Helene St. James Is Detroit Still a Desirable Destination?

[slapshots1515]

As a non-Wings fan/outsider looking in, it should be.

The Red Wings have a championship pedigree unlike any other American NHL franchise; the fact it has the most Stanley Cup exclusively amongst American NHL franchises is a legitimate testament to that claim.

Besides, the fact Detroit is an NFL town mitigates the pressure off the Red Wings, especially when the NFL is an American Midwest institution.

You could very arguably say that the Wings are more popular (and therefore scrutinized) than the Lions around here. The NFL may be more popular overall, but the Wings have been a model of sustained success while the Lions have been a model of trainwrecks. Not to mention, Detroit (and Michigan in general) is one of the three true hockey hotbeds in the U.S.

 

[odin1981]

As a non-Wings fan/outsider looking in, it should be.

The Red Wings have a championship pedigree unlike any other American NHL franchise; the fact it has the most Stanley Cup exclusively amongst American NHL franchises is a legitimate testament to that claim.

Besides, the fact Detroit is an NFL town mitigates the pressure off the Red Wings, especially when the NFL is an American Midwest institution.

You are obviously not familiar with Detroit if you claim it is a nfl town. Have you heard how the Lions are the nfl parody of the Chicago Cubs. This is not to say that people don't watch football but this ain't no Green Bay town. I would wager this town is more a baseball town than anything.

 

[Bench]

You are obviously not familiar with Detroit if you claim it is a nfl town. Have you heard how the Lions are the nfl parody of the Chicago Cubs. This is not to say that people don't watch football but this ain't no Green Bay town. I would wager this town is more a baseball town than anything.

That's true, but if the Lions could actually string together a few winning seasons you'd see a very, very quick revival. The fans are there, they are just waiting for something to get excited about.

 

[odin1981]

That's true, but if the Lions could actually string together a few winning seasons you'd see a very, very quick revival. The fans are there, they are just waiting for something to get excited about.

Take what I say with a healthy amount of salt because I haven't followed football since I was in High School (15 years or so) beyond the playoffs. But I really believe as long as the ford family owns the team they will never amount to more than a .500 team at best. They just don't seem to care in the slightest of actually hiring good front office talent and proper development staff for the kids they draft or know who to pick with said draft picks (this years first rounder??? or the bazillion wide recievers previously picked in the past decade of drafts).

 

[Bench]

Take what I say with a healthy amount of salt because I haven't followed football since I was in High School (15 years or so) beyond the playoffs. But I really believe as long as the ford family owns the team they will never amount to more than a .500 team at best. They just don't seem to care in the slightest of actually hiring good front office talent and proper development staff for the kids they draft or know who to pick with said draft picks (this years first rounder??? or the bazillion wide recievers previously picked in the past decade of drafts).

The Lions are on the upswing. They are on the cusp of breaking loose and doing some damage. They had a string of awful bad luck last year, and I say that as a Packer fan. Of course I said that the last couple years. But the point is, it's bound to happen eventually.

As long as they have a decent QB to throw skyballs to Johnson, they'll be a .500 team. If they do more than that, you're looking at team that could roll some upsets. And if they actually made some noise in the playoffs, I do think you'd see a big outpouring of all the Lions fans that are lurking but kinda gave up on getting too invested in having their hearts broken on such a routine basis.

 

[Vladdy84]

The Lions are on the upswing. They are on the cusp of breaking loose and doing some damage. They had a string of awful bad luck last year, and I say that as a Packer fan. Of course I said that the last couple years. But the point is, it's bound to happen eventually.

As long as they have a decent QB to throw skyballs to Johnson, they'll be a .500 team. If they do more than that, you're looking at team that could roll some upsets. And if they actually made some noise in the playoffs, I do think you'd see a big outpouring of all the Lions fans that are lurking but kinda gave up on getting too invested in having their hearts broken on such a routine basis.

The Lions are terrible.

 

[chances14]

detroit, like almost every other american city is still football first. Lions are almost always dominating sports talk radio and the media.

If the red wings and lions were both doing well at the same time, i can guarantee you that the red wings would be an after thought to most people around here

 

[odin1981]

The Lions are on the upswing. They are on the cusp of breaking loose and doing some damage. They had a string of awful bad luck last year, and I say that as a Packer fan. Of course I said that the last couple years. But the point is, it's bound to happen eventually.

As long as they have a decent QB to throw skyballs to Johnson, they'll be a .500 team. If they do more than that, you're looking at team that could roll some upsets. And if they actually made some noise in the playoffs, I do think you'd see a big outpouring of all the Lions fans that are lurking but kinda gave up on getting too invested in having their hearts broken on such a routine basis.

I don't deny the possibility of it Bench but I see the Lions much like I see the Edm Oilers. The fans of said team are too stupid to hit the owners where it hurts (their pocketbook) to force actual changes to the organization. Every year they continue to buy in on ******** and complain that no relevant changes are made. Modern sports as a whole is more so the era of if you want change to happen you better effect said teams bottom line. If you don't and they still clear a profit you are not gonna see any change at all to the particular ssport you invest your time/money in.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

You are obviously not familiar with Detroit if you claim it is a nfl town. Have you heard how the Lions are the nfl parody of the Chicago Cubs. This is not to say that people don't watch football but this ain't no Green Bay town. I would wager this town is more a baseball town than anything.

Detroit is an NFL town. The only time that was not the case was in the late 90s/early 2000s when the Lions were terrible (which is always) and the Wings were perennial contenders with players the common fan loved (blue-collar guys). That was the peak of Red Wings fandom.

 

[TCNorthstars]

You could very arguably say that the Wings are more popular (and therefore scrutinized) than the Lions around here. The NFL may be more popular overall, but the Wings have been a model of sustained success while the Lions have been a model of trainwrecks. Not to mention, Detroit (and Michigan in general) is one of the three true hockey hotbeds in the U.S.

If "around here" means HF boards you would be correct. What argument would you use to say that the Wings are more popular than the Lions?

 

[TheOctopusKid]

I would say that I would be hard-pressed to think of a state where there is a competing NFL team (and in some instances college) where the football team is less popular than the NHL team.

Even moribund NFL teams pull a greater level of revenue, market share, etc than even the most successful NHL teams.

 

[Chance on Chance]

I would say that I would be hard-pressed to think of a state where there is a competing NFL team (and in some instances college) where the football team is less popular than the NHL team.

Even moribund NFL teams pull a greater level of revenue, market share, etc than even the most successful NHL teams.

Hockeys usually 3rd or 4th in American cities

 

[icKx]

You are obviously not familiar with Detroit if you claim it is a nfl town. Have you heard how the Lions are the nfl parody of the Chicago Cubs. This is not to say that people don't watch football but this ain't no Green Bay town. I would wager this town is more a baseball town than anything.

Baseball town? This ain't Boston.

Baseball only matters here because it has five months all to itself. What else is there to follow?

This is a football town and state. Period.

The Lions could hire a new head groundskeeper and it would get more media play than the Red Wings.

 

[Bench]

The Lions could hire a new head groundskeeper and it would get more media play than the Red Wings.

The groundskeeper when he realizes the field is fake and rubber.

 

[odin1981]

Baseball town? This ain't Boston.

Baseball only matters here because it has five months all to itself. What else is there to follow?

This is a football town and state. Period.

The Lions could hire a new head groundskeeper and it would get more media play than the Red Wings.

The only people I am aware of who watch the nfl are too see how the Lions are gonna fail. Not watch because they enjoy them. At least with the tigers they have a commitment to trying to win. Granted the area I live in could be a outlier but not many seem to actual care what the lions do.

To me from my experiances from living in other parts of the country this is typical to the cubs in mlb. No one really cares what they do. They just want to see how they fail. Or who there management trades that ends up becoming world beaters. Granted the Lions don't actually have that type of record like the cubs do in supplying the rest of the league with talent. But most people I talk to that follow football expect them to fall hard on there face every year. And most it would appear at least from my perspective seem to almost enjoy when they do.

 

[odin1981]

I would say that I would be hard-pressed to think of a state where there is a competing NFL team (and in some instances college) where the football team is less popular than the NHL team.

Even moribund NFL teams pull a greater level of revenue, market share, etc than even the most successful NHL teams.

I could see a Florida nfl team having that problem. But that has more to do with that state being more focused on college football then the pro leagues.

 

[chances14]

The only people I am aware of who watch the nfl are too see how the Lions are gonna fail. Not watch because they enjoy them. At least with the tigers they have a commitment to trying to win. Granted the area I live in could be a outlier but not many seem to actual care what the lions do.

To me from my experiances from living in other parts of the country this is typical to the cubs in mlb. No one really cares what they do. They just want to see how they fail. Or who there management trades that ends up becoming world beaters. Granted the Lions don't actually have that type of record like the cubs do in supplying the rest of the league with talent. But most people I talk to that follow football expect them to fall hard on there face every year. And most it would appear at least from my perspective seem to almost enjoy when they do.

does it really matter why people watch the lions?

Bottom line is the lions are more popular than the red wings, winning or losing

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Just ask random people on the street, what they remember about Detroit sports in 2008.

0-16 will beat Stanley Cup champs

 

[Bench]

0-16 will beat Stanley Cup champs

My favorite sign from that period.

 

[icKx]

The only people I am aware of who watch the nfl are too see how the Lions are gonna fail. Not watch because they enjoy them. At least with the tigers they have a commitment to trying to win. Granted the area I live in could be a outlier but not many seem to actual care what the lions do.

To me from my experiances from living in other parts of the country this is typical to the cubs in mlb. No one really cares what they do. They just want to see how they fail. Or who there management trades that ends up becoming world beaters. Granted the Lions don't actually have that type of record like the cubs do in supplying the rest of the league with talent. But most people I talk to that follow football expect them to fall hard on there face every year. And most it would appear at least from my perspective seem to almost enjoy when they do.

Lions fandom is unique; the mentality is practically Sisyphean.

But beneath all the outward pessimism is the desire for a winner. It's what keeps Ford Field sold out, the draft a quasi-holiday, jerseys flying off the shelves and the Lions front page news even when the playoffs are a pipe dream.

 

[SoupNazi]

My favorite sign from that period.

I remember seeing that at the time and absolutely dying laughing about it.

 

[icKx]

does it really matter why people watch the lions?

Bottom line is the lions are more popular than the red wings, winning or losing

Imagine if they ever made a Superbowl. There would be a lobby in Lansing to change the background of the state flag to Honolulu blue.

 

[odin1981]

does it really matter why people watch the lions?

Bottom line is the lions are more popular than the red wings, winning or losing

I never contended that the Red Wings are more popular than the Lions. My point of contention was the Tigers are.

 

[Chance on Chance]

At least detroiters like us more thent he pistons?

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

Bob Duff ‏@asktheduffer 7m Ehrhoff told #redwings he wanted 5 year deal, never got back to them after #penguins offer. They'd have given him 2 years, $8 million.

Just in general - there seems like a lot of "Red Wings would have beaten that deal" in this thread. First that is all supposition (what the RW might have been willing to offer) - if they didn't actually offer that deal it's a moot point.

Maybe this is Holland asking for the right to "match or beat" a deal, but that's all he can do - ask. If you are continually coming back because you didn't have an competitive offer on the table initially, that might be turning agents/UFA's off? Not sure, but that's a possibility.