It's a HUGE difference my man! Have you been to NY? You want to be in Manhattan, not Long Island. Long Island is a nice place to live, but there is basically nothing there. But again it's the same on the Island as it is here, if they get a new building and start winning it will go a very long way. They also could greatly benefit from a new owner. But the Rangers will always be the team that players will want to play for, they are NY's team.
yes, but we'll never get away from that. That and the weather are just realities. Just like Phoenix will always have players that want to golf and NY will have players that want to party and an impatient fanbase. There really is only one franchise that you can say is truly successful and that was after 3 decades of futility. You might say Philly has been successful, too, but still no cups in comin on 40 years. The rest all have challenges.
Yeah I'm not saying in anyway that we will, I was just pointing out what Detroit has going for them OTHER than being the dominant team in the league.
It's a HUGE difference my man! Have you been to NY? You want to be in Manhattan, not Long Island. Long Island is a nice place to live, but there is basically nothing there. But again it's the same on the Island as it is here, if they get a new building and start winning it will go a very long way. They also could greatly benefit from a new owner. But the Rangers will always be the team that players will want to play for, they are NY's team.
I disagree I have been there and the do have a 300 foot smoke stack chimney it sticks out quite prevelant lol
We always seem to get our arms up and protest whenever someone gaves a shot at our fair city............
Look at the facts.........missed (missing) the playoffs for the 5th straight year.......
Tough destiny to get to by air...........
Cold, northern climate............
Second oldest hockey rink in the NHL..........
If you are a millionaire hockey player would you come if you had a choice??????
It starts with winning, then a new rink,.............everything else would be irrevelant.
1) Missing playoffs 5 years in a row - is probably 90% of the reason why we aren't a popular destination
2) Cold, North Climate - honestly I don't think this really bothers people that much. You are inside most of the time anyway but anyway id say <5% of the reason
3)Tough destination to get to by air.. I don't think this is a factor at all. All these teams have there own charters pretty much and usually the airports are a lot further away from the arena in the bigger american cities then it is here.
4)Second oldest hockey rink in the NHL ... Oilers just renovated there dressing room so I don't think this is a big factor either. Maybe if the away dressing room wasn't they might think that it sucks. But I'm sure Oilers made a big deal when they showed the renovated home dressing room
5)As for the millionaire thing - that's probably the other big issue this city needs more "high end" things to keep millionaires that want to spend to stay here. Preferably downtown have some high end clothing/bars/restaurants etc
1) Missing playoffs 5 years in a row - is probably 90% of the reason why we aren't a popular destination
2) Cold, North Climate - honestly I don't think this really bothers people that much. You are inside most of the time anyway but anyway id say <5% of the reason
3)Tough destination to get to by air.. I don't think this is a factor at all. All these teams have there own charters pretty much and usually the airports are a lot further away from the arena in the bigger american cities then it is here.4)Second oldest hockey rink in the NHL ... Oilers just renovated there dressing room so I don't think this is a big factor either. Maybe if the away dressing room wasn't they might think that it sucks. But I'm sure Oilers made a big deal when they showed the renovated home dressing room
5)As for the millionaire thing - that's probably the other big issue this city needs more "high end" things to keep millionaires that want to spend to stay here. Preferably downtown have some high end clothing/bars/restaurants etc
I'm pretty sure many players, especially in the East, prefer the travel conditions as opposed to ours. Still fairly minor though, win and they will come.Allot of players didn't want to go to Washington, Pitts, Chicago, Detroit even, when they were in the dumps
I'm pretty sure many players, especially in the East, prefer the travel conditions as opposed to ours. Still fairly minor though, win and they will come.Allot of players didn't want to go to Washington, Pitts, Chicago, Detroit even, when they were in the dumps
The actual travel time would be made up for by the fact that most players live within minutes of the International airport in the Ellerslie or Riverbend area. Henday/Highway, few minutes leisurely drive and you are at the airport. Compare this with getting out to other airports in other cities.
Also as I've mentioned with the Henday it takes less than 30mins to get from this southside region to basically anywhere in Edmonton and for instance to practice. For a player any added time of travel is made up for by how easy it is to get around Edmonton.
I complain the few times a year theres bad traffic accidents blocking up traffic. In most large cities a 1-2 hr commute is routine.
Travel time should never even enter the equation of why players wouldn't want to play here. If for some reason it does more information like contained above would alleviate the concern.
Calgary will be on that list soon enough too. If I'm a player and look around, I see Edmonton as a team that has lost it's way and is on a rebuild, has lost for years, traded away or lost all it's good players and is in a very cold climate. If I were to play for a team like that, I'd at least go to Phoenix where the weather is awesome and you can have a more active lifestyle, especially with family if you're outdoor oriented, which we all are if the weather is nice.
The world has become a strange and contrived place when living in the middle of a non arable, impoverished, desert is considered desirable to living in even a northern climate.
Phoenix area is built on a stack of cards of no natural water, no natural resource, no local supply of electricity, no local supply of energy, a rampant need for the same for airconditioning just to exist there.
I know its off topic but I had to throw that in there. In a world of continuing ecological problems and limitations of fresh water supply and possible food and energy scarcity Phoenix, LA, LV and places like it are habitated disasters waiting to happen.
I have no idea why anybody would prefer to settle in Phoenix vs Edmonton.
Not to mention this is Alberta. We have some of the best range of outdoor experiences found anywhere in the world and a mostly unspoiled and varied natural habitat for those that enjoy the outdoors. Which is certainly possible year round.
This is a healthy climate to live in. Strange that Canadian players wouldn't realize it.
Last edited by Replacement: 01-31-2011 at 11:25 AM.
7 years ago, Pttsburg, Chicago and Washington were probably all on the list. I dont see a probk=lem.
No probk=lems at all
I do agree though, nobody wants to play for a losing team. Once we get back on the winning side of things, we'll be a much more attractive destination.
We do have the disadvantage of some crappy weather during the winter, but alot of these NHL players are canadian and have grown up with such things.
I think that the players are confused (I'm not surprised) because they voted Quebec City, Winnipeg and the greater Toronto area as the three places that they'd like to see the league expand to. Would the players sign to play in those locations? Probably not. USA all the way!
The world has become a strange and contrived place when living in the middle of a non arable, impoverished, desert is considered desirable to living in even a northern climate.
Phoenix area is built on a stack of cards of no natural water, no natural resource, no local supply of electricity, no local supply of energy, a rampant need for the same for airconditioning just to exist there.
I know its off topic but I had to throw that in there. In a world of continuing ecological problems and limitations of fresh water supply and possible food and energy scarcity Phoenix, LA, LV and places like it are habitated disasters waiting to happen.
I have no idea why anybody would prefer to settle in Phoenix vs Edmonton.
Not to mention this is Alberta. We have some of the best range of outdoor experiences found anywhere in the world and a mostly unspoiled and varied natural habitat for those that enjoy the outdoors. Which is certainly possible year round.
This is a healthy climate to live in. Strange that Canadian players wouldn't realize it.
I should clarify my original post with travel distance. What I meant, and I have heard about through the years, is the airplane travel time/distances from the other cities within the western division. Apparently there is much more travel time in the West than in the East, which makes sense. That the players want to stay in the Eastern conference because there is less travel could just be speculation though.
I don't think the rink has anything to do with it. Those same NHLers who voted Edmonton as an undesirable place to play also voted the ice as the best in the league. Also the Oilers dressing room is probably the best in the league.
Isn't there some special tax breaks for those in the Sports and Entertainment fields in the states? It seems to me there is, but I could be mistaken
Wouldnt surprise me if they did. I think we are 5-6% less then BC or Ontario. Quite a large amount of money to save for a guy who makes a million a year but maybe for only a few years.
I think that the players are confused (I'm not surprised) because they voted Quebec City, Winnipeg and the greater Toronto area as the three places that they'd like to see the league expand to. Would the players sign to play in those locations? Probably not. USA all the way!
Yeah I caught that inconsistency as well.
Players think there should be a team in Quebec City(more ardently francophone than Montreal), but don't like the expectation of being francophone in Montreal, don't like living in the cold, don't like playing in Canada due to the attention, don't like playing in small market cities because theres less to do..
Maybe all these Canadian players that refuse to ever play in Canada shouldn't be playing for Canada either. Just a thought.
So the players don't like playing in a Candian city, but have no problems making a living off of the revenue generated here. They spurn the teams and the fans that generate significant revenue so they can get paid and play in Florida or Arizona. Transfer payments are good for parity but when struggling teams in the south can outbid Canadian teams for UFA's it kinda stings. Canadian boys taking Canadian money to go hide in the sun, on second thought do we want these guys anyways. Lets load up on more Swedes
yes, but we'll never get away from that. That and the weather are just realities. Just like Phoenix will always have players that want to golf and NY will have players that want to party and an impatient fanbase. There really is only one franchise that you can say is truly successful and that was after 3 decades of futility. You might say Philly has been successful, too, but still no cups in comin on 40 years. The rest all have challenges.
The weather is indeed a reality so why is it that many Edmontonians are in denial about it.
Ryan Jones makes a comment about going back to the arctic (after the all star break) and people jump all over him.
Holy hypersensitive.
The reality is that is is freaking cold in the winter...embrace it and move on. Why jump all over people when they point it out?
This appears to be the case with any criticism of the city...people jump up and down and get their panties in a knot.
It makes it appear as if a contingent in the city has a massive inferiority complex and all it does is keep these perceived negative traits in a prolonged spotlight.
That doesn't do anything to help the reputation of the city.
I don't think the rink has anything to do with it. Those same NHLers who voted Edmonton as an undesirable place to play also voted the ice as the best in the league. Also the Oilers dressing room is probably the best in the league.
Yeah, but ice surface (known for years as one of the better rinks despite some relative deterioration over the years) and certainly dressing room quality aren't gonna lure the FAs you want.
We can bolster ourselves w/ whatever unfounded optimism we want, but imo it won't change the fact that we're the most isolated and cold location, with one of the worst reps thanks to the numbnuts that we're all familiar with, and a team that has put together consistent losing seasons. All that means plenty in deterring a FA's interest in signing.
We can change our losing culture. And that will make a big impact on how desireable we are in the eyes of those we attempt to lure. But you don't change latitude, and who can blame NHLers that like to knock off a round on the links after morning practice?
What - we'll build a "signature bridge" and somehow it'll make up for the fact that we have snow on the ground the vast majority of the hockey season? The truth is, all things equal re: winning percentage and franchise competency, apart from with the rare few, Edmonton - or Calgary/Ottawa for that matter - will never compete for FAs with the likes of LA, Chicago, Boston, or New York. We'll always grab the secondary players who've been spurned by the cities listed above.
That said, you build a better team and an arena district. You generate some buzz around the league about the skills and flair of this developing team and you tap into the building excitement of the fan base. You develop a thicker skin so as to avoid drawing negative attention to your city by overreacting to each and every little jab others take at us in the meantime...
... then, and only then, do you have a recipe to be at least a "middle ground" contender for FAs. Let's be reality: We will always be on of the league runts. But that doesn't need to keep us from developing a whole lot more than we presently have going for us.
Keep the faith... though be careful of the definition of "success" and the faith it requires.
The weather is indeed a reality so why is it that many Edmontonians are in denial about it.
Ryan Jones makes a comment about going back to the arctic (after the all star break) and people jump all over him.
Holy hypersensitive.
The reality is that is is freaking cold in the winter...embrace it and move on. Why jump all over people when they point it out?
This appears to be the case with any criticism of the city...people jump up and down and get their panties in a knot.
It makes it appear as if a contingent in the city has a massive inferiority complex and all it does is keep these perceived negative traits in a prolonged spotlight.
That doesn't do anything to help the reputation of the city.
The point I raised earlier is the adaptation to living in the cold a few mths of the year is easier than living in say Phoenix all year and paying for air conditioning and sweating all year. By my count here we have 7mths of weather I like a lot, a couple mths that are a bit uncomfortable, and a few mths that are cold. In a place like Phoenix I'd find it too hot much of the time. The weather here is actually arguably better for ones health if you have a decent immunity and respiratory system.
This is not the only climate in which its hard to live in. Why does the too hot factor never come into the same consideration?
Phoenix is maybe nice to live in during the "winter" but try living there any other time of year and the mths of the year where the average high is +100.
The game between Blues and Avs tonight in St.L has been cancelled because of a blizzard..StL is where Oilers play Friday.we'll see potential
Principe
Funny our weather is so bad yet we never have anything like this happen in Edmonton.
Yep. Huge storms and icestorms happen often enough in the east and are far worse than anything experienced here.
I always get a laugh at the Edmonton has horrible weather knock. No hurricanes, few natural disasters of any kind, no weather that ever shuts the city down. No weather that prevents you from getting where you want to go.
I like that people think its horrible living up here though.
