Relocation Voting Results

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The results are in on the first round of voting for 13 Weeks of R&R! You can take a look at the original post to see how everything turned out. Or you can read on for all the official outcomes and such.

Arsenal and Renegades will relocate

Let's knock out the big ones first. When it comes to the Atlanta Arsenal, 73% of voters want this team moved out of Georgia. So that will happen. Atlanta was the only city to exceed the required 60% "yes" vote. That town just can't seem to catch a break with hockey fans.

Despite reaching only 55% in the "yes" column, the Regina Renegades will be on the move anyway. As commissioner, I made a decision to permit Toronto and Hamilton to both have IceHL teams. In exchange, I required Saskatchewan to lose one of theirs. Saskatoon will stay put.

The rest move on to rebranding

The 11 teams that survived their relocation votes will now face one more test. They are all part of this week's rebranding polls. If you haven't voted yet, do it!

Destinations: Halifax, Toronto, Philly and Ottawa

Voters also selected which cities will be eligible to pick up our newly relocated teams. Out of 12 options, four rose to the top so each will have any opportunity in Week 3 polls. I had planned to stick to only as many cities as there were relocated teams. But 2nd, 3rd and 4th place were all within 0.2% of each other, so why split hairs?

Below are the four relocation cities alongside their percentage in last week's polls:

  • Halifax, Nova Scotia (12%)
  • Toronto, Ontario (10.2%) 
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (10.1%) 
  • Ottawa, Ontario (10%)

For both teams, you'll be able to choose from all four relocation cities. But what happens if the same city wins both polls? Whichever team got the highest percentage will get that city. The other city will have to go with its second choice. I think this is the fairest way to go. Those polls will take place in Week 3.

Speaking of Week 3...

I need to clarify something about Week 3. The original post about this project indicated that the City Polls were for relocated teams only. But that's not entirely accurate. Any team up for rebranding will also be included in these polls to determine whether they keep their existing location name.

For example, if the Motorheads were designated for rebranding, their Week 3 poll would ask whether they should be renamed for Michigan or stick with Detroit.

There will also be a surprise bonus poll! Check back next week — but make sure you vote this week first.