Another Canadian team could join the NHL in the near future

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Graham Montgomery
April 23, 2024 (7:54)

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Mississauga Ontario is currently holding a mayoral election that could have serious implications for the NHL. Mayoral candidate Peter McCallion is promising to make a serious effort to bring the NHL to the city if he is elected.

McCallion apparently believes that the city deserves to be a proper destination in itself, not just an afterthought of Toronto. The city is one of Toronto's larger suburbs, theoretically giving them the population needed to support a team. However, they would obviously be competing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Peter McCallion says that Mississauga is no longer the "little brother" of Toronto, and that the city deserves professional sports. McCallion said he'll bring together members of the business community to draft an NHL bid if he becomes the city's new mayor. He said he also wants the city to have a Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) team.

McCallion also stated that he wants to bring a PWHL team to the city. The league has not yet started discussions about expanding, but it could be on the horizon should the league be healthy enough on the money side of things to do so in the upcoming years.

The city does not currently have any professional sports teams, but they are home to the Ontario Hockey league's Steelheads.

The NHL has not shown much interest in expanding to another Canadian city, with American markets in Houston, Atlanta, and now Phoenix all likely having priority over any Canadian city. We will just have to wait and see if McCallion's efforts will be successful.