I entirely forgot about the Penguins/Kings last night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. I wouldn’t have known that the attendance figure was over 17,000 if you hadn’t posted that information. I think Kansas City will get an NHL team and it will probably be the Coyotes. Cannot see it being the Islanders. If Kansas City does get a team, I think that it will be a different name and not the Scouts. At the same time, the drawbacks to a team in K.C. are that they have the Chiefs, Royals and Big 12 college sports to compete against. We shall see what happens.

It would be cool to see a team in Quebec City. However, I would think that a new arena would have to be built first. Though you never know, a team in Quebec City could play a year or two at Colisee Pepsi before moving into a new building. Hamilton/Southern Ontario probably won’t get an NHL team for the reason that you mentioned. Seattle… this is my personal opinion, I think it’s more likely that they will have an NBA team and the Supersonics name will make a comeback. Nothing NBA or NHL wise will happen in Seattle until a new arena is built. I highly doubt that there will be an NHL team in Houston. I don’t think you have to worry about that.

It appears that if the Coyotes are going to go anywhere soon it will be to Kansas City. I wasn’t able to catch the Pens/Kings game last night, but even if I did I really wasn’t interested in the outcome of the game as I was the number of those in attendance, which exceeded 17,000. I was really surprised. I thought the number would no greater than 10,000.

So, will we have the Kansas City Scouts v. 2.0 next year? We’ll see. I’d rather see Quebec get a team first, but everybody keeps saying that the Pepsi Coliseum isn’t ready for the NHL. I say bullshit because it was home to the Nordiques before and could be again. Besides, it holds over 16,000 while the MTS Centre holds less than that, so I say by-pass Kansas City (at least for now), and bring the Nordiques back sooner. When the Nordiques do come back for their first game in Pittsburgh, I’m buying the best seats I can just to welcome them back. I’d do the same with the Jets, but I’m terribly broke at the moment.

I’m throwing this out there to guage reactions here. The top cities I want to see have an NHL team are Quebec and Seattle. Most fans seem to think that Hamilton is the next best place after Quebec, but I’m not so sure. The Erie region already has Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. Kansas City and Milwaukee would be my next two choices, but I’d hate to see an NHL team arrive in Houston. As if moving the NHL farther south would be any better than Dallas or Miami.

The Stars, Devils & Islanders are also in trouble. Though I think that all three teams will remain where they are. They play in very large markets so long term, I feel that things will get better for those three teams. Only difference is that the Islanders might be playing in Queens or Suffolk County as opposed to Nassau County as they rejected an arena proposal through a referendum. They have four years to get everything worked out. I don’t think the Islanders will move to Kansas City or Quebec City.

As for the Coyotes, Blue Jackets and Panthers… why is it that these three markets still have NHL teams? Phoenix bleeds the largest amount of red ink for a professional sports franchise. Columbus is one of the largest college football cities in America. Here’s hoping that Columbus remains in the Western Conference when realignment takes place and just maybe that will end up being the death blow for the Blue Jackets. Florida has a lease that runs until I believe 2017. That really sucks because Miami can’t even support an NHL franchise. Thank god the Thrashers did move to a city (Winnipeg) which will always support their hockey franchise. Speaking of Canada, here’s hoping that Quebec City and/or Hamilton/Southern Ontario get an NHL team within the next five years. Downright pathetic that Bettman thinks Arizona, Columbus, Miami are better NHL markets than Quebec City, Hamilton and Milwaukee. Saying that the NHL is financially stable is incorrect.

As a Canadian, I am extremely happy that Winnipeg got an NHL team and their Jets back. Here’s hoping that they stick it to Bettman by being a surprise team this year and making a very long run in the playoffs. That would truly be something to see. Now, back to the topic at hand. it’s time to pull the plug on the Coyotes, Blue Jackets and Panthers. Ideally, one team should be relocated while the other two end up getting contracted. If that doesn’t happen, here’s hoping the NHL board of governors kick Bettman out of the commissioner’s office. I think that they are sick and tired of supporting the Coyotes financially. Check that, I don’t think they are sick and tired of supporting the Coyotes financially, I know that they are. The sooner Phoenix, Columbus & Miami no longer have NHL franchises, the future for the NHL will get better. Knowing Bettman, he could very easily screw things up by placing future relocated clubs in the wrong markets. We shall see what happens in the next five years…

And financially stable? The Coyotes are hemorrhaging money, the Blue Jackets can’t get fans in the seats, the Panthers have resorted to a full refund for unhappy fans, the Thrashers had to pack up and relocate (thank God), and you actually believe to say that the NHL is financially sound?

I’ll give you that the NHL has more money than what it used to before Bettman arrived, but to say that the NHL is financially sound is a freaking insult to common sense. Get a freaking clue, dude. Bettman’s little pet project needs to die (quickly), and common sense and order restored to the NHL.