Is Vancouver Ready ?

[trouble]

Talking with a few friends the other weekend.. There is talk of Vancouver trying to get a second NHL team. Of course this is not a topic The Canucks want.. But with Vancouver growing so fast and very supportive of Hockey the rumor will not go away.

My thoughts of this is YES, We are ready for another team.. But not in Vancouver. I would say Surrey would be the right place for this. Surrey is trying hard to become a major city and is one of the fastest growing Cities in North America and will soon become larger then Vancouver.

They would need someone with big pockets as land would need to be bought and a NHL size Rink would need to be built..

The hardest part and what might stop this is the Vancouver Canucks but if they can get them on Board. Watch for one of the USA teams to move to Surrey.

[Jelly]

The centre of the universe might implode if Vancouver gets a 2nd NHL team before they do.

Unless there is someone with very deep pockets willing to step up, I highly doubt it.

[dr.dork]

The centre of the universe might implode if Vancouver gets a 2nd NHL team before they do.

As the joke goes, the center of the universe doesn't even have ONE NHL team. (Ba bump bump baaa).

But I doubt Vancouver will get two. It wasn't that long ago that one team was suffering, and there is still the Bettman hate on for anything Canada related.

[Jelly]

the main problem with the team suffering is that, as a majority, the money spending, ticket buying fan base, are very bandwagon fans.

team starts to stink? they will stop going.

maybe with the past 10 years, the team generally having more success, will breed a better and more consistently loyal fan base.

who knows.

[woodhog]

Can't see it happening as long as Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hamilton, among others, are teamless.
The Toronto area would be far more capable of supporting another team than the Vancouver area.
GTA population aprox. 6 Million. Greater Van. population aprox. 2.3 Million.
Toronto also has much more potential corporate support than Vancouver.
I don't think you'll see another team in Greater Vancouver in your lifetime.

[Jelly]

The chances of Vancouver getting a 2nd team is about the same as the leaves winning a cup.

It's ALL RELATED TO THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!

[trouble]

I happen to know someone with very deep pockets and loves hockey

[trouble]

The chances of Vancouver getting a 2nd team is about the same as the leaves winning a cup.

It's ALL RELATED TO THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!

This is not as far fetched as you think.

[nucklehead_88]

i just dont see it. maybe seattle or something like that but not Vancouver. even if it did, the loyalty towards the Canucks is too strong

[trouble]

i just dont see it. maybe seattle or something like that but not Vancouver. even if it did, the loyalty towards the Canucks is too strong

The Canucks have a 5-6000 season ticket holder waiting for their chance. I can tell you there are alot more out there that would love to support another team.

Fans will switch . some will stay die hards and some will support both

[Sid Dithers]

Just can't see it. Sure the Canucks have that long waiting list for season tickets, but I'm not sure that's a good indicator of demand for NHL product it terms of a second team. As someone mentioned, things would likely get very soft if prolonged losing takes place. Could Surrey/ Fraser Valley support an NHL team? I suppose it could, but only under the optimum circumstances. And since nobody can ever guarantee those, the project seems very unlikely.

[the toucan kid]

Yeah... this is such a distant "possibility" I can't even fathom it. I'm not even sure it would work, honestly.

[Arachnid]

trouble, you need to get a life, really

NEVER going to happen

it's Surrey for chris' sake

[LotusBlossom]

I don't see it happening period. I think at times we overestimate the capabilities of the fair city. If anything, I'd rather see a team possibly in Halifax over another one here in Vancouver. Besides, my loyalties would lie with the Nuckleheads. I just couldn't picture myself cheering for another team.

As for the Surrey comments, I find it funny coming from someone who hasn't lived in the Lower Mainland since the early 1980's to be making such comments...really.

[MarkMM]

Where is this talk of a second team coming from? Honestly, this forum is the first time I've ever heard anything like that mentioned.

The Canucks have strong corporate and fan support, but not necessarily enough to support a second team. We're one of those middle of the road situations, a big enough city to be a decently strong enough base (when the team is winning) but not big enough that you can make a case to support two teams.

This isn't New York/New Jersey/NYI.

Toronto really should get a second team (likely Hamilton), and then we'd likely be looking at other potential American cities that don't have hockey anywhere in their regions (Portland/Seattle, Kansas, Oklahoma), and Canadian cities if the arena issues can be dealt with (a new one for Quebec, and whether or not MTS is good enough in Winnipeg, plus corporate support issues). And then, maybe a decade from now, if the population and corporate centres grow enough, maybe Surrey will start making some noise.

Maybe two decades.