NC WINGS FAN

I like the idea of having some teams in non-traditional markets for purposes of growing the game as our boy Bettman says, however, I feel that there are a few teams that must relocate. Ducks- That is Kings territory and they actually have a good fanbase Panthers- One team in Florida is enough. Tampa is a good sports town(Lightning and Buccaneers both have strong fanbases) while Miami is a joke. Predators- Small non-traditional market = trainwreck. Possible Locations: Milwaukee- in a great hockey state even though Detroit and Chicago might have something to say about. Portland, Oregon- Have a hockey history with little competition and it is not Seattle who can't even keep the Sonics!! Southern Ontario- Huge market that loves its game more than any other except maybe the rest of Canada that has far to few people. Big No-Goes: New Orleans- One of the poorest cities in the country in the deep south with a declining population. Why the Hornets moved there instead of Louisville or St. Louis is beyond me!! Anywhere in rural Canada(Winnipeg or Regina) or USA(ND) as many have suggested- You all know why!! Kansas City- Small market with southern culture that is reminiscent of Nashville!! and oh yeah!! St. Louis has the Blues

How so?, they have won two cups since then! They should have won it last year to if not for that bulls*** call on was it Datsyuk?(I try to erase that from my memory) at the end of game 5 of the Western Conference Finals last year. There season records and smart draft acquisitions certainly do not suggest that decline either.

Back in the day, I used to be all about some espn before they became so blatantly biased toward East Coast teams(exception being the Lakers and Cowboys and when they still covered hockey the Wings). However, as they have become more MTV like, I have found myself watching them less and less. Now, I hardly ever watch them.

The thing is, sports reporting is all about reporting garbage/topics not really relevant to sports/drama. And for that reason the people at ESPN hate cities like Detroit b/c they are not "sexy" as you will never hear about Lindsay Lohan or Shaq wandering the streets of Detroit like they do in such great sports towns as Miami, New York, and Los Angles, so they criticize. I guess it's not "bling bling" cruise in yo Escalade w/ spinners enough for them. I mean seriously!! what does Detroit's and St. Louis's crime rates have to do with sports? It is sad to see how shallow and ignorant the mainstream media has become. Maybe ESPN should stick to sports reporting b/c they are making huge asses of themselves trying to be MTV.

Want a rocky road? look at New York's sport teams which are are on a path that more closely resembles one that is rocky. The Knicks, Isles, Jets, Mets, Nets, Giants until recently of course, and the Yankees who have been nothing short of underachievers for almost a decade now and may be getting worse. Or what about Chicago? Oh but these ass-clowns would never bash those sacred cows b/c those are their kinds of towns.

That's our boy Bettman for ya and that is what we all love about him

When considering the number of successful regular seasons and the number of cups over that span, I believe that is second only to the Canadiens dynasty of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Though they won a lot more, it is still quite a feat considering how much the leagues level of competition has evolved since those days.

In the NBA, you do not have all of the "Cinderella stories" like you do in the NHL and the other big leagues. The better teams almost always advance further in the playoffs if not to the championship then with in a series or a game. Look at the Bulls of the 1990s.

I agree, the Sharks have always had a good following and the Kings would b/c they been there since 1967. The Ducks are like the Devils. Only little kids liked them b/c of their really *** name from Disney.

I agree with most of what you are saying, but I do not approve of the NHL trying to emulate the NBA simply by promoting star players and shun great organizations. There is a great deal of history in the NHL, more so than in the NBA and, to an extent, the NFL. Why not promote that? Instead, they would rather denounce everything before the Bettman era and that is not fair. Why not promote the great old rivalries like the Wings- Hawks- Leafs, Habs- Bruins, Flyers- everyone else in the Eastern Conference? Instead the league chooses to artificially produce new rivalries like Wings- Preds- Jackets while eliminating the Wings-Leafs rivalry and promote one star and that is supposed to increase the popularity of the league how? Instead of trying to recreate the game in his image, Bettman needs to just get over himself and promote the league for the great league it has always been along with the great teams, rivalries, and stars.

Those guys at NBC were some of the biggest homers I have ever seen and they were not even from Pittsburgh!! The Redwings were by far the better team, even in game five where the Penguins just got lucky from one bad bounce, a garbage goal, and a bad penalty, and of course a hot goal tender. It made me sick and I thought of muting the tv because I was so tired of those asshats blatantly pulling for the Penguins!! That in itself makes the victory all the more sweeter as the Redwings still managed to win despite everyone trying to tilt the series the Penguins way. Go Wings!

Crosby is probably part of the reason for the surge, but the fact that the Redwings are still in it is also a contributing factor just like if any other original 6 franchise or the Flyers were in it. Plus you have to look at the last 4 years as the bar isn't exactly that high.

I love this sport above all else, but I must say that if we have another SCF match-up involving two of the above or any team similar, the ratings will be right back down where they were. The NHL and people do not want to see another Anaheim vs. Ottawa series, they want to see Detroit, New York, Philly, Boston, Chicago, and of course Pittsburgh( because of Crosby).

It is only if the SCF matchups are of teams people actually care about. The problem with the league the last 4 years is how small market or meaningless teams have dominated the post season. It does not surprise me that the ratings are up when last years match-up consisted of the Ducks and Senators. That in itself should put an end to all of these conspiracy theories floating around.

It sure would be nice if this materializes. This rule does nothing but water down the game for the rich business suits and soccer mommies who know and care nothing about hockey. When was this rule implemented? I want to say it's a year or two before Buttman.

As much as I hate NASCAR and love hockey, I must admit that the two are similar in that both are niche and faddy/trendy sports. In America baseball and football rule an that is it. Everything else is up for grabs when it comes to popularity.

It sure would be nice if Giggy decided to experiment with smaller pads for an entire season It would be interesting to see what would happen to his save percentage and his team for that matter.

I am by no means an expert in the field of marketing, but shouldn't the NHL, which has long had a solid, loyal fan base, be marketing itself more to the "hardcore" fans (the ones willing to promote the game for free) instead watering the game down or loading it with gimmicks in a lousy attempt to move the impartial and casual fan "up the escalator"? It seems to me that the last thing you want to do is piss off your core fan base when they are the ones spreading the word or marketing your product!!...... free of charge. Instead, they are trying to reinvent the wheel. This article, like many before it, simply illustrates how blatantly poor the NHL is run If anyone is ever looking for an example proving that money is the root of all evil, tell them to look no further than Gary Bettman and how the second oldest pro sport league is run.

Boston is a great hockey town however the Red Sox are in the ws and Jeremy Jacobs has done everything he can to alienate fans. That combo spells low attendance. Maybe he will keel over before long and their fans can finally have their team back! Of course I would rather see him sell.

Win or lose, nobody cares! The Predators are one of too many insignificant teams that are bogging down the NHL. Like too many other organizations in this league, they have only been around a few years and therefore have no real history or identity. They are just kind of..... there. So why should anyone care?

That's one of the best I have seen in a while. I hope that is a sign of things to come for the Hawks and the league!

Maybe he was attacked by a disgruntled fan

This would definitely help to rekindle the old rivalry with Toronto which may help "lagging" attendance. Correct me if I am wrong but didn't more people come to the Joe when the Blackhawks, who have spent the last 10 years in the cellar, came to town than did on opening night against the defending champion Anaheim Ducks? The fact that this idea does not entail playing Nashville and Columbus 8 times a year and almost never playing Toronto or Montreal is enough to make it better than the current schedule.

It just goes to show how much Bettman and the people at Reebok know and care about hockey. Have any of these suits ever played this game or any other game besides hopscotch or croquet?

I can't believe all these people bashing the Joe!! Sure it's not that old but there is still a ton of history there. I would love to see them restore the Joe ( make it look like the Olympia) instead of risking making the same mistake the Tigers did when they left to ruins an iconic landmark of a stadium for some 21st century cookie-cutter. Be careful what you wish for.