My Proposal to Save the NHL

Canadian:

1- Vancouver

2- Calgary

3- Edmonton

4- Montreal

5- Winnipeg

6- Toronto

7- Ottawa

8- Quebec City (from current American NHL city)

9- Hamilton (from current American NHL city)

10- Mississauga (from current American NHL city) (rival with Detroit, other Great Lakes cities)

11- Gatineau(from current American NHL city) (rival with Ottawa)

12- Vaughan (from current American NHL city) (fastest growing city in Canada, rivalry with Toronto)

13- Halifax (from current American NHL city)

14- London (from current American NHL city)

American:

1- Boston

2- New York Rangers

3- Philadelphia

4- Buffalo

5- Pittsburg

6- Washington DC

7- Chicago

8- Detroit

9- Dallas

10- Colorado

11- Minnesota

12- LA Kings

13- San Jose

14- New Jersey

Here’s the reason: 28 teams is realistic to pass in the players union because not a ton of NHL players lose their job (vs. a 20 or 24 team proposal). Vaughan, the smallest of the proposed cities, still has 250,000 people in the metro area, which for Canada, means they could sell out a 20,000-seat arena on a regular basis. Niagara getting a team would be good for a natural rival to Buffalo. A 16-team playoff format would still be in use, which the NHL would approve because that means more games (meaning more revenue, exposure, etc.). By eliminating or relocating a number of American NHL teams, the NHL makes the game better (fewer teams = better players, still a good size league = more cities and markets reached, more Canadian teams for their country’s national sport = a good thing). I think it’s less of relocating the American teams to Canadian cities than disbanding those teams and creating new ones in Canadian cities, but realistically there has to be relocation so there isn’t a big draft to re-organize the league.