TSN Insider : New NHL Uniforms

[jkrdevil]

You want to blame Bettman for the Rockies moving to New Jersey? How about that assinine TV deal with SportsChannel? What about the San Jose Sharks? And getting rid of the Wales and Campbell Conferences, and the Adams, Patrick, Norris, and Smythe Divisions; what a bastard. Those alignments were sacrosanct. After all, they had existed since that late 70's.

For God's sake. Do you think he shot Robert Kennedy, too?

I don't have a problem with San Jose, and I certainly don't have a problem with New Jersey as I'm a Devils fan.

Here's the thing with the Patrick and Smythe Divisions etc, wasn't a great marketing ploy to get rid of them. Bettman came from the NBA, the rival league that directly competes with the NHL. When you change the historic names (and by historic I mean there were named after historic hockey figures) and your are perceived as an outsider it could anger and alienate the existing fan base.

I liked the old format but I agree you can't go back to it now with 30 teams.

As far as Southern Expansion I don't have a problem with it, I understand and agree with the reason for it. However I don't think they did it well. What was the reason for 2 teams in LA. I know LA was a hot market at that time because of Gretzky but historically it wasn't a great hockey market. I understand why there was an LA team because it's the second largest market however 1 was enough.

As for the Florida teams again 1 is probably enough. Again an untraditional market area. Put 1 team in there and if hockey grows maybe out a second Florida team.

Really those 2 are the ones I have a problem with, I understand going to Dallas, Phoenix, and Atlanta, as those are big markets. The book is still out on Nashville, which was risky because at the time no sports team had gone to Nashville (that was pre-Titans)

I am too young to remember what the NHL marketing was before Bettman however you can't say it isn't awful now. It is the worst in sports. And I will blame him for the 94-95 Lockout as it solve anything and they ended up loosing half a season right after the league had picked up momentum the previous playoffs.

[Your Name Here]

I'm not saying that the NHL's marketing is good, but when was it ever good?

I've heard more than a few fans complain about both San Jose and Anaheim. I always have to ask, do the Kings deserve to have a league opponent within 1,000 miles? As far as the southern expansion, I think that it was overdue. It took a lack of vision to deny the Aeros a franchise in 1979. For all we know, Birmingham and Cincinnati might've flourished in the NHL. With three of the four WHA clubs having moved, it's hard to argue that they could've done worse. Even if there were no teams in the South, the economics of the game in the 90's would've still doomed Quebec, Hartford, and Winnipeg.

This league did nothing to benefit the game in the United States for about fifteen years. Not only did Ziegler not pursue a television deal with the networks, he made a bad one with SportsChannel. Whenever people complain about the NHL's broadcast agreements, I like to ask the following questions. Do you remember the 1991 Stanley Cup? I do, the Penguins beat the Northstars. Do you remeber the 1992 Stanley Cup? I don't, Cablevision put SportsChannel on a paid tier in Fairfield County.

To sum up, the NHL may never truly be one of the Big Four. But it would be a sin to not try.

[rams80]

I'm not saying that the NHL's marketing is good, but when was it ever good?

I've heard more than a few fans complain about both San Jose and Anaheim. I always have to ask, do the Kings deserve to have a league opponent within 1,000 miles? As far as the southern expansion, I think that it was overdue. It took a lack of vision to deny the Aeros a franchise in 1979. For all we know, Birmingham and Cincinnati might've flourished in the NHL. With three of the four WHA clubs having moved, it's hard to argue that they could've done worse. Even if there were no teams in the South, the economics of the game in the 90's would've still doomed Quebec, Hartford, and Winnipeg.

This league did nothing to benefit the game in the United States for about fifteen years. Not only did Ziegler not pursue a television deal with the networks, he made a bad one with SportsChannel. Whenever people complain about the NHL's broadcast agreements, I like to ask the following questions. Do you remember the 1991 Stanley Cup? I do, the Penguins beat the Northstars. Do you remeber the 1992 Stanley Cup? I don't, Cablevision put SportsChannel on a paid tier in Fairfield County.

To sum up, the NHL may never truly be one of the Big Four. But it would be a sin to not try.

Houston was dead at that point (1979).

I don't think Birmingham (or Indianapolis) was ever seriously considered to be part of the merger.

I believe a rejected 1977 proposal would have had Houston, Cincy, Edmonton, Winnipeg, New England, and Quebec join the NHL.

[Your Name Here]

There was an abortive merger attempt in 1978. Houston then withdrew from the WHA and applied for seperate admission to the NHL.

[rams80]

There was an abortive merger attempt in 1978. Houston then withdrew from the WHA and applied for seperate admission to the NHL.

upon checking several sources I definitely have the abortive merger in 1977-quotes include the commissioner telling the Nordiques that they would be the last team to win the Avco Cup and henceforth they'd be playing for the Stanley Cup.

Houston did spend much of 1977-1978 trying to get into the NHL seperately, but ended up running out of money and went belly-up that offseason.

[spyboy1]

I don't think Birmingham (or Indianapolis) was ever seriously considered to be part of the merger.

Technically, the Indy Racers didn't make it to the end of the 78-79 season and the Birmingham Bulls and the Cincinnati Stingers were the teams left out when the NHL merger happened.

JeffB