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So.....how big would Saskatoon need to be then? Would a 400,000 Saskatoon work considering the city is better off then Winnipeg from what I've heard?
There is no denying that economically, Saskatchewan is healthier then Manitoba. Their population centres are just too spread out though.
Also, is the main issue people doubting weeknight games being supported? Does anyone here even doubt that weekend games would not end up being sold out?
260k people do not have the disposable income to support an nhl team, no matter how much they love hockey.
I'm not too sure about that. Combine an insane obsession with hockey with even a limited oil boom and you have the ingredients you need to support a team. Again, I think that's what happened here in Calgary when the Flames came.
The NHL (or potential owners) should at least study the possibility - they may be surprised.
BTW - where would the games be played? What's the current capacity? Is there room to expand? (Sorry if you've already mentioned it - my memory ain't what it used to be.)
They'll support their team well, just as good as Winnipeg does, they really support their riders, they support the Blades the same way the Jets fans supported the Moose, but they would sell out every game, the Bombers are even well supported too, it'd be fair, Regina gets the Roughriders and Saskatoon gets the NHL team.
How would he bleed out money? Where would he lose money? Just curious...
(S)He would be owning a team in a sports league where the salary cap and the team budgets are set to a level reasonable for a team from a city with a population in the millions, there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of a team from a city with less than a quarter of that population surviving in the league without having an owner willing to cover large losses each year.
So.....how big would Saskatoon need to be then? Would a 400,000 Saskatoon work considering the city is better off then Winnipeg from what I've heard?
I don't think population figures are important when it comes to places like Saskatoon. American markets may be larger but they don't have the kind of fierce commitment to the game per capita you see there. I think ecomomics, commitment, etc. would be more pressing indicators of whether or not a team would work.
I would love for us to get a team and i would support them(putting them behind the Pens of course) but like others have said i just don't think it would work. It's so much different for Rider games because they are in the summer and on weekends so its much easier to travel. I'm not sure people from Regina and other small towns would wanna travel during the week at night in the winter on those god awful highways though.
(S)He would be owning a team in a sports league where the salary cap and the team budgets are set to a level reasonable for a team from a city with a population in the millions, there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of a team from a city with less than a quarter of that population surviving in the league without having an owner willing to cover large losses each year.
What does population have to do with money?
Do you actually think that A) gate revenues are that important or B) Saskatoon could not sell out every game regardless of population?
If population is so important, please explain the Islanders to me. They should be selling out every game in a 300 000 seat arena, I guess.
In terms of money...consider this. The top 3 earning teams in terms of sports merchandise in Canada:
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Montreal Canadiens
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
If Saskatoon acquired a team, what would they call it and what type of jersey would they have?
The Saskatoon combines? The jersey can be the color of canola
I like green and gold like the old Minnesota North Stars. Maybe Dallas could move up (Are they still looking for new owners?) and they could be called the Saskatoon North Stars.
The only argument I have against a team in Saskatoon is the transportation to the arena in their cold winters.
I know they would support a team, and I can see how much passion they would have for their Hockey team (Even more than the CFL Roughriders) but 41 games in those cold winters could be tough.
Other than that, the NHL would thrive in Saskatoon. What do you guys think?
The only argument I have against a team in Saskatoon is the transportation to the arena in their cold winters.
I know they would support a team, and I can see how much passion they would have for their Hockey team (Even more than the CFL Roughriders) but 41 games in those cold winters could be tough.
Other than that, the NHL would thrive in Saskatoon. What do you guys think?
they would not thrive. Aside from all the other factor already mentioned, their merchandise sales would be quite low, easily the lowest of the canadian teams and probably in the bottom 3rd of the league as a whole. It might be a success initially, but it would very quickly drop off.
they would not thrive. Aside from all the other factor already mentioned, their merchandise sales would be quite low, easily the lowest of the canadian teams and probably in the bottom 3rd of the league as a whole. It might be a success initially, but it would very quickly drop off.
As mentioned the Saskatchewan Roughriders are third in Canada for merchandise sales behind only the Leafs and Habs. They account for over 50% of merch sales in the CFL. Don't worry about our disposable cash.
they would not thrive. Aside from all the other factor already mentioned, their merchandise sales would be quite low, easily the lowest of the canadian teams and probably in the bottom 3rd of the league as a whole. It might be a success initially, but it would very quickly drop off.
You see, this is the part I disagree with just because I think the passion would be there just like the Roughriders. But the transportation I think would be tough.
You see, this is the part I disagree with just because I think the passion would be there just like the Roughriders. But the transportation I think would be tough.
Its not disposable income I'm worried about, its market size. You are going to make a lot more money selling merchandise to a million people than you will by selling it to a quarter million.
I'd love to see it happen, but its still over 20 years away.
To every beaking Saskatchewan, this is the hockey capital of the world.
Here's a rundown of the Canadian provinces and the NHL players from them (from hockey ref)
Rank
Province
NHL Players
Population
NHL Players per capita (player per 100,000)
1
PEI
6
140,204
4.279
2
Saskatchewan
43
1,033,381
4.161
3
Manitoba
29
1,208,268
2.400
4
Alberta
68
3,645,257
1.8651
5
Ontario
181
12,851,821
1.408
6
Newfoundland
6
514,536
1.166
7
British Columbia
43
4,400,057
0.977
8
Novia Scotia
8
921,727
0.868
9
Quebec
58
7,903,001
0.734
10
New Brunswick
2
751,171
0.266
11
Territories
0
107,265
0
Sask absolutely dominates. Per capita, hockey is almost twice as popular as Manitoba. Its over twice as popular as Alberta. Its 3 times as popular as Ontario. And its over 4 times as popular as Quebec.
This province very much is the heart of the hockey world. Of autonomous regions we produce the 4th most hockey players IN THE WORLD.
I know over a dozen people in Saskatoon who have NHL season tickets in Edmonton. They make the 6+ hour drive 41 times a year. Even without an NHL team this province easily spend over $25m a year on NHL stuff. And people think we don't like hockey.
I'd love to see it happen, but its still over 20 years away.
To every beaking Saskatchewan, this is the hockey capital of the world.
Here's a rundown of the Canadian provinces and the NHL players from them (from hockey ref)
Rank
Province
NHL Players
Population
NHL Players per capita (player per 100,000)
1
PEI
6
140,204
4.279
2
Saskatchewan
43
1,033,381
4.161
3
Manitoba
29
1,208,268
2.400
4
Alberta
68
3,645,257
1.8651
5
Ontario
181
12,851,821
1.408
6
Newfoundland
6
514,536
1.166
7
British Columbia
43
4,400,057
0.977
8
Novia Scotia
8
921,727
0.868
9
Quebec
58
7,903,001
0.734
10
New Brunswick
2
751,171
0.266
11
Territories
0
107,265
0
Sask absolutely dominates. Per capita, hockey is almost twice as popular as Manitoba. Its over twice as popular as Alberta. Its 3 times as popular as Ontario. And its over 4 times as popular as Quebec.
This province very much is the heart of the hockey world. Of autonomous regions we produce the 4th most hockey players IN THE WORLD.
I know over a dozen people in Saskatoon who have NHL season tickets in Edmonton. They make the 6+ hour drive 41 times a year. Even without an NHL team this province easily spend over $25m a year on NHL stuff. And people think we don't like hockey.
It's so funny that you posted this because I was just thinking about how the NHL has so many players from Saskatchewan.
first question i have is when does this plan to happen? cause if its this year, then quebec city and seattle? are building rinks to be big enough but are not yet complete, and houston as dicussed prior has a lease with the toyota center and an owner that doesnt want an nhl franchise, plus the proximity to dallas could hurt an already struggling stars attendance when there is other events going on
where that brings me is kansas city with their new rink but do they have a prospective owner? and what does kansas city provide in the way of fans and other sporting events and attendances?
next some comments on saskatoon:
most people have things right about populations but what i didnt see is how many students populate saskatoon in the winter or whether thats included?
i dont think its a good fit based on population, even if there are alot of manitobans who would travel to stoon because its quicker to go there than winnipeg. (would help!!)
comments about prospective owner hemorrhaging money; there is probably quite of few of these who are involved in oil which makes fort macs oil patch comparable to a fart in a hurricane and are alot of jobs created and people with 2 weeks off and alot of cash to spend doing whatever the heck they want which may help that situation
if it doesnt work do we really want a team merry-go-round based on oil sponsored money like the khl? probably not (i like what the khl is doing and thats one of the negatives i have to say about it)
where that brings me is kansas city with their new rink but do they have a prospective owner? and what does kansas city provide in the way of fans and other sporting events and attendances?
From what little I can pick up Kansas City has some really good hockey entities in the Mavericks (CHL) and the Russell Stover program but the economics don't seem to be there - yet. For one thing I have my doubts there are enough people who want to spend NHL level amounts on tickets.
While there seems to be something growing in Kansas City I don't think it can match the intensity of Saskatoon's love of hockey or financial potential.
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