10 Pro Sports Franchise Relocations Over The Past 20 Years

By Daniel Friedman
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On Wednesday evening, the Glendale City Council voted to terminate the city's lease agreement with the Arizona Coyotes. Both the team and the NHL have expressed their intent on remaining in their current home, and have stated that they'll exhaust any necessary legal means to ensure that the lease remains in effect.

However, this is just the latest hurdle for the struggling franchise, which has long been a subject of relocation rumors. Could this be the final straw for hockey in the desert? We shall see. For these 10 teams, their stories ended with a change of scenery:

1. Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg (2011)

Ownership disputes and an on-ice product that rarely appealed to the masses contributed to the Thrashers' downfall. The team made the playoffs just once in its 11-year history and wound up moving to Winnipeg as a reincarnation of the Jets (more on them in a bit).

2. Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City (2008)

Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett led an ownership group that purchased the fledgling franchise, and had no interest in keeping it in Seattle. After an outlandish arena proposal (which was meant to be just that) was shot down at all levels of government, the group fought the city in court over the right to break the arena lease and worked out a settlement which allowed them to leave. They did so, becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder.

3. Montreal Expos to Washington (2005)

The Expos might've been loved, but failed to put out a compelling product in the late 90s (and on), which made fans lose interest. The team was struggling, and it wasn't long before relocation buzz started. MLB took control of the franchise in 2002, and the Expos became the Washington Nationals a few years later.

4. Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans (2002)

Attendance fell sharply towards the end of the 20th century, and the local government refused to build a new arena for the team, so they packed up and moved to New Orleans. Charlotte would get an expansion franchise just two years later, a team that was originally called the Bobcats but has recently been renamed the Hornets. This was made possible when New Orleans changed its team name to the Pelicans.

5. Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis (2001)

Poor attendance and ownership financial struggles led to the team's relocation from Vancouver. Several cities were interested, but Memphis emerged as the winner. The Canadian dollar was also cited as a reason for the franchise's misfortune in Vancouver.

6. Hartford Whalers to North Carolina (1997)

Stop me if you've heard this before: Local government doesn't want to build the team a new arena, and the team leaves. That's what ultimately happened here, as the Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes.

7. Houston Oilers to Tennessee (1997)

Fan support dwindled, the team wasn't competitive and things were spiraling out of control. Houston had a problem, and shipped it off to Tennessee. After struggling for a few years in Memphis as the Tennessee Oilers, the team moved to Nashville and became known as the Titans in 1999.

8. Cleveland Browns to Baltimore (1996)

Team owner Art Modell decided to relocate to Baltimore, in an extremely controversial move. The Browns were restored via expansion just a few years later, and were permitted to inherit the original franchise's history.

9. Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix (1996)

Rising player salaries and the value of the Canadian dollar were hurdles that a small Winnipeg market could not overcome. The team's home arena was extremely inadequate and corporate sponsors were in short supply. The result was a heartbreaking move to Phoenix, and the team was renamed the Coyotes.

10. Quebec Nordiques to Colorado (1995)

Same story here as in Winnipeg. Even worse, the team won a Stanley Cup in its first season in Colorado and, unlike in Winnipeg, the city still doesn't have an NHL franchise. A new arena is on its way up, and Quebec City has been discussed as a potential site for an expansion team or a relocated one.