Southern Expansion
Hockey no longer exists just in the cold. Bettman’s tenure has introduced the Miami-based Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and a second attempt at the Atlanta Thrashers.[10] Additionally, Bettman has supported several relocations; introducing the Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Utah Hockey Club to the league.[11] Despite the Arizona Coyotes recent move to Utah, Bettman has been a vocal advocate that hockey belongs in the desert.[12]
The league’s sunbelt expansion has continued to grow the sport in the South.[13] In Florida, USA Hockey registration statistics have quadrupled from the late 1990s, following the introduction of the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.[14] Similarly, Texas registrations have tripled in the same period, beginning after the Stars’ relocation to Dallas in 1993.[15] Even in just three years, Nevada registrations have tripled since the Knights were introduced.[16]
There will always be arguments in support of and against where expansion should occur. In the 2024-25 season, the only change is Arizona’s move to Utah.[17] However, former owner Alex Meruelo was allowed to retain the rights to the Arizona Coyotes name and intellectual property if he could build a new arena that would be completed within five years.[18] Just weeks after the sale, Meruelo relinquished his rights to the NHL ending his case to bring the Coyotes back to Arizona as a new franchise, after the cancellation of their potential new stadium’s land auction.[19]
While there are no immediate plans for the Coyotes, Bettman has remained vocal about hockey’s place in the desert.[20] This, coupled with the Houston and Atlanta rumors, support a strong likelihood of the NHL’s continued expansion across the sunbelt.[21] While Canadian players made up over 95% of the player population during the “Original Six” era, they now account for less than 40%.[22] Meanwhile, youth player development has skyrocketed in the sunbelt states with the arrival of new teams.[23] In the last five years, four of the Stanley Cup champions arose from Florida and Nevada showing hockey shines under the sun.[24]
Lack of Canadian Presence
With Houston and Atlanta as the frontrunners for a new NHL franchise, the Canadian origins of the league are pushed further down.[25] The last Canadian franchise to expand was the Ottawa Senators, who joined the league in 1992.[26] However, the second failed attempt at having an Atlanta team also led to a relocation of the Thrashers to Winnipeg to revive the Winnipeg Jets franchise in 2011.[27]
The origin of the league was infamous for the “Original Six” era when the league had six teams for a quarter-century.[28] Two of the six teams were in Toronto and Montreal, with the other four being in northern states: Michigan, New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts.[29] Now, of the 32 teams, only seven teams are based in Canada, while nine teams are based in sunbelt states.[30] Yet, Canadians are begging for more, especially in Toronto and Quebec.
With regions like Los Angeles and New York having multiple teams, Toronto wants to be seen as a similar contender.[31] Hockey commentator, Pierre LeBrun, amplifies this support, considering the demand of Hockey-Related Revenue and fanbase support to expand in Canada versus second and third attempts in southern states.[32] The New York market has shown that having three teams in close proximity can not only sustain themselves but thrive under the instant rivalry that arises from the competition.[33]
Similarly, unlike Utah’s five-year renovation plan to prepare their hockey arena, Quebec City already has an NHL-ready rink.[34] Quebec City has the eighth-largest media market in Canada as well as a 18,000 seat NHL-caliber rink prepared to host a team.[35] The city made their own bid alongside Las Vegas but were not even entertained by the league.[36] While some theorize this is due to the failed support for the Quebec Nordiques, that hasn’t stopped the multiple attempts in Atlanta and continued support for Arizona’s comeback.[37]
The growth of hockey in new regions has supported the growth of the sport, but it’s also important to maintain their origins.[38] While youth hockey has increased, it is not a fruitful operation to continuously add new teams every year.[39] The selective growth of the league through intentional and selective expansions has been the true reason for the growth of the sport.[40] Thus, along with introducing new regions to hockey, it’s also essential to continue amplifying the market where the sport first began: Canada.
JUHI PATEL (deputy editor-in-chief) is a 2L at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. She self-identifies as an off-brand New York Sports fan rooting on the Islanders, Nets, and Bills. She is a part of the Soccer Negotiation Competition Team and is interested in labor, employment, and intellectual property law.
References:
[2] Carol Schram, The NHL’s Expansion Timetable Is Starting to Pick Up Some Steam (Mar. 17, 2024) Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolschram/2024/03/17/the-nhls-expansion-timetable-is-starting-to-pick-up-some-steam/
[3] See Id.
[4] Antonio Losada, Report: No Love for Canada in Upcoming NHL Expansion (Sept. 10, 2024) Athlon Sports. https://athlonsports.com/nhl/report-canada-united-states-atlanta-houston-nhl-expansion
[5] Bazoom Group, Seattle Kraken: The NHL’s Newest Expansion Team (Sept. 17, 2024) NewsTalk kFLD. https://newstalk870.am/seattle-kraken-nhl-newest-expansion-team/#
[6] Cutler Klein, From six teams to 31: History of NHL expansion (June 22, 2016) National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-expansion-history-281005106
[7] Standings (last visited on Oct. 1, 2024) National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2024-10-04/division
[8] See Klein, supra note 6.
[9] See Klein, supra note 6.
[10] See Klein, supra note 6.
[11] William Douglas, NHL Sun Belt teams in spotlight, making history in conference finals (May 18, 2023) National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-sun-belt-teams-in-spotlight-making-history-in-conference-finals-344455272
[12] Scott Stinson, Utah welcome exposes Bettman’s truculence about hockey in Arizona (Sept. 28, 2024) The Score. https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/3083165
[13] See Douglas, supra note 11.
[14] See Douglas, supra note 11.
[15] See Douglas, supra note 11.
[16] See Douglas, supra note 11.
[17] Barry M. Bloom, Coyotes Owner Meruelo Folding What’s Left of the NHL Franchise (June 25, 2024) Sportico. https://www.sportico.com/leagues/hockey/2024/arizona-coyotes-folding-alex-meruelo-1234785540/
[18] See Id.
[19] Arizona Sports, Coyotes return branding and naming rights to the NHL (June 25, 2024) Arizona Sports. https://arizonasports.com/story/3549620/arizona-coyotes-relinquish-branding-naming-rights-back-to-nhl/#:~:text=Coyotes%20return%20branding%20and%20naming%20rights%20to%20NHL&text=These%20were%20some%20of%20the,Phoenix%20area%20to%20the%20NHL.
[20] Bailey Leasure, ‘We shall return:’ Gary Bettman remains committed to Arizona despite relocation to Utah (Apr. 19, 2024) Arizona Sports. https://arizonasports.com/story/3546318/we-shall-return-gary-bettman-nhl-remain-committed-arizona/
[21] Antonio Losada, ‘Just Blasphemy’: Insiders Highlight ‘Unreal’ Market for NHL Expansion (Sept. 30, 2024) Athlon Sports. https://athlonsports.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/just-blasphemy-unreal-market-nhl-expansion-toronto
[22] Matthew Kendrick and Ari Winkleman, The Graphic Truth: The NHL is no longer dominated by Canadians (Oct. 12, 2023) GZERO. https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-north/the-graphic-truth-the-nhl-is-no-longer-dominated-by-canadians
[23] See Douglas, supra note 11.
[24] Stanley Cup Champions (last visited on Oct. 1, 2024) National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-winners-complete-list-287705398
[25] Antonio Losada, Report: No Love for Canada in Upcoming NHL Expansion (Sept. 10, 2024) Athlon Sports. https://athlonsports.com/nhl/report-canada-united-states-atlanta-houston-nhl-expansion
[26] See Klein, supra note 6.
[27] See Losada, supra note 21.
[28] A (Brief) History of the League (last visited Oct. 1, 2024) National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-league
[29] See Id.
[30] See Standings, supra note 7.
[31] See Losada, supra note 21.
[32] See Id.
[33] Adam Proteau, NHL Expansion: The Very Good Case for Why Toronto Should Get a Second Team (Aug. 25, 2024) The Hockey News. https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-expansion-the-very-good-case-for-why-toronto-should-get-a-second-team
[34] Adam Proteau, NHL Expansion: Quebec City Has NHL-Ready Rink and Passion. Will It Get Another Shot? (Aug. 26, 2024) The Hockey News. https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-expansion-quebec-city-has-nhl-ready-rink-and-passion-will-it-get-another-shot#:~:text=Quebec%20City%20has%20the%20rink,the%20odds%20are%20against%20it.&text=Every%20time%20expansion%20gets%20discussed,forefront%20of%20the%20public%20conversations.
[35] See Id.
[36] See Id.
[37] See Id. and Stinson, supra note 12.
[38] See Losada, supra note 21.
[39] See Douglas, supra note 11
[40] See Klein, supra note 6.
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