Quote:
Originally Posted by Jester
I disagree... for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I think hockey can work anywhere if you give it enough time. The simple truth is that a lot of these teams have been poorly run, and they've deserved what they've gotten as far as attendance and money goes. I also think it's perfectly reasonable to ignore the Coyotes if you live in PHX and don't feel like getting attached to a team that is on life support.
The other thing is... I played hockey in college and since with a lot of guys from Texas and California. The sport is growing in those areas big time (just as it has here) with the advent and proliferation of roller hockey making it easier to get out there and play.
PHX is a friggin mess for a lot of reasons... but attendance at this point is the least of their issues. There's no way they're going to get good attendance in this situation. In the broader picture the league was (and some markets still are) spending more than they should without greater revenue sharing... which is something we may see in the next CBA.
|
Again though, look at SJ, they've been a good team for the better part of the last decade and apparently still have problems breaking even.
Look at Anaheim, won the Cup in 06-07, made the WCF in 08-09, in contention for a PO spot for most of 09-10, 20th in the league in attendance last year and by all accounts, a complete afterthought in southern California (I knew a couple people from SC in college).
No doubt that the competitive record for most of these teams isn't great, but Anaheim and SJ have both had 5 year runs that about 24 NHL teams would kill for and neither one of them is a big draw yet or anywhere close to a marquee franchise.
So I mean, if you're telling me it's going to take 10 years of sustained success for these franchises to make an impact, I say, ship them to Canada or get rid of them.