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coastie
Top Prospect
USA
49 Posts |
 Posted - 01/22/2003 : 07:16:00
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Maybe I'm in the minorit here, but I tend to think that the NHL expanded way too fast to keep up. The problem as I see it is that Ice Hockey just isn't a big enough sport to support 30 major league teams. There just aren't enough really good hockey players out there to fill teams with high quality talent.
there's something like 3 million Ice Hockey players worldwide where baseball has around 33 million to fill their 30 some odd teams. Which says to me that baseball has a big enough pool to draw some seriously talented athletes.
Europe has been drained of all fo it's really good talent, and in Canada, it's actualy a realistic dream to strive toward playing professional hockey someday.
HOckey's growing fast right now in the southern States (which are normally breeding grounds for baseball and football players) but hockey is new down there and it's probably going to be another 20 years before we start seeing some decent talent able to compete with Canadian players who were born with hockey sticks in their hands.
I think that after Ottawa got it's team back, the expansion should have stopped and allowed the sport to catch up.
My basis: just look at how many blow outs there have been this year... It's like hockey in the early 80's again. Just when the sport was catching up with the demand, Gary Bettman sees how he can make 300 million more and creates teams in places like Atlanta.
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coastie
Top Prospect
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2003 : 07:47:08
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Sheesh, still no replies!?
Was this too deep for you puck heads? ;) |
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admin
Forum Admin
Canada
2343 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2003 : 09:53:07
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I agreed with you until this playoffs. 2 words for you...
Minnesota Wild.
Seriously though, I think you're right. I think what the league was doing though was trying to get exposure. I disagree with that method though. What good is exposure whan the calibre is being diluted?
Assuming that your numbers are correct, your comment about baseball is interesting but let me elaborate. (where did you get the numbers from anyway?) In one sport you need a glove and some shoes and the other you need $750 worth of gear. In one you need an empty field anywhere and the in the other you need to have ice (probably indoor). Hockey just costs more. So thus their are less players to draw from. But somehow the NHL has pretty much the same amount of teams and MLB???? That's out of whack.
Fans are flighty in these days of fast food and credit on demand. Stop the expansion for a while. Build some rivalries again. Keep the fans interested.
Is anybody listening? |
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coastie
Top Prospect
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2003 : 17:45:40
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Well, this years play-offs do have me eating a little crow, however, I am a big fan of the Sharks (until the managment and the so-called high callipre players blew it).
Minnesota developed a solid fan base quickly (big surprise) Ottawa's Fan Base is almost 100 years old, when the team joined the NHL again, that just fueled their fire.
Anaheim, I'm still trying to figure that one out. Maybe the cartoon character on their jerseys threw everyone off. :)
Regardless, it's hard to get anyone besides hockey purists original 6 (NOT EIGHT) fans to acknowledge this.
The stats were from the book the death of hockey.
You should check it out. |
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coastie
Top Prospect
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2003 : 06:31:29
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As far as the expansion teams look this season... it seems that the shiny newness of the teams has worn off a little.
Pheonix is expecting their fan support to drop quite a bit over the nxt couple of years, and Tamp doesn't have one to begin with... last season doesn't seem to have done anything for them. |
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The Expansion Problem 
