Arena Deal Officially Approved in Controversial NHL Expansion City
Photo credit: YardBarker
The NHL appears set to return to Atlanta at some point, and now, a new arena deal has been approved as the city look for their third NHL team.
First they were the Atlanta (now Calgary Flames), then they were the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets), and now, all signs are pointing towards the city of Atlanta getting yet another NHL team.
This comes after rumours that Kansas City, Houston, Quebec City and even Arizona have all been considered as potential spots for expansion in the NHL, and on Wednesday, their chances took a huge leap forward.
Reportedly, a $3 billion project was approved to build a new NHL arena in the city, and now, CEO of Krause Sports Vernon Krause has noted just how close this gets them to a comeback bid in the NHL.
"This vote marks a pivotal moment. We can go to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and ask him to start a process for expansion, which we're hopeful he will do."
At this point in time, it's well known that Bettman would love to expand the league to at least 34 teams, with the potential for even more down the line, but with so many potential suitors, Atlanta may not be at the top of their list.
However, they've now got the infrastructure and the support in place to feasibly become the NHL's 33rd franchise in the coming years, and according to Bettman, things could be different this time around.
"It's a different place than when the Flames and the Thrashers left, in terms of how big the city is, how robust it is, the sporting interest. I don't think the prior two visits have any bearing on whether or not we would go back, if all the other pieces that are referred to were to be put together."
Those comments from Bettman came in recent months, and with the latest development, it appears to be just a matter of when, not if we have our third Atlanta franchise in the NHL.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 11 | 492 ANSWERS Arena Deal Officially Approved in Controversial NHL Expansion City Should the NHL expand to Atlanta again? | ||
| Yes | 77 | 15.7 % |
| No | 415 | 84.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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