Why the NHL’s Sun Belt Struggle Might Be Its Greatest Untapped Opportunity
Three of the conference finalists this spring — Carolina, Dallas and Florida — were warm-weather teams, following up on a 2023 playoffs when all four were in that group. In fact, nearly 60 percent of all conference finalists the last decade are Sun Belt teams.
It’s all pretty incredible representation for a group of teams that currently makes up only 28 percent of the league.
In many ways, the rise of the NHL Sun Belt has been a good thing. Buildings are largely full in these markets. New fans are being created. And talk of relocating franchises, as happened with Phoenix and Atlanta (twice), has subsided. Some of the Sun Belt franchises — led by the Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Stars — are now some of the most valuable in the league.
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