Gee Wally said:
I want to go back to rivalries.. Now I know I can't go way back to my youth of The Original 6 when we played each team at least every other week with a lot of back to backs.. But the game needs MORE interdivisonal games.
OK, I thought that's what you meant, but wasn't entirely sure.
I go to games to see the Bolts and don't care about the opponent, but I think the SE teams would fight this for all they're worth. The snowbirds & transplants who hang on to old loyalties who (for better or worse) make up part of the Bolts ticket-buyers want to see their home teams, not the Panthers or the Thrashers. Same is true in south Florida and a few other markets, I'd imagine. Teams from the Northeast & teams with big bandwagon followings sell more tickets here. Throwing several more interdivisional games on the schedule isn't good for the bottom line IMO, though the difference may be marginal or disappear after a few years if these so called "rivalries" generate some interest. That's not to mention that we might see a repeat of the 'Tampa success effect' so opponents will become less important: i.e., once the Bucs started winning, it suddenly seemed there were a lot fewer Packers/Steelers/Cowboys/whatever fans around a whole lot more people claiming they'd been Bucs fans FOREVER.
From what I hear straight from the Bolts players themselves, rivalries get started in the playoffs, not the regular season, and I doubt they're the only guys who feel that way.
Who the hell wants to see the 'Bolts when I want to see more of the Habs.
You sound like my dad, but heck he's turning 80 this year, he's entitled to be set in his ways. He can't imagine why anyone would go see a new team when the Original Six still exist, lol. Variety is the spice of life Wally! Don't be like my dad, I know you're not
that old, are ya?
[personal note: No, I'm not retirement age, my dad was pretty old when I was born]