Quote:
Originally Posted by kinnikuniverse
before I put in my vote, how slow would expansion come in option 2? and why would Quebec, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hartford, Cincinnati, houston ETC wait for so long if, for some of these teams, they already have more than adequate facilities around the current time period?
also, I hope the WHA exist with the line-up I made in my other post!  |
For Option 2 - expansion every 3 or 4 years instead of every 2 years is what I understand the NHL planned after the 70 expansion.
In the 67 expansion the NHL made it clear (and thereafter) they had no intention of going to small markets in Canada. Their rules of expansion included the requirement that the city be a major league city already involved in another professional sport. So Houston and Cincy were possible NHL cities (Cincy was actually promised an NHL expansion team after failing to get in for '74). Houston probably would have gotten in if Atlanta had done better.
I'm speculating that by the 90's the NHL would have loosened this stance.