The future of hockey?

[Franck]

Portland is the far more likely city today as they have the arena already, Seattle don't and aren't very interested in building one either.

[batdad]

No. Seattle has a rink...a smaller one. And read what I said...I said neither city is likely to get one. I said A few or a couple of years ago both could and would have made decent markets. (SOFTWARE and STARBUCKS everywhere.) This is no longer the case for either. The only way is if the Western teams get the voice of Buttman and then help Por or Sea out financially.This won't happen.

Vegas, KC, WInterpeg, SOuthern Ontario, and probably Mexico City will get a team before the uesless posts known as Portland and Seattle. Ugh.

[bruins72]

Vegas, KC, WInterpeg, SOuthern Ontario, and probably Mexico City will get a team before the uesless posts known as Portland and Seattle. Ugh.

Not that I'm supporting the idea of putting an NHL team there but I'm really surprised that none of the leagues have played a franchise in Las Vegas yet. It's a busy town and could draw lots of interest (even from tourists if the team is good enough). I understand the reluctance of having a team in a city where people can legally bet on sports but I'm sure there's plenty of betting going on in other cities.

[batdad]

It is more that they have been scared of the criminal activity that goes with the betting than the betting itself. The influence that could be had over managers, coaches, players if they get into trouble living there I believe is a big issue, and could automatically make it impossible to put a team there.

[bruins72]

That's the old Vegas. Now it's all corporate.

[Franck]

b72 is right, Vegas casino's are all owned by big buisness these days, the little man that built the place (which in this case just happens to be the mafia) was forced out long ago.

A Vegas franchise might work, it would require getting there first and the team being successful quickly though.
The gambling and other "entertainment" availible in Vegas might not be such a big problem for a NHL team as it would for a NBA or NFL team, hockey players are usually nice guys and family fathers off ice after all.

It's probably 70/30 or 80/20 to a Vegas franchise failing though.

[batdad]

Oh I know Vegas is like that. But since when are corporations honest? Enron anyone?

[Franck]

Well, they are certainly alot less likely to attempt extortion of a player than organised crime are.

[The Hutch]

As much as a team in Vegas may be able to secure some corporate box sales, isn't the population (The metro area of Vegas, not just the city itself) around two million? Sounds like there would be far too much dependancy on tourist dollars, which can't guarantee steady ticket sales.

If the NHL is insistent on considering Vegas, the least they could dois mayhaps host a mini-tournament there or even a season opener. While I like the idea of taking the league to major European markets at the start of each season, I wouldn't deem it necessary and it could easily help to test fresh market ideas within North America.

[cdnsk8tr]

Kinda off topic but i heard a rumour that the KHL was supposedly trying to start up a junior league similar to the CHL in Canada. Any truth behind this? If so it would significantly help Russia in developing young players although not for a while yet. Maybe? Maybe Not?

[Franck]

That would fail miserably and switching from the "European" youth system to the North American one wouldn't really bring any benefit.

[deathknot]

it's done wonders for canada it can do wonders for the khl.

[batdad]

Junior hockey has always been a part of Canada. And with or without it, players will find somewhere to play, and they will develop. The system in Europe works just fine, both in and out of Russia. At least in terms of player development it does. I am not sure how a junior league would make a development difference. It would make a structure difference, and maybe if they went to a draft situation it would help weaker teams compete.

However, the same guys will be coaching in a junior league that are coaching the young kids now. The same kids are going to learn at the same rate, and they will have the same desire and compete level. Not sure how it will change anything in terms of development.

Dvelopment changes by

1. Players drive
2. Coaching talent
3. ice time
4. Resources

Creating a junior league in and of itself will not help a young player develop. The above 4 things, plus investment have to change to help players get better. But ultimately, the player himself decides if he is going to develop or not.

[Hypnotist]

The Kansas City/Las Vegas mistakes-in-waiting aside, what does the NHL hope to get out of the euro games, other than "raising awareness/interest" in hockey? Does the league honestly harbor delusions of european expansion. Would never work. Players have a hard time dealing with east coast to west coast jet lag. Imagine crossing the pond 8-10 times a season. It's already becoming somewhat of a trend that the teams who have done the european season openers tank for a couple of weeks while they recover from the travel.

I would like to see the in-fighting between the different european national leagues end and see the formation of a NHL-calibre Euro league and then do a Stanley Cup Champs vs. Euro Cup Champs series. But for that, the regular season would have to be shortened and maybe drop from best-of-7 to best-of-5 playoff series so the NHL champs would have more than 5 weeks off between play-offs and the next season.

[getzlaf15]

Tsn.ca have posted a report that Toronto could be the first city to host 2 NHL teams. I wouldn't have thought that would be the best idea. I mean surely everyone in Toronto who follows Hockey would already be a Maple Leaf fan!? Wouldn't they?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=276141

[Hypnotist]

Don't know if I buy it. The Leafs ownership group has fought like a mother wolverine protecting her pups trying to keep ANY competition from southern Ontario. Although I am American, I am all for moving a couple of teams back to Canada. If two or more teams do move, I would also reallocate teams from East-West conferences to North-South conferences. Here's an example of the realigned league with teams where they are now.

Code: Select all

Northern Conference
- North East Division       - North Central Division       - North West Division
  - Boston                    - Buffalo                      - Chicago
  - Montreal                  - Detroit                      - Minnesota
  - New York Rangers          - Ottawa                       - Edmonton
  - New York Islanders        - Pittsburgh                   - Calgary
  - New Jersey                - Toronto                      - Vancouver

Southern Conference
- South East Division       - South Central Division       - South West Division
  - Carolina                  - Atlanta                      - San Jose
  - Florida                   - Columbus                     - Los Angeles
  - Philadelphia              - Dallas                       - Anaheim
  - Tampa Bay                 - Nashville                    - Pheonix
  - Washington                - St. Louis                    - Colorado

Granted this would have to be revised if some teams moved north, but this preserves most regional rivalries, while redistributing the teams so that all teams are making roughly the same amount of cross-country trips. Plus it puts all the Original Six back in the same conference so that those cities get a chance to re-establish some of the old rivalries. All Canadian teams are in the same conference so Canadians can have fun bashing each other. Haven't given it a ton of thought, but I think this could work.