2011-12 NHL Playoffs LD
- Thread starter It's Damn Real!
- Start date
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
One more win and the Rangers will be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since Wayne Gretzky was still in the NHL!
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
At it again.
How the hell did Bryzgalov get so bad so fast? He used to be a pretty good goalie, and I thought when the Flyers signed him, it was a smart move. But he's been horrible this post season.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
Fair enough, but my point is still the same. He was a pretty good goalie in his Anaheim and Phoenix days, and he was a sensible signing at the time. Now all of a sudden he's a sieve.
A pretty easy series win for the Devils. I'm surprised at how easily the Flyers beat the Penguins, yet were handled so easily by the Devils.
Could be interesting as well, seeing the Devils, as the number 6 seed, having home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference against the Capitals.
Could be interesting as well, seeing the Devils, as the number 6 seed, having home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference against the Capitals.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
Sorry... I tried to read that, but all I saw was "Boston Bruins, bro. Ottawa Senators, bro."
Funny... I see neither!
Funny... I see neither!
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
As well it should. Fuck the Devils and their fan.
...yes, that was intentional.
They're a fuckin' fledgling franchise on the brink of bankruptcy because no one gives a shit about them despite their 'success' over the years. People love to talk about how poor of a decision it was to put hockey teams in South Florida, Phoenix and Nashville, yet everyone conveniently seems to forget that the Devils are a stones throw away from franchise bankruptcy because of how fucking poorly they draw.
...yes, that was intentional.
They're a fuckin' fledgling franchise on the brink of bankruptcy because no one gives a shit about them despite their 'success' over the years. People love to talk about how poor of a decision it was to put hockey teams in South Florida, Phoenix and Nashville, yet everyone conveniently seems to forget that the Devils are a stones throw away from franchise bankruptcy because of how fucking poorly they draw.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/smooth_skating_3zfYayAfJUcX6C2c1ZXKvJ
--
So yeah... fuck that fledgling, floundering excuse of a franchise.
--
So yeah... fuck that fledgling, floundering excuse of a franchise.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
Not surprised is all I can say.
They were a shit franchise from the start, and the decision to put TWO franchises within 30 miles of one of the NHL's richest was a poor decision from the start. It's why you don't see teams in Hamilton, London, etc. despite the claims that the "population" can support it. It's also why there isn't a second team in Minnesota.
They were a shit franchise from the start, and the decision to put TWO franchises within 30 miles of one of the NHL's richest was a poor decision from the start. It's why you don't see teams in Hamilton, London, etc. despite the claims that the "population" can support it. It's also why there isn't a second team in Minnesota.
klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Gee maybe having three teams in New York (for all intents and purposes) is a bad idea. They've needed to contract a few teams for a long time now.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
Contraction is the easy way out, but it leaves a black stain on the league for admitting a monumental mistake (or mistakes).
Fact is, proper ownership and geographical location (in terms of population density, proximity to rival teams, projected economic growth, etc.) are the most important aspects to keeping all 30 teams in the NHL. There's no reason they can't sustain what they have or even expand again at some point if the RIGHT decisions are made.
Phoenix, for example, has all the tools to succeed — they simply moved into a market and failed to succeed early enough in the franchise history to convince fans in Arizona to care, which coupled with the collapse of the local Phoenix market lead to fans simply asserting the same rhetoric about it being an "untraditional" or "non-hockey" market. Yet Nashville, faced with the same bankruptcy issues (as well ast he ol' Boots Del Baggio scandal) has managed to go from the threat of relocation (Jim Balsilie/RIM Group) to one of the most popular teams in the league despite their geographical location being in one of those "non-hockey" markets.
The teams that struggle most aren't always the ones who lose most. Losing breeds financial drain, but a failure to properly place a club can be a huge, huge factor into feeding those losses, which is exactly what you are seeing with the Devils and Islanders right now, despite the success of Jersey's clubs over the years.
Fact is, proper ownership and geographical location (in terms of population density, proximity to rival teams, projected economic growth, etc.) are the most important aspects to keeping all 30 teams in the NHL. There's no reason they can't sustain what they have or even expand again at some point if the RIGHT decisions are made.
Phoenix, for example, has all the tools to succeed — they simply moved into a market and failed to succeed early enough in the franchise history to convince fans in Arizona to care, which coupled with the collapse of the local Phoenix market lead to fans simply asserting the same rhetoric about it being an "untraditional" or "non-hockey" market. Yet Nashville, faced with the same bankruptcy issues (as well ast he ol' Boots Del Baggio scandal) has managed to go from the threat of relocation (Jim Balsilie/RIM Group) to one of the most popular teams in the league despite their geographical location being in one of those "non-hockey" markets.
The teams that struggle most aren't always the ones who lose most. Losing breeds financial drain, but a failure to properly place a club can be a huge, huge factor into feeding those losses, which is exactly what you are seeing with the Devils and Islanders right now, despite the success of Jersey's clubs over the years.
Lowdown
Ooh baby I like it roooaaaaw!
I hear what you're saying IDR. But was that the same thing that happened with Atlanta? Hell I was surprised when my boy told me the Flames were originally there, and they just recently lost the Thrashers. Plus, despite they're history of disappointment in the playoffs, the Kings seemed to maintain a good fanbase through the years. Yet they put the Ducks in Anaheim, which is roughly 30 miles from where the Kings play. You would think they would've put them in Minnesota or Phoenix when they came in.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
The Thrashers were a mistake because the NHL decided to give a city that ALREADY LOST a franchise another franchise... that it ultimately lost a second time.
--
Let me be clear, though. This is not as simple as proximity. It's a multitude of factors. Proximity is just ONE of the first warning signs applied.
With the Ducks in Anaheim, the NHL was capitalizing on a market that had already been primed by the Mighty Ducks movies — no joke. Under any other circumstances, that experiment never would have gotten off the ground considering how much of a struggle it was to get LA on the map to begin with prior to the Gretzky trade.
My point is that if you're going to expand, it's ALWAYS safest to put the team OUT of the proximity of an already existing market. In fact, the CBA specifically allows teams to REJECT the placement of a club if it infringes on their territory for this very reason.
Phoenix, at the time of the expansion, was (I believe) the 4th fastest growing city in the entire United States. The NHL had the right idea. They just happened to put a really poor franchise in place, and it's taken them too long to establish a winning culture, which is what puts asses in seats more than anything. This is EXACTLY why they are the subject of relocation talks so often.
Two things put asses in seats more than anything:
1. Winning
2. Stars
When you are an untraditional market (or one that's over exposed, like Montréal, Toronto, etc.), signing free agents is difficult, which makes getting stars in place to sell tickets VERY difficult, so teams that face these issues HAVE to build a team properly in order to establish a winning culture. There is no better example of this than the Nashville Predators, and soon to be Florida Panthers.
--
Let me be clear, though. This is not as simple as proximity. It's a multitude of factors. Proximity is just ONE of the first warning signs applied.
With the Ducks in Anaheim, the NHL was capitalizing on a market that had already been primed by the Mighty Ducks movies — no joke. Under any other circumstances, that experiment never would have gotten off the ground considering how much of a struggle it was to get LA on the map to begin with prior to the Gretzky trade.
My point is that if you're going to expand, it's ALWAYS safest to put the team OUT of the proximity of an already existing market. In fact, the CBA specifically allows teams to REJECT the placement of a club if it infringes on their territory for this very reason.
Phoenix, at the time of the expansion, was (I believe) the 4th fastest growing city in the entire United States. The NHL had the right idea. They just happened to put a really poor franchise in place, and it's taken them too long to establish a winning culture, which is what puts asses in seats more than anything. This is EXACTLY why they are the subject of relocation talks so often.
Two things put asses in seats more than anything:
1. Winning
2. Stars
When you are an untraditional market (or one that's over exposed, like Montréal, Toronto, etc.), signing free agents is difficult, which makes getting stars in place to sell tickets VERY difficult, so teams that face these issues HAVE to build a team properly in order to establish a winning culture. There is no better example of this than the Nashville Predators, and soon to be Florida Panthers.
Lowdown
Ooh baby I like it roooaaaaw!
I see. I agree that the Kings became the darling of the league when Gretzky came to LA back in the day. They had a decent following before hand with the Miracle and such but Gretzky made them more a contender. But the fan base maintained after he left, at least that's what I was told. Like what little I do know about the history of franchises or hockey in general, I usually question the cities they're in. I holla at the homie about why the Whalers moved to Carolina, the Stars going from Minnesota to Dallas, and so forth. But I guess an already established winning team would draw interest from spectators that has never had the sport in their region. Luckily the Kings were in LA for a while before I came along.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
Gretzky made them relevant, dude. It's one of the most important trades in NHL history, because it completely validated and solidified the 1967 NHL expansion program.
The NHL had a ton of doubt that California could ever become a viable market, but 40+ years later and it's one of it's most profitable, and one of the fastest rising markets for youth hockey in the nation, and the NHL has Wayne Gretzky to thank for that above all else and all other markers. That market is so saturated with a youth presence, and has been now, that even players are hitting the drafts like crazy coming from California and other otherwise "untraditional" markets.
The Whalers moved because the city of Hartford could not sustain the financial obligations required to keep the franchise. Small market, no money, lack of stars = ticking time bomb.
The NHL had a ton of doubt that California could ever become a viable market, but 40+ years later and it's one of it's most profitable, and one of the fastest rising markets for youth hockey in the nation, and the NHL has Wayne Gretzky to thank for that above all else and all other markers. That market is so saturated with a youth presence, and has been now, that even players are hitting the drafts like crazy coming from California and other otherwise "untraditional" markets.
The Whalers moved because the city of Hartford could not sustain the financial obligations required to keep the franchise. Small market, no money, lack of stars = ticking time bomb.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
Good young player. Great speed, decent hands.
He's charged the Richards/Gáborík duo most of the season with his ability to get in on the forecheck and add that untraditional element to the Rangers' top-6.
He's charged the Richards/Gáborík duo most of the season with his ability to get in on the forecheck and add that untraditional element to the Rangers' top-6.
justinsayne
Cody Rhodes is an excellant
Remember when he was a Red Wing? I do, hated seeing him leave.
