A Look Back at the NHL Blocking a Blues Move to Saskatoon
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- I actually remember the TV reports back in 1983 which made it sound like this was definitely going to happen until it didn't.
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Thanks for the memories, Hockey Guy! Saskatoon did at least get a new arena out of the quagmire, which is comparable in capacity to the current Winnipeg rink, and at least got on the concert radar. I remember seeing Eric Clapton's 25th Anniversary Tour with Mark Knopfler there. It became the home of the WHL Saskatoon Blades and pro basketball and lacrosse teams. It's old now, though, and there's a plan for a new arena and entertainment zone downtown. All the best to Saskabush!
15,000 or so...which in the early 80s was fine for hosting a team.
Wish they had gotten a team at some time instead of having two dropped in Florida.
The history of the st louis blues is a rich tapestry. This chapter is quite the ordeal. The Ornest era that followed was interesting as well. I'm just really grateful that they stayed in st louis.
It was R. Hal Dean, I believe, who was the head of Ralston Purina at the time. I always felt he did this as a civic gesture of keeping the Blues in St. Louis, and was more interested in the NHL than the Ralston board. Harry Ornest was the next in a long line of 'saviors' for the Blues franchise. An unsung hero for this portion of Blues' history is the great Emile 'The Cat' Francis, who wore just about every hat in keeping the franchise going just before the Saskatoon thing came up.
My understanding was that Dean had been the one keeping the Blues but had retired by 1983 and the new management was less interested in keeping a money losing operation
Thanks for this video, and all the work you did! I was a teenager in St. Louis at the time. I remember the St. Louis side of the story, but never knew the details about the Saskatoon side of the story or the NHL’s viewpoint. Thanks for bringing this all together! Let’s Go Blues!
I have been a Blues fan since 1974 and I remember this wel lbut, I had never heard an explanation of what actually happened.
Thank you for putting it out there again.
If they would have moved St.Louis would not be the same place.
We would be a only "baseball" town and not have a Stanley Cup in 2019.
Thanks again for the video and keep up the good work.
Another wrinkle would be that the St. Louis Steamers indoor soccer team actually outdrew the Blues for at least one year. I don't remember the relative ticket prices, but the indoor soccer was perceived as being more family friendly.
@@daltontf That also happened in Pittsburgh and Chicago (the Spirit and the Sting). However, that changed when Mario and MJ arrived in those respective cities and revived the Pens and Bulls' organizations.
I'm so happy that the team stayed in St. Louis. Even though they didn't win until 5 years ago, we've seen a lot of good teams and players over the years. Unfortunately Mike Keenan was there too.
As part of their 1984 rebrand, the Blues added a small “St. Louis” text inside the logo’s wing, which lasted well into the 90s.
I have always said that this was a nod to this near relocation to Saskatoon and fact that the team stayed, almost worn like a badge of pride.
And from 1984-85 through 1986-87 Blues was above the bluenote
The population growth around Saskatoon has been considerable. That combined with Potash money flowing in, makes for future market potential.
@Julia_Hammels_ clearly you need to look at growth projections for the next few decades. Martensville and Oslar's population has doubled since 2006, and will double again by 2040
I will say, I know that Wild Bill took this VERY hard.
Ended up very depressed and passed away 22 years ago from cancer.
But a few HUGE pluses for Mr. Hunter would be how the WHA was amalgamated into the NHL.
And not just that, but some of those teams (like Edmonton) have been some of the most successful since amalgamation.
I don't know if he was ever able to see past the end of the WHA and not getting the Blues, despite all his efforts, but I really hope that that brought him some measure of joy.
Canadian hockey is in a better place, on all levels, because of his suggestions and his group pushing for the advancement of the sport.
Whatever a person thinks about this or other moves he made, he had an indelible passion for the sport of hockey and should be celebrated for how he championed the sport.
I recommend a similar video on how the New Jersey Devils were flirting with a move to Nashville in 1995 just as they were marching to a Stanley Cup and how that storyline affected the cup run. Notably, the cup-clinching game 4, which was on Fox Sports (a cup finals game on network TV in and of itself was a novelty at that point) featured an interview between periods with Gary Bettman in which the New Jersey crowd was out for blood, angrily booing and heckling the commissioner to the point where the interview was nearly drowned out. The footage can easily be found on YT
They could have been the most moved team in NHL history
The new arena in Nashville wasn't ready in 1995
I just moved to Saskatchewan from the Niagara falls/ Hamilton area.
I think Saskatchewan could support an NHL team, it would be like the Winnipeg Jets though, they'd barely brake even every year, and would probably have to have a smaller rink.
But Baseball....Saskatchewan is shockingly baseball crazy, I think they could have the most attended MLB franchise in the whole league if they got an MLB team. The amount of Jay's hats I've seen out here, and times I've heard "yeah, we flew to Toronto, or Minnesota to see the Jays play" is truly astonishing
And I've only been here a year or so, probably heard that 20 times now.
I don't know about a full blown MLB team, but definitely a farm team.
Was there for the original video and I am here again.... Love videos of NHL history
as a blues fan this was a super interesting video
I'm always fascinated by right decisions being made for wrong reasons and this sounds like exactly that.
I guess you could say that under Ralston Purina that the Blues fortunes had gone to the dogs…
Bobby's contract was for $175,000 per year for 10 yrs, plus $1 million signing bonus...
soo way more?
I hope I'm remembering this correctly. In Ken Dryden's book "Home Game" (about hockey being a big part of Canadian culture) he starts off about the then-state-of-the-art arena they built in Saskatoon in the hope of getting an NHL club. Don't know if that was for the Blues or for an expansion club but somehow they got it built and used it for other events. I loved the part about how people would park for an event in the dead of winter and would leave the car engine running so it wouldn't freeze. And after it was over there was a fleet of trucks going up and down giving peoples' cars a boost.
Are you sure it wasn't Hamilton you're thinking of? I know they always used to host big hockey events in there without an NHL tenant.
@@Statsy10 Nah, almost sure it was Saskatoon
I love your channel. Youre the only person who loves and thinks about hockey more than i do.
Saskatoon has always intrigued me because my favorite wrestler won his first world title there in 1992.
Thanks for highlighting the blues. I feel like we're missed a whole bunch!
St. Louis population number are very deceptive, most people live out in “the county “, “the suburbs “
Probably close to 4x the official numbers.
Around 3,000,000 people live around St. Louis. The city makes up almost none of it.
The total for the metro area is over 14x the “stl city” numbers, in fact
The city also shot itself in the foot back in the day. Legally, they cannot expand and absorb surrounding municipalities.
St. Louis was only granted a franchise in 1967 because Bill Wirtz owned the St. Louis Arena and made a deal to sell the arena to local interests in exchange for an expansion team. Had the deal fallen through, Baltimore would have been granted an expansion team.
The absolute WORST moment in my life as a Blues fan!!!
We thought our team was gone and I was mortified. I still remember being in high school during study hall, first thing, and seeing the front page headline in the Globe Democrat (newspaper) saying that the Blues had been sold to Saskatoon group. It was the first I learned of it. We didn't have 24 hour news then so if you missed the evening news you didn't know until you saw the morning paper. I looked up at the teacher and she gave a knowing nod of sympathy. She wasn't much of a sports fan, but she cared for 'her boys' being upset.
I was in complete disbelief. IT WAS SO WRONG!!!!
I was very angry at Ralston-Purnia! Begged my mom not to buy their pet food. I was more derisive toward the city of Saskatoon than I should have been. (To this day, if you mention the city of Saskatoon in St. Louis, people will bring up the almost sale.)
The first time I was in Saskatoon, decades later, it was all I could think about when I first arrived. It was good to meet some people there, and finally think of the city in terms other than "the people who tried to take our team". I think of the good people there in better terms now - lol.
IT WAS SUCH HUGE RELIEF when the NHL blocked the move!! Missing the draft, and R-P locking the doors didn't bother me much. Small potatoes compared to loosing the whole team. R-P could throw their hissy fits, at that point we knew it would all work out. Our Beloved Blues Were Staying!!! All was right in the world. 🥰😀
This is fascinating. I am a Rangers fan in NY but I have always wanted to see a hockey game in Winnipeg but as you pointed out at about 5:11, it is not easy to get to certain parts of the country. Hope springs eternal though haha!
So Wild Bill was the original Meruelo and Jim Balsille.
This was the same guy who lended a hand to the WHL and WHA being created? Wow
He also founded the Edmonton Oilers
I dunno, Bill seemed like he knew what he was doing. Meruelo didn't really get ANYTHING right.
@TheHockeyGuy, what was your opinion on Ziegler's time in the NHL? I think that could make a good video because of all the things that happened during his tenure and how little his time as NHL president is remembered or discussed compared to Campbell's presidency and Bettman's time as commissioner( the WHA merger, the St Louis Blues/Cleveland Barons situations, the Jim Schoenfeld incident, and the power outage during the 88 playoffs, the 92 strike, and his inability to get a major US TV deal )
And didn't Washington also threaten to move late in Ziegler's tenure as well? I seem to remember that. Or am I experiencing the Mandela Effect?
@@fphlflash I never heard of Washington but would not surprise me considering how awful they were before the mid-80s ( and even then couldn't do anything in the playoffs till 1990) and that their partner in expansion Kansas City only lasted 2 seasons before moving to Colorado and then to New Jersey.
I’ve been wanting a new video on this as a blues fan I didn’t know this happened until a couple years ago
I lived in Saskatoon back then, and never thought the Blues would come. Hunter owned a business in the city I went to school in. Think if NYI, Arizona, and even Utah got treated like Saskatoon did. "don't have a big enough stadium...." This storey is repeated when a guy bought the Sacramento Kings and tried to move them to Seattle, and the NBA blocked it.
I grew up in Saskatchewan in the 1970s and 1980s, and I totally remember when Saskatoon purchased the Blues franchise. It was EXCITING!!! My buddy's best friend played on the St. Louis Blues (#28 Ralph Klassen) and Klassen played junior hockey with the Saskatoon Blades with Blues' legend Bernie Federko. Hunter was totally blacklisted because of his primary connection to the WHA. The Blues would have thrived in the NHL in the 80s, but the franchise would definitely have difficulties in the 90s with the Canadian dollars and Gary Bettman's adverse feelings about Canadian markets. Although the franchise was eventually saved, all future hockey operations and decisions were purely budget focused. I don't think they even had a minor league team because they didn't want to pay players. Survival was now the ultimate goal for the Blues. The new ownership (under Harry Ornest) had no interest or commitment to building a championship team in St. Louis. Later, the Blues were unable to keep future NHL Hall of Famers Doug Gilmour and Joey Mullen because of financial issues.
The Doug Gilmore situation included another interesting story involving a babysitter 😂.
@@jert33 Blues were looking to trade Gilmour before the scandal broke out ... this also caused lots of potential legal difficulties because the Blues weren't being transparent about this situation with other teams.
I remember this and felt that Ornest was a hero, even with the crappy uniforms, etc.
Wow. I knew zero about this! Or at least I didn’t retain anything I may have attempted to learn/read about this lol. This is fascinating!
12:51: "When somebody is trying to buy into the NHL..." Maybe Gary Bettman should have taken off his " This is our first Hispanic owner" glasses and vetted Alex Meruelo more closely.
Virtue points above all.
Edmonton Penguins lol
Great video, Shannon!
hometown is the topic of a THG video?? lets gooooo
The hatred the owners had for anyone related to the WHA was off the charts.
I remember this when I was a kid. I loved the blues and still do. But this was where I learned to chew my fingernails. Lol I was worried
The NHL learned their lesson about ownership so well that 12 years later, John Spano.
And again with Alex Muerelo
That was an embarrassment as to how far it even got...
@@Ibelikemjhe is an absolute clown and con man. The board of directors have to make sure he never gets his hands on a team again.
Thanks Shanny
Great listen. They paid the players in food stamps and they were happy lol. Lifetime STL resident born the year after the Blues were. Remember a money losing team not exactly fitting into Ralston Purina’s maximization of shareholder value. They changed the name of the old barn to The Checkerdome, with an advertising campaign to match… The Blues have put the check, back into the Checkerdome.
Vaguely remember the fear as a kid of losing my team to some remote northern Canadian outpost I couldn’t pronounce let alone spell. I knew we sat out a draft but wasn’t aware of the lawsuit/countersuit backstory with Ralston and the league, or WHA related blackballing.
Harry Ornest saved the team but boy he sure ran it on a shoe string budget. Even let his wife Ruth redesign the primary logo on the sweater, drastically shrinking the iconic note. Never thought I’d see them win a cup, but even that long overdue fever dream was finally realized.
I was just a kid when this was going on. I remember being excited that we were getting a team.
No way can we support a NHL team now though.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
When it comes to Ralston Purina, they would later be involved in the St Louis pro sports scene (though it was years after Nestle bought the company in 2001) when St Louis City SC joined MLS last year & they became one of the founding partners & jersey sponsor. Also around the same time this was happening, the other two sports teams in St Louis the Cardinals of MLB & the Cardinals of the NFL were in a bitter battle with each other (and the Cardinals NFL team was also fighting the city government over a new domed stadium) over Busch Stadium & who had more right to be there as there were multiple schedule conflicts between the two. This battle got more of the media attention in St Louis than the Blues possibly leaving & would begin the process of Bill Bidwell eventually moving the football Cardinals out of town to Arizona after the 1987 season.
I wonder if they'll ever get a team. Hopefully they grow as a population and they'll get a team
It's still only our 17th largest Metro area
sadly I think it would need to double in size before the NHL considered it
@@timburr4453 definitely
If Ballard had the dogsled line about Saskatoon in the early 80s, I feel like he would’ve dug those Winnipeg airport jokes that have floated around.
The "Winnipeg has bad Wifi" thing too
Near as I can tell, St. Louis does love their
“Saskie Boys”. Glenn Hall, Bernie Federko, Kelly Chase….
One day my hometown will get an NHL team… if it randomly gets a population jump of like 2 million people
I seem to remember a prospective ownership group for the Islanders who somehow showjobed the other owners and it collapsed and caused problems.. in the 9-0's I believe... so I can understand vetting them before letting them own a team.
Imagine have a nhl team in Boise Idaho or Cheyenne Wyoming in 1970s
As a Saskatchewan resident it would be nice to see a team in Saskatoon but I highly doubt it. They would be my #2 team
They would have moved back to a US city in the 90s
I remember when they try to move the blues to Saskatchewan when the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019 they took the Stanley Cup down to Saskatchewan to show him off
And me was thinking only Bettman hates Canada 😂
@brientaylorcohen I don’t buy too much into the hate for Canada, but we really need the Nordiques back.
@brientaylorcohen yet only one Canadian team won the Cup since Bettman became NHL commissioner.
@@detroitotakubecause Canadian teams rely on drawing penalties and getting into a situation where they're only able to score with the man advantage.
It's much more realistic to play that tightly regulated game, a style of officiating that lengthens games, when you're not faced with the prospect of 2-4 OT periods at the end of a game.
But when games don't end after 5 minutes of OT and a brief shootout, the NHL governs that "unnecessary and inobstructive" penalty calls only serve to inflate an otherwise longer format game.
Naturally, this isn't written or stated anywhere, officially.
But it's how the NHL has operated for over 50 years, far before the age of Bettman.
And the issue with Canadian teams winning the Cup is simple: as long as they make the playoffs, it's usually considered a successful season.
The Leafs have won a single playoff series in like 20 years and are one of the highest ticket prices and the most attended teams in the NHL.
If a team like the Jets is the outlier or the Flames (who were in the red quite a few seasons less than 20 years ago), the only thing a Canadian team needs to find monetary gains is a playoff spot and one of two marketable players.
The demand for playoff success is there, but even without it, those teams have support.
When the Panthers were subpar, they had half empty arenas. Now, their games were better attended than the Oilers.
If Canadian teams want to succeed, they really need two things:
A team that is more capable of scoring 5 v 5 than anything they've shown in the last 20 years. And a defense first approach that generates offense by forcing turnovers.
US teams, the ones that win Cups, are the best in the playoffs at scoring 5v5.
Edmonton had a great team for preventing power plays, but took 3 games to 7 games due to a relative inability to score 5 v 5.
They absolutely had a few exceptional games where that wasn't the case, but even last year (22-23), the Oilers were regaled as one of the best PP teams in NHL history.
But again, the NHL plays a more open style in the playoffs and like it or not, that's not a Bettman invention.
Gretzky, let's use that famous example. He had enforcers with him in Edmonton. Why do you think the Oilers won with Gretzky? It has A LOT more to do with those enforcers than one might think.
Which is why "jerks" like Marchand and Bennett win Cups and nicer guys like McDavid end up with zero points in critical moments.
They call them "greasy goals" but really, it becomes less about having skill and more being desperate enough to play a little bit closer to the line.
@brientaylorcohenyou think he's that guy?😂😂😂
For the record, Bettman has said not fighting harder for Winnipeg was his biggest regret. And then people beat up on him because of how hard he fought for Arizona. He just can't win with some people.
Great jersey!
That was their road jersey in their first season
I remember when I found out that Ralston had sold the Blues, the new owner was moving them to Saskatoon and they were done in St Louis. It was like finding out that my beloved pet just died. God bless Mr.Ornest !!
Saskatoon has one of four canadian Airports named for Former Prime Ministers as well...
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal
Lester Bowles Pearson International Airlport in Toronto
McDonald-Cartier Airport in Ottawa Named for Sir John A MacDonald and Jacques Cartier
and
JOhn G Diefenbaker Airport in Saskatoon. Currently the only one of those 4 Cities without an NHL team is Saskatoon.
I'd love to see hockey in Saskatoon. They're in the only province without the NHL and they've proven they can support a CFL team.
Other than Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Nunavit.
Just think; what if either Saskatoon or Regina did get a team. We could have a Winnipeg vs Saskatoon/Regina "battle of the heartland."
And……..
Very interesting history lesson!
This sounds very similar to what happened about a decade later when the San Francisco Giants tried to move to Tampa.
This is interesting to see
I remember the huge fanfare about this living in Saskatoon, and I know that we were all very pumped about the possibility of getting a NHL team. And given the large number of NHL players that came from Saskatchewan there would be a huge fan base. Pretty sure that a NHL team would be much like the Roughriders meaning a province wide supported team rather than just a city based one. Pretty certain that home games would be a massive road trip for many communities, however how viable the team would be is another matter totally.
I would still like a NHL team here, but I am still uncertain as to how long it would last financially.
As a small Canadian market, the team would have been on the move long before 2024 they wouldn't have survived between 1983 and the present
@@michaelleroy9281 agreed. But it would have been fun while it lasted.
I’m west of Stoon Crime Town North Battleford lol would have been nice to have an NHL team close by
That jersey is minty.
The Blues were in danger of folding in 1977, Ralston Purina saved the team at the time
Not having draft choices for that season was unforgivable.
Or an owner, Ralston Purina left the team on the NHL's doorstep
Man, that 1967 expansion turned out to be somewhat of a failure. The Blues almost moved (and folded), the Stars moved, the Pens almost moved (and folded), and the Seals merged with the North Stars (now the Stars). Only the Kings and Flyers have existed without much drama, but who knows what happens to the Kings if they don't get Gretzky.
They still didn't win a Stanley Cup while Gretzky was there, although they got to one final
Got an ad for Saskatchewan on this video coincidence? I think not
This is all a conspiracy by "Big Sask". 😂
We called Ralston Purina, Rotten Piranha at the time. Still don't like that company.
There was no way they were going to build a new arena in less then a year
Correction: Bobby Hull got $1 million to sign and $250k per season. And that was ASTRONOMICAL. Story is he made the offer to Hatskin just to get rid of him. Then when they got the money, Hull contacted his dad for advice. His dad said are you a liar? So Hull signed.
fun fact the captain of the blues is from Saskatoon
Shannon
Back in this time, what did it cost approx to build an NHL arena?
The 18,000 seat arena would have cost 43 million to build.
@@TheHockeyGuy wow, what a difference compare to today! Isn't the cheapest today at least a billion!? Also, will Kyle Okposo get a rescheduled day with the cup!?
I feel for SK. Give them a team. They’re stuck in Flat Land. Where it’s so flat it distorts your perception of time. They will be even better the passionate fanbase than EDM eventually.
Saskatoon would be a great bet for a NHL team in Canada. Best option in western Canada, could come in the same time as Quebec City. Saskatchewan merchandise and ticket sales way outdo it's immediate surrounding population and would have a draw to a larger area by space than most comparable American markets. Saskatoon would be much like the Green Bay Packers of the NHL.
Yeah, but the Green Bay Packers are really the Wisconsin Packers. Everyone in Milwaukee considers the Packers their "home team" (even if Chicago is much closer). Milwaukee is much larger than Saskatoon and Regina combined. Then add in Madison, Eau Clair, etc. Not really an even comparison.
I wish saskatchewan had a nhl team so bad
Imagine the Blues logo over a maple leaf. That would've been weird.
I'd rather not.
Bill Hunter should have been able to try it. Saskabush should have a team.
Man as someone who is a Saskatchewan aboriginal, that’d most likely be my number one team! Besides Chicago, but highly doubt that’ll EVER happen to small of a market.
The next Atlanta team needs to be relocated to Saskatoon when it happens
@brientaylorcohen I just want Saskatoon to have a team, and the easiest path to a new Canadian team seems to be relocating a team from Atlanta. I have nothing against Atlanta, and if they can also have a team while Saskatoon does then that is fine by me.
Does an expansion team ever even occur to you folks? Stop trying to take someone else's.
@edwardofgreene Sadly for some fans, relocation is a more realistic or viable option, esp. given what the league asks in expansion fees.
The NHL probably never returns to Winnipeg via expansion. That's just the facts. So you're basically telling fans "you should accept that you're never getting a team and stop wanting things."
I firmly believe that Arizona should’ve moved to s’toon. We love hockey here. We make some of the best hockey players on earth. It’s time to take another look.
Man imagine if the NHL didn’t step in
Blues would have folded in the 1990s
@@cohengamertv6548The blues most successful and fan interest in the team was early 90s with hull and company. Of all the possible times to fold, that wasnt it.
No, I do NOT want to do that. No No NO!!
Saskatoon needed John Spano.
I’m a lifelong Saskatchewanian and we definitely would have the support, but we don’t have a lot of billionaires that would be able to buy a team, although in those days you could own an NHL team as a millionaire. Saskatchewan really is a nice province. Yeah, summers are very hot and winters are very cold so I get that.
In a way, I’m glad Saskatoon didn’t get a team. A very very large amount of Saskatchewanians are Oilers fans, even in the south where you think there would be Flames fans, but there isn’t really.
I believe you could support a team. BUT DON'T BE TAKING MY BLUES!!
If the Blues did move, they would have moved back to St. Louis in the 90s
Thank God the NHL blocked this move. Let's Go Blues!!!
As someone from Saskatchewan I’m gonna have to disagree 😭
@@iem123you can do better in Saskatoon, blues are lame
@@iem123they wouldn't have survived in Saskatoon way too small of a market
@@UnquenchableHatred we’d have won a Stanley cup by now though… I’d be perfectly happy with the blues and besides, beggars can’t be choosers
@@southtext3400 you’re probably right considering the Nordiques and original jets didn’t survive 😢
There’s no way that Saskatoon would have been viable in the long run. The providence of Saskatchewan - all of it, and it’s a pretty big place - currently only has an estimated population of 1,231,043… with its other significant city (Regina) being a 2 1/2 hour drive from Saskatoon.
I believe Saskatchewan could support a team... BUT DON'T BE TAKIN' MINE!!!!
Why the he'll couldn't they block Muerelo
In an age where a $1 billion handshake is required just to get through the door, Saskatoon will never be on the NHL's radar. AHL or ECHL, maybe.
I'm from Saskatoon and it would have been cool but Saskatoon is just not a big enough market for an NHL team even now
Not cool, too damn COLD during hockey season
the Saskatoon Berries
Saskatoon Blues sounds way better than St. Louis Blues
What? You are aware of the famous song right?
Rabid hockey fans in Saskatoon. 18,000 per game…. Maybeee.
We will get our green and white NHL team one of these years
Saskatoon has 300,000 + people now & Regina has 280,000 + now both cities would support one city having a/an NHL/AHL/ECHL franchise now. It would play out of Saskatoon. And the stands would be near full capacity every home game night. The only impediment to NHL expansion in Canada is Gary Bettman/Bill Daily, et al.. An NHL Commissioner whose Canadian an going to take an interest putting NHL teams in Saskatoon, either Hamilton (or Markham), & Québec will that get done. Saskatoon & Saskatchewan is ready for pro hockey and has been for awhile. Look at the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, for example for attendance. Those games roughly average 29,000-30,000 or better/game. Merchandise are one of the top sellers in Canada, only behind Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Raptors, and Jays. A pro hockey team in Saskatchewan would be like the Green Bay Packers of the NFL. It'd do very well. Probably follow the Vegas model of success.
owners boy Gary will not allow a team in Canada wants USA teams only even if they lose money..look at Arizona....his 50 year promise is never going to happen...
It's wild I've never heard about this having grown up around St. Louis. We've had a long history of teams moving or almost moving it seems (I don't blame them 😂)
Browns, Hawks, football Cardinals, Rams, SLU dropped hockey and football,
This was definitely for the best in the long run
Which 3 voted “yes”
Another charlatan denied
Bettman has glowing reviews for Spano as well! How did that turn out!? Caused alot of pain and set our organization back even further!
Wow there could have been something to do in Saskatoon 😮
I have family in Saskatoon, we struggle to sell out roughriders games even with them being the only major professional sports team. I don’t see a future where they ever get an nhl team