A Nuetral Site Stanley Cup Final

[Bruwinz37]

Worst. Idea. Ever.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Brutal, just brutal.

 

[Dr Love]

This is almost as bad as Jim Bowden's idea of having the MLB be put into divisions by revenue.

I don't think you thought out that if Calgary and Tampa played each other in another city, they probably wouldn't sell out; and the people there wouldn't be as enthused. And, all the home ice advantage a team worked hard to get is tossed out the window. Great way to reward someone.

 

[NYIsles1*]

Why would you put the series in a "traditional market" anyway? The League needs to sell the game to them? I don't see how this would drum up any more interest, really.

No matter how the league markets it's final they always sellout.

It's ironic that all those neutral site games in the early nineties is what led to the expansion many folks now blame for hockey's problems and now some suggest neutral site finals games?

I guess it depends on how you look at it but are traditional markets so bad these days we have to sell them an automatic final for it to get attention? In New York, the answer is yes because hockey has no prayer of getting the back page over an out of market final vs baseball.

It may not even get the back page in the current format if the Rangers or Islanders played on another in the final. Perdro throws at Jeter and the finals are likely not on the backpage.

I would think if hockey has to sell the finals to markets it should start with the expansion markets.

Many things need to be fixed in hockey this is one that requires no change. This is like changing Smythe, Adams, Norris and Patrick to what it is today.

 

[Anksun]

My position on this one is easy: Strongly against this idea.

 

[txpd]

Lets not mess with something about the game that is good...eh? you want to turn the stanley cup finals into a corp. event? with the stands filled with vendors and customers getting treated to a weekend off? that is what the super bowl is. 60% of the people at a super bowl game could careless who wins. is that what you want for the stanley cup?

its also worth mentioning that the reason that it works to some extent in the NFL is because the game is one day and its not that hard to fly in the corp wheels and celebs that come to the parties and the game. 6 or 7 game event over two weeks is not going to work.

by the way. you may have noticed that the world series does just fine with its home and home design. changing the cup to a neutral site would be a horrible mistake.