Paul Carrothers

I was thinking back this week to Ottawa’s entry into the NHL, which is now 35 years ago. It’s worth remembering that when the franchise was awarded in 1990, John Ziegler’s time as commissioner was winding down. Ziegler left in 1992, and it’s more than fair to wonder: would Ottawa have made it onto Gary Bettman’s NHL expansion radar after he took over in 1993? There have been eight expansion teams during his tenure, with apparently two more on the way, and Canada hasn't been part of any of it.  And now, with the reported franchise fee going from $650 million to $2 billion (USD), how many owners would now be lining up to put a team in Ottawa for $2.7 billion Canadian? We didn't realize it at the time, but if the league had rejected Ottawa in 1990, there probably wasn't going to be a "next time" to fall back on. The Sens got in just under the wire.

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