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I was speaking with a friend today. When we ventured on to the topic of hockey, the conversation eventually moved to talk about Phoenix's surprising 2-1 lead. This of course lead to a discussion about the NHL, and it's policy of keeping good teams in bad places.

The bigger part of the conversation, however wasn't about moving Phoenix so much as adding two more expansion teams to the league. Here are some of the places that the NHL, should they be planning an expansion, will likely consider for teams:

1) Winnipeg
Winnipeg has all the markings of being a good hockey center: A new arena, it's the largest city in Manitoba, it's Canadian. Of course, none of that overshadows the fact that they had a franchise once before and lost it due to financial issues. However, times have changed, and there's a lot of rumors going around the underbelly of the internet that this is going to happen.

2)Las Vegas
Las Vegas supports it's own minor league team (and contrary to what some might think, a very popular team in the desert), so it's a tested market. They've got plenty of funds for build a new arena if they needed, though they have a good new one as it is. They like hockey, and follow it regularly (it has been consistantly high on viewership for each of the Winter Classic games). Of course, NHL Teams in the desert don't work out so well (See: Phoenix Coyotes), but again, this is all in the past.

3)Quebec City
It seems to be a theme that the WHA teams are looking to get back into the NHL. It seemed that upon merging, there were some serious attempts to rid the NHL of teams with WHA affiliations. Anyway, Quebec has a rabid fanbase, and an entire developmental league. The problem is that people in Quebec speak french.

4)Hartford
Another WHA holdout. Probably my favorite now-defunct team. There is a lot of passion for hockey in Hartford, believe it or not. Like Las Vegas, they've been supporting a minor-league hockey team for years now. The XL Center is still a popular arena, and really, it's in great shape, all things considered. And on top of that, the actual City of Hartford held onto the rights to the Whaler's logo for just this occasion.

5)Hamilton
Okay, so the only way this will really happen is if Jim Balsille can magically change the opinions of pretty much the entire NHL. But they're a good market, support a Minor league team, as well as a junior team. They love hockey and are canadian. The problem? They may or may not infringe on Toronto's turf.

Any places you'd like to see the NHL? Any reasons you think one or more of these places stinks as a hockey city? Leave some thoughts in the comments!