3 non traditional southern markets that barely make the playoffs ever and spend no where close to the cap and have their arenas located in the suburbs. 100% recipe for disaster. If your point is that goonery would sell the game better down in the States, I’d disagree completely. If anything, Americans probably think hockey is extremely violent based on the propaganda that ESPN spews out whenever a Todd Bertuzzi or Marty McSorely incident occurs. Trust me, the NHL is glad they don’t have to deal with a lot of these players anymore or the lawsuits would be much much worse.Yeah, they’re really “growing the game” in Florida, Carolina, and Arizona. “Speed and goals” sells the game... in Canada. AGAIN... he wasn’t talking about that (Goonery). Rivalries? There aren’t any anymore. I guess “intensity, chirping, animosity and rivalries” are bad for the game.
The game is a lot cleaner today and more family oriented. You don’t get as many injuries, concussions, line brawls, fights, violence and lawsuits with today’s game. Guaranteed, the NHL is much happier today with the increased goals and record profits than all the junk from back in the dead puck era.