NHL popularity in the US, Can it improve?

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Checkered24

I wonder whether Hockey will ever catch on at this point. There has been NHL hockey in a number of southern US cities now for a long time. Carolina for example, has had their team about 10 years, has won a cup, and still doesn't have much of a fan base. I bet the Lightning don't have a huge fan base either, and they have also won a cup.

If it was going to really catch on, I think it would have. The NHL would do better to try and capture more of the northern US markets, get back into a couple more Canadian markets (Winnipeg, Quebec, Hamilton), and maybe try to figure out a way to get Europe more involved since they attract so many European players.

My take is this, limit all NHL team locations to an area north of a line that goes from Washington, DC to St. Louis to Denver to LA (L.A. is so huge they should find enough fans to fund one team, I say keep the Kings because they were there longer and move/rename the Ducks....I have to say the original name of "Mighty Ducks" is the worst pro team name I've ever seen and was commercialism at its ugliest). Move some teams to the Canadian cities that lost their teams. Put a 2nd team in Toronto and maybe Montreal. Move one of the 3 greater NYC teams to Hartford (yes, NYC if huge and yes it has winter, but it's not a "US hockey market" in the Buffalo or Detroit sense by any means. Heck in the northeast I think Philly and Boston are more into hockey than NY.....Long Island had a bit of "hockey mania" back in the Islanders late 70s/early 80s go-go years, but it has waned).

That's what I'd do if I ran the NHL, it's a "northern" (and mostly Canadian) game, let's face it!

[Boompa]

Knowing that the Coyotes are being sold and moved has about finished them. Why go root for a team that won't be here next year

[Head coach]

Originally Posted by Boompa

Knowing that the Coyotes are being sold and moved has about finished them. Why go root for a team that won't be here next year

Well, I hear that and I kind of feel your pain in this one. You living in Sierra Vista, might not know the true story about what happend to the team. But, I will share it just in case.

Back in 1997, when things were not going good for the Winnipeg Jets, the talk was that the team was coming to Arizona. And not just Arizona, but to Scottsdale. A city where the majority of the population is upper middle class incomes.

So, before the team every got here, the team in Winnipeg did a market research study to see if the city of Scottsdale was right for them before they every moved down here. Why come if you are not wanted!

Soooo, the city council invested the money in a voting memorantum, that went out to all of the voters to see if they would help build a multi-million dollar stadium in the city of Scottsdale that was kind of getting run down.

The developer at the time was going to put up the land as long as he got to build the thing...naturally, and everyone in the city voted and it passed with flying colors!

Once the team was here and playing in it's first year, the Scottsdale City council decided that they wanted to look at the developers books. Well, the developer told them to go pack sand...in so many words. So the city council told him that they were not going to authorize any zoning permits if he didn't open up his books.

He said NO, and the whole project moved to Glendale where the average house hold income runs pretty low. Now don't get me wrong, there are some people that have money in Glendale, but it not like Scottsdale and the rink was built way out there in no man's land.

Where as the Scottsdale arena would have been down town and close to everyone. But, it better to move the dog gone thing out into the boon toolies, rather than make it easy for everone to get to it.

It defiantly falls under the three "P's" rule...****, Poor, Planning!"

What does everyone say, who know marketing and planning...Location, location, location!

Well, the fact is, I will be surprised if the NHL leaves the team here, seeing how they now own it. The truth of the matter is...once a city looses it's team, they generally don't get one back.

Well, Houston got lucky in the NFL, they got a pro team back after the oilers left, but I don't see a whole lot of that in the NHL.

Yes, people can complain all they want about Hockey being played in the south. But here a news flash!!!!

Dear NHL, don't move a professional Hockey team into the poor part of the city that you want to expand your market into. Put it in the city where the money is....duh!

[Bagger]

Originally Posted by Boompa

Knowing that the Coyotes are being sold and moved has about finished them. Why go root for a team that won't be here next year

I don't know the in' and out's on this situation... but I thought the reason for the NHL owning the team was to keep them in Phoenix? Am I wrong?

On a side note, I thought the one poster noting the new arena was not in as a convenient location as the old one was telling. One of the things I really like about the Sharks is how easy it is to get to the "Tank". I don't go to baseball, football, or basketball games in Oakland or San Francisco simply because it's a pain in the butt to go there.... well, that's one of the reasons

[Quelo]

Head Coach, I never said Hockey shouldn't be played in hot areas, please don't say things that I didn't say. Thank you.