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Anyone know the citys that didn't get expansion teams but applied for one last time they did expansion?
With a new arena being built in Brooklyn for the Nets, do you think that NYC can support a second team?
With a new arena being built in Brooklyn for the Nets, do you think that NYC can support a second team?
Second team???
NYC already has three teams, for all intents and purposes. The Devils and Isles are well within the New York metro area.
And I should add that the Devils and Isles get poor attendance year after year. Part of it no doubt is that both teams need a new arena. But part of it also is that the market is oversaturated with NHL teams. Three is too many for one market.
It has nothing to do with the market being oversaturated with teams. I agree with you about the NEED for new arenas though. Back to my argument, the tri-state area has a HUGE hockey following and there are a ton of hockey fans here on Long Island. I will break it down why the Isles and Devils suffer on attendance.
The Devils situation is quite simple and pretty much what you said. They play in the swamp. The place is in the middle of nowhere. Its a hassle getting out of that parking lot also. The arena is dark and ugly. Another reason in my opinion is that the style of hockey the devs have played for the past few years is not the most exciting. I DONT agree with this if this is true though. That said, the new arena looks gorgeous and I am sure they wont have any trouble gettin huge crowds every game once that place opens.
Now to my Isles. Believe it or not, there are tons of Isles fans on Long Island. I myself own season tickets and go to every game. Back in the mid to late 90's you could basically pick where you wanted to sit. There were literally 5,000 fans per game. Now there are more than 8,500 season ticket holders ALONE and for the past 5 seasons have averaged around 12,500 - 13,000 fans per game. 3 years ago the Isles sold out something like 25 home games and came close for the rest and this is all in what is probably the WORST arena in the league. When this renovation project gets done fans will flock back and sell out every game. The Devils have had success the past 10 years and still dont draw. The new arena will help them greatly though. When the Isles have a good team the arena is packed and loud every night.
My point is this, yes there are 3 teams in this area but the lack of attendance for the Isles and Devils compared to the Rangers has NOTHING to do with one team having more fans than the other. The Rangers, Devils and Isles all have tons of fans and if there is any area of the country who can support 3 NHL teams it is definately this area.
thank you for summing up what i was going to come here and say.
And just to note, Brooklyn on its own would be the 4th largest City in the US, with 2.5 million people within its city limits.
thank you for summing up what i was going to come here and say.
And just to note, Brooklyn on its own would be the 4th largest City in the US, with 2.5 million people within its city limits.
Bettman has stated repeatedly he does not see expansion in the NHL for the foreseeable future. Would Gary ever lie or mislead people????
^ yes, because the NJ Nets.. like the devils... draw flies for a good team. The owners are smart enough to move it to Brooklyn, while the Devils think they can make a go of it in Newark New Jersey. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Newark, it's a region of NJ that is crime ridden and the people who live around newerk generally do not have a lot of money (I am not being discriminatory here). Not to mention that the area has a large consortium of African Americans, and how many African Americans follow Ice Hockey?
Seriously... they must have got a bargain basement deal from Newark to build this arena.
Anyone know the citys that didn't get expansion teams but applied for one last time they did expansion?
And within a half hour of Newark there are millions of people with a lot of money, what's your point? Not to mention, PATH trains go right into Newark, whereas to get to East Rutherford you need a car, something alot of New Yorkers do not have.
Furthermore, hockey is a more popular sport and played at a higher level in New Jersey than in Brooklyn or Long Island.
And your "African Americans" comment is just racist, not going to even bother.
Hockey being played at a higher level in NJ wont mean they will support it. I mean look at Soccer, so many kids play soccer, but do they care to watch it?
The Traffic is a good arguement I think, will it help? I dunno we'll see. The African American comment isn't racist dude, it would be if I said they couldn't play hockey, but I didn't.
It has nothing to do with the market being oversaturated with teams. I agree with you about the NEED for new arenas though. Back to my argument, the tri-state area has a HUGE hockey following and there are a ton of hockey fans here on Long Island. I will break it down why the Isles and Devils suffer on attendance.
The Devils situation is quite simple and pretty much what you said. They play in the swamp. The place is in the middle of nowhere. Its a hassle getting out of that parking lot also. The arena is dark and ugly. Another reason in my opinion is that the style of hockey the devs have played for the past few years is not the most exciting. I DONT agree with this if this is true though. That said, the new arena looks gorgeous and I am sure they wont have any trouble gettin huge crowds every game once that place opens.
Now to my Isles. Believe it or not, there are tons of Isles fans on Long Island. I myself own season tickets and go to every game. Back in the mid to late 90's you could basically pick where you wanted to sit. There were literally 5,000 fans per game. Now there are more than 8,500 season ticket holders ALONE and for the past 5 seasons have averaged around 12,500 - 13,000 fans per game. 3 years ago the Isles sold out something like 25 home games and came close for the rest and this is all in what is probably the WORST arena in the league. When this renovation project gets done fans will flock back and sell out every game. The Devils have had success the past 10 years and still dont draw. The new arena will help them greatly though. When the Isles have a good team the arena is packed and loud every night.
My point is this, yes there are 3 teams in this area but the lack of attendance for the Isles and Devils compared to the Rangers has NOTHING to do with one team having more fans than the other. The Rangers, Devils and Isles all have tons of fans and if there is any area of the country who can support 3 NHL teams it is definately this area.
And within a half hour of Newark there are millions of people with a lot of money, what's your point? Not to mention, PATH trains go right into Newark, whereas to get to East Rutherford you need a car, something alot of New Yorkers do not have.
Furthermore, hockey is a more popular sport and played at a higher level in New Jersey than in Brooklyn or Long Island.
And your "African Americans" comment is just racist, not going to even bother.
With that said, an NHL team doesn't belong in NJ.
Now to my Isles. Believe it or not, there are tons of Isles fans on Long Island. I myself own season tickets and go to every game. Back in the mid to late 90's you could basically pick where you wanted to sit. There were literally 5,000 fans per game. Now there are more than 8,500 season ticket holders ALONE and for the past 5 seasons have averaged around 12,500 - 13,000 fans per game. 3 years ago the Isles sold out something like 25 home games and came close for the rest and this is all in what is probably the WORST arena in the league. When this renovation project gets done fans will flock back and sell out every game. The Devils have had success the past 10 years and still dont draw. The new arena will help them greatly though. When the Isles have a good team the arena is packed and loud every night.