Is it time for a Canadian only professional hockey league?

[RickyLafleur]

Anyways, you Canadian guys that freak out over Bettman and stuff would be a lot happier if you all just made the concentrated cultural effort to push Junior Hockey into the same sphere of relevance within your country as NCAA Football and College Basketball are in the USA.

Places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama.. Norman, Oklahoma... Lawrence, Kansas... Clemson, South Carolina... Lincoln, Nebraska... they aren't sitting around crying because they don't have NFL and NBA teams, they just treat the local college team as the biggest show in town and give it all the attention and fervor that come with pro sport franchises.

Are you trying to imply that hockey isn't relevant in Canada? It is insanely expensive and unaffordable for most families in Canada. Also when you have more teams in the US, it makes sense that they win more often. Especially since every single time there is a disgruntled star player on a Canadian team, he always gets traded to the US for pennies on the dollar and the team trading its star will inevitably fall into a rebuild. Always love seeing fans of big market franchises that have won multiple lotteries talking shit about Canada when almost all of their star players come from here.

I mean you have junior teams in Canada that have a higher arena capacity than a current NHL team based in the US, which is just frankly laughable.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Are you trying to imply that hockey isn't relevant in Canada?

No, read it again. I'm talking about the junior leagues as a whole having a more relevant place nationally, beyond just fans supporting their local teams on a purely local level.

 

[coolboarder]

The only way it would work if there is no cap and free market would carry the day and players would be entice to get more money than the U.S. If Canadian league could obtain the right to compete for the Stanley Cup, all power for them. If Arizona could play in 5,000 arena, I do not see any reason why Canadian small town of 10,000 couldn't be a franchise in that. I can see a few candidate that could hold that. Imagine McDavid playing an away game in Saskatoon or Victoria or even Hamilton. I mean, Canadian has been carrying the NHL for long time and is how they are treating Canadian teams is shameless.

 

[DaPhazz]

What? The same deep pocket teams will have to keep the also rans solvent .can't just have a league if Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg are doing fine, add a second team in Ontario, one in Quebec city. Anyway, I'm just talking, I'm not for OP, but it's getting insulting as a canadian to see that Quebec City won't get a sniff at an NHL team with everything they're doing right while we get to live the coyotes embarrassment continuously.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I mean you have junior teams in Canada that have a higher arena capacity than a current NHL team based in the US, which is just frankly laughable.

This is a unique situation and a temporary place while they sort out where that franchise is going to go. To act like that's somehow the norm or expectation is what is laughable.

 

[coolboarder]

Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg are doing fine, add a second team in Ontario, one in Quebec city. Anyway, I'm just talking, I'm not for OP, but it's getting insulting as a canadian to see that Quebec City won't get a sniff at an NHL team with everything they're doing right while we get to live the coyotes embarrassment continuously.

Florida is not sustainable as a franchise. If they do not sell out in the regular season in next few years, It is time to reconsider on how NHL approach on strategy on their financial structure because one of those years, cap will go down because they are trying to make it work and anytime northern based cities falters due to poor record will not buy tickets. Imagine if Blackhawks do not win the lottery, their outlook is really bleak without Bedard as an example. If Florida have had a good team, and attendance is poor, it is not a good outlook financially.

 

[End on a Hinote]

What the f*** is wrong with this site lately? Why is everyone so damaged about 'Canada is not winning waAaAaAaA'?

30 year anniversary of the drought. It's a commemorative year.

Also, I still don't understand why the Canadian taxes issue is still a thing when Allan Walsh stated publicly yeats ago that there are ways around it.



I legit thought that when he came out with this loophole that it would start a new era of top players being willing to play in Canada.

 

[WarriorofTime]

30 year anniversary of the drought. It's a commemorative year.

Also, I still don't understand why the Canadian taxes issue is still a thing when Allan Walsh stated publicly yeats ago that there are ways around it.


I legit thought that when he came out with this loophole that it would start a new era of top players being willing to play in Canada.

Players may want more of their money up front so they can buy their mansions, luxury sports cars, etc.

I think the Leafs structure their big contracts in a way that players get almost all their money as a signing bonus, so they aren't paying too much in taxes. That's a good system, but it requires the franchise to be able to make that work from a cash management standpoint (as opposed to using earned revenue during the season to pay operating expenses as the season accrues, like most businesses would).

 

[Scomerica]

I mean, Canadian has been carrying the NHL for long time and is how they are treating Canadian teams is shameless.

In what way out of curiousity on the shameless part? The main gripe i've mostly saw from Canadians is the lack of a Quebec team.

 

[End on a Hinote]

I feel like this was the case when Calgary played Tampa in the final.

I admit I was cheering for Calgary back in 2004 simply because of how much the Tampa fans were pissing me off. They made the finals so much about USA vs. CANADA (one fan even had a sign that read "Canada: Mexico North") and held so much xenophobic animosity that it was impossible for me to support their team. Carolina and Anaheim fans, on the other hand, were MUCH more respectful the following 2 seasons when they were playing Canadian teams in the finals.

Having said that, Bolts fans have seemed to come a long way as they were MUCH more respectful during the 2021 finals against the Habs and I was rather happy for their Cup victory.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Imagine thinking NHL players would give up a shot at competing for a Stanley Cup to go play for the Halifax Schooners for a shot at the Rogers Tim Horton Memorial Trophy

 

[TageGod]

22% chance at the start of season a Canadian team wins. Drop that to 16% since Ottawa and Montreal haven't been good in an eternity. 13% if you take into account Toronto auto exits from playoffs. All of a sudden odds looking pretty slim. Maybe in 2030's they will grab a few.

 

[Lshap]

Serious question, do most Canadian fans ACTUALLY care about the other Canadian teams? Like do Montreal fans actually root for Vancouver, Edmonton, etc.? Do Flames fans actually care about the other Canadian teams?

Like for me in St. Louis, I couldn’t care less about how the Royals or Chiefs do on the other side of the state. I assume it’s a loud minority on these boards, but maybe it’s a bigger thing than I realized.

As a Montrealer, I've been reading the many threads on this board about Canadian teams needing to bond together, or battle the bias against them, or have Canada's place in hockey validated... and I don't get the flag-waving. Support a team because they sit on my side of the border? Why? Each NHL team is separate business. I don't earn a commission on their success – screw em'!

Besides, there's nothing distinctly Canadian about Canadian teams. It's not like we have the Quebec Poutines or Hamilton Smoked Meats. Now those are true Canadian flavours I could root for. The day the NHL adds the Saguenay Cabanes-A-Sucre is the day I switch teams.

I don't know what most Canadians think, but I'm in a hockey fanatic rural part of Canada. Played all my life. Around people who are hockey nuts all my life. I can't speak for the rest of the country but in my area you would have a hard time finding someone who would support the American team over the Canadian one in a playoff scenario. Cheer is probably a strong word though. I would call it a preference for the Canadian team instead. In my case I definitely have a preference for the Canadian team in most cases. But I do find the Leafs finding new creative ways to lose year after year as amusing as the next guy.

I wonder if there's more Canadian loyalty in small towns versus metro areas. Most bigger cities are mostly the same.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

22% chance at the start of season a Canadian team wins.

22% of winning
30 year drought.

odds of that happening are:

1/12,601

 

[TageGod]

22% of winning
30 year drought.

odds of that happening are:

1/12,601

It's not like any of the teams are handicapped. Same draft same players available. Sabres have 0 cups in 50 years probability says they should have one. Do we need to blame someone since it hasn't happened?

 

[HamiltonNHL]

It's not like any of the teams are handicapped. Same draft same players available. Sabres have 0 cups in 50 years probability says they should have one. Do we need to blame someone since it hasn't happened?

I'm just telling you the odds.

and that I'd rather play hockey in Tampa than Calgary or Toronto.

 

[TageGod]

I'm just telling you the odds.

and that I'd rather play hockey in Tampa than Calgary or Toronto.

I know I would. So many players are Canadian though. Now if you want to argue nice weather as a reason...I can listen to that.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Drinking a shitty American beer while attending a game at the Canadian-only hockey league. Classic lol.

Good enough for kucherov mister

 

[HamiltonNHL]

made the concentrated cultural effort to push Junior Hockey into the same sphere of relevance within your country as NCAA Football and College Basketball are in the USA.

I like the idea.

The media (Bell, Rogers) control hockey (own the Leafs) so it must not be profitable for them to push Junior hockey ?

Q: Is it time for a Canadian only professional hockey league?

A: No

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

I think the obvious solution is for Canada to join the U.S. which would then lead to Gary signalling to all the players, coaches and officials that it's now okay for a team in one of the former Canadian provinces/new U.S. states to win a Cup.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

I think the obvious solution is for Canada to join the U.S. which would then lead to Gary signalling to all the players, coaches and officials that it's now okay for a team in one of the former Canadian provinces/new U.S. states to win a Cup.

Bettman would step in personally to stop this from happening.

 

[RickyLafleur]

This is a unique situation and a temporary place while they sort out where that franchise is going to go. To act like that's somehow the norm or expectation is what is laughable.

Never said it was the norm. The norm, for some reason for this league, is to socialize the coyotes' losses for 20+ straight seasons while pretending that everything is just fine.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Never said it was the norm. The norm, for some reason for this league, is to socialize the coyotes' losses for 20+ straight seasons while pretending that everything is just fine.

Don't know why you guys get so worked up about it

 

[RickyLafleur]

Don't know why you guys get so worked up about it

Can you name one good reason for this franchise to remain in Arizona?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Can you name one good reason for this franchise to remain in Arizona?

it's a large metro area and tv market, their owner wants them to stay

but if there's no arena to put them, then they gotta go