XL Center Makeover Comes With Hefty Price Tag

[ct06111]

Quebec losing its franchise is one of the greatest NHL injustices in the history of the league. Le Colissee was sold out even in the 6-win campaign seasons. The Nordiques moved to Denver right when they became an elite team for years after trading for Patrick Roy. I'll be excited to see a team back in Quebec. To be honest, I feel that Quebec should have gotten a team back before Winnipeg but whatever - at least Canada is being properly replenished with franchises.

I think Quebec will get a team, but I think the NHL is still scared of the loonie and its ties to volatile oil markets. Right now, the loonie is @ 75 cents to the American dollar. So 1.00 US dollar is now 1.33 Canadian.

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=CAD

All NHL players salaries are in US dollars, so a good chunk of the NHL budget for Canadian teams is paid in US dollars.

Plus the 500 million expansion fee is now 640 million Canadian.
I know quebecor will probably have no problem paying it, but I could see the NHL being reserved about a mostly French speaking region even smaller than Hartford.

I think a return to Hartford would "grow the game" more than returning to Quebec.
In all 50'us states, I think Americans would be happier to see the whale return compared to the nordiques. Just my biased opinion

 

[FartMan69]

I think Quebec will get a team, but I think the NHL is still scared of the loonie and its ties to volatile oil markets. Right now, the loonie is @ 75 cents to the American dollar. So 1.00 US dollar is now 1.33 Canadian.

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=CAD

All NHL players salaries are in US dollars, so a good chunk of the NHL budget for Canadian teams is paid in US dollars.

Plus the 500 million expansion fee is now 640 million Canadian.
I know quebecor will probably have no problem paying it, but I could see the NHL being reserved about a mostly French speaking region even smaller than Hartford.

I think a return to Hartford would "grow the game" more than returning to Quebec.
In all 50'us states, I think Americans would be happier to see the whale return compared to the nordiques. Just my biased opinion

Except CT apparently

 

[ct06111]

Except CT apparently

Yes, that's what sucks. I think our typical CT/New England realism/cynicism/pessisimism is holding us back. Yes, we need to look at reality and not "pie in the sky", but why not support it? I'm all about drumming up support. Instead, ALL we hear is naysayers and "NEVER gonna happen", but I'll be the 1st to buy ST if it does. "Or, I'll believe when I see it"

So, we really don't know what it would be like if they came back. Could it be like Winnipeg? Maybe, but doubt it. I doubt it would be like Carolina or Florida. We still showed up with crappy teams... Ours was REAL turnstile attendance, NOT tickets sold like today.
Whalers: .438 3/18 seasons above .500
Carolina: .514 10/18 seasons above .500
Coyotes : .515 12/19 seasons above .500

Hartford:
http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6045

Carolina:
http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=5154

Coyotes:
http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=7450

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Yes, that's what sucks. I think our typical CT/New England realism/cynicism/pessisimism is holding us back. Yes, we need to look at reality and not "pie in the sky", but why not support it? I'm all about drumming up support. Instead, ALL we hear is naysayers and "NEVER gonna happen", but I'll be the 1st to buy ST if it does. "Or, I'll believe when I see it"

So, we really don't know what it would be like if they came back. Could it be like Winnipeg? Maybe, but doubt it. I doubt it would be like Carolina or Florida. We still showed up with crappy teams... Ours was REAL turnstile attendance, NOT tickets sold like today.
Whalers: .438 3/18 seasons above .500
Carolina: .514 10/18 seasons above .500
Coyotes : .515 12/19 seasons above .500

Hartford:
http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6045

Carolina:
http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=5154

Coyotes:
http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=7450

It's pie in the sky because there are factors beyond ours and the state's control. The NHL brass does not want to come back to Hartford, there are a list of cities ahead of us, there is no suitable arena right now, and there are competing market teams in NYC and Boston who would very likely be against it. It's not like the situations in Quebec, Minnesota, and Winnipeg. They all did not have any of those problems.

I do believe they should build/redo an arena regardless, it's a good step for the city and to at least position themselves for a potential NHL team way down the line or if one of the current targets blows things up on their end. My preference would be to build a brand new one, perhaps in a different location. The renovation plans they have now seem to be a funding/construction delay disaster waiting to happen. Seeing how piss poor the state is at getting these kind of things done, there's no reason to believe there won't be major hiccups in the process.

 

[TheDoggPound]

It's pie in the sky because there are factors beyond ours and the state's control. The NHL brass does not want to come back to Hartford, there are a list of cities ahead of us, there is no suitable arena right now, and there are competing market teams in NYC and Boston who would very likely be against it. It's not like the situations in Quebec, Minnesota, and Winnipeg. They all did not have any of those problems.

Boston and New York only hold a single vote as we fall outside of their territorial rights and Jeremy Jacobs has already been on record saying he'd welcome the Whalers back due to travel concerns.

I do believe they should build/redo an arena regardless, it's a good step for the city and to at least position themselves for a potential NHL team way down the line or if one of the current targets blows things up on their end. My preference would be to build a brand new one, perhaps in a different location. The renovation plans they have now seem to be a funding/construction delay disaster waiting to happen. Seeing how piss poor the state is at getting these kind of things done, there's no reason to believe there won't be major hiccups in the process.

The funding is a formality. It's voted on by the bond commission which is appointed by Gov. Malloy who is the one pushing the project forward, there's no referendum of any kind. Also I seem to remember the 2014 XL Center renovation went of without a hitch.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Seattle is DEAD. Minimum of 5 years before a new arena can open with no suitable temporary venue and the private funding is only there for NBA. QC and LV will eventually get expansion and we have problems in Arizona, Florida, Carolina and Columbus that will never go away. That's 3 EC markets - Once QC is off the board Hartford is the last EC market left standing, and no Milwaukee is NOT an option, they do not have the corporate size or market capacity to support 2 teams.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Will reserve judgement until more details are released; but, my primary concerns are 1) where is the state going to find the money to pay for this in light of budget issues and transportation infrastructure needs and 2) still relies on UConn more than it should as the Huskies are a college sports those teams that should play a majority of games on campus and not a source of professional entertainment aimed to make Hartford a better city.

The money for the project is bonded by the bond commission who are all appointed by Gov. Malloy. Malloy is the one behind the project. There will be no referendum. The money is already there.