San Diego, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Portland

Kansas City, Milwaukee, Portland

There are a few other specific ideas that hockey fans have discussed in the past. A place like Kansas City, although unsuccessful so far in hockey, has a rapidly growing downtown and a potential arena in the T-Mobile Center. Milwaukee has shown solid hockey interest with the Admirals, and if the Bucks' ownership were involved, there could be financial backing. Even Portland, which doesn't get talked about as much, has an arena in the Moda Center and could tap into the Pacific Northwest rivalry with Seattle and Vancouver.

Beyond these larger metro options, the deeper cut markets are where the fun starts. These places aren't obvious picks; but that's what makes them interesting. You're not walking into these places expecting sellouts on day one, you're looking for fertile ground, where if you plant the right seed with the right owner and message, you can grow a loyal, profitable fan base from scratch.

Kansas City's Scouts lasted two NHL seasons before the franchise left town. The scout-statue crest in red and blue outlasted the tenure and remains a favorite among designers.

San Diego

Hockey in Paradise

San Diego is a market that looks less like a gamble and more like a missed opportunity. On the surface, it's a beach town too distracted for hockey, but the makeup of the city, the culture, and the position it holds in Southern California, San Diego says different.

The population base is massive, San Diego proper is over 1.3 million, and the greater metro is above 3 million. It's one of the most stable, high-income, educated cities in the U.S., with a professional class that can afford season tickets and a regional identity that's separated from LA's orbit. It's a lifestyle-heavy city with plenty of money and civic pride but only one major sport to rally around.

The biggest challenge is always arena infrastructure, and there's no NHL-ready building in place, but a smart owner with vision could look at the potential of a multi-use entertainment district. Anchored by an arena, paired with real estate, hotels, or retail, it's a worthwhile option, especially if tied to revitalization or downtown development plans.

From a business standpoint, San Diego gives you media reach without fighting for attention in the LA basin, and it gives the NHL another option for a West Coast anchor to expand media rights on the Pacific side.

San Diego isn't flashy on the surface, but with vision, it's a clean slate waiting for a smart investor to turn it into something that lasts. It's not an NHL market, but it's a strategic and forward-thinking bet. A winter sport isn't some far-fetched idea there, it's an entertainment alternative to 365 days of sunshine and surfing.

San Diego's Mariners played from 1974 to 1977 with a nautical identity, in a large coastal market with a long minor-league history and no NHL team.