A team from Florida will be competing in the Stanley Cup final for the 6th year in a row

[BrokenFace]

So many passionate fans in hockey markets won’t get to experience a cup win because of cap tax evasion and NHL favoritism. People in Florida will celebrate, forget the next day, and get back to being the worst drivers in the States. This cup win would mean a million times more to the city of Edmonton than Miami/Sunrise.

It’s special when the cup goes to a city where is cherished and celebrated for years instead of looked as an afterthought.

Yeah such a shame the cup has to go to the team that wins it

 

[pb1300]

Where was the tax advantage from 1993 to 2023? And any team could have built this team, with the way Florida acquired the players they did to make this run. Plus it takes a lot more than just putting rosters together to succeed at this sport.

There are ways around the "tax advantage" that levels the playing field, but they refuse to accept that because then the "tax advantage" goes out the window. Tax advantage or not, who TF wants to live in Edmonton or Calgary, over Tampa, Florida, Vegas, or Dallas?

 

[tarheelhockey]

Since 2018

4 Stanley Cups and counting
7 Finals appearances
11 Conference Finals appearances
3 Presidents Trophies
12 Division Titles

Y’all ****ed around with the SouthEast Division and now you’re finding out

 

[GMR]

Has it increased the amount of youth in Florida wanting to take up hockey?

 

[JKG33]

Florida and Tampa have propped up an eastern conference that outside of them has been terrible. No one should be taking teams like Carolina, Toronto, NY Rangers seriously. Yet every year the east coast bias media snd fans say otherwise.

 

[MikeFolignosHelmet]

Somebody should tell the Preds that they are supposed to be competitive because of the tax benefits

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Florida and Tampa have propped up an eastern conference that outside of them has been terrible. No one should be taking teams like Carolina, Toronto, NY Rangers seriously. Yet every year the east coast bias media snd fans say otherwise.

If that's the case. Then can we agree that the western conference was not dominate when Chicago and LA were ruling the league? Plenty of statements about how the western conference was dominate back then. I mean, why would it be different then and not now?

 

[PistolPete]

In before someone starts bitching about how being a tax free state trumps good drafting and GMing.

Before the cap it was teams bought the Cups, now it's no state income tax...

Always something to bitch about lol

 

[Colezuki]

I mean the coasts are nice...

For now

 

[WeaponOfChoice]

Florida man steals Canadian trophy

 

[Voight]

Yeah, wasn't too awfully long ago the Panther stands were very empty and the club was basically giving away tickets in super cheap packages. Matter of fact, there were plenty of people clamoring for the team to relocate since the team was so bad and attendance was crap.

In 2019 (so when this core minus Tkachuk was starting to come together) I still only had to pay like $100 to sit like 8 or 9 rows up from the ice.

 

[pb1300]

Has it increased the amount of youth in Florida wanting to take up hockey?

Oh yeah. You've seen some South Florida born players in the NHL, and I believe a team from South Florida won some big youth hockey tournaments. A new generation of fans are being brought to the games at the right time, as the team is thriving, and will be for the rest of this decade.

 

[Voight]

Tampa's covid cups don't really count, but still impressive stretch

... why dont they count?

 

[Suntouchable13]

Also, a team for Alberta is very likely to be in the SCF for the 2nd year in a row. But it's so hard to win in Canada

 

[Voight]

Tax advantage on full display.

Tax advantage did them no good for about 20 years. Maybe... just maybe... it has to do with them putting together a great team via draft and trades?

 

[pb1300]

In 2019 (so when this core minus Tkachuk was starting to come together) I still only had to pay like $100 to sit like 8 or 9 rows up from the ice.

Tickets will never be as expensive as they are up north, its just how you have to deal with the team versus what South Florida offers. But they are 3x+ of what I paid when I was a season seat holder. Plus you have to take out a loan just to pay for parking if you attended all home playoff games. This is the second year going though that there is a waiting list for season tickets.

 

[Voight]

Since 2018

4 Stanley Cups and counting
7 Finals appearances
11 Conference Finals appearances
3 Presidents Trophies
12 Division Titles

Y’all ****ed around with the SouthEast Division and now you’re finding out

SouthLeast* come on now

 

[Ratsreign]

I’m still tryin’ to wrap my head around how it can be possible that hockey is much more widely followed in Canada than it is in Florida. I just don’t get how that can be....

 

[MoneyManny]

From 1983 to 1990, a team from Alberta reached the Finals.

Florida needs 2 more years to match

Totally a coincidence that the far and away best player in the history of man played with them during that time.

Same coincidence claimed by fans of no state tax teams.

 

[elmaco]

Somebody should tell the Preds that they are supposed to be competitive because of the tax benefits

Shh don't ruin the show.

 

[MoneyManny]

Spare me the nonsense. I’m 46 and was 15 when the Panthers came into existence. I’ve spent over two decades supporting this team through disappointment after disappointment, investing thousands each year on season tickets just to watch them struggle, while others scooped up game-day tickets for a 10th of the price. My 87yr old mother has been right there with me since ’93. When we finally won, she cried her eyes out, and so did I, along with thousands of other Panthers fans who’ve stuck with this franchise through years of heartbreak.

Don’t come at us with this shit about “passionate fans” being denied a Cup because of some imagined favoritism. That’s not just wrong, it’s pathetic. What makes you think you deserve a championship more than me? More than my mother? More than die-hard fans like @Laus723 and @Ratsreign who’ve been here through it all? If your team hasn’t won, maybe look inward. Start with building a competent front office, stop overpaying for team-controlled RFAs, and actually make use of the high draft picks you’ve had.

We’ve earned this. And just because we’re not in your cold-weather “hockey market” doesn’t make our passion any less real or deserved.

If every fan in the NHL had Florida's "passion" for the sport, the league would be going under next season for practically giving their tickets away.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Growing the game.

 

[Ratsreign]

If every fan in the NHL had Florida's "passion" for the sport, the league would be going under next season for practically giving their tickets away.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

caring and dedicated owners makes the difference, have a vauge memory that
tampa had a "japanese mob" owner or something around 2000, who never was in tampa,
some incredible story, saw some kind of documentary on it, maybe someone
here remebers or know the documentary

 

[Shark Finn]

Just fell to my knees at the outdoor rink