Release the Kraken!

[RonMexico915]

So what is the NHL going to do with its divisions? Move the Coyotes to the Central? Most of the season, Phoenix would be in the Mountain Time Zone like Colorado, but would be in the Pacific for some of it.

The Coyotes likely are moved to Houston at some point anyway. Which I hope doesnt happen because Arizona is like a 2nd home for me.

That's always a possibility. Hockey would be more popular in Arizona if the Yotes didn't suck so often. I think being in Glendale hurts a bit too, but fans are tired of perennial losers.

[Cactus Jack]

So what is the NHL going to do with its divisions? Move the Coyotes to the Central? Most of the season, Phoenix would be in the Mountain Time Zone like Colorado, but would be in the Pacific for some of it.

The Coyotes likely are moved to Houston at some point anyway. Which I hope doesnt happen because Arizona is like a 2nd home for me.

That's always a possibility. Hockey would be more popular in Arizona if the Yotes didn't suck so often. I think being in Glendale hurts a bit too, but fans are tired of perennial losers.

Phoenix is a fairweather city with a ton of transplants. People support winners. The Yotes, Suns & Dbacks struggle with attendance because of it. Your right about Glendale too. I was down there in December for the Fiesta Bowl. The arena is half empty on most nights.

[Otis Driftwood]

It's all about markets. Seattle is a new, big market, and those Quebecers are already watching anyway.

Seattle/NorthWest really is the last untapped market in the States. I never was a fan of hockey growing up precisely because Seattle never had an NHL team. Like alot of others, I just didnt give a **** about the sport because of it. That's all gonna change now. Without an NBA team & no other Winter sport in town, hockey I feel is going to blow up. It's gonna be huge.

My best friend in the Air Force (RIP) was from Maine and was a huge Bruins fan. He told me then (late 70's) that if I ever got a hockey team to root for I would fall in love with the game as much as I do football. He clearly knew me enough as a sports fan to understand my support of local teams that I would take the time to learn the sport and understand the history. That's exactly what happened to me when the Stars moved here. I don't pretend I'm an expert (Icing confused me for years) but I'm open to learning intricacies that make me a better fan and appreciate the sport even more. Hockey is a great game. And even though it was the 90's before I learned that, I'm so glad I did.

[Cactus Jack]

It's all about markets. Seattle is a new, big market, and those Quebecers are already watching anyway.

Seattle/NorthWest really is the last untapped market in the States. I never was a fan of hockey growing up precisely because Seattle never had an NHL team. Like alot of others, I just didnt give a **** about the sport because of it. That's all gonna change now. Without an NBA team & no other Winter sport in town, hockey I feel is going to blow up. It's gonna be huge.

My best friend in the Air Force (RIP) was from Maine and was a huge Bruins fan. He told me then (late 70's) that if I ever got a hockey team to root for I would fall in love with the game as much as I do football. He clearly knew me enough as a sports fan to understand my support of local teams that I would take the time to learn the sport and understand the history. That's exactly what happened to me when the Stars moved here. I don't pretend I'm an expert (Icing confused me for years) but I'm open to learning intricacies that make me a better fan and appreciate the sport even more. Hockey is a great game. And even though it was the 90's before I learned that, I'm so glad I did.

You stole the North Stars from Minnesota, man. Awful. Just awful...

[Otis Driftwood]

Seattle/NorthWest really is the last untapped market in the States. I never was a fan of hockey growing up precisely because Seattle never had an NHL team. Like alot of others, I just didnt give a **** about the sport because of it. That's all gonna change now. Without an NBA team & no other Winter sport in town, hockey I feel is going to blow up. It's gonna be huge.

My best friend in the Air Force (RIP) was from Maine and was a huge Bruins fan. He told me then (late 70's) that if I ever got a hockey team to root for I would fall in love with the game as much as I do football. He clearly knew me enough as a sports fan to understand my support of local teams that I would take the time to learn the sport and understand the history. That's exactly what happened to me when the Stars moved here. I don't pretend I'm an expert (Icing confused me for years) but I'm open to learning intricacies that make me a better fan and appreciate the sport even more. Hockey is a great game. And even though it was the 90's before I learned that, I'm so glad I did.

You stole the North Stars from Minnesota, man. Awful. Just awful...

Yeah.




Really too bad.





I feel awful.





OK. I don't.

[Cactus Jack]

Season Ticket Drive starts March 1st!

https://www.nhlseattle.com/

[Scott Hall]

My best friend in the Air Force (RIP) was from Maine and was a huge Bruins fan. He told me then (late 70's) that if I ever got a hockey team to root for I would fall in love with the game as much as I do football. He clearly knew me enough as a sports fan to understand my support of local teams that I would take the time to learn the sport and understand the history. That's exactly what happened to me when the Stars moved here. I don't pretend I'm an expert (Icing confused me for years) but I'm open to learning intricacies that make me a better fan and appreciate the sport even more. Hockey is a great game. And even though it was the 90's before I learned that, I'm so glad I did.

You stole the North Stars from Minnesota, man. Awful. Just awful...

Yeah.




Really too bad.





I feel awful.





OK. I don't.

With this big Dallas Mavericks sex scandal do you think the locals might start supporting the Dallas Stars
a bit more?

[Otis Driftwood]

You stole the North Stars from Minnesota, man. Awful. Just awful...

Yeah.




Really too bad.





I feel awful.





OK. I don't.

With this big Dallas Mavericks sex scandal do you think the locals might start supporting the Dallas Stars
a bit more?

Not if the Stars don’t quit losing to these damn West Coast teams...

But honestly - Dallas fans are fickle. They will jump on a hot hand in a hurry when they see one. I believe the term I’m searching for is “Bandwagon”...

I see this more like the 1997 period when you had a sense there was something brewing with the Stars... and when Ledyard fell, Marchand scored and there was a feeling of “Damn!” It built up the next year to the empty feeling in Game 6 of the WCF when the Wings played keep away the entire 3rd period and by the time they made it to the finals in 1999, the city and sports fans were solidly behind them.

Yes... I do believe there will be some residual impacts from the overall situation with the Mavs (how Cuban handles this thing will go a long way in determining that although their record has a little more impact) along with the Rangers in unofficial rebuild mode. Dallas loves a winner. And if they think that winner has a shot at the big prize, they will jump on the bus in a hurry.

And - I’ll be happy to drive that bus... as well as explaining Icing to them.

[Otis Driftwood]

With this big Dallas Mavericks sex scandal do you think the locals might start supporting the Dallas Stars
a bit more?

We have San Jose's ECHL affiliate 40 minutes from here (Allen Americans). A few years ago, I took my grandsons to an Allen game. Next game, I took my grandsons and some of their HS Football teammates. The Breast Cancer support group my wife (5 1/2 year survivor) and I are associated with is a part of Allen's annual Breast Cancer Awareness games (my wife got to ride the Zamboni at one game - pretty cool...) and my grandsons and their buddies all went. We all went to Game 7 in 2015 when they won their third consecutive league championship (2 in the CHL prior to moving to the ECHL). The boys have fallen in love with the game and to a man they all said they would have played hockey were it available to them (which in a town of 600 isn't the case).

That's where the growth will come from in the end. If the Stars get back into the playoffs and have success, those young men will be hooked for life - just like I was after the 1997 season when I sat at the foot of the bed staring at the TV for 30 minutes after Game 7 between the Stars and Oilers. And they will spread the word to their friends and teammates.

It is a great game.

[Scott Hall]

With this big Dallas Mavericks sex scandal do you think the locals might start supporting the Dallas Stars
a bit more?

We have San Jose's ECHL affiliate 40 minutes from here (Allen Americans). A few years ago, I took my grandsons to an Allen game. Next game, I took my grandsons and some of their HS Football teammates. The Breast Cancer support group my wife (5 1/2 year survivor) and I are associated with is a part of Allen's annual Breast Cancer Awareness games (my wife got to ride the Zamboni at one game - pretty cool...) and my grandsons and their buddies all went. We all went to Game 7 in 2015 when they won their third consecutive league championship (2 in the CHL prior to moving to the ECHL). The boys have fallen in love with the game and to a man they all said they would have played hockey were it available to them (which in a town of 600 isn't the case).

That's where the growth will come from in the end. If the Stars get back into the playoffs and have success, those young men will be hooked for life - just like I was after the 1997 season when I sat at the foot of the bed staring at the TV for 30 minutes after Game 7 between the Stars and Oilers. And they will spread the word to their friends and teammates.

It is a great game.

The Oilers vs. Stars series of the late 90's was the best hockey I've EVER seen. I'm not a fan of either team obviously
although I've had affairs with the Oilers as my Western Conference team periodically (lol) but if I was to show a non
Hockey fan a series to get them interested I'd show them the Oilers vs. Stars series. I saw it on ESPN Classics a few
years ago and it still holds up. God I miss 90's hockey and hate how there's next to no checking or fighting in todays game.

That's great that you've passed/shared your interest/passion for the game to others and your family. It must irk you
to hear other Americans say "Nobody cares about hockey here" etc.

The game seems to do well regionally but not nationally and I don't get it... I don't get why the TV ratings are that bad?

I should say I did lose a lot of interest in the 2000's to early 20teens... There was a severe talent shortage after the
Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, Sakic, Modano, Roy, Coffey, Francis, Hawerchuk etc etc era retired, the 2 lockouts,
the changing of the point system, shoot outs, division realignment, home teams wearing dark sweaters at home etc
really bothered me...

But the Stanley Cup Playoffs always sucked me in and they ALWAYS delivered every frigging year. The NHL "may" have the
most boring regular season but man it goes from worst to first every playoffs.

I'm not American so I don't know why the Sport doesn't get more attention and not much media spotlight other then
a lot of hockey players have boring personalities and don't cause much drama but I'm curious to what American hockey
fans think the biggest problems are?

Also Otis I saw you retweeted by Tim Cowlishaw today haha

[Cactus Jack]

The game seems to do well regionally but not nationally and I don't get it... I don't get why the TV ratings are that bad?

...I'm not American so I don't know why the Sport doesn't get more attention and not much media spotlight other then
a lot of hockey players have boring personalities and don't cause much drama but I'm curious to what American hockey
fans think the biggest problems are?

The biggest issue for ratings (in the U.S.) is because the NHL hasn't partnered with ESPN (Huge Fail on the part of Bettman & the NHL). Which is by far the biggest sports network in the States. ESPN broadcasts Football, Basketball, Baseball and MLS. No NHL coverage. This is a huge reason why Hockey is last in popularity among the major leagues. Hockey just has less exposure nationally than the other sports in this country.

[Scott Hall]

The game seems to do well regionally but not nationally and I don't get it... I don't get why the TV ratings are that bad?

...I'm not American so I don't know why the Sport doesn't get more attention and not much media spotlight other then
a lot of hockey players have boring personalities and don't cause much drama but I'm curious to what American hockey
fans think the biggest problems are?

The biggest issue for ratings (in the U.S.) is because the NHL hasn't partnered with ESPN (Huge Fail on the part of Bettman & the NHL). Which is by far the biggest sports network in the States. ESPN broadcasts Football, Basketball, Baseball and MLS. No NHL coverage. This is a huge reason why Hockey is last in popularity among the big 4 leagues. Hockey just has less exposure nationally than the other sports in this country.

Didn't ESPN have a deal with the NHL in the 90's and early 2000's? Weren't they still considered a distant 4th and
were they talked about much on their other sports shows? It's really lame that ESPN is a sports network and decides
to just completely ignore the league just because they don't have the TV rights.

When I go on Fox Sports webiste NHL is also ignored pretty bad

[Cactus Jack]

The game seems to do well regionally but not nationally and I don't get it... I don't get why the TV ratings are that bad?

...I'm not American so I don't know why the Sport doesn't get more attention and not much media spotlight other then
a lot of hockey players have boring personalities and don't cause much drama but I'm curious to what American hockey
fans think the biggest problems are?

The biggest issue for ratings (in the U.S.) is because the NHL hasn't partnered with ESPN (Huge Fail on the part of Bettman & the NHL). Which is by far the biggest sports network in the States. ESPN broadcasts Football, Basketball, Baseball and MLS. No NHL coverage. This is a huge reason why Hockey is last in popularity among the big 4 leagues. Hockey just has less exposure nationally than the other sports in this country.

Didn't ESPN have a deal with the NHL in the 90's and early 2000's? Weren't they still considered a distant 4th and
were they talked about much on their other sports shows? It's really lame that ESPN is a sports network and decides
to just completely ignore the league just because they don't have the TV rights.

When I go on Fox Sports webiste NHL is also ignored pretty bad

NBC owns the rights to the NHL. Fox & Espn do not.

[Scott Hall]

The biggest issue for ratings (in the U.S.) is because the NHL hasn't partnered with ESPN (Huge Fail on the part of Bettman & the NHL). Which is by far the biggest sports network in the States. ESPN broadcasts Football, Basketball, Baseball and MLS. No NHL coverage. This is a huge reason why Hockey is last in popularity among the big 4 leagues. Hockey just has less exposure nationally than the other sports in this country.

Didn't ESPN have a deal with the NHL in the 90's and early 2000's? Weren't they still considered a distant 4th and
were they talked about much on their other sports shows? It's really lame that ESPN is a sports network and decides
to just completely ignore the league just because they don't have the TV rights.

When I go on Fox Sports webiste NHL is also ignored pretty bad

NBC owns the rights to the NHL. Fox & Espn do not.

I know that it's just really silly and childish for Sports Networks to ignore a sport because they don't have
the TV rights they're also supposed to be major sports "news" networks.

Anyways are you from Seattle? Are you an NHL fan already?

[Cactus Jack]

The game seems to do well regionally but not nationally and I don't get it... I don't get why the TV ratings are that bad?

...I'm not American so I don't know why the Sport doesn't get more attention and not much media spotlight other then
a lot of hockey players have boring personalities and don't cause much drama but I'm curious to what American hockey
fans think the biggest problems are?

The biggest issue for ratings (in the U.S.) is because the NHL hasn't partnered with ESPN (Huge Fail on the part of Bettman & the NHL). Which is by far the biggest sports network in the States. ESPN broadcasts Football, Basketball, Baseball and MLS. No NHL coverage. This is a huge reason why Hockey is last in popularity among the big 4 leagues. Hockey just has less exposure nationally than the other sports in this country.

Didn't ESPN have a deal with the NHL in the 90's and early 2000's? Weren't they still considered a distant 4th and
were they talked about much on their other sports shows? It's really lame that ESPN is a sports network and decides
to just completely ignore the league just because they don't have the TV rights.

When I go on Fox Sports webiste NHL is also ignored pretty bad

Both ESPN & Fox talk pretty extensively Football & Basketball year round, because those two sports typically have the highest ratings.

[Cactus Jack]

Anyways are you from Seattle? Are you an NHL fan already?

Yes, I live in the Seattle Area.

I'm a casual fan if I'm being completely honest. Still trying to fully pick up the sport lol.

[Cactus Jack]

Marketing is also a big reason hockey is behind. The NBA & NFL do a great job of marketing their stars through the media. The NHL isn't popular in America because it isn't marketed to Americans. Sydney Crosby is Canadian. American Hockey needs a transcendant American star for it to take off imo.

Plus, kids don't play hockey in warmer climates, for the most part. There are little to no ice rinks in most places. Especially the further south you go.

[Scott Hall]

Anyways are you from Seattle? Are you an NHL fan already?

Yes, I live in the Seattle Area.

I'm a casual fan if I'm being completely honest. Still trying to fully pick up the sport lol.

Is it because Seattle had an NFL, MLB and NBA Team (at the time) that you weren't an NHL fan because
it was the only sport missing in the city?

Hockey is a really easy sport to understand not to complicated...

Now that Seattle is a lock to be in the league in a couple years in the Pacific division are you jumping the
gun and scouting the other teams and competition learning your future rivals?

I completely agree the NHL has done a poor job of marketing itself they have so many old dinosaurs working
in the league office I'd totally work for them for free as I'd love the challenge.

As for the warmer climates cities they should totally be exposed to "street hockey" all you need is a Tennis Ball
a couple of nets and some hockey sticks and a bunch of guys can play on the streets of your neighborhood or
a local gym.

Even Roller Blade hockey on streets or a gym if you want the skating aspect will work.

I never played Ice Hockey but as a kid "Street Hockey" was one of if not the most fun sport I played and if it was
winter and there was snow on the ground we'd allow checking because if you leveled a guy he'd be safe landing in
the snow lol

[Cactus Jack]

Anyways are you from Seattle? Are you an NHL fan already?

Yes, I live in the Seattle Area.

I'm a casual fan if I'm being completely honest. Still trying to fully pick up the sport lol.

Is it because Seattle had an NFL, MLB and NBA Team (at the time) that you weren't an NHL fan because
it was the only sport missing in the city?

Hockey is a really easy sport to understand not to complicated...

Yes, without an NHL team, hockey has just never been as popular as it could be in Seattle & the NorthWest. Growing up my first love was basketball. I loved the Sonics. I went to alot of UW Football games as a kid as well. So, that also sparked my love for Football. People need to experience Hockey for it to grow.

[Cactus Jack]

Now that Seattle is a lock to be in the league in a couple years in the Pacific division are you jumping the
gun and scouting the other teams and competition learning your future rivals?

A few years back, I actually went to a Coyotes game in Arizona. My first NHL game. It was pretty cool. The atmosphere kinda blew me away. I honestly don't watch a ton of hockey on tv. I definitely will check out the playoffs tho.