2011 NHL Playoffs

[Sport]

How okay will you be when a team wins with mostly COMMUNIST CUBAN PLAYERS

I'll still be fine because the team will be located in America. It's a win-win, unless a team of communist cubans playing for the Toronto Blue Jays wins the World Series. Then I'll have to abandon baseball altogether.

[Don]

I'll root for any Canadian team over an American team (besides my own) besides Toronto. Its fun to watch them suffer.

[The_Admiral]

To elaborate on how most Canadians aren't jazzed about Vancouver, I'd add that a lot of Canadians also wouldn't get jazzed about the Habs for obvious francophonic reasons, and there'd be a significant contingent of Leafs detractors should that ever happen. The other three teams which made their consecutive failed Cup runs curried national favor because they'd spent so much time toiling in clear mediocrity that they never really had a chance to annoy everybody other than their closest rivals. Also, the good old 8-seeded inexplicably-led-by-Fernando-Pisani '06 Oilers didn't have fans marauding from road game to road game acting like they'd won the championship already...for like four years or so.

[Roger Clemente]

To elaborate on how most Canadians aren't jazzed about Vancouver, I'd add that a lot of Canadians also wouldn't get jazzed about the Habs for obvious francophonic reasons, and there'd be a significant contingent of Leafs detractors should that ever happen. The other three teams which made their consecutive failed Cup runs curried national favor because they'd spent so much time toiling in clear mediocrity that they never really had a chance to annoy everybody other than their closest rivals. Also, the good old 8-seeded inexplicably-led-by-Fernando-Pisani '06 Oilers didn't have fans marauding from road game to road game acting like they'd won the championship already...for like four years or so.

This is precisely why I don't follow the "root for any Canadian team left" in the Playoffs mentality because, if it is the Leafs or Habs, half of Canada is going to hate them anyways. And of course the large contingent that makes up Leafs Nation would surely not look kindly upon a Senators playoff run. And of course Western Canada wouldn't feel so positive towards a playoff run of a rival.

In every case where I watch a Stanley Cup Final involving two teams and one of them has never won it before, I usually always root for the one that never won it, no matter what, even if they're facing a Canadian team, mainly because seeing a championship in these cities (or at least the ones in the so-called "South", cause we know Minnesota and Buffalo, for example, aren't going to die even they sucked it fierce for the next decade) may actually provide a boost in it's fanbase and help grow the game to a wider audience.

It's also the reason why I much prefer re-location to be kept within the States over Canada, though I certainly understand why it would be done financially. While I am not against Winnipeg or Quebec City (or even Hamilton is possible) to get NHL teams, I would rather it not come at the expense of an American team and have a potential audience lost. If say Phoenix or Atlanta moved to Kansas City or Seattle, I'd be a bit more excited than I would be if they moved to Canada because they are tapping a new market and possibly luring more fans. By moving to Canada, you aren't really gaining any more fans because all these people follow hockey to begin with. The more non-Canadians you can turn onto hockey, the more people you can talk about hockey with, the more people watch it on American TV, the more revenue generated from TV broadcasting and advertising, the more likely you are going to be able to watch hockey in an American bar, the more intense newer rivalries can become, and the more people you can gloat to when Canada wins a gold medal.

[IceCap]

To elaborate on how most Canadians aren't jazzed about Vancouver, I'd add that a lot of Canadians also wouldn't get jazzed about the Habs for obvious francophonic reasons, and there'd be a significant contingent of Leafs detractors should that ever happen. The other three teams which made their consecutive failed Cup runs curried national favor because they'd spent so much time toiling in clear mediocrity that they never really had a chance to annoy everybody other than their closest rivals. Also, the good old 8-seeded inexplicably-led-by-Fernando-Pisani '06 Oilers didn't have fans marauding from road game to road game acting like they'd won the championship already...for like four years or so.

This is precisely why I don't follow the "root for any Canadian team left" in the Playoffs mentality because, if it is the Leafs or Habs, half of Canada is going to hate them anyways. And of course the large contingent that makes up Leafs Nation would surely not look kindly upon a Senators playoff run. And of course Western Canada wouldn't feel so positive towards a playoff run of a rival.

In every case where I watch a Stanley Cup Final involving two teams and one of them has never won it before, I usually always root for the one that never won it, no matter what, even if they're facing a Canadian team, mainly because seeing a championship in these cities (or at least the ones in the so-called "South", cause we know Minnesota and Buffalo, for example, aren't going to die even they sucked it fierce for the next decade) may actually provide a boost in it's fanbase and help grow the game to a wider audience.

It's also the reason why I much prefer re-location to be kept within the States over Canada, though I certainly understand why it would be done financially. While I am not against Winnipeg or Quebec City (or even Hamilton is possible) to get NHL teams, I would rather it not come at the expense of an American team and have a potential audience lost. If say Phoenix or Atlanta moved to Kansas City or Seattle, I'd be a bit more excited than I would be if they moved to Canada because they are tapping a new market and possibly luring more fans. By moving to Canada, you aren't really gaining any more fans because all these people follow hockey to begin with. The more non-Canadians you can turn onto hockey, the more people you can talk about hockey with, the more people watch it on American TV, the more revenue generated from TV broadcasting and advertising, the more likely you are going to be able to watch hockey in an American bar, the more intense newer rivalries can become, and the more people you can gloat to when Canada wins a gold medal.

Growing the game in the Sunbelt- they've been at it for over a decade. If it hasn't taken yet, it isn't going to. Keeping the Coyotes in a hopeless situation in Phoenix just to "grow the game" rather then move them to a city where they'll have stable ownership and a dedicated fanbase doesn't make much sense outside the realm of wishful thinking.

[Roger Clemente]

To elaborate on how most Canadians aren't jazzed about Vancouver, I'd add that a lot of Canadians also wouldn't get jazzed about the Habs for obvious francophonic reasons, and there'd be a significant contingent of Leafs detractors should that ever happen. The other three teams which made their consecutive failed Cup runs curried national favor because they'd spent so much time toiling in clear mediocrity that they never really had a chance to annoy everybody other than their closest rivals. Also, the good old 8-seeded inexplicably-led-by-Fernando-Pisani '06 Oilers didn't have fans marauding from road game to road game acting like they'd won the championship already...for like four years or so.

This is precisely why I don't follow the "root for any Canadian team left" in the Playoffs mentality because, if it is the Leafs or Habs, half of Canada is going to hate them anyways. And of course the large contingent that makes up Leafs Nation would surely not look kindly upon a Senators playoff run. And of course Western Canada wouldn't feel so positive towards a playoff run of a rival.

In every case where I watch a Stanley Cup Final involving two teams and one of them has never won it before, I usually always root for the one that never won it, no matter what, even if they're facing a Canadian team, mainly because seeing a championship in these cities (or at least the ones in the so-called "South", cause we know Minnesota and Buffalo, for example, aren't going to die even they sucked it fierce for the next decade) may actually provide a boost in it's fanbase and help grow the game to a wider audience.

It's also the reason why I much prefer re-location to be kept within the States over Canada, though I certainly understand why it would be done financially. While I am not against Winnipeg or Quebec City (or even Hamilton is possible) to get NHL teams, I would rather it not come at the expense of an American team and have a potential audience lost. If say Phoenix or Atlanta moved to Kansas City or Seattle, I'd be a bit more excited than I would be if they moved to Canada because they are tapping a new market and possibly luring more fans. By moving to Canada, you aren't really gaining any more fans because all these people follow hockey to begin with. The more non-Canadians you can turn onto hockey, the more people you can talk about hockey with, the more people watch it on American TV, the more revenue generated from TV broadcasting and advertising, the more likely you are going to be able to watch hockey in an American bar, the more intense newer rivalries can become, and the more people you can gloat to when Canada wins a gold medal.

Growing the game in the Sunbelt- they've been at it for over a decade. If it hasn't taken yet, it isn't going to. Keeping the Coyotes in a hopeless situation in Phoenix just to "grow the game" rather then move them to a city where they'll have stable ownership and a dedicated fanbase doesn't make much sense outside the realm of wishful thinking.

I never said I was against them moving the Coyotes or Thrashers, I would just prefer if they can put them in new American markets first.

[The_Admiral]

In every case where I watch a Stanley Cup Final involving two teams and one of them has never won it before, I usually always root for the one that never won it, no matter what, even if they're facing a Canadian team, mainly because seeing a championship in these cities (or at least the ones in the so-called "South", cause we know Minnesota and Buffalo, for example, aren't going to die even they sucked it fierce for the next decade) may actually provide a boost in it's fanbase and help grow the game to a wider audience.

It's also the reason why I much prefer re-location to be kept within the States over Canada, though I certainly understand why it would be done financially. While I am not against Winnipeg or Quebec City (or even Hamilton is possible) to get NHL teams, I would rather it not come at the expense of an American team and have a potential audience lost. If say Phoenix or Atlanta moved to Kansas City or Seattle, I'd be a bit more excited than I would be if they moved to Canada because they are tapping a new market and possibly luring more fans. By moving to Canada, you aren't really gaining any more fans because all these people follow hockey to begin with. The more non-Canadians you can turn onto hockey, the more people you can talk about hockey with, the more people watch it on American TV, the more revenue generated from TV broadcasting and advertising, the more likely you are going to be able to watch hockey in an American bar, the more intense newer rivalries can become, and the more people you can gloat to when Canada wins a gold medal.

This is all nice, but hockey's never really going to be more than what it is, which is an exciting but alienatingly quirky game generally popular with people near frozen bodies of water, but never to be the sort of life-encompassing phenomenon that we've let football become. It can only top out at niche sport, and I'm fine with this. Even the most inspirational expansion stories like the Sharks only amount to carving out a decent niche in a crowded market. We've had years to figure out how to get the United States to love hockey from east to west and north to south, and it hasn't really worked.

That a Canadian team "wouldn't gain fans" is a fallacy that assumes that all possible revenue is already being earned from Winnipeg, Quebec City, Hamilton, and oh let's add Halifax through the mere presence of six other teams hundreds of miles away. Are they all buying as many tickets to games, parking spaces for games, beers at games, as they possibly could be? No, of course not, because nobody is staging games there. Are we to believe that people in those cities are already following hockey as much as it can possibly be followed in any quantifiable way, even in the absence of an actual team in the area? That's crazy too. There's no substitute for actually having a team to follow, and it's not unreasonable in the least to believe that ramping up the NHL's presence in unserved Canadian cities would be more reliably profitable than in third-tier American outposts like Kansas City. All the NHL really needs in its American footprint is the Boston-Washington corridor, the Great Lakes (+ St. Louis, which is kind of the sweaty ass of the Great Lakes, at least in July), and California. If you're pinning your hopes on Houston, you're already doomed.

[IceCap]

To elaborate on how most Canadians aren't jazzed about Vancouver, I'd add that a lot of Canadians also wouldn't get jazzed about the Habs for obvious francophonic reasons, and there'd be a significant contingent of Leafs detractors should that ever happen. The other three teams which made their consecutive failed Cup runs curried national favor because they'd spent so much time toiling in clear mediocrity that they never really had a chance to annoy everybody other than their closest rivals. Also, the good old 8-seeded inexplicably-led-by-Fernando-Pisani '06 Oilers didn't have fans marauding from road game to road game acting like they'd won the championship already...for like four years or so.

This is precisely why I don't follow the "root for any Canadian team left" in the Playoffs mentality because, if it is the Leafs or Habs, half of Canada is going to hate them anyways. And of course the large contingent that makes up Leafs Nation would surely not look kindly upon a Senators playoff run. And of course Western Canada wouldn't feel so positive towards a playoff run of a rival.

In every case where I watch a Stanley Cup Final involving two teams and one of them has never won it before, I usually always root for the one that never won it, no matter what, even if they're facing a Canadian team, mainly because seeing a championship in these cities (or at least the ones in the so-called "South", cause we know Minnesota and Buffalo, for example, aren't going to die even they sucked it fierce for the next decade) may actually provide a boost in it's fanbase and help grow the game to a wider audience.

It's also the reason why I much prefer re-location to be kept within the States over Canada, though I certainly understand why it would be done financially. While I am not against Winnipeg or Quebec City (or even Hamilton is possible) to get NHL teams, I would rather it not come at the expense of an American team and have a potential audience lost. If say Phoenix or Atlanta moved to Kansas City or Seattle, I'd be a bit more excited than I would be if they moved to Canada because they are tapping a new market and possibly luring more fans. By moving to Canada, you aren't really gaining any more fans because all these people follow hockey to begin with. The more non-Canadians you can turn onto hockey, the more people you can talk about hockey with, the more people watch it on American TV, the more revenue generated from TV broadcasting and advertising, the more likely you are going to be able to watch hockey in an American bar, the more intense newer rivalries can become, and the more people you can gloat to when Canada wins a gold medal.

Growing the game in the Sunbelt- they've been at it for over a decade. If it hasn't taken yet, it isn't going to. Keeping the Coyotes in a hopeless situation in Phoenix just to "grow the game" rather then move them to a city where they'll have stable ownership and a dedicated fanbase doesn't make much sense outside the realm of wishful thinking.

I never said I was against them moving the Coyotes or Thrashers, I would just prefer if they can put them in new American markets first.

Well it all comes down to practicality. The NHL wants into Seattle, and if Seattle had an NHL arena ready to go, or at the very least a commitment to build one, the Coyotes would already be headed there. They don't though, so that's out. The only two American cities left that could support a team are Houston and Kansas City. The NHL would be in competition with the NBA in Houston (a battle they cannot win), and the league seems to have soured on Kansas City. Plus there isn't an ownership group ready to go in Kansas City. There is, however, one in Winnipeg. An ownership group fronted by a legitimate billionaire who also owns the rink and would use the team as a date filler and tax write-off. Winnipeg also wants NHL hockey. So you combine a hungry fanbase with a stable ownership group and Winnipeg comes out ahead of any potential American markets as a no-brainer.

Plus, with all the money the Coyotes and Thrashers have lost already wouldn't be the smart thing to move to a safe market rather then gamble again on another untested market?

If we're going to leave behind the realm of practicality to discuss our ideals, however, then I'll go ahead and flat-out say I disagree with you. We love our hockey here, you're aware of this. We sell out rinks, we support our teams. The Canadian organizations make up a disproportionate amount of the league's revenue. Not only is it good business to stick as many teams in Canada as Canada can support, but to be perfectly honest I feel Canadian fans deserve as many teams as they can support. Northern American and Canadian hockey fans love this sport and support it whenever they get the chance. After years of experimenting in the Sunbelt, with varying degrees of success, I think the NHL owes it to the tried and true loyal hockey fans before they grant franchises to more unproven experimental markets.

[Don]

Seeing this whole Winnipeg/Phoenix situation play out it feels like Canadians are taking it as US vs Canada, and if the Coyotes move, Canadians win and Americans lose. Thats just not the case. Phoenix hasnt worked, thats clear, it just feels like theres this nationalist attitude towards this potential move and as an American hockey fan I just dont feel it. I didnt feel victory when Quebec moved to Colorado or Winnipeg moving to Phoenix. Its very off-putting that Canadian hockey fans feel this way. Winnipeg wants and deserves a hockey team, but I personally feel like the only losers in this equation are the few hardcore fans in Phoenix, as well as team employees who will lose their jobs in the process.

[Roger Clemente]

I have mentioned that having the NHL move into more Canadian cities would certainly help greatly financially. Not to mention, if one moves into Quebec City, be a much shorter drive for me to go to an NHL game. And indeed new teams in Canada would certainly still bring in new fans, but the potential amount of brand spanking new hockey fans you can lure in from a new Canadian team are fewer than a new American market. And of course I'm not suggesting to just toss them into a market with no hockey presence at all like they did with Phoenix, but perhaps a city like Kansas City or Seattle could be worth looking into again.

[The_Admiral]

It's less US v. Canada and more cold v. warm. You don't have fans in Boston or New York cheering on the Glendale City Council the way you do in Nashville or Atlanta.

[bigbean24]

Oh god just imagine if they put a team in Houston. That would be a disaster within years.

[Lee.]

Oh god just imagine if they put a team in Houston. That would be a disaster within years.

Explain.

[DEAD!]

Oh god just imagine if they put a team in Houston. That would be a disaster within years.

Explain.

Well, he didn't specify how many years...

[Still MIGHTY]

Through 2 periods in Detroit, it's even at 0-0.

However, shots on goal are wholly uneven. Red Wings 32, Sharks 13.

Wow.

[Cujo]

This game has been pretty painful one to watch. Just a gut feeling, but this feels like it'll be another Sharks OT victory.

[CMUBrent]

Niemi's been standing on his head in this game.

[ninersdd]

Niemi's been standing on his head in this game.

Agreed, this will not be easy to pull off.

[ninersdd]

This SHOULD count, 1-0 Sharks!

[Still MIGHTY]

And of course it's San Jose that scores the first goal, and of course it's a squeaker that gets over by a mere inch or so.

1-0 Sharks.

Shots, 35-15.