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The National Hockey League has proven that expansion into nontraditional markets can yield impressive results. Take Las Vegas, a city known more for gambling, golfing and desert heat than for slapshots and ice. Yet the NHL still decided to roll the dice with the Vegas Golden Knights, who joined the league in 2017, and the gamble paid off. The team became an instant hit, both on the ice and at the box office.
Then, the Seattle Kraken shortly joined the party as the 32nd team in the NHL and found similar success. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators are two Southern teams that have become legitimate hockey hubs.
New Orleans is a major cultural, financial and tourism hotspot. It’s possible that a new sports team, if well-marketed, could pave its way into the heart of New Orleans’ sports industry. The city would join other Sun Belt teams like the Tampa Bay Lighting, the Dallas Stars, the Nashville Predators and the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers — teams that have proven southern markets can fall in love with hockey.
At first glance, New Orleans hardly fits the image of a “hockey town.” The Big Easy evokes brass bands and Bourbon Street far more than power plays and toothless grins. But the idea of the NHL establishing a foothold in New Orleans is not as outlandish as it may seem.
League officials have been careful not to fuel speculation, but in 2024, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly acknowledged that further expansion is likely. The NHL’s rationale is simple: Expansion franchises are costly, potentially reaching $2 billion to secure a team and an additional $1 billion if a new arena is needed.
For a league competing with the NFL, NBA and MLB for media dollars, having more teams in major or growing cities could bring more national television contracts, increase merchandise sales and spread hockey culture into new regions.
The question at hand isn’t if the NHL will expand again, but which markets will bring home the money.
The Crescent City tested the icy waters back in 1997-2002 with its minor league hockey team, the New Orleans Brass. The team attracted a steady crowd before throwing in the towel because of scheduling conflicts at the New Orleans Arena – now the Smoothie King Center – as the New Orleans Hornets, later the New Orleans Pelicans, took over the space.
Still, the New Orleans Brass’s five-year stint revealed genuine, even if long-dormant, interest in hockey among the locals.
Though the cultural identity of NOLA poses a challenge to ice hockey, it could also work in its favor. Just as Nashville has coined the title “Smashville”, branding itself as a city of hockey-country-music fusion, New Orleans could create a unique hockey experience marinated with its own culture of jazz, parades and celebrations. So in a league that values personality and originality, the idea of a Mardi Gras themed hockey team isn’t crazy.
New Orleans already houses a few hockey rinks, but they don’t exactly cater to sustainable youth programs, farming programs or a generational fan base that it could rely on. So, rallying a true hockey identity would require years of grassroots investment.
One untapped opportunity for the NHL lies in the college crowd. Tulane University and other local universities lure students from hockey-rich regions like Chicago, New York and New Jersey with fans who follow their hometown teams. Targeting these students could help New Orleans build an authentic hockey culture and turn transplanted fans into a local fanbase.
Still, the competition for a new NHL team from other cities is undeniable. With a population of just over 300,000, New Orleans is dwarfed by larger markets in Houston and Atlanta. Houston already has an NHL-ready arena and ranks as the eighth-largest TV market in the country. And Atlanta, despite its rocky relationship with hockey, has approved plans for a new arena in Forsyth County with the NHL in mind. Compared to these, New Orleans looks like a long shot.
So, can New Orleans support an NHL team? The short answer is yes. But is it at the top of the NHL’s wish list? Definitely not.
The NHL is almost certainly expanding to two more cities in the next few years, but cities like Houston and Atlanta will get first dibs. So, for now, New Orleans may not be first in line, but don’t be surprised if we ever see a Zamboni on Bourbon.
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