Around the League - 2024-2025

[MSZ]

Were they in Utah?

They were playing in Iowa, home of the AHL Wild.

 

[ULF_55]

They were playing in Iowa, home of the AHL Wild.

So they only had 1 goal to score on.

 

[rumman]

LMAO oh man....

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838015426225176643

Nowhere to go but up…….

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

As much as I’d like to see a team back in QC, it’s too small a market just like The Peg. Atlanta is another former city that couldn’t support a team, shy does Bettman keep wanting to put square pegs in round holes? Houston has the population to support a team, but is there enough interest from those living in the city? Bring s secondvteam to the GTA, it’ll be a no brainer success, Leafs and Sabers get millions for ghe inconvience and the competition makes the Leafs pull up their socks……

There's lots of teams in sports that have had 2 or three chances, especially since the previous franchise was set up to fail and the first team was too, just not as bad.

Personally I think putting another team in Canada is the square peg, round hole because aside from the expansion fee, it does absolutely nothing for sustained revenue c
compared to these giant markets in the states and will do nothing to create new fans.

The braves showed doubters that moving closer to their target demographic was night and day.

There's two different owners who are willing to put their money on it.

They know that most of the fans are in the burbs and while most are Caucasian, there's also lots of POC who live in the burbs who fit in that demographic as well, while I'm other areas more dominated by POC tend to not be as interested.
Those areas in the burbs tend to be a bit better off and with hockey being really expensive it's more likely that's where most of the kids who play live in those areas and most new fans likely would come from there as well. And we know that any team will spend money on trying to grow the game in all of Atlanta as well.

Houston is such a no brainer, Texas is just such a kick ass state when it comes to sports and I really think that Atlanta done right will be a huge success as well.

 

[ULF_55]

There's lots of teams in sports that have had 2 or three chances, especially since the previous franchise was set up to fail and the first team was too, just not as bad.

Personally I think putting another team in Canada is the square peg, round hole because aside from the expansion fee, it does absolutely nothing for sustained revenue c
compared to these giant markets in the states and will do nothing to create new fans.

The braves showed doubters that moving closer to their target demographic was night and day.

There's two different owners who are willing to put their money on it.

They know that most of the fans are in the burbs and while most are Caucasian, there's also lots of POC who live in the burbs who fit in that demographic as well, while I'm other areas more dominated by POC tend to not be as interested.
Those areas in the burbs tend to be a bit better off and with hockey being really expensive it's more likely that's where most of the kids who play live in those areas and most new fans likely would come from there as well. And we know that any team will spend money on trying to grow the game in all of Atlanta as well.

Houston is such a no brainer, Texas is just such a kick ass state when it comes to sports and I really think that Atlanta done right will be a huge success as well.

Can I ask what benefit you see in growing the game?

Do you mean in an altruistic way?

If they lost teams I could care less, as it wouldn't negatively impact me.

 

[Menzinger]

Can I ask what benefit you see in growing the game?

Do you mean in an altruistic way?

If they lost teams I could care less, as it wouldn't negatively impact me.

You don't get players like Matthews starting to l learn to play hockey in new markets without growing the game.

 

[ULF_55]

You don't get players like Matthews starting to l learn to play hockey in new markets without growing the game.

There still would have been a 1st. overall player.

Leafs haven't won anything with Matthews so perhaps not the best argument.

 

[Menzinger]

There still would have been a 1st. overall player.

Leafs haven't won anything with Matthews so perhaps not the best argument.

I mean sure, but id rather see a guy like Matthews than a Yakupov, not all 1st overalls are interchangeable

Leafs lack of cups aside, I've had a lot of fun watching him. I think the sport as a whole as well as my enjoyment of it is better off with him in it than not.

 

[ULF_55]

I mean sure, but id rather see a guy like Matthews than a Yakupov, not all 1st overalls are interchangeable

Leafs lack of cups aside, I've had a lot of fun watching him. I think the sport as a whole as well as my enjoyment of it is better off with him in it than not.

Yes.

But that is the entertainment part, and I could enjoy a championship if won by a team of nobodies.

McDavid winning a Cup isn't high on my list of things as a Leafs fan. Growing the game didn't make Crosby or MacKinnon.

If the league was 24 teams you would still have the best players.

Growing the league is about generating revenue.

 

[francis246]

Can I ask what benefit you see in growing the game?

Do you mean in an altruistic way?

If they lost teams I could care less, as it wouldn't negatively impact me.

I want a high salary cap. You need growth in viewership for that to happen. That’s what NHL fans and the NHL is not realizing. Growth doesn’t mean you have to target specific minority groups. It means make your product more interesting, stop being boring and allow the players to have personality.

If the WBNA can do record numbers this year, there is no excuse why the NHL can’t. It just comes down to they suck at marketing players and the sport. Every other league has figured it out quickly, you need rivalries, you need dominant personalities because those things sell and make people want to tune in, thus increasing ratings and making the sport valuable to TV networks or streaming platforms.

 

[ULF_55]

I want a high salary cap. You need growth in viewership for that to happen. That’s what NHL fans and the NHL is not realizing. Growth doesn’t mean you have to target specific minority groups. It means make your product more interesting, stop being boring and allow the players to have personality.

If the WBNA can do record numbers this year, there is no excuse why the NHL can’t. It just comes down to they suck at marketing players and the sport. Every other league has figured it out quickly, you need rivalries, you need dominant personalities because those things sell and make people want to tune in, thus increasing ratings and making the sport valuable to TV networks or streaming platforms.

So it isn't about the game it's about the money.

Doesn't benefit me any if the players make 1 million or 24 million.

When I started watching players had to have jobs in the off season to make ends meet. Cups were still won, games were still on TV or radio.

But yes, growing the game isn't about the game, it is about the money.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Can I ask what benefit you see in growing the game?

Do you mean in an altruistic way?

If they lost teams I could care less, as it wouldn't negatively impact me.

A couple of different reasons really.

The more fans that fall in love in big markets or areas means more kids pick up the sport and add to the talent pool, I mean look at the amount of youth we have.

More fan also means a healthier richer league which means more money and a higher salary cap

 

[Fogelhund]

I get the argument of growing the game, and a bigger base for future players. But Atlanta doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It's failed a couple of times, and a grand total of three NHL players were ever born in the State... that isn't current players, that's historically. Will yet another attempt suddenly encourage people in Georgia to play hockey, when it appears it hasn't in the past?

Houston I get, big city, maybe it works... I don't know.

In the short-term, it means 46 players are now NHL roster players, that would otherwise be playing in the AHL. I don't think that helps the quality of the game any. Maybe over a 20-25 year period, it encourages enough new players to make that gap up, but that's a long time period.

At some point, growth just doesn't make sense.

Anyway, who knows if they are really considering it or not... Bettman says no, but then I don't really trust him.

“We’re not going through an expansion process,” Bettman said in a small scrum today. “Other than updating the [league’s] board [of directors] in October of the places that expressed interest, nothing else is gonna be done. Everything else was either speculation or had no basis.”

 

[Fogelhund]

""

Laine thinks he might challenge for the Rocket???

 

[Peasy]

""

Laine thinks he might challenge for the Rocket???

https://x.com/i/web/status/1711787274101248394

Gem of a quote from him last year lol.

 

[ULF_55]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1711787274101248394

Gem of a quote from him last year lol.

Good for him.

Not everyone has to smooch butt.

Hope he has found a good headspace, and doesn't score against Leafs.

 

[ULF_55]

Colorado Avalanche sign F Logan O’Connor to six-year, $15M extension | TSN

The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Logan O’Connor to a six-year contract extension, the team announced on Monday. TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that the deal is worth $15 million and carries a $2.5 million average annual value.

www.tsn.ca

This just seems weird ...

Might be brilliant.

6 team NTC ... hmmm, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, ???

 

[BertCorbeau]

""

Laine thinks he might challenge for the Rocket???

It was tongue in cheek

 

[Fogelhund]

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I want a high salary cap. You need growth in viewership for that to happen. That’s what NHL fans and the NHL is not realizing. Growth doesn’t mean you have to target specific minority groups. It means make your product more interesting, stop being boring and allow the players to have personality.

If the WBNA can do record numbers this year, there is no excuse why the NHL can’t. It just comes down to they suck at marketing players and the sport. Every other league has figured it out quickly, you need rivalries, you need dominant personalities because those things sell and make people want to tune in, thus increasing ratings and making the sport valuable to TV networks or streaming platforms.

Oh man exactly. I've loved what the WNBA has done pushing the individual personalities and soap opera story lines. It's been a rare treat to follow. Clark is a beast. Reese ended up sucking. The Facebook groups were wild.

The NHL needs more of this. McDavid and Draisaitl chasing a cup is a good start.

 

[Menzinger]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838570706415559073

 

[ULF_55]

Oh man exactly. I've loved what the WNBA has done pushing the individual personalities and soap opera story lines. It's been a rare treat to follow. Clark is a beast. Reese ended up sucking. The Facebook groups were wild.

The NHL needs more of this. McDavid and Draisaitl chasing a cup is a good start.

Guess that is important to some fans.

I don't follow players off the ice/court/floor/diamond/track/hill/oval/...

If something is on mainstream media, birth, death, signing, trade, arrest, ... certainly.

 

[Gabriel426]

I want a high salary cap. You need growth in viewership for that to happen. That’s what NHL fans and the NHL is not realizing. Growth doesn’t mean you have to target specific minority groups. It means make your product more interesting, stop being boring and allow the players to have personality.

If the WBNA can do record numbers this year, there is no excuse why the NHL can’t. It just comes down to they suck at marketing players and the sport. Every other league has figured it out quickly, you need rivalries, you need dominant personalities because those things sell and make people want to tune in, thus increasing ratings and making the sport valuable to TV networks or streaming platforms.

WNBA got their Unicorn in Clark plus they played on the jealously of past and present players.

They tried to do that with Tkachuk but it faded off after that playoffs run.

I just think people don't care enough about Hockey in general. Same can be said about the WNBA prior to this past season BUT the alternative Sports is really Baseball during the WNBA season. Where as Hockey for NFL, NBA and MLB to compete with. Most of all Hockey is a really hard sports to promote due to the best player often plays 1/3 of the game.

If I am in charge of promoting NHL, I would start on grass root level, sponsor youth teams for equipment and ice surface instead of pushing on TV commercials. Need more people to play the game to actually care to watch.

 

[Gabriel426]

Guess that is important to some fans.

I don't follow players off the ice/court/floor/diamond/track/hill/oval/...

If something is on mainstream media, birth, death, signing, trade, arrest, ... certainly.

Leafsnation is pretty much what happened in the WNBA with Clark, Reese and all the other stuff.

Fans constantly yapping about who is better....the only difference is instead of just fans arguing, some of the WNBA players past and present will always take the bait from medias and start yapping stuff and if they will consistently double or triple down on what they said despite being completely wrong at times.

 

[Peasy]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838570706415559073

Yeah seems like a messy situation. Nice to not be on the receiving end of one of those. As Whitney said bruins really played their hand horribly. they knew this summer they would have to commit to one goalie. When they traded ullmark you showed that swayman is your choice. But now it seems like they dont want to commit to him long term but he wants that? How would you not have known this going into the situation and deciding on which one to keep. Seems like they probably could have gotten ullmark to sign the type of deal they are looking for. I wonder what a Swayman trade would have looked like this summer.