Pro Sports Franchises I'd Like To See Return

Having followed sports for nearly 30 years, I can tell you there are some sports teams I'd like to see back. Do you have any I felt I omitted? Just write to me.

Montreal Expos

I can tell you, with the Toronto Blue Jays more popular than ever, they need a natural rivalry. And what better way to have that then the Expos returning? I think it could work. The team was in the wrong league, to tell you the truth. If you think about the Montreal Canadians, they played many postseason (And regular season) games against the "Big" teams out there. Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs. The Expos were stuck playing against the Mets (The Yankees' poor cousins) and no team at all from Boston. With Montreal in the American League, and playing regularly against the Toronto Blue Jays, I have little doubt interest in them would revive.

Quebec Nordiques

Speaking of Les Habs, they've been without their provincial rivals since 1994/95 (The Canadians missed the playoffs that year for some reason). A good comparison would be the Winnipeg Jets. Having "returned" a few years back from Atlanta (The original Jets moved from Canada way down to Arizona after 1995/96). But the Jets don't really have a rivalry within their province, and Manitoba's neighbour Ontario has franchises in Toronto and Ottawa, but they play in the Eastern Conference. The Jets are forced to make due with what they have. However, as of the 2017/18 season they are well on their way to a second-place finish in the Central Division. Interest is there, clearly. What they need, however, is a rival geographically nearby. More on that, later.

The Nords would have no such problem. Plus, also, in the grand scheme of things (From my hopeful ideas, anyways), having a team in Quebec would make travel on a road "swing" across Canada easier. Not to mention, by playing against all 9 (I'll explain later) teams in succession would make travelling feel more "natural".

The Quebec / Montreal battles of the 1980s were awesome. Almost like a Stanley Cup Finals before the actual Stanley Cup Finals!

Buffalo Braves

And speaking of geographical rivalries, why not an NBA one close to my neck of the woods? Buffalo had a team way back, 40 years to be exact. The Toronto Raptors really haven't had a natural rivalry. The Vancouver Grizzlies lasted six years (Never making the playoffs at all) and the National Basketball Associations has been forced to make due with a sole Canadian Franchise. But a team in Buffalo would get traffic moving along the 403. Hey, I've traveled all the way to Saber-land to see Buffalo play on more than one occasion! I'm going to be the only one from Canada that goes across the border to see Toronto play? No way.

St. Louis Hawks

Not sure the move to Atlanta helped any. St. Louis nearly won it all in 1957, beat the great great Boston Celtics the next season, and took 'em to seven in 1960.

Not once since have the Hawks gotten back to the finals, despite #21 Dominique Wilkins' awesomeness in the 1980s and early 90s. Time for a return, guys.

Hamburg

Now, I'm on to tennis. And the equivalent of a team is a lost tournament. The German Open, or whatever you want to call it, was probably the third most important event on clay (Trailing only the Italy and France venues). The great Graf won it four times in a row from 1986 to 1989, the lost to Monica Seles in 1990. Then won it another four times in a row. A total of nine times. Boris Becker, on the other hand, never won it. His compatriot Michael Stich won it anyways in 1992. The Germans were proud of this event, no doubt.


And how about the man who has the record for most titles? Some chap named Federer! Four titles to his name, including a thrashing of his great rival Rafael Nadal in 2007. Now here's a big surprise for you, it's on clay. The event has been discontinued on the women's tour, and now only a small event for the men. Time to return it to what it once was, says I.

Bonus (Teams That Need To Exist)

Now for some pro sports teams I'd like to come into fruition.

An Indoor Tennis Tournament Somewhere In Canada

Not sure how'd they'd pull this off, but there is some history here. Bottom line is, if tennis is gonna become popular in Canada, you need more than one tournament for both the men and women. And yes, it needs to be in the winter months, to keep tennis a 12-month interest up here in the north.

Previously, as far back as 1971, such an event was held. One of my earliest memories of the Toronto Indoors, as it was called, was watching the 1990 event at the SkyDome (Now Rogers' Centre). To my chagrin, it was not held in 1991, and a significant indoor tennis event has yet to return to Canada.

Saskatoon (NHL team)

Now with Winnipeg and hopefully Quebec someday in the NHL, the only province west of Ontario that lacks at least one NHL team is Saskatchewan.

Though daunting, as both Regina (Population, 215,106)* and Saskatoon (Population, 246,376)* are the two most likely spots (And have significantly fewer citizenry than most, if not all, current NHL-bearing cities) it could still work. You could have both cities "share" the same NHL team. Why not half the games in Regina and the other half in Saskatoon as has been suggested here? And how about this, to determine the city which the postseason games will be held (Assuming the team makes it that far), reward the individual place that actually drew the better attendance. That will encourage more ticket sales, especially season purchases, as each city will try to one-up the other in attendance. Preseason games have been played at Saskatoon and soon an outdoor contest is perhaps in the cards. My suggestion is have the Winnipeg Jets play either the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames (Perhaps, Vancouver Canucks, too). This of course, would be their prime rivals should a franchise ever be rewarded there.

Amazingly enough, the St. Louis Blues nearly moved there in 1983, so it's not like the suggestion is anything new. And while the population is quite small in both Regina and Saskatoon, don't forget the province has put (So far) 509 players in the NHL in the last 101 seasons. Not bad. By comparison, the whole province of British Columbia has only 384. Manitoba, 386. Even Alberta doesn't have that many more, 575. Saskatchewan, the province, no doubt, loved hockey. Oh, they love lacrosse and football, too, if that matters.

Recent interest has again come up. 

You know, if this keeps up, you never know...


* As of 2016.

References

Bare, Eman. “Saskatoon Blues: The NHL Team That Almost Was.” CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Web. 7 June 2016, <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatoon-blues-the-nhl-team-that-almost-was-1.3621058>.

Harder, Greg. “Outdoor NHL Game A Possibility For Regina.” Regina Leader-Post. Regina Leader-Post & Postmedia. Web. 4 Jan. 2018, <http://leaderpost.com/sports/hockey/regina-pats/outdoor-nhl-game-a-possibility-for-regina>.

Infosys, FedEx, Peugeot, and LeSports. Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour | Tennis. ATP World Tour. Emirates. Web. 11 Mar. 2018.  <http://www.atpworldtour.com/>.

Kerslake, Danny. “Duo Wants Vegas Golden Knights To Be Sask.s NHL Team.” CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Web. 7 Mar. 2018. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatchewan-vegas-golden-knights-1.4566061>.

Middleton, Art. “If You Have An Outdoor Game In Regina, It Needs To Include The Jets.” Jetsnation. Jetsnation. Web. 4 Mar. 2018, <http://jetsnation.ca/2018/03/04/if-you-have-an-outdoor-game-in-regina-it-needs-to-include-the-jets/>.

Mitchell, Kevin. “NHL, Pro Soccer, Maybe Auto racing: There's Plenty On John Graham's Saskatchewan Menu.” Saskatoon Star Phoenix.  Saskatoon Star Phoenix & Postmedia. Web. 22 June 2017. <http://thestarphoenix.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-pro-soccer-maybe-auto-racing-theres-plenty-on-john-grahams-saskatchewan-menu>


“Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour Hits Regina; Includes NHL Alumni And Stanley Cup Trophy." CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Web. 17 Feb. 2018. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/rogers-hometown-hockey-tour-hits-regina-1.4540988>.

Sports Reference LLC. Sports Reference | Sports Stats, Fast, Easy, And Up-To-Date. https://www.sports-reference.com/. Web. 11 Mar. 2018.

Smith, Mitch. “The NHL In Saskatchewan? - Lessons From Winnipeg.” Arctic Ice Hockey. Artic Ice Hockey & SBNATION. Web. 16 Mar. 2012, <http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2012/3/16/2877723/the-nhl-in-saskatchewan-lessons-from-winnipeg>.

Statistics Canada: Canada's National Statistical Agency / Statistique Canada: Organisme Statistique National Du Canada, StatCan / Canada.Ca. Web. <www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/start>.

“WTA Tennis.” WTA Tennis. Women's Tennis Association. Web. 11 Mar. 2018.<http://www.wtatennis.com/>.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 11 Mar. 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>.

Youtube. Web. 11 Mar. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

Coaches On The Hot Seat This Season

We near the halfway mark of the 2015/16 NHL season, and there have already been two coaching changes. Are more on the way in the near-future? Let us look and be the judge:

Anaheim 

Well, Bruce Boudreau took this team all the way to the Stanley Cup semis last year. They gave Chicago all they could handle, losing 5-3 in game seven. Expectations were high, especially with the addition of Kevin Bieksa, a real character player. The Ducks also added former Ottawa coach Paul MacLean to the coaching staff. The team has stumbled out of the gate this season, and now sits in last place. That usually is a sign. And MacLean, despite leaving the Sens under a bit of a cloud, is an head coach masquerading as an assistant coach. You see where this is heading?

However, I'm a little iffy on Boudreau going. He's a good coach, number one. Player's coaches, like Bruce, don't get fired. Maybe he had his problems in Washington, but he's been a great success his first two seasons in Anaheim. And, while they are in last place, the number eight spot is well within range. The Ducks currently are just five points back of the Colorado Avalanch, who I feel are over-achieving and due to fall back (Pardon the pun). And the Ducks also have two games in hand. Another team that is within reach are the San Jose Sharks. They're in seventh place, but have only 36 points to the Ducks' 30. While Calgary is also in the playoff hunt (Along with some of the other teams between ninth and fourteenth), I think Anaheim has the best chance to climb.

There has been positives through all this. John Gibson, in only his third season in the NHL, has proven to be a great backup. This season, his surprising 1.97 goals-against-average is second in the league. And he's proving that he can take the ball and run with it as the starter, if needs be. Boudreau's Boys have given up just 85 goals so far this season. Just seven teams have surrendered fewer. Now if the offence (Dead last, by the way) can just get going.

Verdict: It will all depend on the next five to ten games, but if Bruce can get 'em back to ninth place or higher, the team will probably have a great second half. If not, look for a change. And I'm going to predict who takes over if Bruce goes: Paul MacLean!

Montreal

Ah, no problem. 9-0-0 to start. And smooth sailing like last year for Michelle Therrien and co. But not so fast. Injuries and a lack of scoring (PK Subban is stuck on one goal this season) brought the Canadians down to earth with a thud. Montreal is still in first place in the Atlantic, but four teams are nipping at their heels. The Canadians have 43 points.

But really, as was proved last year, the Habs are vulnerable without Carey Price in goal. Montreal may have been guilty of over-playing him last year (66 games) and in some seasons before. Montreal has been forced to use Mike Condon and Dustin Torkarski in net in his absence. Kinda of like Wayne Thomas and Bunny Larocque filling in for Ken Dryden when the tall goalie held out in 1973/74. Both goalies the Canadians currently have are very good, but are in no position to play this much this early. The Habs are also missing other players, most notably Brendan Gallagher.

But the great start to the season, and the fact that they are in first place, plus Price is due back in January, means better times are ahead. They key for Montreal will be fending off the teams that are within striking distance. Their offence has dried up (Due in part to Gallagher going down) and they are having to pull out wins out of the hat. It's a rough spot to be in. Montreal needs to not fall back on that, as the year before it caught up to them in the playoffs.

Verdict: This one could go either way. When you hit a rough patch in Montreal, there are no excuses. Therrien is a great coach. Could the Habs do better with another coach? Possibly. It's eerie in the sense that he coached the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2008/09, and was fired when the Pens went into a slump. The Pittsburgh ultimately won the Stanley Cup that year. Could it happen this year? This is obviously a "Wait-And-See" situation. The problems here (Some of them, at least) are out of Therrien's hands. My feeling is that he stays. Gotta remember, there has been an improvement in several other teams in the Eastern Conference this year (More on that, later), so even with a healthy squad, it won't be smooth sailing for Montreal (Despite that impressive start) from here on in. If the Habs miss the playoffs, however, he's a goner.

Ottawa

So MacLean goes. Cameron takes over. Hammond gets hot. Playoffs. The rest, as they say, is history.

Not so fast, again.

While it might seem all is well in the nation's capital, am I (And how about you) seeing unsettling developments? Wasn't it right around this time last year that the Senators made the coaching change? There are signs afoot of the Sens getting away from their coach.

True, Ottawa is in eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with 40 points 17-12-6 (Compared to 14-14-6 in 2014/15), but what about the Sens team themselves? Relying on goaltending (And an injury to last season's surprising crease star hasn't helped) isn't going to be enough with this team.

The real problem with the Sens is the players themselves. They'd got talent, but they don't put their minds to being their best, game in game out. Maybe they think that Craig Anderson will cover all their mistakes, or that another strong finish with make it look like it was a great season in '15/16 (Was it really? Beginning to end? No.). I don't know.

There was the game against Florida on December 9th (A win, mind you), where Mike Hoffman was kicked off the top line...Then went out and scored the game-winning goal. Wait, a minute, isn't Hoffman second on the team in scoring? Why is he being demoted? You figure it out, I can't.

Their effort against Montreal on December the 12th was enough to reveal that the players and coach aren't on the same page. Now, really, 27 shots on goal in the first period? What? Anderson was so disgusted, he did everything but break his stick. Sure gave it his all, though. The Habs got ahead 3-0 in the second before Ottawa finally woke up. Too late, of course. Cameron, after, wasn't doing much talking. Not that he needed to.

The Sens played again in Florida on the 22nd. The team was hopelessly outplayed. When it was over, the Panthers had 40 shots on goal. The Senators, 16. Anderson kept them in the game, and a third period goal by Mark Stone was much needed. Hoffman had one shot on goal in 18 minutes of play. Oh, by the way, it went to a shootout and Florida won, 2-1. Hoffman's playing time is dropping, Despite 17 goals in just 31 games so far this season. There has to be an issue here.

Verdict: Dave Cameron is the fifth coach Ottawa has since 2005/6, or eleventh since 2003/04. Coaches do not last in Ottawa, plain and simple. But all the coaches they've had since that time have been good coaches, but the team seems to not listen to what's being said. While the Sens are good this year, they'd got to be careful. They hit a bad patch of ice in December of last season. When will it happen this year? If it happens in January, Cameron is gone. And given the expectations of last year, should it happen at any point from here on in during Dave's tenure, consider him gone.


References

“Official Site of the National Hockey League” NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 23 Dec. 2015. <https://www.nhl.com>.

Postmedia News. “Mike Hoffman Stays Hot for Ottawa Senators with Game-Winning Goal against Florida Panthers.” National Post, Postmedia Network Inc, 9 Dec. 2015, <nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/mike-hoffman-stays-hot-for-ottawa-senators-with-game-winning-goal-against-florida-panthers>.

Sports Reference LLC. "(title of a particular page or blank for general citation)." Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 23 Dec. 2017.