SImpelton
Registered User
- Mar 1, 2018
- 602
- 742
It really is like saying that New York and Philadelphia are the same market. Only real difference is the lack of a state line between LA and SD.Anaheim and San Diego are close on a map, but they're entirely different markets and when there are competing sports they have seperate and unique fanbases. I honestly don't think San Diego being added to the NHL would in any way hamper the existing SoCal draws or that SD would be hurting drawing only from say south of San Clemente.
If there's really an interested party that wants to buy in is another matter. The rumored arena plan feels more like it's using the allure of NHL or NBA teams as a carrot to get support whereas in reality they'd be happy having it as a venue without a permanent pro tenant.
Ducks vs Gulls would be an interesting annoying water fowl rivalry, though. And San Diego would climb to the top of my road city that I most want to visit list. Just an insanely pleasant city.
You do realize that "all but impossible" admits that it is possible. Just extremely unlikely as it's rare for a cash strapped franchise to spend to the cap for multiple seasons.I mean there's a lot of "no true Scotsmen" type reasoning going on here.
I would definitely argue that the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes or the 2019 St Louis Blues were not doing great financially. If you say they don't count as "genuinely unhealthy" then what teams are - besides Arizona I guess?
Winning the cup is hard no matter what. But I think we've seen that as long as you aren't playing games just to get to the salary floor that any team has a shot at winning the cup, and that the wealthiest clubs (your NYRs, TMLs or Habs) have no better shot at it than anyone else.
If you can't consistently spend to the cap, which is my definition of an unhealthy franchise, then you're fighting uphill right from the start, and yes, it is all but impossible to win the Cup in that environment, against a bunch of other teams that have more resources to attract and keep talent.
This isn't a fallacy. It's just the facts of life for marginal teams. Pretty much nothing can go wrong for them or it's just over.