Expansion!? Some Hot Location Ideas!

[AW13 196]

Expansion!? Some Hot Location Ideas!

 

Wow! Another VHL expansion! That indicates that even after a ton of years and a ton of seasons, the VHL is still in a great place to keep growing and expand the open slots for all the players that we have in this league. It is always a great thing when you talk about expansion and while it is super hard on GMs (Believe me, I know this from SBA and from PBE), it is a great thing for the league as a whole and for players that come through the ranks. I know for me as well, I am excited because it means a few more goaltending opportunities around the league and my guy might actually have a shot to have a career as a starting goaltender rather than a back-up. I am fine with splitting time if need be but obviously, being able to be a team's starter and help a team win a cup is something everyone wants. Something people also may want is a place to play that may be familiar to them or just seems like a great location to play and new teams always carry the, "I can be the guy that makes this franchise good right away and have all their records" incentive as well. With that, if I were going to an expansion team, where would I want to play and where do I think are some markets that are deserving of a team and should be represented here in the VHL?

 

1. Boston, MA

As a Bruins fan, this one is easy. Boston is an amazing sports market and whether you like it or not, a championship destination with teams like the Bruins and the Celtics, as well as the Red Sox and Cheatriots. I am originally from Massachusetts so teams from there always have my heart. I do have a goalie on New England in SHL as well but I am not sure whether that makes me want to play for a New England or Boston team again, I just don't know, but I don't think I would mind at all.

 

2. Salt Lake City, UT

Utah is an interesting market as it is a smaller market but the fans in Utah get behind their teams 110% such as Real Salt Lake and the Utah Jazz, they always have a passionate fan base and sports teams can really have success in the market regardless of what people may say. I currently live in Utah, although only for a few more weeks before I move to Atlanta, GA which, yeah, they have had a team and lost a team from the NHL so I won't suggest them here, though I loved the Thrashers' branding and Ilya Kovalchuk. Utah needs another sports team and a VHL team could be amazing as there are very few sim league teams in Utah, with my Utah team in the PBE being the only one to my knowledge.

 

3. Montreal, QC, CN

I will preface this with the fact I hate Montreal's NHL team being a Bruins fan, but, they are a classic team. In a market where I think VHL needs another Canadian team, I think Montreal is the next best option for a team so they came to mind immediately as a location.

 

4. Los Angeles, CA or Dallas, TX

Big markets, big sports towns, and locations without a team, these are options I lump together cause I think there are better options, but if we are talking about wanting to expand the fake VHL world into a bigger market, these would be great. The Kings do well in LA, and Dallas has great support for the Cowboys and Mavericks where I believe a hockey team would do great.

 

5. Australia or New Zealand

Interesting right? We don't have any of these yet and it is an untapped market in sim leagues in general pretty much. The biggest problem is I don't know if Australians or Kiwis even care about hockey at all and it could be unrealistic to expect a team there. I do think however, it is not about full realism and if someone wants a team there, it will happen.

 

No matter the place, I am excited to see where these teams call home and look forward to seeing the growth of their teams and the continued growth of the league in general! Congrats to @diamond_ace and @Enorama for this opportunity! As an expansion GM from the PBE, I can tell you, it is amazing fun. Take advantage of building the team's history and lore around them and most of all have fun and good luck!

 

[Juddy 13]

Hello fellow bruins fan! I heard there very few of us here. Seems like you’re not a pats fan though

[Berocka 2,186]

8 hours ago, AndrewWarren13 said:

5. Australia or New Zealand

 

This is where we need to go into the pacific. There are enough USA and Canada teams, lets go to the Southern Hemisphere. Should make the home and away season more interesting with long plane flights.