NHL is Finally Going to have Talks

[eddo31]

part of he problem here is that the nhl expanded into so many markets that cant support a team, that there just arent enough owners who can afford to own a team. if there were only 16 teams, or 20 teams, then the owners would be significantly more qualified to support teams, and there would also only be teams in legitimate hockey markets. and all of the expansion problems have been caused by the owners, because they have been greedy for the expansion fees that come with it.

the one good thing that someone like steinbrenner does, is he creates accountability. he spends so that he can win, and that is the ultimate purpose of sports: to win. other owners, like pohlad in minny, dont necessarily play to win, they play to make money, and for that reason their teams never quite get there. i know that steinbrenners actions alone do cause the averag esalaries to rise, but the effect isnt quite as dramatic as the have nots would like you to believe.

[Penguinfan]

You are exactly right and I agree with everything in that last post with the possible exception of the last part, I do think an owner or two here and there do price the smaller markets right out of business. The Pirates here in Pittsburgh are a good example of what you are talking about though. Owner Kevin McLatchey has no intention of putting a winning team on the field, only a profitable one, and that is very bad for everyone in MLB.

I also agree strongly that the NHL has too many teams, the state of Florida is a great example, no way they need 2 teams there.

[eddo31]

i kind of go back and forth on the issue of how owners should run their teams. owners like mcclatchey and pohlad run their teams like a business, and it is their right to do so, but it hurts them in the eyes of their fans. i agree that a couple of owners can ruin the whole situation, in either direction.

the only problem i have with most owners is that they made their own beds. they over-expanded, and they are the ones who sign the paychecks. i know that the market moves as a whole, and that there are situatons where small market owners get screwed, but for the most part owners are to blame for the bad contracts. it is often their own ego that makes them act the way that they do. take the a-rod contract for instance. texas was only bidding against themselves to get a-rod. boras told them that a-rod was worth 250 million over ten years, and thathe wouldnt take less. and even though no one else offered within 100 mil of that number, texas gave it to him! that i just one example, but i am sure there is one for every team like that. (manny for my sox, jason kendall for you, etc.)

[drewjax]

In most sports playoffs are far superior to regular season. this is most true for hockey. regular season hockey is, well, an afterthought. And I grew up in boston watching the Bruins and it sort of a religion (apologies to Geoff M. and Daniel N. et.al.) but playoff hockey is absolutely amazing. people who dont watch it are missing something, or are potentially missing something lol.
anyway, I think whatever they work out, they should definately cut down the # of teams, and maybe the # of reg. season games. the playoffs take 2 months as it is. but more importantly, hockey doesnt translate very well to television. that is one of the main reasons football has become what it is, it seems it was made for tv (of course the game of football is the best sports ever invented but..)
I think the NHL should really try to be innovative with the way they cover it. they try to shoot the action like a football game, it doesnt work well for those who arent die hard fans. Now i'm going to say this and i am sure i will get killed, but, i think that superpuck thing a few years back wasnt a terrible idea. they just overdid it. you dont need a big bright light, and a tail on it. cmon. but somethig to help follow the play. I also think the best thing they should do is to follow the action with a skycam type of system that some of the nfl action has. think about it. the puck stays at ice level all the time, you wouldnt have to worry about it interfering with play (just maybe the view of spectators?) They have these nets up now to protect the fans, there are some things already there to be able to start attaching thing like cables etc. to. If you could follow the action, in close to real time speed, and get more of a feel for the speed, and the sounds of the game, hockey would be able to succeed in the long run.

phew, i hope this makes sense.
opinions?????