How to fix the NHL (pro, olympics, ESPN, Blazers)

[ThroatGuzzler]

Originally Posted by big daryle

Do you really think Hamilton could support a team with Toronto, Buffalo, and even Ottawa not that far away?

Buffalo has support from all over the Erie county/area (i'd be keen to suggest Cleveland as well?) to be considered competition for Hamilton. Toronto and Hamilton don't overlap either. Toronto has the GTA (6 million metro), and Hamilton has a majority of southwestern Ontario and Burlington (4 million). Ottawa is out of the question, it conflicts more with Montreal than Toronto.

[waltlantz]

Originally Posted by ThroatGuzzler

Buffalo has support from all over the Erie county/area (i'd be keen to suggest Cleveland as well?) to be considered competition for Hamilton. Toronto and Hamilton don't overlap either. Toronto has the GTA (6 million metro), and Hamilton has a majority of southwestern Ontario and Burlington (4 million). Ottawa is out of the question, it conflicts more with Montreal than Toronto.

If there is any support in Greater Cleveland, it's minimal. NHL is a mere blip on the media scale there (I'm a college student in the area)

[jazzy jeff 11]

ThroatGuzzlers gotta point. I live in Buffalo and ha i never realized Buffalo is big even in the Falls. So technically buffalo represents all of WNY, and technically all of NY except Long Island :P

[Rwarky]

Originally Posted by MN55

Easy, first bring back the rules from a decade or so and promote more fighting and hard-hitting. Then drastically restructure the league. The NHL does not need to be in the southern markets or any of that crap. Teams would do much better in smaller markets in the Northern US and Canada and would have much better fans. Just forget about Atlanta and Dallas and Miami and Pheonix. Teams there do not work. And there are way too many teams right now. Twenty-four teams is enough.

You need to eliminate eleven teams and create five new ones.

Eliminate:
Phoenix
Dallas
Columbus
San Jose
Anaheim
Carolina
Tampa Bay
Florida
Nashville
Atlanta
NY Islanders

Create:
Winnipeg
Quebec
Hamilton
Duluth
New Hampshire

The only southern team should be the Kings.

Anyways, the league should look like this:

Smythe
Vancouver
Calgary
Edmonton
Colorado
Los Angeles
Winnipeg

Norris
Minnesota
Chicago
St. Louis
Detroit
Toronto
Duluth

Patrick
Ottawa
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Hamilton
Washington
Philadelphia

Adams
New Jersey
Boston
Montreal
Quebec
New Hampshire
New York

The season should be shortened to October-February and the playoffs should be three rounds long, best-of-seven each. The top two teams in each division will play the first round. The semis will be Smythe vs Norris, and Patrick vs Adams. Then the Stanley Cup.

I know it ain't the most profitable way to go, and thus it will never happen, but it is the best way, and would be the best route to go if you wanted to make the NHL relevent again.

Carolina seems to be doing well, so this team should remain.

[jazzy jeff 11]

Yeah but look when they won the Cup and booom back to the bottom.

[Bagger]

Originally Posted by Rwarky

Carolina seems to be doing well, so this team should remain.

Eliminate San Jose? You have got to be kidding. They've sold out every game this year and I'm pretty sure that they only missed selling out a couple of games last year.

The Sharks are a solid franchise...


Sorry... meant the response for the poster that said San Jose should be eliminated.

[Canes2006Champs]

Originally Posted by Rwarky

Carolina seems to be doing well, so this team should remain.

Originally Posted by jazzy jeff 11

Yeah but look when they won the Cup and booom back to the bottom.

But moving on up

I can't believe someone would think Duluth would get a team. Does anyone really think the owners of the Wild would allow this?

[jazzy jeff 11]

Duluth? where's that? lol Hamilton and Winnepeg would be nice

[plf86000]

It seems like everyone is in agreement that the league is watered down.

[Old Man Winter]

If the Lightning leave Tampa, I will not be able to see the Flyers on the ice . Take the team, but can we get Philly instead please ??? Thanks