123dsa

Attention Hockey fans:

I was watching espn yesterday morning and heard that several nhl teams would lose less money next year by not playing at all. How much longer can the league last? Admittedly, I don't care all that much about hockey, but what are some solutions that you hosers can think of?

LSD

Serpent

Its not the league that has the problem, its the teams not managing their budgets appropriatly.

Averett

A lot of the problem is the fact that the Canadian teams have to pay in American money. It isn't fair really. How to fix that problem? If you're playin in Canada, you get paid in loonies and twonies. If you're playing for an American team, you get paid in dollars.

I don't know that this would solve any problems, it just might make things worse. But I could never figure out why it was fair for a team like the Calgary Flames should pay their team in American dollars.

__________________
Absence is to love what wind is to fire. It extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.

Nimbletoe

Because they're in an american league? If you go to another country and pay for something, you should expect to have to pay in their currency, because your in their country.

__________________
Go Pistons!

Averett

Okay.... But.....

I work for a large company. We have smaller businesses all over the world. The office in South Africa doesn't pay their employees in American dollars. That would make no sense. Just as it makes no sense in this case.

__________________
Absence is to love what wind is to fire. It extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.

dylanmarsh

Ok, here's a solution: stop expanding! Why the hell is there a franchise in Columbus, Tampa Bay, Miami, Nashville, and San Jose??? C'mon, not even baseball is dumb enough to put a franchise in Columbus!!! I don't think the NHL will fold, but I do think that many teams will retract and the league will be able to survive with fewer teams. Hate to say it, but Pittsburgh appears to be first on the choppin block.

Averett

Expansion in all sports should be stopped.

__________________
Absence is to love what wind is to fire. It extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.

djtestudo

Not true.

If the league can handle it, and there are available markets (See: NFL) then it is ok. If you start going into maginal markets simply for the expantion fee money (see: Tampa Bay in MLB, Columbus, Nashville, etc. in the NHL) then you start having problems.

Does hack have any kind of revenue sharing? If not, a piece even like baseball does would probably be a boost to the teams that need it, especially in Canada. Along with folding a few teams.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Artermis

The problem is that there is not a TV contract like MLB, NFL and NBA have. Sure they have one but it is no where the size of these leagues but yet the NHL tries to pay their players on a pay scale close to that.

Also expansion has been a huge problem...not all those cities you mentioned should have their teams contracted but a couple of them should.

NHL will hit rock bottom before they can rebound to be profitable again.

Art

dylanmarsh

Well, ever since the beginning of hockey, they have never been able to promote the game like other sports have. Remember the glory days of the Oilers with Gretzky putting up astronomical numbers? Sure you do, but not the general public. The NHL blew a huge opportunity with Gretzky. The NBA capitalized with Bird and Magic and they were able to set the tone for profits for the next 20 years.

Hockey is still an underground and prodominately white sport. Not being racist, just realistic. I doubt hockey will ever appeal on a wide stage to minorities like it does for whites.

Oh, and another question, why on earth do we have three teams in the metro-NYC area?

If I were to clean up the league, I'd dump the Islanders, Penguins, Thrashers, Blue Jackets, Lightning, Panthers, Sharks, and Predators. There's no need for any of these teams. Plus, it would boost other team's rosters and make the league more exciting.

Nikilidstrom

before everyone starts yelling contraction, exchange rates, and race relations, just remember that this is a CBA year and almost all of the team owners are trying to get a mandatory salary cap put in place, so any reports of loss should be taken with a grain of salt. It is in their best interest to show that the majority of NHL teams are losing money, so that the salary cap can help cut individual player salaries and increase their profits. I have nothing against a salary cap, because any and all pro sports athletes are far overpayed as it is, but the CBA process is highly political, any many "untruths" often get spread when politics are involved in anything.

HeyAgain

Great idea, and it would certainly rid the league of dozens of borderline NHL players who are currently making millions of dollar. The league is so diluted in talent that the games aren't that exciting anymore.

Another great solution would be to FIRE Gary Bettman.

Dragon_Imp

Ok some of those teams dont deserve to be teams but the Lightning they are not bad they are a pretty good team with some furture stars and they will be awesome in a couple of years i mean last year they made a good run for the cup!!!!!!!!!!!

Nimbletoe

I'd dump Colorado too...

__________________
Go Pistons!

RAMONES!!!

STOP RIGHT THERE.

obviously you have never seen or watched a Lightning Game, ask any offical and they will tell you that the lightning had the loudest arena in the playoffs, Tampa is a great place for hockey, believe it or not.

and seeing from where you are. Arizona, why the hell would they put hockey out there?

i dont want to start a fight here, but dont start knocking Tampa hockey if you have never seen a Lightning game.

__________________
Come on

bender

Cap. Cap. Cap.

Dragon_Imp

Yea seeing how that is coming from someone in Detroit i wouldnt want my home team to lose either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GSRIDER

I think some of the Expansion is bad. But sadly in many of the warmer cities the league is thriving.

The NHL DOES need better TV contracts. Fuck Fox hockey Sunday. You have to wait until the playoffs to see any games on local television (I live in a town with no pro nhl team.. closest is the Blues, but we always get colorado games). They show baseball preseason and piss on NHL play-offs. I'll never understand.

__________________
No signature at this time.

MikeyChalupa

I have seen three Lightning games. The last two were last season, and there's no denying, Tampa loves their Lightning.

NOWADAYS.

The first game I saw was in 1998, as the Lightning headed toward a 19-54-9 season. There were maybe 300 people there. You could hear the players on the bench talking to each other.

Funny how a winning season changes things. Bucs fans are the same way. Where were all these faithful Bucs fans before 1996, before they had a winning season, back when you couldn't PAY someone from Tampa to say they were a Bucs fan?

-Mikey

dylanmarsh

Thanks for prejudging me. I'm from Boston living in AZ; do you remember that the Bruins are one of the original six?

Anyhow, I'm not arguing whether or not Tampa can support a team. I think it would be a great town for an AHL or IHL team; just like Phoenix was back in the day of the Roadrunners.

I would definitely agree that Coyotes should still be the Jets but given the fact that as a taxpayer I just flipped the bill for a new stadium, I can't real see a viable reason to dump the Coyotes at this point.

Expanding the league has been one of the biggest mistakes. The Florida teams were a mistake as was putting more than one team in Cailfornia. The NHL is a mess and it is not going to get any better for anyone when the CBA has expired.

Oh, and I'd love to Martin St.Louis in a Bruins uniform when the Lightning go under. Cheers!

djtestudo

Florida - Never really wanted a team
Atlanta - Terrible sports town without the added distraction of hockey.
Columbus - Why God, why?

Those are the teams I start with for contraction.

Expansion is good in some ways. Nashville is quickly becoming a big sports town. Does anyone honestly think Minnesota should not have a team? Just when places that have no need-reason for a team get one is when things get screwed up.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

dylanmarsh

I've never understood this. The Braves have been a solid team the last 12 freakin years! If they were in any other city, every game would be sold out and they might have won more than one World Series.

I can't for the life of me understand hockey in Atlanta. They should've put a team in a city that loves sports. It boggles the mind.

Dr.Who

The North Stars should never have left Minnesota. If there is a region in the U.S. where hockey is alive and have true fans it's there.

I agree that the NHL have too many teams in bad market. Winnipeg and Quebec should get their team back. I understand that Nashville is a big sports city but not for Hockey. The solution is to transfert some teams from weak market to Europe and create 2 conference (North America / Europe). First, a team in Oslo is better, hand down, that Columbus. Second, foreign players would play better cause of the presure and proud of playing for a city of your home country. Some of this is missing in the NHL, too many Euro players don't give a damn about the Stanley Cup and start dreaming about the summer in the beggining of the playoffs *cough* Yashin & Jagr *cough*.

gov135

I'm no expert in the economics of sport.

However, every time I read about viability of franchises and the difference between ones winning and losing money is Television Money. So, no, I don't see how a league that gets beat in ratings by the Arena Football league can survive - as a big money advertiser - I'd rather advertise during arena football games then hockey games. And networks will follow the money.

NeverBorn

Dump Pittsburgh?! The Home of the REAL Great One...Lemiuex..sure they suck bad, but if its the only game in town you'll go. Especially when Detroits in town..hell ya Wings..

djtestudo

Pittsburgh has "Major League 2" Syndrome. A former player buys the team, then has no money left to pay people. Vicious cycles ensue.

Give them a little cash and they'll be fine.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun