Hockey wanted in hockey cities

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Sens Rule

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Sep 22, 2005
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Gnashville said:
It's a PROVEN market??
They went an entire decade when the sport was at it's height with pitiful attendance in the 3rd LARGEST CITY IN CANADA, yet you say Carolina, Nashville, ect are bad hockey cities. Those number prove one thing it's that Nashville and Carolina may actually be better cities for hockey than Vancouver. Vancouver abandoned their team when they needed them the most. If this was a Southern team you would be saying that PROVES they are NOT a hockey market. Why does Vancouver get a pass? Please note Vancouver fans I am trying to prove a point not call out you as bad fans!!!

You can say whatever you want but Vancouver is a good hockey market. It is self evident. You are quoting attendance numbers starting in 1978. They have drawn 17000+ the last 5 seasons. As is Chicago which has had terrible attendance for years becuse of a poorly managed team that is not trying to win. Boston doesn't have a full arena despite having one of the best markets in North America. St. Louis drew more than 18500 fans for years and years before this past season when they drew poorly with a last place team that was selling off its best players.

However I agree with you. There is not a single poor market among all 30 NHL teams. The Southern teams are not doing too badly. Attendance will fluctuate for all teams. Only the Leafs can sell out for decades with a poor team. Even Montreal did not sell out the Molson Centre some of the last few seasons (though it is the biggest arena in the NHL and they were close to selling out)

There is not a single market that can't draw well with a competitive team, and most of them draw well even with mediocre teams. The Islanders and Pittsburgh suffer with poor arenas. With a better arena they would easily get 17-18000 fans.
 

BigE

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Mar 12, 2004
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New York, NY
Gnashville said:
They went an entire decade when the sport was at it's height with pitiful attendance in the 3rd LARGEST CITY IN CANADA, yet you say Carolina, Nashville, ect are bad hockey cities. Those number prove one thing it's that Nashville and Carolina may actually be better cities for hockey than Vancouver. Vancouver abandoned their team when they needed them the most. If this was a Southern team you would be saying that PROVES they are NOT a hockey market. Why does Vancouver get a pass?

Take an average attendance figure of Carolina's first 8 seasons and compare them to that of Vancouver.

Carolina - 12690.
Vancouver - 15572.

It's also worth pointing out that in that "dismal" ten year span Vancouver's average attendance was still greater than Carolina's first 8 years at 13991.

So, not only was their average attendance greater, but they'd already established themselves with larger attendance numbers for the better part of a decade after their inaugeration into the league. Grass roots hockey was very much apart of the community (especially at the Junior levels), and the population growth and size was there to accomodate the team.

Again, the NHL did the right thing in supporting the franchise.

RWilson99 said:
The folding of the communist bloc.

The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 brought a wave of Russians, Chechs, Ukrainians and players from other Eastern Bloc natons which have expanded the talent pool of NHL players.

Players like Federov, Kovalev & Khabibulin just scratch the surface.

Any doubt that Tretiak couldn't have made an impace on an NHL team's Cup Chances in the late 70s or the 80s?

Oh, I'm sure he would have, but did you really expect the Russians and Ukranians to fill 6 more NHL squads? It was a HUGE event on the world scale, but in terms of it's affect on the NHL...it wasn't the watershed that you imply. The top end talent certainly received a boost, but just as it happens today, the mediocre talent stays in Europe (the Maxim Sushinksy's and Ronnie Sundin's of the world).

For what it's worth, the Czechs were not apart of the Soviet empire. The Prague Spring of 1968 shouldn't be confused with the formation of a republic.

Still however, the Czechs had to defect from their country in order to play in the NHL - I'll grant you this.

Doberman said:
These sound a lot like excuses.

"Excuses" which you would no doubt dismiss if they were brought up in defense of some non-traditional market.

Excuses you say...read above please.

And you wonder why people think you're such a joke.

pathetic.

When have I wondered that? Jesus, a Carolina fan calling someone else a joke - pot...kettle...black. Shout me next April when you start to pick things up again and I'll fill you in on the details of the season.

As one of Carolina's most devout fans so quaintly pointed out, this argument is over, and I agree.

I wouldn't, however, be so quick to announce victory. The "just because I said so" declaration seems rather childish - especially for such esteemed and collected individuals as yourselves.
 

Dobermann

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Jan 2, 2006
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BigE said:
When have I wondered that? Jesus, a Carolina fan calling someone else a joke - pot...kettle...black.

This statement tells me all I need to know about you. And I am a better fan than you will EVER be.

Could somebody please ban this assclown?
 
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