Terrier said:
As a Bruins fan, I've had my share of heartbreak at the hands of the Oilers. However, if there's a contraction in the near future and we end up with teams in Nashville and Raleigh but not Edmonton, I might swear off the NHL forever. Edmonton has the league's best ice and perhaps its best fans. I frequently request the late HNIC game if I'm in a bar with a dish, and Oilers games are more often than not worth watching. Unfortunately, Bettman The Bozo tried to NBA-ize this league, and look where we are now!
This is why Bruins fans are the classiest fans in the league!
And yet Michigan drew probably about the same, if not more for an outdoor college game between Michigan and Michigan State. I just find it funny how those states are mentioned as cant support hockey yet Alberta can. If youre going to take out an Anaheim or Florida because they cant support hockey, you might as well take out the Oilers or Flames because there is less population and a worse economy. Really I dont want any teams contracted but I really hate it when people just throw out they cant support hockey when these places can and it will take time.
If you're trying to deny Alberta isn't a hockey-mad area, don't waste your breath. Per-capita more NHL players come out of Edmonton & area than anywhere else on the planet.
Alberta is a thriving province and Edmonton has the 2nd most diverse economy in Canada. Calgary is the fastest growing city in Canada and Edmonton is not far behind. The issue here isn't that Edm/Cgy have 'worse economies', the fact is the disparity between the American and Canadian dollars cripples them somewhat.
Calgary has the 2nd most head offices in Canada, and I'm not exactly educated on the Flames situation (
maybe a Flames fan can come in here and verify this) but thats got to help the team. Edmonton doesn't have that kind of coporate support, we rely on Joe fan, and they profited this year.
The owners of the two teams are tired of losing money due to the fact that over 70% of their revenues are paying salaries. The Cdn $ doesn't help either, and theres nothing they can do about that. In a business an owner is supposed to profit, and it isn't because of bad business decisions. Does this mean that the markets are no longer viable? Not at all. Hockey may be a business, but to take away so much tradition would cheapen the product substantially.
But what the Oilers do have is a strong, deep-rooted tradition and fanatical fan support; that is unarguable. And that is why it is a valid market.