Mirtle article on the rise of hockey in California

[LadyStanley]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...-of-the-nhls-california-teams/article1985727/

Knew something like this was coming when one state has more teams in the playoffs than the entire country of Canada.

(Note - not meant as a slight to Canada in any way/shape or form. But most of the Shark player interviews I've monitored have had at least one question relating to that. And yes, the Sharks, as most NHL teams, do have a majority of Canadians on the roster.)

And this subject (less the comparison to Canada) has been discussed in previous threads.

Click to read more...

 

[tarheelhockey]

The bonus for these teams is that, given enough opportunities, they'll consistently end up in playoff series against each other. That's where hockey starts to make the jump from "entertainment option" to "moment of civic unity".

 

[seanlinden]

@tarheel, great point.

One of the better examples of this was the rivalry between Ottawa & Toronto that really only developed after they played each other in the playoffs. Having the Kings & Sharks go at each other is problably a bit of a dream come true for the NHL in terms of heating up the rivalry between the two teams. California is an excellent example of how hockey can work in the south, much like Dallas was before Hicks ran into personal financial problems.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

How is it even worth an article? It's a pure coincidence.

The Cup was won three times in the last three years by teams from the industrial Midwest/Rust Belt..let's make a movie about it.

 

[Wet Sprocket]

How is it even worth an article? It's a pure coincidence.

The Cup was won three times in the last three years by teams from the industrial Midwest/Rust Belt..let's make a movie about it.

I think you missed the point. The article is more about the possitive impact for the game in California that this playoff presents, not just that there is 3 teams from the state represented. The game still has a lot of room to grow out here, and finally building a true LA/Nor Cal rivalry will help with that.

 

[TotalBender]

Good article. If hockey can capture even 10% of the top tier athletes in California, it would be a great thing for the sport.