The 2014-2015 NHL Boondoggle

[Kramerica Industries]

Getting them brings the same problem with getting any quality free agent, so to speak, to Edmonton. Those people would have to want to live in Edmonton.

Typical Canadians, they play for their country but not for its cities. When it's time to do some maudlin Canadiana spot for Tim Hortons or Canadian Tire, they won't turn down money from Toronto's ad agencies, just its poor (wealthy) hockey team. That's why I'm so thrilled about the possibility of the NHL being done with the Olympics. We can find out who the real Canadians are. You want to "play for your country"? There's a team with a maple leaf on it. There's another whose name is just your country's demonym. If Canada is a great country, and I submit that it is, then you should leap at the chance to play on behalf of your countrymen all winter long, plus kick a nice chunk of your seven-figure salary to your vastly superior national healthcare system. Sign there, demand a trade, find a way.

I'm entirely ok with all of this as long as the trend begins immediately after Steven Stamkos signs long-term in Tampa.

[Lee.]

Jets lose Trouba till February, allegedly shopping Kane around for help on the back end.

Three of their top 4 D are out till 2015, Byfuglien is back on the blue line, cats are living with dogs, etc

[Still MIGHTY]

Getting them brings the same problem with getting any quality free agent, so to speak, to Edmonton. Those people would have to want to live in Edmonton.

Typical Canadians, they play for their country but not for its cities. When it's time to do some maudlin Canadiana spot for Tim Hortons or Canadian Tire, they won't turn down money from Toronto's ad agencies, just its poor (wealthy) hockey team. That's why I'm so thrilled about the possibility of the NHL being done with the Olympics. We can find out who the real Canadians are. You want to "play for your country"? There's a team with a maple leaf on it. There's another whose name is just your country's demonym. If Canada is a great country, and I submit that it is, then you should leap at the chance to play on behalf of your countrymen all winter long, plus kick a nice chunk of your seven-figure salary to your vastly superior national healthcare system. Sign there, demand a trade, find a way.

Well, to be fair, Edmonton specifically (and Winnipeg too, I suppose) is cold and boring and not all that fun to live in. Especially not if you're making your living playing for the Oilers under Kevin Lowe.

Exactly. I wasn't talking about Canada on the whole, just Edmonton and like you mentioned Winnipeg.

But admiral's point is a good one. They love being Canadians. They're proud to be Canadians. They want to be members of Team Canada, but don't want to deal with media scrutiny in Toronto (Rick Nash), Montreal (Vincent Lecavalier), or Ottawa (Jason Spezza). They don't want to live in the cold/prairies of Edmonton/Calgary/Winnipeg. Vancouver would seem to be an outlier, but it has its own problems. (And so does Ottawa with money or Montreal with the French.)

Living in Chicago/Detroit/New York/Boston really isn't too different from Toronto/Montreal except for the media and the Canada. Yet, players time and again chose the American cities over the Canadian cities all the time. That needs to change. As much as I am a proud Sun Belt American fan, it's Canada's game. The Canadian teams need to be better, need to succeed, need to win a Cup. The NHL would be better off for it.

[monkeypower]

I've never thought anything wrong about Canadians not signing with Canadian teams. It's still a business and they are able to take their business wherever they see fit.

There are the outside factors too, if the teams are offering around the same amount of money and are the same quality of team, would you rather spend your winters like this?

Or like this?

[The_Admiral]

You spend your winter in practice rinks, charter jets, and five-star hotels no matter where you play, and when you make NHL money, you're not really existing on the same plane as the majority of your chosen community. I figure being filthy rich in Denver is a lot like being filthy rich in St. Louis or the Cities or Detroit or even Edmonton. For all the jokes people make about Detroit and St. Louis being bombed-out hellholes, there's enough wealth in the area where not only do players want to work there, they choose to stay in those communities through life after hockey. And the organizations are good, of course. I'm confident that climate has very, very little to do with it. It's about performance expectations and take-home pay. I'm sure access to good coke slots right in there at #3, but for the most part it's just about scrutiny and money, which is why the Habs have to honor their past so damn well: they have no future.

[Still MIGHTY]

Exactly. If it was just about climate, LA/Anaheim/Arizona/Tampa/Florida should get every single free agent. But that's obviously not the case (see: Panthers/Coyotes/Anti-Thread). Even when LA/Anaheim/Tampa are good, they still have to pay a bit more for free agents and still don't get them. The Kings/Ducks/Bolts have all been built through the draft and trades. Free agency has been used to fill in the role players, not for the big ticket stars.

[FiddySicks]

Yeah, I've lived in Huntington Beach during the winter and while it is nice to wear shorts in December, it's not exactly like you're gonna go get a sun tan at the beach on your off days. Southern California beach towns are actually surprisingly boring during the winter. Have you ever been to Newport or Balboa at the turn of the year? It's a ghost town.

[JerseyJimmy]

I'd like to see a team in Vegas. Because I like Vegas. But really, it would be cool because tourists would come see games, generating a ton of revenue for the team. Not to mention that the Las Vegas metro area is pretty damn big, paving the way for a hometown fan following. It wouldn't be like the >Panthers because there would be no Dolphins, Marlins, or Heat to overshadow them. (I swear to god, if the 51s manage to overshadow them, I'm gonna punch something.)

Also UKSGGHDISBHDHBVSGJKDHSGKJRJDGXBVDJHGBVJSGN THE ISLANDERS ARE FINALLY GOOD I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT MY WHOLE LIFE HOLYSHEEIIIIIIT

[The_Admiral]

The Pacific is cold during the winter. I don't think it's suited to frolicking.

[The_Admiral]

it would be cool because tourists would come see games, generating a ton of revenue for the team.

This is the hospitality-house model that has failed the Panthers and Coyotes.

Not to mention that the Las Vegas metro area is pretty damn big

The metro population slots between Indianapolis and San Antonio and as far as U.S. NHL markets go would be larger than only Raleigh, Nashville, and Buffalo.

[IceCap]

I've never thought anything wrong about Canadians not signing with Canadian teams. It's still a business and they are able to take their business wherever they see fit.

There are the outside factors too, if the teams are offering around the same amount of money and are the same quality of team, would you rather spend your winters like this?

Or like this?

As admiral said weather isn't as big a deal as you'd think. The bigger deal is media scrutiny. G-d forbid someone born with talent actually want to play somewhere where people actually care. They might actually have to try! Why do that when you can coast in irrelevance?

[The_Admiral]

I blame a lot of that on North American developmental hockey culture, which has always been about keeping things low-key but has grown in recent years into this monster where no one can make any mistakes or draw any attention to themselves. That utter lack of creativity mostly applies to on-ice play, but there's no way it doesn't bleed over into how players carry themselves. If kids are brought up to put the team first at the expense of any personal expression or growth, no one is going to have the swagger to say they want to be the one to bring a Cup to Toronto/Montreal.

[waltere]

UKSGGHDISBHDHBVSGJKDHSGKJRJDGXBVDJHGBVJSGN THE ISLANDERS ARE FINALLY GOOD I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT MY WHOLE LIFE HOLYSHEEIIIIIIT

Totally, if a little more coherently, seconded.

[Sport]

7 straight for the Blue Jackets. They're two games away from cancelling out that 9 game losing streak they had earlier this year.

[The_Admiral]

Panthers just won a 20-round shootout. Whatever your feelings on shootouts, you gotta love that. Holtby had the game on his pads five times and blew it all five times. What a crappy goalie.

Panthers are probably making the playoffs now.

[Still MIGHTY]

Panthers just won a 20-round shootout. Whatever your feelings on shootouts, you gotta love that. Holtby had the game on his pads five times and blew it all five times. What a crappy goalie.

Panthers are probably making the playoffs now.

They went one time through the entire roster. Backstrom and Ovechkin went twice for the Caps, Jokinen and Bjugstad went twice for the Cats.

That hasn't happened before, has it?

FAKE EDIT: It is the longest. Previous record was 15 rounds, funnily enough, with the Capitals against the Rangers back in 2005. (First year of Shootouts) You'll remember that as the Marek Malik shootout.

Florida is 11-2-8 in one-goal games.

[Kevin W.]

I'd like to see a team in Vegas. Because I like Vegas. But really, it would be cool because tourists would come see games, generating a ton of revenue for the team. Not to mention that the Las Vegas metro area is pretty damn big, paving the way for a hometown fan following. It wouldn't be like the >Panthers because there would be no Dolphins, Marlins, or Heat to overshadow them. (I swear to god, if the 51s manage to overshadow them, I'm gonna punch something.)

You can't build a solid record of attendance on tourists, and the Vegas metropolitan area is smaller than 17 other NHL markets. Being higher than only 6 other markets in the US isn't a reason for confidence.

[The Six]

I've accepted that Bruce Boudreau is basically the Vinny Del Negro of the NHL. He can ride his stars and look good, but ultimately can't do amything to develop or advance the skills of his team.

[Unocal]

I've accepted that Bruce Boudreau is basically the Vinny Del Negro of the NHL. He can ride his stars and look good, but ultimately can't do amything to develop or advance the skills of his team.

Vinny's only won a single playoff round ever. Not a fair comparison.

[The_Admiral]

Also, I don't believe Bruce Boudreau is a blithering idiot like Vinny.

Calgary is losing again. Falling hard. Numbers never lie!