NHL News/Notes XIX
- Thread starter The Nemesis
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LadyStanley
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LadyStanley
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LadyStanley
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LadyStanley
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OrrNumber4
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In other news, watching John Scott debase himself for clicks and attention makes me think there were deeper reasons why the NHL's upper management was so against him getting into the all-star game.
Used As A Shield
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Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
He's just so clickbait-y and tries to stir up weird rumors and drama and stuff.
LadyStanley
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LadyStanley
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one2gamble
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NewMuzu24
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I assume this is WC related. But no matter why you said it, I agree with the sentiment.
ChompChomp
Can't wait for Sharks hockey to return someday
10 years ago I would have been livid, but seeing another example of Bettman hating the Sharks doesn't faze me as much anymore. It is still bothersome that the January 1 (or Jan 2 on some days) Winter Classic has been around since January 1, 2008, and the first ever Pacific division teams to play in it will only first happen on January 1, 2024, between one team that started playing in 2017-2018 season and another that started playing in the 2021-2022 season.
As ridiculous as it is expected.
But what does this have to do with the Sharks, specifically? If you wanted to call it O6 or East Coast Bias, fine, but it applies just as much to LA, Anaheim, Arizona and more. The league wanting to show off their shiny new toy neither surprises nor particularly bothers me.
LadyStanley
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VGK gets 2nd outdoor game n 7 seasons while Ducks and Sharks wait for their 2ndsover longer time frame.
LadyStanley
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ChompChomp
Can't wait for Sharks hockey to return someday
LS putting it better than I can above, but I think the larger point isn't necessarily a Sharks point, but rather that it is ridiculous to not have one California team involved in the first Jan 1 Winter Classic. I'd be less upset if it was LA and VGK (putting aside the logistics of where to hold it, I've always said I want the Sharks in a Jan 1 WC, even as the road team). The Pacific Division was built on the California teams. To only relegate them to the "Consolation Classic" is a slap in the face.
If you want to go Sharks, the excuse for keeping the Sharks out when they were an elite team was the lack of rivalries with teams they want in the WC, as many of the WC's have been driven by having a rivalry matchup. (Side note: Prior to the realignment that sent Detroit East [summer of 2013], I will die on the hill that there should have been a Jan 1 WC with the Sharks and Red Wings at the Big House in Michigan) With that said, the biggest rivalry in the past 5-6 seasons in this division is Sharks/Knights, no question. It is definitely a rivalry "worth" a Jan 1 WC.
And let's not pretend this has anything to do with recent Sharks suckage. The WC has never been a meritocracy, otherwise in the late 00's and early '10's the Sharks would have been in 1-2 WC's as the road team already. And they've picked plenty of bad teams for WC matchups.
Even more so than O6 and East Coast Bias, NHL/Bettman does not like the Sharks and does not value the Bay Area market. Maybe you can't blame him when the Sharks SCF only peaked (not average) at a 10 share in local TV ratings, but that is a different story.
WTFetus
Marlov
Agree with NWS, I see no issues with it. NHL wants to promote the new expansion team and Seattle makes for a good outdoor venue. They don't really have a rivalry with any team yet, so what better than to just make it a game against the two most recent expansion teams. It's not a slight against the Sharks or other California teams. It's just that this promotional opportunity was better.
You'd have an argument if it was another repeat of 2021 though with Vegas against a random team.
LadyStanley
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The Nemesis
Semper Tyrannus
This is getting old. There's no conspiracy.
# of outdoor games by franchise (total participation, not just hosting):
6 - Penguins, Blackhawks
5 - Bruins, Flyers
4 - Rangers, Red Wings, Canadiens, Maple Leafs
3 - Capitals, Kings, Sabres, Avalanche
2 - Senators, Blues, Flames, Oilers, Wild, Jets, Predators
1 - Ducks, Stars, Lightning, Devils, Islanders, Sharks, Canucks, Golden Knights (will play in 2024)
0 - Panthers, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Hurricanes (hosting this year), Kraken (hosting in 2024)
Would you look at that! 3 teams have never been in nor have plans to be in an outdoor game. 6 other teams have had 1 game just like the Sharks. The Sharks have hosted a game, but ones that haven't include New Jersey, Nashville, and Montreal haven't.
The teams that dominate the outdoor participation standings are the obvious choices, big markets with lots of name value, recognition, and mostly concentrated in the northeast.
This is not some conspiracy against the Sharks or agenda by Gary Bettman or anything of the sort. It's just a combination of the Sharks' geography, lack of natural rivals in a desirable outdoor stadium area, lack of leaguewide marquee recognition (I love Jumbo and Burns and Pavs and the like but they never moved the needle like Crosby or Ovechkin or even Patrick Kane), timing of the ebbs and flows of their standing in the league, and good old fashioned bad luck. I mean, come on. The freaking Lightning only have 1 outdoor game to their name in spite of their success and talent. But I don't see anyone going "ehrmagerd, conspiracer!" over it even though their omission seems significantly more galling than San Jose's.
Equating this to some sort of maliciousness feels less like rationality and more like a need to blame someone for an imagined intentional slight.
LadyStanley
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