Hockey Bay?

[Survival79]

Hockey Bay? I'm not even sure Tampa is a hockey city, even after a Stanley Cup.

So, if Tampa isn't a hockey city...

[DelayedPenalty]

Did Tampa Bay even know what hockey was before 1991?

Considering Tampa is just a bunch of northern transplants, yes.

Very good point But I'm sure they weren't there to cheer for Tampa, everyone would be cheering for the visitors.

[jkrdevil]

Did Tampa Bay even know what hockey was before 1991?

Considering Tampa is just a bunch of northern transplants, yes.

Very good point But I'm sure they weren't there to cheer for Tampa, everyone would be cheering for the visitors.

Winning has a way of winning people over. That said if they play a northeastern team around the holidays there is a good amount of the opposing teams fans there. I went to a Devils-Lightning game last year the day after Thanksgiving in Tampa and there was a bunch of Devils fans at the the game (hell I even ran into people I knew from Jersey). When I went to the second game there in January there wasn't so many Devils fans there.

[leedsunited]

Did Tampa Bay even know what hockey was before 1991?

Check the standings. TB was second (SECOND) in the league in total attendance last year, behind only the Habs.

Impressive.

[Buffalo]

Here is my list of all NHL franchises and how their fanbases rate in terms of enthusiasm and relevance to local culture.

Thoughts anyone???

Hockey towns

1. Montreal

2. Edmonton

3. Calgary

4. Toronto

5. Buffalo

6. Ottawa

7. Detroit

8. Mpls/St. Paul

9. Vancouver

10. Philly

11. Denver

12. NYC

13. Pittsburgh

14. Boston

15. Tampa

16. Dallas

17. St. Louis

18. New Jersey

19. Long Island

20. Chicago

21. Carolina

22. Nashville

23. Columbus

24. Anaheim

25. San Jose

26. Phoenix

27. Washington

28. LA

29. Miami

30. Atlanta

[Guest]

Were there any metrics, statistics, numbers, anything involved in arriving at this ranking, or did you just pull this list out of your ass?

[Buffalo]

Were there any metrics, statistics, numbers, anything involved in arriving at this ranking, or did you just pull this list out of your ass?

pulled directly out of my pro-buffalo, pro-canada, anti-southern-expansion partisan ASS

metrics? what, is this the new england journal of medicine?

and the numbers and stats are all in my head... i encourage comments!

[MVP]

29. Miami

You mean Florida?

[youcan'tseeme]

I think it's horrible! they're just trying to make a gimmic to make the Tampa fans feel special. how amny other cities in the NHL have bay in their name? their the only ones but for some reason tampa fans think a title given to them by their own team means something. We could start calling the leafs " the greatest team ever" and though it true lol, it doesn't mean athing unless every other city says yah they really are the greatest team ever

Hockey Bay my but!

[Buffalo]

29. Miami

You mean Florida?

no. i mean miami.

look---denver, twin cities, etc...

these aren't the type of comments i was seeking!

[CC97]

29. Miami

You mean Florida?

no. i mean miami.

look---denver, twin cities, etc...

these aren't the type of comments i was seeking!

Aiming for more of the "HOW DARE YOU?!" comments eh? Sorry we disappointed (so far, it's still early in the PST )

[Guest]

Were there any metrics, statistics, numbers, anything involved in arriving at this ranking, or did you just pull this list out of your ass?

pulled directly out of my pro-buffalo, pro-canada, anti-southern-expansion partisan ASS

metrics? what, is this the new england journal of medicine?

and the numbers and stats are all in my head... i encourage comments!

Hey, I'm on your side here, but a list like this doesn't mean a thing without any actual facts. You have to take things, actual things, into account in order to say that Raleigh is a better town than Atlanta for the NHL. Attendance, media coverage, marketing, merchandise sales, team awareness, things like that. Otherwise, you've just listed the markets the NHL is in.

[DelayedPenalty]

Did Tampa Bay even know what hockey was before 1991?

Check the standings. TB was second (SECOND) in the league in total attendance last year, behind only the Habs.

Impressive.

BEFORE 1991, not now that they're doing well and everyone has jumped on the bandwagon

[Dark Angel]

Actually, Hockeywood isn't bad for the Kings. Should've used that when they had Gretz.

Now that you mention it. I think that it should be the team slogan next years.

WELCOME TO HOCKEYWOOD USA!

[Guest]

the USA isn't necessary. Just do a Hollywood Hills mockup like the Dodgers do with "Think Blue."

[Bucks6thMan]

Isn't the owner from Detroit? I know he also owns the Pistons.

Yep. Bill Davidson owns the Pistons and the Tampa Bay Lightning. It wouldn't surprise me if the whole Hockey Bay concept is a dig at Mike Ilitch and his Red Wings Hockeytown campaign since the two men have a long history of being rivals.

So the same guy behind "Hockey Bay" is the same behind the Auburn Hills Pistons?

Not that I needed another reason to hate him, I'm just glad to get one...

[Bucks6thMan]

I figured it was due to the Davidson Illitch rivalry.

I am live just outside of Detroit and I think its kinda lame that the "hockeytown" slogan was never heard/mentioned in detroit until they were really really good. (that slogan did not appear in detroit until the 1996-97 season)

I guess when Mike Illitch was giving a free car away when the wings were only drawing 3500ish fans in the early 80s that we kinda forgot detroit was "hockeytown"

Great marketing gimmick, sells a lot of t-shirts, but is it true?

Dan

I think it's true... taking for granted that it's "Hockeytown, USA" (let's not even pretend that Detroit is on the level of a Toronto or Montreal).

But if Detroit's not Hockeytown, then who is? The only place I can think of that matches Detroit is Minneapolis/St. Paul... and then you run into technicalities (it's "Hockeytown, not Hockeytowns).

[charger77]

My beef with the wings and hockeytown is mainly the 1970s and 80s. 20 years of virtually zero interest in the team. in the early 80s people were going to jla to try to get the free car instead of watching the game.

Once they reached the elite level (even though i hate them, they were damn good) they were the hottest ticket in town. Now, there are many empty but paid seats at the jla. But at that time was it hockeytown or hockeysuburbs? How many die hard hockey fans are in detroit? They are mostly in oakland and macomb county.

Hell if you look at the date of when hockeytown was slapped on the ice, the avalanche were the defending '96 champs, could they have been hockeytown?

Big props for stating that detroit is no where near the same level as toronto or montreal.

while a wing, darren mccarty even said "detroit is really a football town and just wait and see what this town is like once they get it going"

For me, for a city to be hockeytown the team needs to be synonomous with the city. Not sure if the wings and detroit are. also their rink has to be packed even in the dark times, like we see in canadian nhl cities or even philadelphia.

I'm not saying that there definately is or is not a hockeytown usa. I am just not convinced that detroit is it.

Also, it is a very cocky nickname for a team to give to itself. this was not a fan or media given nickname, their marketing department came up with it. I think the nickname stuck because they were the first to do it. if the bruins, avalanche, flyers or wild did it they would have that nickname now.

Its like when george wanted to be called t-bone, sometimes a self created nickname stick, other times they dont.

Dan

[Guest]

So the same guy behind "Hockey Bay" is the same behind the Auburn Hills Pistons?

Not that I needed another reason to hate him, I'm just glad to get one...

SCARED-ASS WHITE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

[EatSleepJeep]

I think it's true... taking for granted that it's "Hockeytown, USA" (let's not even pretend that Detroit is on the level of a Toronto or Montreal).

But if Detroit's not Hockeytown, then who is? The only place I can think of that matches Detroit is Minneapolis/St. Paul... and then you run into technicalities (it's "Hockeytown, not Hockeytowns).

That's why Minnesota just trumped the little 'town' moniker and went to "The State of Hockey." Which it is.