When you take a look at all of the sports being played in Canada, it is no secret that hockey is the king of kings. While other sports have most definitely gained popularity, there’s simply no question that people love the sport played on the ice the most. With the National Hockey League continuing to make a big splash up north, you also can’t argue that more Canadian teams in the NHL makes sense.
Hockey was born in Canada and that’s something the country will always have bragging rights for. On top of that, we’ve seen just how dominant teams from Canada have been in recent years. While the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup this season, don’t forget for even a second that Montreal and Toronto have the two most title wins of all teams. That’s something that brings people plenty of joy.
The fact of the matter here is that there are certain teams in the United States that aren’t selling tickets and it’s a bad look overall for the league. The idea of teams potentially moving to Canada is one thing. At the same time, there have also been talks of an expansion. In an article for Bleacher Report this spring, Jeff Langridge brought up some great points on why more hockey in Canada would be smart for the league.
“Moving a couple of teams to Canada and perhaps adding two expansion teams would give the NHL several million in relocation and expansion fees, and they would have four more stable markets in the NHL,” he wrote. “Winnipeg has proven that even with a small arena you can be successful. Canadians all over the country want to see more hockey in Canada and it is only right for it to return to its homeland.”
More Canadian teams would also be big for local betting
It goes without saying, but more Canadian teams would also be big for local betting. As things stand, people love checking out the NHL odds through the best rated Canadian sportsbooks. For example, people who live in Ontario are always intrigued by looking up the odds for the Maple Leafs, and then getting a bet in. With that being able to be done online too, is awesome.
With that said, the other teams have huge fanbases too and they take advantage of the betting options whenever they can. This isn’t going to change. If anything, it’s only going to get better and better when more provinces move forward with online sports betting. Once that happens on a consistent level, then you’re really going to see the bets skyrocket.
People are making these bets in places where a pro team isn’t even that close to them. Imagine if 3-4 new NHL teams make their way to Canada at some point soon. Then, it will be even more enticing for people to check out odds and place bets. Another thing to keep in mind is that betting always goes way up once the postseason arrives.
People are always going to be checking the Stanley Cup odds to see where their favorite team stands. As we stated above, Montreal and Toronto have combined for the most Stanley Cups, proudly winning it all 37 times. That’s an unreal number. The odds of a Canada team winning it all will of course increase too with more teams. This is something to watch moving forward, no doubt about it.
When could more teams be added for Canada?
With all of this said, when could more teams be added for Canada? That’s hard to say. What we really need to figure out is if any teams will be relocating in the near future. It’s no secret, but the situation in Phoenix is a nightmare. Not only is the team not performing, but the stadium barely fills up. The organization is poorly run and a move could be in the cards.
If relocation does happen, Canada of course makes sense and it’d be a home-run decision. Well, what about an expansion team heading up north? This may be a bit tough, as we’ve seen some new cities in the USA recently add teams. This includes the Las Vegas Golden Knights, plus the Seattle Kraken arriving too. For Seattle, getting the Kraken was big for the city.
The fanbase has welcomed the Kraken to the city with open arms. Plenty of people in Canada are hoping that they can have the same kind of feeling with a new team, whether it be an expansion one or a team that moves. This isn’t something that’s going to be happening overnight, though. There are some tough calls that need to be made by the NHL commissioner.
For now, people up north are going to have to be a little patient. However, it really feels like things are gaining a bit of steam and a new team in Canada could happen before you know it. Should this happen, it’ll be massive for the country as a whole.
