NHL to Saskatoon says Don Cherry

[Western Elite]

I was listening to 650 NTR late this afternoon and the host of the show - Richard Brown had CBC's Don Cherry on to talk about the chances of Saskatoon perhaps landing an NHL franchise.

Basically to make a long story short, Cherry says Saskatoon will get a franchise and will get one before Quebec due to the fact Saskatoon has a rink and Quebec doesn't. He goes on to say that Saskatoon would have no problem selling out the games and having guarantees in place for season ticket holders for the first couple years.

Apparently this is the same group that has been bringing the NHL pre-season games to Saskatoon for the past several years. The NHL leaked this last week and it seems to be becoming more and more real! I think a lot of us, are taking a trip down the river denial if we continue to think this has no chance of happening.

The obvious fall-out will be the Saskatoon Blades and would also bring an end to the Memorial Cup and a new host would need to be found.

Very sad it would be to lose the Blades but how great would it be to follow NHL hockey???!!!

[Toswammi]

I fail to see Saskatoon as a viable location for the NHL

[Raider Believer]

I was listening to 650 NTR late this afternoon and the host of the show - Richard Brown had CBC's Don Cherry on to talk about the chances of Saskatoon perhaps landing an NHL franchise.

Basically to make a long story short, Cherry says Saskatoon will get a franchise and will get one before Quebec due to the fact Saskatoon has a rink and Quebec doesn't. He goes on to say that Saskatoon would have no problem selling out the games and having guarantees in place for season ticket holders for the first couple years.

Apparently this is the same group that has been bringing the NHL pre-season games to Saskatoon for the past several years. The NHL leaked this last week and it seems to be becoming more and more real! I think a lot of us, are taking a trip down the river denial if we continue to think this has no chance of happening.

The obvious fall-out will be the Saskatoon Blades and would also bring an end to the Memorial Cup and a new host would need to be found.

Very sad it would be to lose the Blades but how great would it be to follow NHL hockey???!!!

The NHL Saskatoon Blades! Very cool!

Has anyone else heard the rumor about PA Raiders being moved to Winnipeg? Something of the same arrangement as what they have in Edmonton. The Jets would own the WHL club .. ???

[lordstanley]

When you get Bob McKenzie and Don Cherry talking about this in a serious way and with us having a NHL sized ready rink and the talk of Phoenix moving this could happen this team would be treated like the RoughRiders of the CFL

I would love if they called the new team the Saskatoon Blades and used the Pacman jersey

[Western Elite]

on Cherry says Saskatoon will get an NHL team
Legendary hockey icon thinks it'll be sooner, not later
Reported by News Talk Radio staff
First Posted: Mar 5, 2012 3:44pm | Last Updated: Mar 5, 2012 5:54pm
Change text size: + -
Saskatoon will get an NHL team in the end, according to hockey icon Don Cherry.

He said it was the NHL itself that leaked information about a pitch being made for the new prairie team Saturday night on Coach's Corner, but did not have time to go into details.

He ripped through all of them Monday however, on News Talk Radio's Richard Brown, confirming with no lack of confidence the NHL will indeed be coming to Saskatoon, and that the Bridge City would have no trouble keeping a stadium arena sold out for home games.

"I really believe they're going to get it. Quebec's going to get one too, there's no doubt about that," Cherry said.

"If you can get 16,000 people to squeeze in around in there in boxes and the whole deal, well Winnipeg is doing it so why couldn't Saskatoon do it?"

He said Saskatoon's will come first, as the fact that the Bridge City has a major rink ready to go is a big benefit which won't go overlooked.

"You've got a beautiful building there...everything's going for you, I'll tell you that," he added, pointing to Saskatoon's recent economic booms and status as one of the fastest growing cities in North America.

"When you've got a firm offer they'd better sit up and take notice."

Last week TSN's Bob McKenzie wrote about someone pitching a team for Saskatoon; media reports suggest it's the same group that's been bringing exhibition games to the city.

MLA confirms rumoured interested group

Saskatoon-Silver Springs MLA Ken Cheveldayoff has confirmed a group looking to bring the NHL to Saskatoon has contacted him, but they weren't asking for anything in particular yet.

"They've given us their information, and we've said Saskatchewan is a place where it's a hocky hotbed -- obviously," he said.

"We encourage them to do well, but it's much too early [to say for certain]."

Cheveldayoff echoed the premier's weekend comments, saying he too believes that if Winnipeg can do it, Saskatchewan can too.

He joked that it might be just the thing to bring home his brother, who is the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets.

Edited by News Talk Radio's Jared Knoll, with files from Richard Brown, David Kirton and Justin Blackwell.

[fatshad]

on Cherry says Saskatoon will get an NHL team
Legendary hockey icon thinks it'll be sooner, not later
Reported by News Talk Radio staff
First Posted: Mar 5, 2012 3:44pm | Last Updated: Mar 5, 2012 5:54pm
Change text size: + -
Saskatoon will get an NHL team in the end, according to hockey icon Don Cherry.

He said it was the NHL itself that leaked information about a pitch being made for the new prairie team Saturday night on Coach's Corner, but did not have time to go into details.

He ripped through all of them Monday however, on News Talk Radio's Richard Brown, confirming with no lack of confidence the NHL will indeed be coming to Saskatoon, and that the Bridge City would have no trouble keeping a stadium arena sold out for home games.

"I really believe they're going to get it. Quebec's going to get one too, there's no doubt about that," Cherry said.

"If you can get 16,000 people to squeeze in around in there in boxes and the whole deal, well Winnipeg is doing it so why couldn't Saskatoon do it?"

He said Saskatoon's will come first, as the fact that the Bridge City has a major rink ready to go is a big benefit which won't go overlooked.

"You've got a beautiful building there...everything's going for you, I'll tell you that," he added, pointing to Saskatoon's recent economic booms and status as one of the fastest growing cities in North America.

"When you've got a firm offer they'd better sit up and take notice."

Last week TSN's Bob McKenzie wrote about someone pitching a team for Saskatoon; media reports suggest it's the same group that's been bringing exhibition games to the city.

MLA confirms rumoured interested group

Saskatoon-Silver Springs MLA Ken Cheveldayoff has confirmed a group looking to bring the NHL to Saskatoon has contacted him, but they weren't asking for anything in particular yet.

"They've given us their information, and we've said Saskatchewan is a place where it's a hocky hotbed -- obviously," he said.

"We encourage them to do well, but it's much too early [to say for certain]."

Cheveldayoff echoed the premier's weekend comments, saying he too believes that if Winnipeg can do it, Saskatchewan can too.

He joked that it might be just the thing to bring home his brother, who is the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets.

Edited by News Talk Radio's Jared Knoll, with files from Richard Brown, David Kirton and Justin Blackwell.

Can the Credit Union Centre be expanded further for more seating ? Because 15,000 is not enough seats to support an NHL franchise with todays inflated salaries etc. Rexall Place in Edmonton holds just under 17,000 and they are looking to build a new facility for exactly that reason !!:confused:

[JMoney1988]

Well, at least they are considering it as of right now, that's a plus...... right?????? I mean, I would like one to come here AFTER the memorial cup that is, but........ who knows..............

[Western Elite]

I think one of the toughest things a NHL franchise in Saskatoon would face is drawing in NHL Free Agents. Many players don't even want to go play in Edmonton or Winnipeg as it is, how are they going to feel about going from New York, L.A. or Chicago to Saskatoon and raise a family their? Now that is not a knock against the city of Saskatoon at all but when faced with options, they are highly unlikely to be a free-agents top choice of destination.

[JMoney1988]

Well, we are pretty friendly around here ha ha, and you are right Western, Saskatoon is alot smaller than other cities around the NHL, we could hurt.........

[Billy Blade]

To honor our strong Potash and Uranium industries we could be the Saskatchewan Miners, which would be fitting, because the free agents we would attract would likely have one skate in the minors anyway! :D

[Fight Guy]

15,000 seats isn't enough to support an NHL franchise?? Winnipeg is doing it. Not to mention with the smaller population, you really don't need the expansion.

With the serious talks from the higher ups about S'toons interest and the news that apparently the NHL leaked the info to the public, makes me wonder if they let it public to see what kind of buzz and interest it would create around S'toon and the province. Though I could never see it generating the interest Winnipeg did as they have been thirsty for a team since the Jets left in '96. Saskatoon has always been laughed at for it's attempts since the '90's when the Blues almost moved. Back then, it would have been silly to bring a team to Sask. But honestly, with the growth the city and province has seen, and no expectation of it stopping, I really could see it working out.

Really, the whole province would support the team like the Riders. Even if you lived out of town and had to drive in to every game, if you were to miss one, you would have no problem selling the ticket to someone who will.

Back to what I said about the NHL trying to create some buzz to see the interest factor in the public. If this is in fact what their plan was, I don't see the best results going back without a serious interest being portrayed by the league in the first place, because like I said before...NHL to SK has always been made out to be a joke, so as it's already been seen, a lot of people don't see it even possible because any previous ideas or attempts have been shot down because we're not big enough. Now, with the seriousness of higher ups talking about it working and the situation in Phoenix, this really is the closest the province has ever been to maybe being considered.

That being said, Kansas City has had an arena built for a few years now and have expressed interest in the past about getting a team. Short term, Kansas City would work great because they have a much bigger city and the novelty of the new team will be a huge draw like most cities that get a new team. But which would work better in the long run?? The way I see it, Kansas City would only work if they had a good team that stayed good. If they get a team and they **** the bed year after year, you're not going to draw fans back every season. Kansas isn't the best hockey market. Sure they have minor pro teams that draw well, but those games are very affordable. You won't have the fans coming back, much like we saw in Atlanta and now Phoenix. Stupid thing about Phoenix...they've had a pretty good team the past few years, and they still only draw 10,000ish a game. That number I made off the top of my head, but we all know they're attendance is a joke and unacceptable.

Saskatoon on the other hand, is in the middle of a country and a province where hockey is king! You could argue that football is king in SK due to the Riders...but when all is said and done, their are more people in the province that are more involved with hockey than football. Just look at the number of pro hockey players to pro football players from SK. Because this is a hockey hot bed, their would be a lot more interest in a bad NHL team here than their would be in Kansas City.

As for drawing high end players...there would be a number of players who would love to come play in "****ty" S'toon if it means playing in front of a crowd that would rival Winnipeg, whether you're winning or losing.

My last thought...if Saskatoon were to get a team the whole province would support, I feel it should be the Saskatchewan _________s, rather than Saskatoon ________s...just like the Riders. Because as we all know there are ignorant people out there who would probably support the Jets before a team from S'toon. Any pro team in this province pretty much needs to be recognized as a provincial team.

I still have a hard time taking this whole situation seriously though, all because I want to hear of serious interest from the NHL before getting too excited. We all know Bettman would love to move the team to an American market before Canada, and he has actively tried to keep the Coyotes in the USA. But maybe, just maybe with what Saskatoon has to offer with their arena and a guaranteed fan base, and the situation unfolding in Phoenix, this once impossible dream may have what it needs to come true. But like I said, until we start hearing more about the league being serious about this possibility, I will continue to support the Jets and Oilers.

/rant:p