HALIFAX – There’s no denying Halifax has loyal hockey fans.
After all, the city is home to one of the most famous players in the world – Sidney Crosby – and other
But, people are once again wondering if Halifax is hockey-mad enough to host an NHL team.
A recent poll by Forum Research asked which Canadian city should be the next to get a franchise: While Quebec City – formerly the home of the Nordiques – came in first, Halifax tied with Hamilton as the second pick.
The poll, published in the National Post on June 16, showed 13 per cent of respondents favoured Halifax, ahead of Saskatoon, Toronto (for a second team), and Markham, Ont.
Quebec had a bigger share than Halifax and Hamilton’s tied results combined, with 29 per cent.
While Halifax may have the support, in theory, it doesn’t have the population of some of the other preferred markets.
Unlike Hamilton, it doesn’t have an NHL-capable arena: Quebec City is slated to being construction a $400-million arena this fall, capable of holding 18,000 spectators.
But word that Halifax was one of the top choices was welcomed by Hockey Nova Scotia.
“To have an NHL team here for the kids to look up to, to promote the game and all the positives in and around the game would be huge,” Hockey Nova Scotia’s Darren Cossar says.
The city already has a team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – the Halifax Mooseheads. That’s something that could suffer if Halifax were to become an NHL town.
“We’ve seen it before, in Quebec,” sports announcer John Moore says. “There was an AHL franchise in Quebec City that tried to co-exist with the Quebec Rampart in the QMJHL and there was a struggle for both.”
He says the Rampart began to thrive once the AHL left the city.
Moore also says Halifax’s smaller population would also mean higher ticket prices, in order to support the team, and it would have to build a new stadium.
The Halifax Metro Centre, where the Mooseheads currently play, has a capacity of 10, 595.
Poll: Which Canadian city do you think deserves an NHL team?
Forum Research Inc., polled 1,529 randomly selected Canadians on June 14 to ask which city should be the next to get an NHL team. Quebec City, not surprisingly because of its arena plans, topped the poll at 29%.
“It is apparent all Canadians feel Quebeckers’ pain at the loss of the Nordiques, and want to make it right,” Lorne Bozinoff, the president of Forum Research said in a news release. “The level of support for a team in Halifax, though, is surprising.”
Indeed, Halifax is rarely talked about as a potential NHL site. Yet it garnered as much support as Hamilton, Ont., which has an NHL-capable Copps Coliseum available since 1985.
Overall results
Quebec City 29%,, Hamilton 13%, Halifax 13%, Saskatoon 11%, Toronto 2.05%, Markham, Ont. 4%, Other 6%, Don’t know 14%, Don’t follow hockey 5%.
By region (Atlantic-Quebec-Ontario)
Quebec City 18%-75%-12%, Hamilton 7%-3%-26%, Halifax 44%-4%-13%, Saskatoon 5%-1%-3%, Toronto 2%-1%-11% Markham 1%-1%-8%
By region continued (Manitoba/Saskatchewan-Alberta-British Columbia)
Quebec City 17%-12%-18%, Hamilton 4%-7%-11%, Halifax 5%-14%-16%, Saskatoon 47%-33%-21%, Toronto 6%-1%-2%, Markham 3%-1%-1%
By political party preference (Conservative, Liberal, NDP)
Quebec City 17%-30%-31%, Hamilton 16%-15%-12%, Halifax 13%-15%-15%, Saskatoon 20%-3%-9%, Toronto 4%-7%-8%, Markham 6%-6%-3%
By political party preference continued
Quebec City 35%-91%-15%, Hamilton 13%-0%-20%, Halifax 11%-1%-15%, Saskatoon 16%-0%-12%, Toronto 1%-0%-0%, Markham, Ont. 0%-0%-0%
*With files from Postmedia News and Global’s Natasha Pace
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