the impression made would be that the nhl is not viable in non traditional southern US hockey markets. i understand the negative impression that would leave, its saying that the NHL is not a "major" sports league in the united states. i, however, am not so sure this would be so bad. i wonder if the NHL would be better off to have 9 teams in canada, 13 teams in the viable US markets, making a 22 team league rather than a 30 team league. would it not be better to have a 22 team league that thrives in areas that care about hockey than to have the rest of the league effectively subsidizing failing franchises (tv revenues etc)?
dont get me wrong moreorr, i totally understand and respect your point. im just saying that maybe the nhl needs to shake up their whole business model at this point rather than continue to seek out more non traditional markets for teams to struggle in.