Poll about the future NHL team in Toronto/ Markham
Question is simple, but it's directed at the dieheart Leaf fans. If an announcement came down tomorrow that there will be another team in Toronto/ Markham, and the season tickets are on sale, would you buy the season tickets for the whatever other team will be in the city?
They will cost pretty much the same as the Leafs tickets. (Toronto market value)
I disagree that the market value for a new team in Markham would be the same as the Leafs. Market value would be certainly be higher than other start up locations as there is already a market for hockey in the GTA, but I seriously doubt that they'd be able to get away with charging the same prices as MLSE for season tickets.
Why direct this question to diehard leaf fans? Kinda redundant, no?
But the majority of posters can't afford season tix anyways so that's another layer of redundancy.
I don't care how much they cost, could be 2 bucks for all I care, I'm not buying season tickets to a team that I'm going to naturally hate being a Leaf fan.
Real Leaf fans know what I'm talking about. If you're a Leaf fan and you're buying season tickets to a natural rival then you should be labelled a bandwagoner.
It would be like a Rangers fan buying season tickets to watch the Islanders or the Devils. The people in Markham should and will buy season tickets
according to ESPN, the average NHL price across the board is $57 Leafs average price is $123 Edmonton has the 4th highest ticket at $70 so if it was around 70 which makes sense based on the numbers I would go to a game or two
The way I see it, is that UNTIL a new team does arrive, nobody is going to admit that they would switch allegiences. Why risk getting painted as a non-loyal fan for saying support for some hypothetical future franchise?
I'm not from Toronto. I actually currently live here (been here 1 year), but grew up in Ottawa. I've been a Leafs fan since I was ~4 years old. I don't think I will end up settling down in the GTA, I will likely move back to Ottawa.
But for those people who DO live in the GTA, especially in the York/Markham/Vaughn/etc region. I could see reasons for switching teams.
1 - It's a business. The Toronto Maple Leafs are part of a mega-corporation. They don't really care about their fans, they care about their fans money. Nostalgia and historic moments? Those are products they use to help sell the team to the fans.
2 - Ease of access to the new arena. You want to get all the way downtown and back? Or to an arena a reasonably short drive away in the suburbs? It would be your "local" team.
3 - Cost of tickets / accessibility of tickets. I'm sure the tickets would still be pricey, but not AS pricey as Leaf tickets. They would also have seasons tickets for sale, which there's a ridiculous waiting list for right now for the Leafs
4 - If you have small kids. Maybe they grow up as Markham fans, so you consider switching loyalty for them.
5 - Toronto has sucked for years. Maybe the team that moves into Markham is a relocation team that's already a playoff team? Has more players you like? Etc
There are probably a few other reasons. But I have two main points:
1 - I won't switch allegiances, because most of the points I made refer to direct benefits you would get from being somebody living in the GTA. I plan on moving away within ~1-3 years, so it shouldn't apply to me.
2 - Nobody is going to admit at the moment that they would switch allegiances. But people obviously will, there's no question about that. I think most people would stay Leafs fans, but a new GTA team WOULD get fans, and probably a pretty strong following (relatively speaking to the rest of the league, not compared to the Leafs).
I say Yes to having another team in/near T.O! What not a better way to light a fire under MLSE's and Burke's !@@ then to have another Canadian team campaign for the cup. Also a new arena and new team means more jobs and makes Gary Bettman even angrier. Hell we need a team in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, oh and Saskatchewan. Oh and another team in Montreal. The more Canadian teams, the better.
I lived in a city which had an expansion team. I loved to laugh at them, but I never really cared
about them. 20 years later I hate them, and love that never really did much, but I believe that I'll
feel this way about the new team, and I think many Leaf fans will feel the same way.
As an expansion team, they would already be about as good as Burke's team after an entire four year rebuild.
So yeah...
I would definitely go to some games.
I'm a fan of nhl hockey. It's probably going to be easier to get tickets there... so why not?
It would also create a very entertaining rivalry.\
How much of the crowd would be wearing leaf jersey's at every game? Probably most. Even after years and years...
I don't know why everyone thinks Markham is a good location? It's the 2nd smallest area population wise in the GTA. It's too far east. Most people are Asian immigrants who don't even watch hockey. There's way more people and hockey fans in the Mississauga, Brampton area, and probably even more in Hamilton. Markham has horrible access via highways with virtually only one highway (404) going any where near it. Sure there's the 407, but who want's to have to pay those highway robbers.
I think Hamilton is the best option weighing in ease of highway access and fan base.
I don't know why everyone thinks Markham is a good location? It's the 2nd smallest area population wise in the GTA. It's too far east. Most people are Asian immigrants who don't even watch hockey. There's way more people and hockey fans in the Mississauga, Brampton area, and probably even more in Hamilton. Markham has horrible access via highways with virtually only one highway (404) going any where near it. Sure there's the 407, but who want's to have to pay those highway robbers.
I think Hamilton is the best option weighing in ease of highway access and fan base.
My opinion is that you could add another team to the central GTA (Markham) and another to Hamilton and both would be viable.
Hamilton can draw from Burlington, Niagara, St. Catherines, Brantfors, K-W, Guelph, etc. thats a larger population to draw from then what Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton have.
Markham can draw from Scarborough, Brampton, Mississauaga, Vaughn, Ajax, etc. Markham is a little East, but if you add Hamilton then that covers a lot of the Western areas.
