Sports What Ifs.
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
I don't think there would be expansion in 1961 without the AFL. As for a competitor, you may see David Dixon start one, as I just mentioned. After reading some of Jeff Pearlman's Football For a Buck, he was inspired by the lack of expansion, not the AFL. You probably see the USFL start in 1966-67, and maybe then you see more NFL expansion.
Eh, I feel like you might get one once Rozelle takes over. But it’d still be slow.
They can draft both, let's say demands more first rounder from texans and they say no. The just took watson at #12
What if the FIA-FOTA dispute had resulted in an actual parallel championship, the Grand Prix World Championship, being run?
The best case scenario for FOTA and the GPWC would've resulted in this absolutely stacked lineup in 2010:
The Monaco, Silverstone, Monza and Abu Dhabi circuits would've jumped ship, too.
Would we have had a clear winner by 2021, or would have we seen the decline of both series? Formula E could've benefited massively from this feud, IMO.
The best case scenario for FOTA and the GPWC would've resulted in this absolutely stacked lineup in 2010:
The Monaco, Silverstone, Monza and Abu Dhabi circuits would've jumped ship, too.
Would we have had a clear winner by 2021, or would have we seen the decline of both series? Formula E could've benefited massively from this feud, IMO.
Assuming the 1960 season kicks off the expansion Dallas Texans and Houston Oilers, this averts a LOT.
The most obvious is the Foolish Club; instead, you probably see the likes of Billy Sullivan in Boston, Ralph Wilson in Buffalo, Max Winter in Minnesota, Bob Howsam in Denver, Barron Hilton in Los Angeles, Rankin Smith in Atlanta and Joe Robbie in Miami bid on the next two teams. Harry Wismer in NYC will try, but if he doesn’t have his shit together, another NYC team will have to wait.
The NFL badly wanted Atlanta in 1966, so it’s hard to imagine they don’t become the 15th team. For the next one, the obvious contenders would be NYC, Miami, New Orleans and Minnesota, and the winner is...probably Miami.
This puts a LOT of potential team owners on the outside looking in - by my count, that’s six owners out in the cold, plus a pissed-off Paul Brown and a possibility of a team in New Orleans.
People who are shut out of the NFL decide to form an alternative league, one that, with time and more interest, forms into something more ambitious than OTL. Instead of eight teams, you have 12 teams, sorted into an East, Central and West division. Also, unlike in the NFL, teams can get into the playoffs by finishing second as a wild card - the best non-division winner plays in the semifinal.
The teams and their respective owners:
EAST
Boston Patriots (Billy Sullivan)
Buffalo Bills (Ralph Wilson)
Cincinnati Bengals (Paul Brown)
New York Knights (Sonny Werblin)
CENTRAL
Chicago Fire (John Allyn)
Dallas Cowboys (Clint Murcheson)
Minnesota Vikings (Max Winter)
New Orleans Saints (John W. Mecom Jr.)
WEST
Denver Broncos (Bob Howsam)
Hawaiians (Christopher Hemmeter)
Los Angeles Chargers (Barron Hilton)
San Diego Storm (C. Arnholt Smith)
The ambitious AFL sticks it out in a lot of cities, but it gets run out of LA (Hilton moves the team to Seattle,) Dallas (in a reversal of OTL, Murchison moves the team to Kansas City and keeps the name,) and Chicago (Allyn sells to investors in Orlando and the team is called the Thunder.)
The AFL negotiates for a merger, but the NFL is wary. Lamar Hunt is on board, as are the recent owners, but there are concerns of franchise stability, particularly in Orlando, Cincinnati and Honolulu. The NFL offers a merger without those teams and with cutting a fourth team of the AFL’s choice; the AFL wants all 12 teams admitted.
Eventually the NFL settles on a plan - Orlando is folded and replaced with an expansion team with a new owner - Bart Starr and Co. - in Phoenix. The other 11 are admitted free and clear, and two NFL teams make the leap to the AFC - let’s go with Baltimore and Atlanta. This leads to an alignment that looks like this:
EAST
Baltimore Colts
Boston Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
New York Knights
CENTRAL
Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Cowboys
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
WEST
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Honolulu Hawaiians
Seattle Chargers
San Diego Storm
EAST
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
CENTRAL
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers
WEST
Dallas Texans
Houston Oilers
Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
The most obvious is the Foolish Club; instead, you probably see the likes of Billy Sullivan in Boston, Ralph Wilson in Buffalo, Max Winter in Minnesota, Bob Howsam in Denver, Barron Hilton in Los Angeles, Rankin Smith in Atlanta and Joe Robbie in Miami bid on the next two teams. Harry Wismer in NYC will try, but if he doesn’t have his shit together, another NYC team will have to wait.
The NFL badly wanted Atlanta in 1966, so it’s hard to imagine they don’t become the 15th team. For the next one, the obvious contenders would be NYC, Miami, New Orleans and Minnesota, and the winner is...probably Miami.
This puts a LOT of potential team owners on the outside looking in - by my count, that’s six owners out in the cold, plus a pissed-off Paul Brown and a possibility of a team in New Orleans.
People who are shut out of the NFL decide to form an alternative league, one that, with time and more interest, forms into something more ambitious than OTL. Instead of eight teams, you have 12 teams, sorted into an East, Central and West division. Also, unlike in the NFL, teams can get into the playoffs by finishing second as a wild card - the best non-division winner plays in the semifinal.
The teams and their respective owners:
EAST
Boston Patriots (Billy Sullivan)
Buffalo Bills (Ralph Wilson)
Cincinnati Bengals (Paul Brown)
New York Knights (Sonny Werblin)
CENTRAL
Chicago Fire (John Allyn)
Dallas Cowboys (Clint Murcheson)
Minnesota Vikings (Max Winter)
New Orleans Saints (John W. Mecom Jr.)
WEST
Denver Broncos (Bob Howsam)
Hawaiians (Christopher Hemmeter)
Los Angeles Chargers (Barron Hilton)
San Diego Storm (C. Arnholt Smith)
The ambitious AFL sticks it out in a lot of cities, but it gets run out of LA (Hilton moves the team to Seattle,) Dallas (in a reversal of OTL, Murchison moves the team to Kansas City and keeps the name,) and Chicago (Allyn sells to investors in Orlando and the team is called the Thunder.)
The AFL negotiates for a merger, but the NFL is wary. Lamar Hunt is on board, as are the recent owners, but there are concerns of franchise stability, particularly in Orlando, Cincinnati and Honolulu. The NFL offers a merger without those teams and with cutting a fourth team of the AFL’s choice; the AFL wants all 12 teams admitted.
Eventually the NFL settles on a plan - Orlando is folded and replaced with an expansion team with a new owner - Bart Starr and Co. - in Phoenix. The other 11 are admitted free and clear, and two NFL teams make the leap to the AFC - let’s go with Baltimore and Atlanta. This leads to an alignment that looks like this:
EAST
Baltimore Colts
Boston Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
New York Knights
CENTRAL
Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Cowboys
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
WEST
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Honolulu Hawaiians
Seattle Chargers
San Diego Storm
EAST
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
CENTRAL
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers
WEST
Dallas Texans
Houston Oilers
Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
Would that mean the flame out of Kizer in Houston instead of Cleveland?
Is that or a full season of tom savage. Either way texans are going 0-16 In 17 without Watson...and the #1 pick
Which, unless they are firing O'Brien on a 21-37, I do not envy Darnold, Allen, Mayfield or anyone coming into the circus of Houston. And all the blessings to Kizer if the man decided to trade the pick for a rebuild of a team
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I think without Watson potential and bad luck injury.. he might be gone, the fluke of 16 might be ignored but If they keep him #1 pick may cry
So i've been thinking about the evolution of the NHL, and here's an idea i have about the evolution of my NHL.
NHL 1917
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Wanderers
Toronto St. Patrick
Hamilton Tigers
Quebec Bulldogs
Ottawa senators
1924
Montreal canadiens
Montreal Maroons (name change)
Toronto Maple leafs
Ottawa senators
Quebec Bulldogs
Boston Bruins (Hamilton moves to boston)
1925
Montreal canadiens
Montreal Maroons (name change)
Toronto Maple leafs
Ottawa senators
Boston Bruins (Hamilton moves to boston)
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (promoted from minor leagues)
New York Americans (Quebec moved to New york, plus, thomas duggan bought the edmonton ekimos and merged both teams's rosters together, only keeping the eskimos's top players, which included eddie shore.)
1926
Montreal canadiens
Montreal Maroons (name change)
Toronto Maple leafs
Ottawa senators
New york americans
Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks (former portland rosebuds)
Detroit Cougars (former victoria Cougars)
New york Rangers (expansion team)
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
1938
Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Quakers (the maroons moved to philly)
Ottawa senators
Toronto maple leafs
New york americans
Chicago blackhawks
Boston bruins
Detroit red wings
New york Rangers
Pittsburgh Yellow jackets
1952 NHL
Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Quakers
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
New York Americans
Cleveland Barons (Promoted from AHL)
St. Louis Flyers (Promoted from AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks
Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
1956 NHL
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
New York Americans
St. Louis Flyers
New York Rangers
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
Philadelphia Quakers
Cleveland Barons
Buffalo Bisons (Promoted from AHL. Owned by Pepsi, who becomes the official drink of the NHL, and still is to this day ITTL)
And that's it for part 1. Now, before i start part 2, i wanna know one thing: when does St. Louis arrives? Cause, while the St. Louis Arena opened in 1929, travelling on train from montreal to st. Louis would've been hell at that time. The only thing i've planned so far in part 2 is a merger with the Western Hockey League so that the L.A Blades (renamed kings), Vancouver Canucks, Oakland seals and seattle totems are promoted and given players from the other defunct teams of the WHL to fill their rosters and hoepfully be competitive.
However, i don't really know how to handle expansion from the 60s onward, as i don't wanna overexpand, but i want the following teams by 1983:
St. Louis
Quebec
Edmonton
Winnipeg
Minnesota
Colorado
Houston
Washington
Hartford
Calgary (probably through relocation like IRL)
Anybody got any clues as to how to handle the 60s onward?
EDIT: Found an unexpected solution to the st. Louis problem.
NHL 1917
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Wanderers
Toronto St. Patrick
Hamilton Tigers
Quebec Bulldogs
Ottawa senators
1924
Montreal canadiens
Montreal Maroons (name change)
Toronto Maple leafs
Ottawa senators
Quebec Bulldogs
Boston Bruins (Hamilton moves to boston)
1925
Montreal canadiens
Montreal Maroons (name change)
Toronto Maple leafs
Ottawa senators
Boston Bruins (Hamilton moves to boston)
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (promoted from minor leagues)
New York Americans (Quebec moved to New york, plus, thomas duggan bought the edmonton ekimos and merged both teams's rosters together, only keeping the eskimos's top players, which included eddie shore.)
1926
Montreal canadiens
Montreal Maroons (name change)
Toronto Maple leafs
Ottawa senators
New york americans
Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks (former portland rosebuds)
Detroit Cougars (former victoria Cougars)
New york Rangers (expansion team)
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
1938
Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Quakers (the maroons moved to philly)
Ottawa senators
Toronto maple leafs
New york americans
Chicago blackhawks
Boston bruins
Detroit red wings
New york Rangers
Pittsburgh Yellow jackets
1952 NHL
Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Quakers
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
New York Americans
Cleveland Barons (Promoted from AHL)
St. Louis Flyers (Promoted from AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks
Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
1956 NHL
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
New York Americans
St. Louis Flyers
New York Rangers
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
Philadelphia Quakers
Cleveland Barons
Buffalo Bisons (Promoted from AHL. Owned by Pepsi, who becomes the official drink of the NHL, and still is to this day ITTL)
And that's it for part 1. Now, before i start part 2, i wanna know one thing: when does St. Louis arrives? Cause, while the St. Louis Arena opened in 1929, travelling on train from montreal to st. Louis would've been hell at that time. The only thing i've planned so far in part 2 is a merger with the Western Hockey League so that the L.A Blades (renamed kings), Vancouver Canucks, Oakland seals and seattle totems are promoted and given players from the other defunct teams of the WHL to fill their rosters and hoepfully be competitive.
However, i don't really know how to handle expansion from the 60s onward, as i don't wanna overexpand, but i want the following teams by 1983:
St. Louis
Quebec
Edmonton
Winnipeg
Minnesota
Colorado
Houston
Washington
Hartford
Calgary (probably through relocation like IRL)
Anybody got any clues as to how to handle the 60s onward?
EDIT: Found an unexpected solution to the st. Louis problem.
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Alternate NHL Expansion part deux
1967: The NHL-WHL Merger
EASTERN DIVISION
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Quakers
pittsburgh Penguins (The yellow Jackets changed their name when they moved to the Igloo in 1961)
New York Rangers
New York Islanders (The Amerks changed their name when they moved from MSG to Nasseau colisseum, which opened way earlier in 1961, as plans to build the Nasseau colisseum started as early as 1959 IRL. They also changed their logos and colors to the blue and orange islanders colors)
Buffalo Bisons
Quebec Aces (promoted from the AHL, plus, Aces is a name you can say in both english and french, so they would be able to attract some english language sponsors and more games on american TV.)
WESTERN DIVISION
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Flyers
Los Angeles Blades (Prmoted from WHL)
Vancouver Canucks (Promoted from WHL)
Seattle Totems (Promoted from WHL)
California Seals (Promoted from WHL)
Cleveland Barons
Now the iffy part: the 70s. What to do in the 70s? The only things guaranteed are teams in edmonton, Winnipeg, washington, Colorado, hartford and houston as well as the NHL staying on national TV with CBS. The rest...is a bit iffy.
-should the eastern bloc/europeans arrive much earlier?
-Should the league follow MLB's example in 1975 and start unrestricted free agency starting at 26 years old earlier?
-in 1994, should the salary cap be inplemented, thus avoiding the lockout and have all 4 major sports have a salary cap at the same time in the same year? (Which means MLB doesn't go on strike and implements a salary cap, meani g the 1994 world series happens.)
1967: The NHL-WHL Merger
EASTERN DIVISION
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Quakers
pittsburgh Penguins (The yellow Jackets changed their name when they moved to the Igloo in 1961)
New York Rangers
New York Islanders (The Amerks changed their name when they moved from MSG to Nasseau colisseum, which opened way earlier in 1961, as plans to build the Nasseau colisseum started as early as 1959 IRL. They also changed their logos and colors to the blue and orange islanders colors)
Buffalo Bisons
Quebec Aces (promoted from the AHL, plus, Aces is a name you can say in both english and french, so they would be able to attract some english language sponsors and more games on american TV.)
WESTERN DIVISION
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Flyers
Los Angeles Blades (Prmoted from WHL)
Vancouver Canucks (Promoted from WHL)
Seattle Totems (Promoted from WHL)
California Seals (Promoted from WHL)
Cleveland Barons
Now the iffy part: the 70s. What to do in the 70s? The only things guaranteed are teams in edmonton, Winnipeg, washington, Colorado, hartford and houston as well as the NHL staying on national TV with CBS. The rest...is a bit iffy.
-should the eastern bloc/europeans arrive much earlier?
-Should the league follow MLB's example in 1975 and start unrestricted free agency starting at 26 years old earlier?
-in 1994, should the salary cap be inplemented, thus avoiding the lockout and have all 4 major sports have a salary cap at the same time in the same year? (Which means MLB doesn't go on strike and implements a salary cap, meani g the 1994 world series happens.)
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Alternate evolution of the NHL part 3: the 70s and 80s.
1974
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams division
Montreal canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Buffalo Bisons
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers (Expansion)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washingtin capitals (Expansion)
Cleveland Barons
Philadelphia quakers
Atlanta Flames (the flames move in to the Omni in 1972)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris division
Detroit Red wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Flyers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Minnesota North Stars
Smythe Division
Los Angeles Blades
Califronia Seals
Seattle Totems
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers (expansion)
Winnipeg Jets (expansion)
1976
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Atlanta Flames
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Cleveland Barons
Indianapolis Racers (Expansion)
Washington Capitals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros (expansion team)
Smythe
Colorado Rockies (Relocated California seals. While the seals had a better fate than OTL, what with no WHA Meaning most of their better players don't leave and they keep the no.1 pick in 1971, choosing Marcel Dionne while the habs would get the no.2 pick from Detroit, choosing Guy Lafleur as OTL. As such, With Dionne and Charlie Simmer among others, as well as competent management, the rockies stay in colorado.)
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
1980
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Atlanta Flames (Ted Turner Buys the atlanta Flames, investing heavily into the team. Plus, The League, with the CBS Contract renewed, gets further coverage in the US thanks to Turner's TBS Station.)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Indianapolis Racers
Washington Capitals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Smythe
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
Calgary Barons (relocated Cleveland Barons, who unfortunately suffered from the same issues in the 70s as OTL. At least, they won a cup or two before moving.)
1985
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Hamilton Tigers (Relocated Indianapolis Racers. IRL, Nelson Skalbania did threaten to move the racers to Hamilton)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Atlanta Flames
Washington Capitals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Smythe
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
Calgary Barons
1974
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams division
Montreal canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Buffalo Bisons
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers (Expansion)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washingtin capitals (Expansion)
Cleveland Barons
Philadelphia quakers
Atlanta Flames (the flames move in to the Omni in 1972)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris division
Detroit Red wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Flyers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Minnesota North Stars
Smythe Division
Los Angeles Blades
Califronia Seals
Seattle Totems
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers (expansion)
Winnipeg Jets (expansion)
1976
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Atlanta Flames
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Cleveland Barons
Indianapolis Racers (Expansion)
Washington Capitals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros (expansion team)
Smythe
Colorado Rockies (Relocated California seals. While the seals had a better fate than OTL, what with no WHA Meaning most of their better players don't leave and they keep the no.1 pick in 1971, choosing Marcel Dionne while the habs would get the no.2 pick from Detroit, choosing Guy Lafleur as OTL. As such, With Dionne and Charlie Simmer among others, as well as competent management, the rockies stay in colorado.)
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
1980
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Atlanta Flames (Ted Turner Buys the atlanta Flames, investing heavily into the team. Plus, The League, with the CBS Contract renewed, gets further coverage in the US thanks to Turner's TBS Station.)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Indianapolis Racers
Washington Capitals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Smythe
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
Calgary Barons (relocated Cleveland Barons, who unfortunately suffered from the same issues in the 70s as OTL. At least, they won a cup or two before moving.)
1985
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Hamilton Tigers (Relocated Indianapolis Racers. IRL, Nelson Skalbania did threaten to move the racers to Hamilton)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Atlanta Flames
Washington Capitals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Smythe
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
Calgary Barons
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I was reading the Athletic, and I realized that, beyond the much-talked about “Ted Williams to the Cardinals” WI, Mickey Mantle grew up on Cards games. What are the chances that the Cardinals could have an outfield of Williams, Mantle, and Slaughter, with Musial (my personal favorite player all-time at the moment) and Schoendienst in the infield? What is the trophy ceiling of those teams?
That is sick. And, maybe Mantle stays clean (or cleaner) out of appreciation for Stan Musial, his idol. The Cards contend more in the 50's with those guys.
In an old Sporting News issue from March 1982 (that I found on Newspaper Archive), there was an NBA trade talked about that seemed insignificant at the time, but would be more significant in the future. Apparently, the Trail Blazers were thinking about sending Darnell Valentine to the Cavs for Bill Laimbeer, but they decided against it.
Alternate NHL Evolution part Final: The 90s and modern day
1991
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Hamilton Tigers
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Atlanta Flames
Washington Capitals
Milwaukee Admirals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars (Minnesota Timberwolves owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner buys the team in 1993, moving them to the target Center and Keeping the team in Minnesota, they would later move across the lake to St. Paul in 1999 when the Xcel energy center opens.)
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Smythe
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
Calgary Barons
San Jose Sharks
1994
The NHLPA agrees to the salary cap, thus preventing the lockout. The league also goes through with the Canadian financial help plan.
1995-Modern Day
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Bisons
Toronto Maple Leafs
Hamilton Tigers
Quebec Aces (The péladeau Family, owners of Quebecor and, in 2001, Videotron, buys the team from Marcel Aubut. They would later move to the Videotron Center)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Washington Capitals
Milwaukee Admirals
Atlanta Flames
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets ( A local Ownership Group keeps the Jets in Winnipeg)
Colorado Rockies
Smythe
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems (would switch their name to the Seattle Kraken in 2019 after the Redskins/Native name usage controversy across america.)
Calgary Barons
San Jose Sharks
Portland Avalanche (Relocated Hartford Whalers)
1991
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Quebec Aces
Ottawa Senators
Hartford Whalers
Buffalo Bisons
Hamilton Tigers
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Atlanta Flames
Washington Capitals
Milwaukee Admirals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars (Minnesota Timberwolves owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner buys the team in 1993, moving them to the target Center and Keeping the team in Minnesota, they would later move across the lake to St. Paul in 1999 when the Xcel energy center opens.)
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Smythe
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems
Calgary Barons
San Jose Sharks
1994
The NHLPA agrees to the salary cap, thus preventing the lockout. The league also goes through with the Canadian financial help plan.
1995-Modern Day
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Bisons
Toronto Maple Leafs
Hamilton Tigers
Quebec Aces (The péladeau Family, owners of Quebecor and, in 2001, Videotron, buys the team from Marcel Aubut. They would later move to the Videotron Center)
Patrick Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Quakers
Washington Capitals
Milwaukee Admirals
Atlanta Flames
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Norris Division
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Flyers
Minnesota North Stars
Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets ( A local Ownership Group keeps the Jets in Winnipeg)
Colorado Rockies
Smythe
Los Angeles Blades
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Totems (would switch their name to the Seattle Kraken in 2019 after the Redskins/Native name usage controversy across america.)
Calgary Barons
San Jose Sharks
Portland Avalanche (Relocated Hartford Whalers)
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Anyways, it's time for some new hockey what ifs:
-What if The habs acquired Cam Neely for Mike Mcphee in 1985?
-what if Denis Savard gets taken 1st overall by the Habs in 1980? Does the Habs win more cups? Does Chris Chelios still gets traded in 1990? If so, for who or what? Can be merged with the cam neely what if, as well, if you want.
-What if Scotty Bowman becomes Head Coach
/GM of the Habs in 1978?
-What If The St. Louis Blues never signed Brendan Shanahan, Meaning they keep scott stevens, as well as never trading away the likes of Rod Brind'amour, Adam Oates, Cliff Ronning, Geoff Courtnall, Bret Hedican, Jeff Brown and Curtis Joseph? Do they win a cup much earlier than OTL?
-What if Cam Neely was traded to Philadelphia in 1985? Does the Flyers win the cup in 1987? Does the Lindros-Era Flyers actually gets some much needed depth? In fact, if the lindros deal never happens and the flyers keep Duchesne, Ricci, Simon, Yushkevich, Hextall and Peter Forsberg along with still acquiring Brind'amour, Leclair, Desjardins and Svoboda along with Neely already in place, does the 90s Flyers win the cup around 95-97?
-What if the Calgary Flames didnt fuck up their 00s decade by trading away martin st. Louis, Marc Savard, Valeri Bure, Cory Stillman and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, all players who peaked at the same time as iginla from 2002 to 2004? Do they go back-to-back cup champions in 02-03 and 03-04? Do they become contenders throughout the 00s? If they still trade for Kipprusoff and he still becomes the god-like goalie he became, do the Flames trade away Giguere and Marc Savard for Joe Thornton in 2005?
-What if Ken Holland did the right thing and gave up his GM spot to Steve Yzerman in 2010? Does the Red Wings still remain the NHL's Yankees today?
-What if the New York Rangers didn't go full panic mode in 93-94 and never Traded away Tony Amonte, Doug Weight, Darren Turcotte and Mike Gartner? Do they still win the stanley cup that year? Or do they sacrifice that cup year for more long term success and possibly multiple cups during the 90s and early 00s, especially if they don't trade away Sergei Zubov, Marc Savard, Kim Johnsson and Matthias Norstrom?
-what if the Colorado Rockies and California Seals had actual competent management? Would hockey in the bay area be a success? Would Lou Lamoriello still arrive and make the Rockies a powerhouse as he did in New Jersey IOTL?
-What if The habs acquired Cam Neely for Mike Mcphee in 1985?
-what if Denis Savard gets taken 1st overall by the Habs in 1980? Does the Habs win more cups? Does Chris Chelios still gets traded in 1990? If so, for who or what? Can be merged with the cam neely what if, as well, if you want.
-What if Scotty Bowman becomes Head Coach
/GM of the Habs in 1978?
-What If The St. Louis Blues never signed Brendan Shanahan, Meaning they keep scott stevens, as well as never trading away the likes of Rod Brind'amour, Adam Oates, Cliff Ronning, Geoff Courtnall, Bret Hedican, Jeff Brown and Curtis Joseph? Do they win a cup much earlier than OTL?
-What if Cam Neely was traded to Philadelphia in 1985? Does the Flyers win the cup in 1987? Does the Lindros-Era Flyers actually gets some much needed depth? In fact, if the lindros deal never happens and the flyers keep Duchesne, Ricci, Simon, Yushkevich, Hextall and Peter Forsberg along with still acquiring Brind'amour, Leclair, Desjardins and Svoboda along with Neely already in place, does the 90s Flyers win the cup around 95-97?
-What if the Calgary Flames didnt fuck up their 00s decade by trading away martin st. Louis, Marc Savard, Valeri Bure, Cory Stillman and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, all players who peaked at the same time as iginla from 2002 to 2004? Do they go back-to-back cup champions in 02-03 and 03-04? Do they become contenders throughout the 00s? If they still trade for Kipprusoff and he still becomes the god-like goalie he became, do the Flames trade away Giguere and Marc Savard for Joe Thornton in 2005?
-What if Ken Holland did the right thing and gave up his GM spot to Steve Yzerman in 2010? Does the Red Wings still remain the NHL's Yankees today?
-What if the New York Rangers didn't go full panic mode in 93-94 and never Traded away Tony Amonte, Doug Weight, Darren Turcotte and Mike Gartner? Do they still win the stanley cup that year? Or do they sacrifice that cup year for more long term success and possibly multiple cups during the 90s and early 00s, especially if they don't trade away Sergei Zubov, Marc Savard, Kim Johnsson and Matthias Norstrom?
-what if the Colorado Rockies and California Seals had actual competent management? Would hockey in the bay area be a success? Would Lou Lamoriello still arrive and make the Rockies a powerhouse as he did in New Jersey IOTL?
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What if Baylor basketball gets the death penalty in the aftermath of the Patrick Dennehy murder? (Here's more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baylor_University_basketball_scandal; while the Baylor football sexual assault scandal was awful, this was worse--a coach tried to smear a dead player as being a drug dealer to avoid admitting that he paid Dennehy in violation of NCAA rules)
Can we add baseball?
what if Texas Airdogs goes to Montreal and the Expos would become a team in an independent league in partnership with the Major League Baseball.?
what if Texas Airdogs goes to Montreal and the Expos would become a team in an independent league in partnership with the Major League Baseball.?