The Official: 2010 Offseason Thread

[SportsWorld]

NHL gives the Devils a huge break.

[ajaX82]

damn. didnt think the NHL had the balls

[Nolan]

damn. didnt think the NHL had the balls

Same. But i'm glad they did, a 17 year contract is just idiotic. Really its the NHL's own fault for not setting limits on the lenght of contracts.

[timd1218]

I like Bettman as the commissioner of the league. He had the stones to stop the league for over a year to get a cap in place and now he has the stones to stop this crap before it gets out of hand.

[WEFFPIM]

I like Bettman as the commissioner of the league. He had the stones to stop the league for over a year to get a cap in place and now he has the stones to stop this crap before it gets out of hand.

Yep. I think Bettman gets a lot of unwarranted criticism while David Stern eludes criticism he should be getting. Say what you want about the lockout and the TV contract, but one could argue the NHL hasn't been this good in decades.

And God forbid a commissioner try and make teams work in the markets they're currently in.

[Mr Swagtastic]

Wow sucks to be a New Jersey fan now. Can anybody tell me how this is different between the Franzen, Zetterberg or Hossa deals?

I wonder who Ilya is going to sign with now? My bet is with the Kings he and Anze would be sick to watch both are 30-40 goal scorers I would be like having Heatley and Ilya all over again.

[WEFFPIM]

Can't he still sign with New Jersey, just a different contract?

[timd1218]

I like Bettman as the commissioner of the league. He had the stones to stop the league for over a year to get a cap in place and now he has the stones to stop this crap before it gets out of hand.

Yep. I think Bettman gets a lot of unwarranted criticism while David Stern eludes criticism he should be getting. Say what you want about the lockout and the TV contract, but one could argue the NHL hasn't been this good in decades.

And God forbid a commissioner try and make teams work in the markets they're currently in.

Yeah and with the TV contract, I'm glad he told ESPN to shove it up there *ss. Versus is getting bigger every year and with the massive success of the Winter Classic, the league is only going to get stronger.

The NHL was at its strongest in the early to mid 90's. I think the NHL hit its peak when the Rangers won the Cup in 94. I still remember the SI article saying Why the NHL's hot and the NBAs not. Had Bure getting stopped by Richter on the Penalty Shot.

[timd1218]

Wow sucks to be a New Jersey fan now. Can anybody tell me how this is different between the Franzen, Zetterberg or Hossa deals?

I wonder who Ilya is going to sign with now? My bet is with the Kings he and Anze would be sick to watch both are 30-40 goal scorers I would be like having Heatley and Ilya all over again.

It is different because Kovalchuk's contract ends when he is 44 years old. The others end when they are 40 years old. There are players currently in the NHL playing at the age of 39 and 40 and being successful.

Kovalchuk will not be playing when he is 44 years old. There are currently no players in the NHL that are successful at the age and there are a few ever in the game who were successful at that age.

And you also have Lou L saying this type of contract should not be allowed in the CBA and the NHL has a pretty good reason to void. He basically stated it was a joke of a contract.

[hsb]

Whatever happens with the contract, the NHL has an example of what they want to change in the next CBA. A radio host mentioned the possibility of NJ ownership and the league office working together on this one, but I'm not to sure how well orchestrated these matters can be.

I agree that the NHL's hay day were the 90's or Edmonton/Gretzky years. But I say the same thing about all sports league. Sports are more enjoyable as a kid. Either way Bettman and co. are not going to get much positives from me until they make the process of moving team into Canada easier. Imagine replacing league revenue from Phoenix with that of a team in Hamilton.

[WEFFPIM]

Gary Bettman has made it explicitly clear that the game needs to grow in the US. It's why he's keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix. It's why he's adamant in keeping the Panthers in Miami, the Lightning in Tampa and the Thrashers in Atlanta. And if those teams do have to move, it's why he'll look to Kansas City or Las Vegas before he looks north of the border. Canada has the hockey craving, but the US has more money, more exposure and more people.

And Hamilton would be just a terrible spot to relocate.

[sh00n]

Hamilton would be horrible, but Winnipeg needs another team and after that Quebec's probably next on the list. Personally, I could care less if the NoDicks come back, but they would generate a helluva lot more cash than the Thrashers, Panthers and Coyotes are (not) making.

[hsb]

Why do you think Hamilton would be horrible? There is a reasonable argument for a team there, regardless of how one feels when comparing the situation with others.

I wanted to say Toronto instead of Hamilton though, but I have a hunch MLSE would do what they can to stop that from happening. Even if the economics to make it work would grand, the market is big enough. But I can see the league's offices agreeing to whatever the Leafs ownership request. (On a side, I wouldn't be surprised if Mississauga pushes for a team many, many years from now. That city is growing smoothly and will want to be a big player in entertainment).

I don't know enough about the situation to estimate the affect all this would be to the Buffalo market though.

Regardless, even considering the desire in 'growing' the sport south of the border, inhibiting the movement of Phoenix to a stronger (Winnipeg/Quebec/KC?) city is wasting time. It would strengthen the league more than whatever Phoenix's value has when discussion the next American TV contract.

[trwi7]

Not sure about Winnipeg. The whole province of Manitoba has a little over one million people and Winnipeg has a metro area of around 750,000. That would be by far the smallest market in the NHL. Even Buffalo has a metro area about the size of the entire province of Manitoba.

It could work, but that's an awfully small market. Would they support the team if they aren't doing well?

I can only find the average attendance for the Jets and the NHL from their last seven seasons, but they were below the average NHL attendance each of those seven seasons and averaged only 12,872 per game in those seven seasons.

Granted those teams were ranging from bad to mediocre at best, but how many teams in the NHL are consistent winners?

[WEFFPIM]

Why do you think Hamilton would be horrible? There is a reasonable argument for a team there, regardless of how one feels when comparing the situation with others.

Would have the smallest population of any NHL market with an old arena with no luxury boxes and one of the smallest capacities in the league. Not to mention it would jump into both Toronto's and Buffalo's fan bases, and both teams have said they don't want a team there.

[sh00n]

Why do you think Hamilton would be horrible? There is a reasonable argument for a team there, regardless of how one feels when comparing the situation with others.

It would jump in Buffalo's market, the arena is in pretty bad shape and I think as a whole it would fail being so close to Toronto's market.

Even with the team being bad, Jet's fans didn't want them to leave and have been begging to have them back ever since. They'd be a small market, but they would probably be one of the most loyal and dedicated if they got their team back.

[trwi7]

Of course the fans didn't want them to leave, but the attendance was among the worst if not the worst in the NHL for years before they left. I don't think they can support their team. Too small of a metro area and the closest cities to Winnipeg are Regina, Saskatoon, Minneapolis and Bismarck. Bismarck has a metro population of under 100,000 and is 7 hours away, Regina and Saskatoon are 7 hours away and about the same distance for Calgary and Edmonton and Minneapolis is 8 hours away and they already have a team to cheer for. I just don't see Winnipeg working.

If you want to move a team, move it to Kansas City. They desperately want another pro sports team, they have a new arena to play in, they have 2 million in their metro area and they're within three hours of Wichita, Topeka, Lincoln and Omaha.

[sh00n]

If Bettman is still insistent on the US, then Kansas City is the ideal spot. In Canada, it would have to be Winnipeg or Quebec, though. I still see a ton of NoDick hats and jerseys whenever I'm downtown to this day.

[Nolan]

Of course the fans didn't want them to leave, but the attendance was among the worst if not the worst in the NHL for years before they left. I don't think they can support their team. Too small of a metro area and the closest cities to Winnipeg are Regina, Saskatoon, Minneapolis and Bismarck. Bismarck has a metro population of under 100,000 and is 7 hours away, Regina and Saskatoon are 7 hours away and about the same distance for Calgary and Edmonton and Minneapolis is 8 hours away and they already have a team to cheer for. I just don't see Winnipeg working.

If you want to move a team, move it to Kansas City. They desperately want another pro sports team, they have a new arena to play in, they have 2 million in their metro area and they're within three hours of Wichita, Topeka, Lincoln and Omaha.

But the fan base really isn't there in Kansas City, whereas in Winnipeg you have an already hockey crazy city.

[hsb]

Why do you think Hamilton would be horrible? There is a reasonable argument for a team there, regardless of how one feels when comparing the situation with others.

Would have the smallest population of any NHL market with an old arena with no luxury boxes and one of the smallest capacities in the league. Not to mention it would jump into both Toronto's and Buffalo's fan bases, and both teams have said they don't want a team there.

Population is never an issue. The surrounding hockey market is one of the strongest in the league.

While Hamilton’s metro population is slightly less than 750,000 this year – smaller than Winnipeg or Quebec City – the actual market grows to about 3.2 million when the municipalities within 80 kilometres of Copps Coliseum are added in.

Copps can be updated. It would be pricey however. But put the situation this way, relative to Phoenix; sales in general, average ticket prices and sponsorships would be more substantial. No need to give away tickets so an audience can see the sold advertising. The Canadian TV contract would be even more pricer.

Hamilton 'jumping' into the Leafs market is laughable. Considering the Toronto market can handle two teams quite easily. I personally want two teams in the General Toronto Area. It would be the best place to have another team. But the effect on Buffalo's team is not something I can estimate.

As soon as Toronto says, `We want a team in Hamilton,’ all 30 members of the board will say, ‘Yeah, it’s there.’”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/h ... le1630834/

The article doesn't mention it exactly, but this is probably dependant on the MLSE breaking ground and accepting something that should have happened decades ago; having another team in Southern Ontario.