2025-2026 NHL Offseason
Comments
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fife wrote:Just a question for hockey fans in the USA. We all know that the NHL is going to survive in Canada after this lockout. outside of the media in the USA who in reality i have never seen take a liken to hockey, do you sense that fans are really pissed off and maybe not coming back.
I would love to hear from fans in non tran. areas.
Not sure. A lot gets built up in the media and by the NHL about the momentum of growth the league has experienced recently. I don't see it. So that being said when it does come back I don't think the numbers will be any different than prior to the lockout.0 -
The Juggler wrote:fife wrote:Just a question for hockey fans in the USA. We all know that the NHL is going to survive in Canada after this lockout. outside of the media in the USA who in reality i have never seen take a liken to hockey, do you sense that fans are really pissed off and maybe not coming back.
I would love to hear from fans in non tran. areas.
other than 1 diehard fan at work, i never hear anyone talk about hockey.
In Philly ... see thats the problem with the NHL ... even in towns like Philly they have a diehard fan base but a small fan base. In Canada each team has a huge die hard fan base. Even Detroit I would say is 4th in their market and this team has enjoyed great success the last 20 years.
They just can't seem to market the game or grow the game...I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0 -
lukin2006 wrote:The Juggler wrote:fife wrote:Just a question for hockey fans in the USA. We all know that the NHL is going to survive in Canada after this lockout. outside of the media in the USA who in reality i have never seen take a liken to hockey, do you sense that fans are really pissed off and maybe not coming back.
I would love to hear from fans in non tran. areas.
other than 1 diehard fan at work, i never hear anyone talk about hockey.
In Philly ... see thats the problem with the NHL ... even in towns like Philly they have a diehard fan base but a small fan base. In Canada each team has a huge die hard fan base. Even Detroit I would say is 4th in their market and this team has enjoyed great success the last 20 years.
They just can't seem to market the game or grow the game...
But it's obvious the American markets are still the better alternative financially for the league as a whole because if that weren't the case the teams wouldn't have been there in the first place.0 -
DS1119 wrote:But it's obvious the American markets are still the better alternative financially for the league as a whole because if that weren't the case the teams wouldn't have been there in the first place.
yeah, cause the franchises in Atlanta and Phoenix and everywhere else in the desert are thriving.
rule#1: don't try to sell an arctic game to a desert population. pretty simple.Gimli 1993
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Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:DS1119 wrote:But it's obvious the American markets are still the better alternative financially for the league as a whole because if that weren't the case the teams wouldn't have been there in the first place.
yeah, cause the franchises in Atlanta and Phoenix and everywhere else in the desert are thriving.
rule#1: don't try to sell an arctic game to a desert population. pretty simple.
I guarantee a team in Phoenix would still do better than a team in Saskatoon.
I really think the point gets missed with teams in some US markets. People here in the US don't want to go to games to see a team from Hamilton....Quebec...the cities mean nothing to us. The casual fan may buy a ticket to a Rangers Phoenix game...they know where Phoenix is. To New Yorkers Hamilton is a small private college in upstate NY. 0 -
The biggest motivation was the "footprint" in the USA. Chasing the TV markets and trying to collect the widest television area in pursuit of a huge Television deal.
Didnt really happen that way. last lockout they were put on the Outdoor Life Network at a bargain basement price.
This time around, there was quite a bit of interest. However, NBC matched ESPNs bid and the NHL awarded them the TV deal without trying to get them to compete.0 -
MayDay10 wrote:The biggest motivation was the "footprint" in the USA. Chasing the TV markets and trying to collect the widest television area in pursuit of a huge Television deal.
Didnt really happen that way. last lockout they were put on the Outdoor Life Network at a bargain basement price.
This time around, there was quite a bit of interest. However, NBC matched ESPNs bid and the NHL awarded them the TV deal without trying to get them to compete.
as unpopular as the game is in many parts of the states ... content is a huge property now ... it's why baseball tv deals are going through the roof ... it's not that the game is growing in popularity is that these media conglomerates have so many more channels now and they are all looking for content ...
also - hockey just has a natural appeal ... it's played on ice ... a lot of states just don't get any snow and the infrastructure of the sport is minimal ... plus, it's arguably one of the more expensive sports to put your kid through ... it's why most of the nhl players continue to be canadian ...0 -
polaris_x wrote:MayDay10 wrote:The biggest motivation was the "footprint" in the USA. Chasing the TV markets and trying to collect the widest television area in pursuit of a huge Television deal.
Didnt really happen that way. last lockout they were put on the Outdoor Life Network at a bargain basement price.
This time around, there was quite a bit of interest. However, NBC matched ESPNs bid and the NHL awarded them the TV deal without trying to get them to compete.
as unpopular as the game is in many parts of the states ... content is a huge property now ... it's why baseball tv deals are going through the roof ... it's not that the game is growing in popularity is that these media conglomerates have so many more channels now and they are all looking for content ...
also - hockey just has a natural appeal ... it's played on ice ... a lot of states just don't get any snow and the infrastructure of the sport is minimal ... plus, it's arguably one of the more expensive sports to put your kid through ... it's why most of the nhl players continue to be canadian ...
I have to disagree about the money thing being the reason why the NHL is mostly Canadian. The climate and tradition thing yes....money no.0 -
DS1119 wrote:I have to disagree about the money thing being the reason why the NHL is mostly Canadian. The climate and tradition thing yes....money no.
based on what?
all i'm saying is the cost to put a kid through hockey has got to be prohibitive for a lot of families ... and that in turn has to affect popularity ...0 -
DS1119 wrote:lukin2006 wrote:The Juggler wrote:
other than 1 diehard fan at work, i never hear anyone talk about hockey.
In Philly ... see thats the problem with the NHL ... even in towns like Philly they have a diehard fan base but a small fan base. In Canada each team has a huge die hard fan base. Even Detroit I would say is 4th in their market and this team has enjoyed great success the last 20 years.
They just can't seem to market the game or grow the game...
But it's obvious the American markets are still the better alternative financially for the league as a whole because if that weren't the case the teams wouldn't have been there in the first place.
remove the canadian teams from the nhl the league will fold within 2-3 years.
remove the american teams the league would survive.I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0 -
lukin2006 wrote:
remove the canadian teams from the nhl the league will fold within 2-3 years.
remove the american teams the league would survive.
Umm....no. Again if this were the case it would already be one way or the other. Remember the owners are capitalists. They chase the money.0 -
DS1119 wrote:Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:DS1119 wrote:But it's obvious the American markets are still the better alternative financially for the league as a whole because if that weren't the case the teams wouldn't have been there in the first place.
yeah, cause the franchises in Atlanta and Phoenix and everywhere else in the desert are thriving.
rule#1: don't try to sell an arctic game to a desert population. pretty simple.
I guarantee a team in Phoenix would still do better than a team in Saskatoon.
I really think the point gets missed with teams in some US markets. People here in the US don't want to go to games to see a team from Hamilton....Quebec...the cities mean nothing to us. The casual fan may buy a ticket to a Rangers Phoenix game...they know where Phoenix is. To New Yorkers Hamilton is a small private college in upstate NY.
The league shouldn't care where the teams located .... if the team is financially sound then they should't care where its located. It's never going to be huge TV sport in the states so the league needs to put franchises where people are willing to pay top $$$ ... it no longer makes sense to put teams in market where the NBA, MLB and the NFL is located ... it will always be last in those markets. This is where the league and Bettman has failed, instead they should have been working with Toronto and Buffalo and Bassilie to get Phoenix in Hamilton ... I know Toronto might not want it, but I hardly think Hamilton would draw much support away from a rabid leaf fan base. Buffalo might be a tougher sale, but thats what the commissioner is there for to strengthen the league and to work with these teams. It's time to quit experimenting in the US ... allow those teams to bought and moved or fold the teams that are in deep trouble (my preferred choice).I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0 -
DS1119 wrote:lukin2006 wrote:
remove the canadian teams from the nhl the league will fold within 2-3 years.
remove the american teams the league would survive.
Umm....no. Again if this were the case it would already be one way or the other. Remember the owners are capitalists. They chase the money.
In 2008 the 6 Canadian franchises accounted for 30% (1.1 billion in ticket sales). Besides what would the us teams play for (Canada Owns The Stanley Cup).
The owners may be capitalist ... but most who own NHL franchises aren't making money ... "BECAUSE IF THEY WERE, THERE'D BE NO LOCKOUT"Post edited by lukin2006 onI have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0 -
Walking away from the US only makes the NHL a glorified junior league.0
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Like Vince Lombardi would say....."What the hell is going out there?" What exactly is the NHL thinking just when they had some fan momentum.
I miss hockey....the NBA has a long boring season and I have to deal with all the overly happy Heat fans down here.
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lukin2006 wrote:DS1119 wrote:lukin2006 wrote:
remove the canadian teams from the nhl the league will fold within 2-3 years.
remove the american teams the league would survive.
Umm....no. Again if this were the case it would already be one way or the other. Remember the owners are capitalists. They chase the money.
In 2008 the 6 Canadian franchises accounted for 30% (1.1 billion in ticket sales). Besides what would the us teams play for (Canada Owns The Stanley Cup).
...and after those 6 franchsies where in Cananda could a productive team actually play and make money and compete. Hamilton...maybe. Quebec City....maybe. After that where? I'm being honest. Where else in Cananda could more trams be put that could compete financially?0 -
DS1119 wrote:Walking away from the US only makes the NHL a glorified junior league.
our junior teams would probably draw better than many US markets .... I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0 -
lukin2006 wrote:
In 2008 the 6 Canadian franchises accounted for 30% (1.1 billion in ticket sales). Besides what would the us teams play for (Canada Owns The Stanley Cup).
That's really not that overwhelming a number when you really think about it. Since 6 teams of a 30 team league is 20% of the league...they did generate 30% of the revenue which would be above average as a whole....but considering that hockey is the countries past time it's not overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination and take Toronto and Montreal out of that mix and then :fp:Post edited by DS1119 on0 -
DS1119 wrote:lukin2006 wrote:DS1119 wrote:
In 2008 the 6 Canadian franchises accounted for 30% (1.1 billion in ticket sales). Besides what would the us teams play for (Canada Owns The Stanley Cup).
...and after those 6 franchsies where in Cananda could a productive team actually play and make money and compete. Hamilton...maybe. Quebec City....maybe. After that where? I'm being honest. Where else in Cananda could more trams be put that could compete financially?
I'm not saying the NHL should walk away from the US ... my preferred solution is contraction ... teams like Phoenix fold them ... get down to 24 teams. The NHL will always be 4th in markets where the other 3 major sports operate.
Yes Hamilton and Quebec could easily support teams ... in both those markets there are obstacles ... in Hamilton deals have to be worked out with Toronto and Buffalo, in Quebec they still need a better arena.I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0 -
DS1119 wrote:lukin2006 wrote:
In 2008 the 6 Canadian franchises accounted for 30% (1.1 billion in ticket sales). Besides what would the us teams play for (Canada Owns The Stanley Cup).
That's really not that overwhelming a number when you really think about it. Since 6 teams of a 30 team league is 20% of the league...they did generate 30% of the revenue which would be above average as a whole....but considering that hockey is the countries past time it's not overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination and take Toronto and Montreal out of that mix and then :fp:
take the rangers out of the mix? most hockey fans in the states are only casual fans. most would rather be at a nascar race I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon0
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