So if you're not a hockey fan, how do you become one? Well convincing someone to become a hockey fan may be tougher than you think!!! We've got an ESPN hockey analyst that has now returned to the bench after a 13 year absence in Tampa. We've got the old Tampa coach trying his luck as a hockey analyst with TSN. Weird huh??? Let's take a closer look at this hockey team from Florida!!!
This Tampa team somehow received 1st pick overall in the draft which is supposed to be reserved for the worst team in the NHL. How was Tampa worst than Phoenix? Or Chicago? Or Los Angeles? Why don't we look at it this way...when was the last time Tampa won the Stanley Cup? Hmmm....2004...and they joined the league in the 1992-93 season. (Same season as the Senators if anyone's keeping count). Chicago is an Original Six team and they hold the distinction of being Stanley-free for the longest time...they last won it in 1961. Toronto last won it in 1967 but who really cares!!!
Phoenix used to be the Winnipeg Jets which joined the NHL during the 1979-80 season which also saw the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers come in from the WHA collapse. No Cup winners in Winnipeg (including Phoenix) but there were a few in Edmonton...I'm sure that even if you're not a hockey fan you may have heard of a man named Wayne Gretzky.
Quebec won it twice but they were the Colorado Avalanche when they won them and Hartford won it as the Hurricanes in 2006.
Los Angeles joined the league for the 1967-68 season...in case you haven't heard Toronto won its last Stanley Cup in 1967...when there were only 6 teams!!! Anyway, Los Angeles joined at the same time as the Minnesota North Stars, the California Golden Seals, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penquins, and the St. Louis Blues. Out of those additions the Flyers and the Penguins have won the Cup...Minnesota had to move to Dallas to win one.
So what am I getting at??? How is it that the rules of drafting 1st overall favour a team that has won the Cup in its first 12 years of existence? That Cup was won 4 years ago yet they somehow managed to stink up the place since then that they got the 1st overall pick...Steven Stamkos! How the heck did that happen??? Sure they had some bad goaltending but the fire-power was still there. How do they even get in the running with the likes of Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Chicago stinking up the win-loss column and not even sniffing a chance at the first overall pick? If I was a Chicago sports fan I'd be suicidal. I mean seriously...the Blackhawks, the Cubs, the Browns, the Bulls...at least the White Sox have a chance at doing some damage in October!
I'm guessing it may be pretty hard to get new fans on the NHL bandwagon especially in the States but I would imagine that if the rules were a little easier to understand then you might be able to pull more people into it. I know of some Canadian hockey fans that are having a hard enough time understanding how things work but Bettman doesn't really care about the Canadian fan base so our complaints fall on deaf ears. Strange eh???
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2 comments:
Rockpig dude, I must respectfully say you lost me on this one!!! You started off discussing winning over new hockey fans, then immediately set up a discussion of Tampa Bay which you go on to ignore and start listing teams' Stanley Cup records, then after making your point regarding the draft order you eventually wrap it up by discussing winning over fans again?
As to your point regarding the draft, the idea of the draft is to strengthen the weaker teams to make for a competitive league. The only objective way to evaluate team strength is through the season standings.
Continually giving the higher picks to teams who haven't won the cup in ages is not the answer...this is not Stittsville House 'A'! Organizations are supposed to build championship teams within the rules and using the mechanisms provided (such as the draft), not be handed a championship because they've been crappy for years. Besides, you could give those knuckleheads in Toronto the first, second, third and fourth pick of the draft every year and they'd still find a way to mess things up.
If you want every city to feel like champions perhaps every team should be awarded a big shiny silver cup each year that has "Participant" etched on it.
Keep the blogs coming RP!!
I appreciate the feedback SWM...I'll try and stay on track next time.
CHEERS!!!
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