Recently, actually since I watched TSN’s segment “Why not Canada?”, I’ve caught myself thinking about hockey markets in general as well as the possibility of the NHL relocating or expanding (less likely) a team to Toronto. Now, keep in mind that this is primarily an outsider’s view on the situation but that could very well make it an objective one. As I already pointed out in my previous article for Leafspace, I absolutely agree with the fact that experiments conducted by Gary Bettman and the NHL with non viable USA hockey markets were an utter and complete failure (with the possible exception of the Dallas Stars and more recently the Nashville Predators – those markets/teams indeed still struggling with financial issues but managing to have on ice success). So, while do I sympathize with hockey fans in Atlanta, there is always the greater good for the game of hockey to keep in mind (The article is called Homeless Hockey and can be found here). And, that’s just my humble opinion, hockey can only thrive in a real hockey market with passionate fans and media, corporate support. That said, I don’t really think it would be wise to have another team in the Toronto area. Read on.

Well, there are basically three main points to my theory. The first and most obvious one would be the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a hockey institution. Not only that, they are Canada’s team, one rich in history (realistically one of two Canada’s teams alongside the hated Habs – don’t bash me now people) and quite possibly one of 5-10 major sports brands in the world. Why not Canada argues that the corporate structure and the market viability in the greater Toronto area could fit not 2 but 2 and a half teams. I would argue that while the financial background indeed exists, it would be quite hard to get people to fall in love with another team rather quickly, even with all the love for hockey that is part of a culture. The question is how would people react to another team in Toronto? Would the Leafs revenue be split in half? Would the population of Toronto suddenly find itself actually choosing a new team instead of the Maple Leafs? I really don’t think so. T-Shirts, team jerseys, hats, sales of such items can only be a substantial source of income if a large fan base actually exists. The time needed to generate that fan base, and the fact that people really love the Leafs (full stands with much less than stellar success prove that point) make it really hard for a team to thrive in that particular area. With that assumption, one can argue that money generated by that team and or fan base would be significantly smaller than the one generated by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Leafs nation.

My second question is why would the NHL want to put another team in Toronto when markets such as Winnipeg, Quebec City or even Hartford seem viable and have been waiting for the NHL to come calling for a really long time now? Quebec City, for example, possesses all the attributes to make a great home for another NHL team. The much improved economy and a presence of a media mogul as a potential owner of the team makes the idea even more appealing to Gary Bettman. Plans to build a new, publicly funded 4.000.000 dollar arena are also in motion just to further aid their campaign. Also, as all of you probably know, the city already homed an NHL team – The Quebec Nordiques. Gary Bettman publicly announced if the NHL was looking to expand or relocate, the first choice would be cities, areas and fans that previously had a chance to witness NHL hockey, only to see their hearts crushed when the teams got relocated. I for one wouldn’t mind the Leafs having another Canadian rival to measure against, plus I’m sure many of you wouldn’t like for someone, a lifelong Leafs fan, a friend, to suddenly cry: “I’m a Toronto Albatross fan!” – the thought itself is a disturbing notion.

For my last point, I would like to talk how a change such as this would impact the Leafs. Yes, research has shown that a city like NY, that has 2 hockey teams (Islanders and Rangers), 2 baseball, basketball, football teams (Yankees, Mets/Knicks, Liberty/Giants, Jets) and an MLS team (Metrostars) hasn’t had the revenue of each individual team reduced by other sports teams in that market. Comparison between NY and Toronto was the second main point of the Why not Canada segment dealing with Toronto’s capability of housing two NHL teams. The Islanders were founded in 1972 and the Rangers in 1926. The Rangers are an original six team so it really seems like a very reasonable comparison when dealing with the potential 2 team package in Toronto. However, given how hockey is beyond a reasonable doubt the No1 sport in Canada, and seeing how the Leafs are ingrained in the hockey culture as well as in the mindset of Torontians I suspect it would be a much different story here. There are two possible outcomes, either the Leafs fan base gets split in two, which is highly unlikely (after all, if I didn’t believe that, what kind of a fan would I be?) which creates less money for the Leafs franchise, or more likely, the new franchise doesn’t get nearly enough revenue because people won’t give in in following the Leafs. I’m basically talking about mindsets here, but given how Canadians love hockey, and the demand for NHL (Leafs) tickets, it would be hard to imagine the empty arena of a newly founded Toronto team. Either way, as a Maple Leafs fan, I’m not happy with the outcome.

How do you feel about a second team in Toronto? Feel free to comment.

Mislav “Xterratu” Jantoljak