Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
THN’s web series on NHL expansion team candidates down the line concludes with this roundup of cities that flirted with adding an NHL team.
In January at the NHL’s all-star festivities, commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned these cities as areas with interest in a squad. That said, they don’t seem likely to be at the front of the line for expansion.
This writer has said NHL expansion will likely happen in the next few years, but in this story, we’re looking at Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Omaha, Nebraska.
If you want to catch up on other cities we looked at, they include Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, a second team in Toronto, Quebec City and Hamilton, Ont.
KANSAS CITY, MISS.
Population, Kansas City proper: 508,090 (as of 2021 census)
Population, Kansas City metropolitan area: about 2,200,000
Kansas City is the 37th-most-populous city in America and the 31st-largest metropolitan area. It is home to the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, MLB’s Kansas City Royals, MLS’ Sporting Kansas City and NWSL’s FC Kansas City.
TV Market Ranking: As per USTVDB, Kansas City has 1,019,550 TV households, making it America’s 33rd-largest TV market.
Arena: T-Mobile Center is a public/private partnership involving the City of Kansas City, and it has a hockey capacity of about 17,500. The building is nearly 17 years old, but it could easily house an NHL team.
Hockey History: Kansas City once was home to the Kansas City Scouts, an NHL team that operated from 1974 to 1976 before relocating to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies, which later became the New Jersey Devils.
Since then, Kansas City has been home to the International League’s Kansas City Blades from 1990 to 2001, and it now is home to the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks, which play in nearby satellite city Independence.
Why Kansas City Is Worth Considering: Kansas City has long had a small-but-determined group of residents who want the NHL back in the city, and Bettman confirmed in February that there have been expressions of interest.
If Kansas City did land a team, it would have an instant rivalry with Missouri’s St. Louis Blues.
That said, it would take everything lining up perfectly to ever get to that point. The larger populations of places like Houston, Phoenix and Atlanta push Kansas City far back in the lineup for expansion or relocation.
The NHL has happily expanded to cities without a long hockey history, such as Vegas, so it isn’t out of the question that Kansas City might one day land an NHL team once again. But that possibility seems decades away. There are longer long shots, but for the moment, K.C. will have a tougher time convincing the league and owners to give them a shot.
The Enquirer/Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Population, Cincinnati proper: 309,317 (as of 2021 census)
Population, Cincinnati metropolitan area: about 2,260,000
Cincinnati is the 28th-most-populous city in the United States and is just ahead of Kansas City as the 30th-largest metropolitan area. It’s home to the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, MLB’s Cincinnati Reds, MLS’ FC Cincinnati and a potential NWSL squad.
TV Market Ranking: As per USTVDB, Cincinnati has 953,940 households, making it the U.S.’s 36th-largest TV market.
Arena: Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center is the biggest hockey rink in the area, with a hockey capacity of 14,453. That number is notably smaller than many NHL arenas, but the HBC has hosted major sports events, including collegiate basketball games and Frozen Four hockey games. It also hosts the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, which averaged 6,663 fans last season, per hockeydb.com.
The building is nearly 50 years old, which would make it one of the oldest potential NHL rinks.
Hockey History: Cincinnati was home to the defunct World Hockey Association’s Cincinnati Stingers franchise, which operated from 1975 to 1979 before folding.
Minor league franchises have played in the HBC over the years, including the Cyclones, which have operated in both the ECHL and the IHL. The Cyclones have won two Kelly Cups in the ECHL.
Why Cincinnati Is Worth Considering: If Columbus is worthy of an NHL team, you can argue that Cincinnati could also be worthy. Its metropolitan area population is slightly more than that of Columbus, although the latter’s city-proper population is about three times the number of Cincinnati.
You could probably argue the same for Cleveland, which has an NBA team, an NFL team and an MLB team.
Cincinnati has more than its share of diehard sports fans, and we’re sure an NHL team would capture the hearts of its residents. But their old arena that doesn’t fit enough people for NHL hockey already makes it a serious long shot to secure an NHL expansion franchise.
Fans in Ohio can support the Blue Jackets if they’re interested in the top pro hockey league, because Cincinnati will have to wait for years and years before another opportunity comes up for them at the highest levels of the game.
John Martin, Courier & Press
OMAHA, NEB.
Population, Omaha proper: 486,051 (as of 2021 census)
Population, Omaha metropolitan area: about 967,000 (as of 2020 census)
Omaha is home to many minor pro sports teams, including the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and the AAA baseball’s Omaha Storm Chasers.
TV Market Ranking: As per USTVDB, Omaha has 451,790 TV households, making it the U.S.’s 73rd-largest TV market.
Arena: Omaha has a number of options for an NHL-caliber rink – most notably, the CHI Health Center Omaha, which has a hockey capacity of 17,100. The building is nearly 21 years old, but it has the bells and whistles associated with a major league rink.
Hockey History: Omaha is primarily a collegiate sports town. The only reason it made this list is because NHL commissioner Gary Bettman named it earlier this year as a place that expressed interest.
The 11th-seeded University of Nebraska-Omaha men’s hockey team made it to the NCHC’s Frozen Faceoff Championship final last season, falling in the final to No. 3-seeded Denver.
The USHL’s Lancers finished last in the league last season, but they do have one league championship from 2007-08.
Omaha also has some AHL history, including two seasons as the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights from 2005 to 2007.
Why Omaha Is Worth Considering: With due respect, Omaha is about as long of a long shot as there is for an NHL team.
We can only imagine the outrage we’d see in places like Quebec City if the NHL went to Omaha and not there. A third stint in Atlanta is easier to justify.
We’re guessing Bettman mentioned Omaha as part of a larger negotiating ploy, but NHL power brokers we’ve spoken to don’t mention Omaha as being anywhere close to a favorite to get an expansion team.
It’s almost unfair to get Omaha’s hopes up, but that’s not to say there’s no hockey in the city. There absolutely is, and there should be for a long time. Perhaps an AHL team or ECHL team could be considered down the line.
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Related: NHL Expansion: Why Atlanta Could Make Waves By Landing Third NHL Team In City’s History
Related: NHL Expansion: Quebec City Has NHL-Ready Rink and Passion. Will It Get Another Shot?
Related: NHL Expansion: After Three Relocation Efforts, Can Hamilton Defy Odds And Get An NHL Team?
Related: NHL Expansion: Why Houston Is a Favorite To Land a New Team
News Summary:
- NHL Expansion: Kansas City, Cincinnati and Omaha Long Shots To Land a Team
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.