How many teams should the NHL consist of?

[thinkwild]

64. The NHL should be a worldwide league. A north American and Rest-of-World conference of 32 each. Like AFC vs NFC or National American, they have some crossover games and some teams you never play in regular season.

The final four of each conference of their best 16 teams in the playoffs, play a one game against each team round robin to determine the usual best-of-seven final four for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

 

[two out of three*]

30- Just put them in the right places.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

30.

 

[Mess]

Pre Bettman NHL 24 Teams ... Post Bettman NHL 24 Teams and tens years wasted in between ..

 

[no13matssundin]

32

32?

Pffft.

Go Big or Go Home:

64.
8 divisions of 8 teams.

12 in Canada--Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax
-
20 in USA--San Jose, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Colorado, Dallas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Minnesota, Milwalkee, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Boston, Hartford
-
32 in Europe (5 in Sweden, 5 in Finland, 3 Switzerland, 3 in Germany, 4 in Czech Republic, 4 in Slovakia, 8 in Russia)

32 make the playoffs, 5 rounds of best of 7...

75,000 seat super hockey stadiums. 160 game regular season.

Booya, Baby!

 

[AG9NK35DT8*]

I think 30 teams are too many, and that they need to reduce the number.

I personally think that 22 teams would make a better balance.

Do you agree that 30 teams are too much? Which teams should get kicked out?

Better balance? I dont get it, at all, whats the point of this thread . Since you started it ( The Thread ) what is the reason you feel like you do. You just dont want 30 teams, whats the reason for you only wanting 22 teams?

As long as a team is well managed financially and can afford to be in the NHL, afford what ever salary they can etc... than they should be there. If its 30 teams fine, 20 teams fine, 40 teams fine, I could really care less how many teams are in the NHL. Its hockey Ill watch as much as I can, anyway the more teams means more hockey to watch.

What I wonder is why Kansas City, Cincinatti, SanDiego, Milwaukee, Portland, Seatlle, SanFrancisco and whoever else dont have hockey teams Imean they do not appear to be poor states and im sure there are plenty of hockey fans in all those states.

 

[Scoogs]

24 OR 26

Teams that need to go:
Nashville, Carolina, Atlanta, Florida

Teams that could stay if they do the right things...
Phoenix, Pittsburgh

I dont mean to offend any fans of these teams...

I mean, looking at the MLB, I'm thankful that the Blue Jays are still there... Just watching some games, its virtually empty in the outfield. I honestly think that if the Jays were not in the same division as the Yankee's and the Red Sox... We would be much much much closer to relocation than we are right now. (If we are close at all... )

 

[McDonald19]

What I wonder is why Kansas City, Cincinatti, SanDiego, Milwaukee, Portland, Seatlle, SanFrancisco and whoever else dont have hockey teams Imean they do not appear to be poor states and im sure there are plenty of hockey fans in all those states.

San Jose Sharks?

 

[nyr7andcounting]

24-28 could work depending on where they are... so I'll say 26 is a good number.

I'm not going to say who in the NHL doesn't deserve a team because every starts *****ing about losing their team, but I will say that 2 of Winnepeg, Quebec, Seattle or Hartford deserve a team in the reformed league.... maybe more of them if there is good ownership willing to bring a team there.

2 divisions in each conference, top 4 in each division make playoffs.

 

[GoM]

32 teams? are you nuts?? how watered down is the league right now?! anyone else notice that goals-per-game has gone down every year since 93'? theres a reason for that...too many teams!!!

24 or 26 is good IMO

....

ever notice how the GPG level was the lowest in history...in the 50s...

with 6 teams....

.....

 

[wazee]

Keep it at 30 for the next 10 years or so. The NHL needs every fan they can get so they should not rip the rug out from under some of them by contracting teams.

Another day. Another contraction thread. I would enjoy seeing those who favor contraction post the name of their favorite team...

For the record...I follow the Avs...

 

[preddevil]

Six: Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Raleigh, and ......... New Jersey!!!!!. I might be a little biased.

 

[Vic Rattlehead*]

Someone said "Can the NHL afford two more teams?".

Well, at the current state, can the NHL afford to contract teams, destroying more fanbases, in a league where we don't have as many fans as the NFL, NBA, and MLB?

 

[4:20]

I am not a fan of any one team I like watching them all.

I think that the hockey would be way better if there were 24 teams. Whether or not the influx of players from Europe has matched the rate of expansion as some have argued, it is still true that contracting the league would result in a higher level of talent which I believe would result in more exciting hockey.

I also think that they should reduce the length of the regular-season schedule by a significant amount (somewhere between 10 and 32 fewer games would be good). Some will argue that this would result in less hockey to watch but no one watches all the games played by all the teams, and they could still have a game on TV almost every night. I think that with fewer games the intensity and tempo would be greater because the players would have more energy in the tank and the game would matter more.

While I am fantasizing about what I would like to change about the league I'll mention that I would also like to see a major reduction in the size of the goalie equipment and a real crackdown on obstruction-hooking-clutching.

I think it would probably be pretty cool if they switched to 4 on 4. I really think the game would be more exciting if there was more room to skate, pass, shoot etc. and I also think that it would further help to elevate the talent level by reducing roster size.

I hope the lockout provides an opportunity for some kind of shake up but I know that nothing as radical as what I am suggesting will be implemented. Although I believe that the league will try to crack down on obstruction and goalie equipment I don't know how effective they will be.

I also think there is a good chance that once the NHL resumes fans will not come back in at least one or two markets and a couple of teams might fold. Even though contracting that way would be slow and painful for the league I am still hoping it happens because I think that the less money involved in the NHL, the better the hockey will be.

 

[kdb209]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AG9NK35DT8

What I wonder is why Kansas City, Cincinatti, SanDiego, Milwaukee, Portland, Seatlle, SanFrancisco and whoever else dont have hockey teams Imean they do not appear to be poor states and im sure there are plenty of hockey fans in all those states.

San Jose Sharks?

Thank you. Why doesn't San Jose get any respect as a city & market.

It is bigger than San Francisco (passed it in the late 80's) and Oakland (by over 2x).

It is the 10th largest city in the United States. It just passed Detroit.

San Jose may be a non-traditional market, but it is not a small market.


Rank City State Population in 2003
1 New York New York 8,085,742
2 Los Angeles California 3,819,951
3 Chicago Illinois 2,869,121
5 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,479,339
6 Phoenix Arizona 1,388,416
9 Dallas Texas 1,208,318 19,738
10 Detroit Michigan 911,402
11 San Jose California 898,349
15 Columbus Ohio 728,432
23 Boston Massachusetts 581,616
25 Washington DC 563,384
26 Denver Colorado 557,478
27 Nashville-Davidson Tennessee 544,765
41 Atlanta Georgia 423,019
46 Miami Florida 376,815
47 Minneapolis Minnesota 373,188
52 Anaheim California 332,361
53 St. Louis Missouri 332,223
54 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 325,337
55 Tampa Florida 317,647
57 Raleigh North Carolina 316,802
60 Buffalo New York 285,018

Yes, on some cities you could argue population of metropolitan areas

Nielsen Media Research Local Universe Estimates* (US)

*Estimates used throughout the 2004-2005 television season which starts on September 20, 2004


RANK Designated Market Area (DMA) TV Homes % of US
(plus canadian metopolitan areas (2001)

1 New York 7,355,710 6.712
2 Los Angeles 5,431,140 4.956
Toronto 4,683,000
Montreal 3,426,000
3 Chicago 3,417,330 3.118
4 Philadelphia 2,919,410 2.664
5 Boston 2,391,840 2.183
6 San Francisco-Oak-San Jose 2,359,870 2.153
7 Dallas-Ft. Worth 2,292,760 2.092
8 Washington, DC 2,241,610 2.045
9 Atlanta 2,059,450 1.879
Vancouver 1,987,000
10 Detroit 1,943,930 1.774
13 Tampa-St. Pete 1,671,040 1.525
14 Minneapolis-St. Paul 1,665,540 1.520
15 Phoenix 1,596,950 1.457
17 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 1,496,810 1.366
18 Denver 1,401,760 1.279
21 St. Louis 1,216,700 1.110
22 Pittsburgh 1,186,010 1.082
Ottawa 1,064,000
29 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle) 966,720 0.882
Calgary 951,000
Edmonton 938,000
30 Nashville 916,170 0.836
34 Columbus, OH 867,490 0.792
46 Buffalo 651,970 0.595

 

[me2]

....

ever notice how the GPG level was the lowest in history...in the 50s...

with 6 teams....

.....

They should never have expanded from 4 teams. Ruined the NHL. Probably Bettman with a time machine.

 

[me2]

I am not a fan of any one team I like watching them all.

I think that the hockey would be way better if there were 24 teams. Whether or not the influx of players from Europe has matched the rate of expansion as some have argued, it is still true that contracting the league would result in a higher level of talent which I believe would result in more exciting hockey.

Either that or defensive teams get better defensive forwards, 5th & 6th defensemen and a better goalie to make their traps even more effective.

 

[arnie]

22 Pittsburgh 1,186,010 1.082

I don't know where you cam uup with this nonsense but evey metro listing I've seen has Pittsburgh a little over 2 million.

 

[arnie]

I think 30 teams are too many, and that they need to reduce the number.

I personally think that 22 teams would make a better balance.

Do you agree that 30 teams are too much? Which teams should get kicked out?

What exactly is having fewer team going to accomplish? You think that the game will be better with more scoring? Nonsense. Sure there will be more good offensive players on every team but there will also be more good defensive players on every team. The 16 worst goalies in the league will be gone. The 50-60 worst defensemen will be gone. Third lines will be made up of big stronk checkers who can skate and clog the ice better. Is that going to improve scoring?

Coaches will still depend on defense, since that wins games. There will still be trapping, obstruction and grabbing. Nothing will change unless these change.

People who think that contraction will automatically make for a better game are deluding themselves.

 

[Isles72]

its an interesting topic indeed

I'd like to add that what sometimes gets lost in all this is that some cities may have once been considered a major league market and have since been surpassed by other cities who could probably do a better job overall of supporting major league sports .

its not the athletes fault if a city once had a prosperous economy in the 60's -thru the 80's and has since been surpassed by other cities .

 

[JFPIV]

Sixteen

Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec

Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg

Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York

Minnesota, St Louis, Philly, Colorado

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Interesting...who are the mystery 2 teams?

Please don't say Portland. Unless the squad is going to be led by a very tall red-haired Deadhead while the drafting philosophy is to draft the biggest head-case available. Then say Portland.

I have not revisited this thread for a while, so sorry for the delayed response . . . Houston is one, I saw a pretty good analysis regarding that possibility. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3055092 . . . They already have an arena for basketball that could easily be converted to hockey use, houston is an absolutely huge market, and the owner of the NBA franchise owns his arena and has talked of bringing an NHL team there to till dates. The other? Several possibilities, sorry to disappoint you but Portland has some good arguments for it, a return to Quebec too.

 

[Injektilo]

If I were to remake the NHL under what conditions I chose, I'd probably go with 24 or 26 just cause it keeps the league more intimate. Fewer teams mean fewer players so its easier to follow players on other teams, and fewer teams means more games against other teams which means better rivalries.

 

[Scoogs]

Sixteen

Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec

Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg

Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York

Minnesota, St Louis, Philly, Colorado

 

[Jag68Sid87]

I really wonder if anybody who suggests the NHL should have fewer than the current 30 teams in it knows what it feels like to lose a big-league franchise. As a fan of the Montreal Expos for over 30 years, I can tell you that it hurts like a Gary Suter cheapshot to the back--or better still, the face.

It doesn't matter how many teams SHOULD the NHL consist of, what matters is the reality of having 30 teams in the league today--with 30 REAL fan bases. NOBODY should have to go through franchise relocation or contraction...it sucks.

I've suggested in the past a return of NHL hockey to places like Winnipeg or Quebec, simply because both of those cities were wronged by various people and deserve another shot at the big leagues. However, it would suck for whatever city relocated to either market to be honest. Again, NOBODY should have to watch their team, the team they grew up loving, donning another uniform with someone else's city name in front of it.

Let's not forget that there are people in Nashville, Atlanta, San Jose, Columbus, et al that are in the process of growing up Preds/Thrashers/Sharks/Jackets fans...and deserve to have just as much joy in their fandom as people here in Montreal over their Canadiens, or in Toronto over their Leafs, or in Detroit over their Wings, etc.

Everybody likes to look at numbers when talking about fans in various cities. But the bottom line is that there ARE quality hockey fans in every NHL market. It's for those fans that the league should be fighting to keep all 30 teams around. It's also for those fans that the PA should actually CARE whether or not they reduce the number of teams in the league--whether they care about their own jobs (or that of their PA brother standing next to them) or not.

Again, I cannot stress enough how much it hurts to lose a team in your own city. That's why I will never defend anyone in Montreal that disses another market in the NHL, because everything they say about it can be turned around in the baseball context. And if said people don't care about the fact that the Expos are gone, well, they were part of the problem to begin with.