Hockey can thrive in non traditional markets such as Dallas. The Stars came to town and started on the ground floor. Before they got here there were only a few rinks in the city. Now There are more than 20 regulation sheets of ice. There are 7 in a 10 mile radius from where I live including the Stars practice facility which is very nice. The rinks down here are like palaces. There are no basic "barns" with a sheet of ice in them. With the building of new rinks came new leagues. Everyone from 4-74 can play if so desired. Ive played in a beer league and its a ton of fun. High school hockey has taken off in the last 5 years as well. There is even a curling league at a few of the rinks. Thats right curling in Dallas TX. But what this has led up to is people have kids playing hockey or are playing themselves have learned the game and developed a love for the game. There is also a junior A team here and a CHL team in Ft Worth. Another aspect that cannot be over looked when cultivating a new hockey market is the TV & Radio commentators. Which in the Dallas market are one in the same thanks to a radio/tv simulcast. Dallas has Ralph Strangis & Daryl Reaugh and they are one of the best pairs in the league (thanks to the center ice package Ive heard them all). They have done a great job of teaching the audience about the game during the run of play. At first they would explain icing or offsides or something simple a few times a game. Now , thanks to their efforts, they are talking about the left wing lock or the importance of a strong back check by the forwards. This has educated the audience and in turn made them (myself included) better hockey fans. Hockey can work anywhere if the organ-i-zation has the drive to make it work.
I think that it is great to see the growth of hockey in Dallas and I always point to Dallas as a great success story with regards to Expansion/Relocation in the NHL over the last 15 years. However, in many ways Dallas is an anomaly. When you consider that just about every other team that the NHL has been added or moved since San Jose joined the league have struggled to survive, it makes you wonder if the NHL is locating itself in appropriate markets, or if they should be expanding at all. Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Ottawa (yes, I don't have a bias), Nashville, San Jose, Atlanta, Anaheim, etc., all have struggled. Yes, Tampa Bay had great crowds for their run last year, but guaranteed they will have a precipitous drop in attendance just like Carolina should they drop in the standings when NHL resumes play again. Besides Dallas, the only expansion/relocation that I have seen in the last decade and a half that has worked day in day out is Columbus. I can't knock Ottawa too much either, since they have NEVER had crowds as small as some in Atlanta and Carolina, although they have been a few thousand short of a sellout on several occasions. My solution: NHL should do their homework, stop expanding, and relocate teams in markets that make sense (whether this is for climatic purposes or to increase the league's audience). I also feel that they should'nt just sell teams to whoever has money, and make strong consideration on the quality of ownership coming into the league (Ted Leonsis comes to mind...this idiot is driving the once-proud Washington Capitals into the ground!!)
Let's see, what has Carolina done since their fluke trip to the Finals? Do they have the worst record in the league? If not, it's pretty close. Now if I understand your reasoning, the fans in Hartford didn't show up because the team was bad. On the other hand, the fans in Raleigh don't show up because they're bad fans. That makes sense. Personally, it's the attitude of some Canadian fans that irritates me most of all. That's why I'd like to move some of those clubs to cities that haven't had snow in a few thousand years. If you have Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver you don't need the rest.
My bad, I forgot Minnesota and Colorado ( I was tired when I typed the last post). And, once again, people on these boards nitpick and miss the essence of the argument. Minnesota and Colorado are great examples of what I was talking about. Not only do they have a climate appropriate for the grassroots development of hockey, the state of Minnesota has had a very long and illustrious history in Collegiate Hockey, and Minnesota is also the home state of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Both clubs have excellent ownership and fan support. In fact, moving the Minnesota North Stars in the first place was a travesty, but fortunately Dallas turned out well, and the Wild have great fans, coaching, and organization. As for the moronic post regarding having teams in markets that haven't had snow in a thousand years, clearly you are stupid and don't give a sh!t about hockey. If you did, you would understand the importance of having franchises in markets where the youth can actually engage in the sport all year, and ideally to play ice hockey outside for part of the year. That's like having a soccer team in Antarctica.
Just becasue you live in a place that doesnt get snow doesnt mean you cant play hockey year round. I can play in Feburary or August, the temp outside doesnt matter. Its just that southern markets dont have the availbility of outdoor or backyard rinks.
I have supported the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim since the first drop of the puck at their franchise's first game, a 7-2 loss to the Red Wings, which my brother and dad went to. I went to the Stanley Cup against the Devils and have a "shrine" in my room dedicated to them, with my Paul Kariya-signed puck and my J.S. Giguere-signed plaque (he was probably my favorite player from even when we had Guy Hebert as our goalie, and JS was our backup).
Something a bit weird I noticed. Since the 1992-1993 expansion, many new clubs (a disproportionate amount?) have made the finals: 1996: Florida, Colorado 1999: Dallas 2000: Dallas 2001: Colorado 2002: Carolina 2003: Anaheim 2004: Tampa Bay
I forgot Colorado too. Youth hockey is growing by leaps and bounds here, but there are only about 20 high schools playing. Not enough rinks is a hige problem.
I would argue Colorado was an easy relocation because you had a good, young team that was ready to contend for (and, as it turn out, win) the Stanely Cup immediately. The "dark days" for an Avs fan are their two game 7 losses in the first round of the playoffs.
Did a little research on Colorado & players in the USHL. The USHL is a feeder to the NCAA, about 90-100 players a year go from the USHL to the NCAA. Players can range in age from 15-20, but are usually 18 or 19. There are 2 16 year olds in the league this year. Teams are allowed 3 import players. The league has teams in Nebraska (3), Iowa (4), Wisconsin (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), and South Dakota (1). Anyway, this is the current breakdown of players in the USHL. Minnesota 67 Michigan 37 Illinois 19 New York 16 Wisconsin 14 Alaska & Pennsylvania 11 Canada 10 California & Massachusetts 9 Missouri 8 Colorado, North Dakota, & Slovakia 4 New Jersey & Utah 3 Austria, Idaho, Iowa, Latvia, Texas & Virginia 2 Belarus, Connecticut, Georgia (the state, not the nation), Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Sweden, Vermont, & Washington 1 Off those 4 players, 2 are brothers from Vail, 1 is from Aurora, 1 is from Colorado Springs. Keep in mind that Midwestern kids are more likely to play in this league, which explains the small # from Massachusetts, who usually play in high school, prep schools, or junior leagues on the east coast, and Canada, who play in various junior leagues in Canada. I'd also like to state that while the USHL is the only Tier 1 junior league, it is not the exclusive feeder to the NCAA--far from it. I was surprised at the low # from Colorado, even more surprised at the low # from the Denver area. I'm wondering if the Avalanche moving to Denver will have a greater impact on Midget/Junior level players from Colorado in the next ten years, because it doesn't look like that's happened yet. I was surprised at the high # from Alaska. I was bored this morning.
I wouldn't say it's a disproportionate amount compared to NHL expansion history: 1927: Boston 1928: New York 1931: Chicago 1968: St. Louis 1974: Philadelphia 1975: Buffalo 1980: New York It does indicate, to me anyway, pretty decent competitive balance. Whereas, in the NBA, only seven teams have won the Championship since 1980.
Probably will see more in the next 10 years, but it will take time for the Avs to have an effect on the player pool at the college level. Thinking that 4-8 year olds (the age where most start) were inspired by the 1996 Avs to play hockey, these kids are 12-16 today, most not even in high school yet. Hockey's been in Pittsburgh for over 30 years, but Ryan Malone is just now the first Pittsburgh-area-born NHLer. So it takes time. That being said, University of Denver has at least 4 Colorado born players on the roster, I think there are more, I'll have to check the roster.
There are 10. Only 4 dressed last night v. St. Cloud. Colorado College has 3, only 1 dressed last night. In my dad's home town (Craig, CO), there's a rink. I remember first visiting there in 1977, and thinking that no one knew what a hockey stick was.
Growing up younger with no team in Ohio, I was a huge Islanders fan for reasons unbeknownst even to me. Since the Jackets came into the state, I've tried to root for them as part of the whole home town thing but I'm having trouble leaving the Isles. :-/ Probably a little what it felt like for Brookyln Dodger fans when the Mets came into town.
After quick glance, it would appear, I am the first Calgary Flames fan to check in. Born and raised Calgarian is the reason. Hopefully this lad is the next Bobby Orr , seriously though, seems like one of the next top defenceman. A lot of hype for a guy who has yet to play an NHL game.
He'll be a monster on the blueline for the Flames for many years to come. He wuld have easily made the Flames roster this year had the season started. Could have made the team last year but the Flames wanted to take a cautious route and not rush the kid. Just for the record I support the Red Wings. It all started with Steve Yzerman.