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To casual sports fans and people outside northern Utah, it may look like an NHL team fell into Salt Lake City’s lap in the span of two weeks. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes ’ relocation to Utah is the product of a years-long effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the fast-growing capital city. The move announced Thursday marks a coming-of-age moment for Salt Lake City as a pro sports hub in the Mountain West, giving the midsize market its second major professional sports franchise in the 45 years since it welcomed the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
I don’t think Quebec City is really large enough to support an NHL team. These numbers are eight years old, but in 2016 I put together a spreadsheet combining television market sizes for the U.S. and Canada. In that combined size Quebec City came in at market 78. That is actually 9 ahead of Winnipeg at 87, but with Montreal just a couple hours away it probably makes sense to expand the league in markets that are larger and more isolated. I mean, the Québécois would probably support at a much higher level, but that might not be enough to offset a larger market that would really grow the league’s presence.
From a pure dollars and cents I think it would make more sense to put a team in the Maritimes. There a bajillion miles from anywhere AND would certainly support a team.