Not to hijack the thread, but the SPHL is slowly developing itself into a strong, yet small, professional league. Doing everything the opposite that the WHA2 tried to do..keep small, low profile, but offering decent hockey to decent hockey markets. Attendance isn't high in some markets, but it doesn't need to be. Travel and player expenses are kept low, so the breakeven is low. The exception being Jacksonville, which plays out of a gorgeous, huge rink, which means rent is sky high. However, the potential in that market is huge. All the ownership groups in the league now are pretty stable, and the league is growing, and hockey is viable in the south.
Having only left Winnipeg less than a year ago, it pains me to see the entire market painted with the same brush as a few outspoken fools. Winning is a passionate hockey market, and my gut feeling is that most of us would rather not see a team in the south fail for Winnipeg's benefit. However, the desire for an NHL return is strong. I'd love nothing more than to see a team return there, but I'd hate to see a fan base go through the trauma that we went through in Winnipeg.