Quest for a Hockey Franchise

Abstract

This study documents the history of attracting and maintaining a hockey franchise for the City of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador from 1991-2019. In that period, the City has been granted four franchises. Three have been relocated, while the fourth has completed its inaugural season which resulted in a league championship. It examines: the St. John’s Maple Leafs (1991-2005) of the American Hockey League (AHL); St. John’s Fog Devils of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) (2005-2008); the St. John’s IceCaps (AHL), affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets (2011-2015) and Montreal Canadiens 2015-2017); and the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL, (2018-ongoing). The study focuses on the economic, marketing, strategic planning, and business modelling for a hockey franchise in three hockey leagues, AHL, QMJHL, and ECHL to gauge the long-term sustainability of a hockey franchise in St. John’s. It analyzes key success factors for minor league hockey franchises and speculates on the future direction of the current franchise.