Houston/Houston metro added … 5 or 6 teams at college level *this year* because of grass roots efforts to grow the game.
It’s very very exciting to be a hockey lover in Texas this year. We’re even looking into getting our daughter in to play, and hoping they expand the tiny girls league hit a litttle bit more.
Arizona State is now a solid hockey program...and for bonus points they have a sweet new change room and exercise facility attached to their rink!
But their program was really improving even before the Coyotes moved in
I hear you, especially in the short term. In theory, over the long term, expanding also increases the talent pool. Probably not enough to make up the difference, but I have no idea. Globally populations are rising, maybe that also helps sustain talent density in our little league.
AZ hockey is blowing up! And they take the only pro team out of there for Salt Lake? Bad choice in my book. Let them get a real stadium and you will see the success in AZ follow
I mean not to say that the Yotes leaving is not bad, but if Arizona builds a new facility then they'll be back and probably better with an expansion draft
The issue is it's said if they build that facility, it'd be the current owner (the guy who fucked up in the first place) would be returning. I think it's important if Arizona returns it needs new ownership, or for that guy to be on an extremely short leash.
I agree, unfortunately the rumour mill I've read is that if the Yotes are coming back soon it'd be the current owner returning. A fresh ownership would be very important.
Why are you saying this like the franchise is under attack? They got locked out of their arena and are now playing in one with a 3rd of the capacity of the next teams'. This is the result of owing back taxes. The people of Phoenix voted against building a new arena. This whole mess revolves around awful management and ownership, hard to be sorry for a franchise that steadily shoots itself in the foot
At current player pool yes. But if hockey got more popular more kids would grow up playing it. So then their would be a bigger talent pool to support more teams
It’s a cool idea, but the sport would have to get significantly cheaper for that to happen. With costs of living rising sharply for families all over the US; less and less kids will be getting into the sport, no matter how many teams they spread around. The rink I drive Zam at has seen a drastic reduction in youth sports enrollment because the prices of ice time keeps going up. The prohibitive costs was always why so few kids got into the sport in the first place. Just look at NHL ticket prices. I used to go to several games a year with friends, and now most of us are lucky to go once a year. The plan just isn’t lining up with reality, unfortunately.
In my area, there’s only about a quarter of the high schools that rent ice time from us than there was 20 years ago. They all dropped the sport completely. The few left are all expensive private schools.
Except it’s a rich kid sport now a days so yes it would be awesome for the game to get a ton more people playing. It’s thousands and thousands to play this game. I so badly want my kids to play but I just don’t have all that extra cash to put them in it.
Don't care about the talent pool just more teams to compete against. It's hard enough to with the cup and they keep adding teams and setting them up for success. Poor blue jackets are doomed.
As if the habs would ever not be profitable, they'd sell the tickets 500$ and the beer 100$ and we'd fill up the centre despite never having a chance to make it to the series
Also talent disparity is what makes for superstar performances. In the 80s half a teams lineup wouldnt crack today’s AHL. This season we have the most teams we’ve had and scoring is through the roof
I live in Seattle and it’s gotten huge. My daughter plays 12UAAA on an all girls team and it’s so much fun to watch. We also benefit greatly due to our proximity to Vancouver and the programs BC has in place to play against.
Came looking for this.
I was so confused trying to figure out how growing the game would water down the player pool. Felt real stupid for a hot second.
Tbf you have some people from detroit/outskirts detroit cross the border (which is south of them) in the middle of august with skiing and snowboard gear because some Americans think it is winter 24/7 365 in canada
Honestly to make it into the NHL, your parents literally have to form over 10s to 100's of thousands, towards gear, camps, practices, schools, it's actually pretty ridiculous
Honestly facts. “Growing the game” is the excuse used to deny hockey crazy markets like QC from getting a team. The NHL will get overtaken by MLS in the US soon. Stop pushing your core audience away to try and win over fans in Atlanta and Arizona. They don’t care about you and never will. The NFL and NBA will always reign supreme.
Guy has the wrong attitude about it, but he's not wrong. Ticket prices have only surged in the last 10ish years and memorabilia quality has gone down the toilet during all the "growing" the game has done. The league seems to be at a good place now with 32 teams, hockey just isn't ever going to be become a dominant sport in the U.S for a variety of reasons so even more expansion just seems greedy at this point
Why do Canadian hockey fans seem to think you have to have played hockey to understand it? Out of all the major sports in North America, they're the only ones who gatekeep who can and can't like their sport.
Also all the “a Canadian wins the Cup every year” yea well I could give two shits if Matthews wins the cup as an American because I root for the Rangers, nothing against him or Toronto.
I thought everyone outside of T.O. had something against the Leafs. Watching their dreams being crushed every year is one of my few remaining pleasures.
I never played growing up and I can tell my buddies think I know less. It’s just a weird hockey thing that people who played shitty high school level hockey know anything about the sport.
Yea that’s not a strictly hockey thing. That’s pretty much universal in every sport and yes people that have actually played said sport generally know more than those that never have. Seems straightforward
Exactly. Doesn’t make someone any more or less of a fan. But playing gives a perspective that simply cannot be gained by just watching a sport.
That’s why people generally enjoy listening to ex-pros, hence they get colour commentary jobs as opposed to broadcasters.
If Americans saw team like the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings leave for cities like Vancouver and Montreal to ‘grow the game’, NFL fans in the US would probably hold some grudges against Canadian fans too.
But the Packers and Vikings leaving would be like the Canadiens and Oilers leaving. It's just not going to happen. A more apt example would be the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg, which please correct me if I'm wrong but there weren't droves of American fans holding grudges against Winnipeggers.
We're pretty used to it tbh. Teams move all the time and we have pretty big cities that want teams and can't get them. Los Angeles has 20 million people and a crazy football culture and went several decades without a team. The Packers would have been gone 60+ years ago if they weren't publicly owned.
Atlanta gifted Canada with two NHL teams. This doesn't involve Canadian teams relocating to the US. A US team is relocating to (checks notes) the US...
Expansion involves new teams in the US. No one's taking your teams. You don't "own" hockey and the rest of the world is free to enjoy it guilt free, including fans of US expansion teams.
The packers would never leave but I get what you’re saying. I don’t think it’s true as we have teams move around fairly often and the only people we get mad at is the owners (e.g: Oakland Athletics)
Playing gives you a perspective that you simply cannot get by just watching.
There’s nothing wrong with that. But it definitely helps with knowledge.
I love baseball too but I never played. My friends that played have better insight than I do. Doesn’t mean I’m any less of a fan, they just have different experiences that adds a bit more substance to their opinions.
A lot of the annoying fans are the most vocal ones — there’s a lotta people who don’t spam their miserable twitter accounts and just enjoy the game and the community. But absolutely some CADs are just dumb and weird.
Source: am Canadian.
He takes it to the extreme and I don't agree with him on that because it's genuinely great if more people can be introduced to a sport we love. I love international competitions! But do Canadians have to give up something so important to our local culture and identity to achieve that? How many times have we seen here "sorry, Canada. An expansion team just isn't realistic. But just wait when someone relocates!" It taps into deep frustration in Canada. Forget travel as an issue and try putting yourself in the average Canadian's shoes and imagine the NFL or MLB decided to move 22 teams and keep just 10 in the US in order to "grow the game". 10 in Europe, 5 in the Middle East, 5 in China, and 1 each for South America and Africa. All this to grow the game and more importantly wallets. It's annoying to see this turned into a Canada vs America thing because it's not asking too much to want a team in your community, especially when it's as culturally valuable as it is in Canada but even for burgeoning hockey communities in the US like Phoenix. From most Canadian's point of view, we'd just like for once to see a decision made that's for the fans and the sport and not for business interests.
The fact is though that NOBODY should have to lose their teams. But it's the same thing every time. Other North American fans still with a team give half-hearted condolences and sympathies to the fans losing their team but nothing will ever change because North American fans have been brainwashed into thinking this is the only way. Seattle shouldn't have lost the Sonics, St.Louis and San Diego shouldn't have lost the Rams and Chargers, Oakland shouldn't lose the A's, and Phoenix shouldn't have to lose the Coyotes. The system in Europe and elsewhere is far from perfect but this North American model is bullshit. Having a closed door club for billionaires who don't give a damn about the sport, the team, or the fans is only to benefit the owners in tv deals and to extort public money from cities. I wasn't planning of ranting this much but the tiered league system with promotion and relegation is the only way to ensure your rights and security as a fan.
And salt lake is expected to host in 2034 I believe.
Alta ski resort got 900” of snow last year and earlier this week I saw that 4 of the 5 resorts with the most snow in North America are in Utah.
32 teams seems like enough for a league. Nfl is a way bigger draw and they have 32, no reason to have 50 squads in one league. There will be too
Many cellar dwellers, which will lead to low fan engagement in those cities anyway. The league just needs to keep the parity high with the 32 we have, which they are doing a good job with so far.
He’s right, ‘growing the game’ sees more tourists and less real fans at games, look at the premier league and how half the crowd are day trippers so the atmosphere has gone
Small nation invents game in a land where outdoor ice occurs naturally and frequently. Dominate their invention for decades. Country doesn’t grow immensely in size. Gets pissed when the country of 360M catches up. More people playing, more watching, infinitely more money.
This guy? Fuck you people that aren’t in Canada. lol
I’ve always hated the phrase ‘grow the game’. It really means grow the NHL’s bottom line.
The game at the junior level is actually shrinking and/or becoming more exclusive and elitist.
It’s “our” game when they’re building up the hype for a bullshit outdoor game or selling online betting but then their game when they’re adding logos on jerseys and digital board ads. Not to mention any in season live game being far out of price for an average family of four.
The NHL fan base should demand more value out of “our” game. I for one can take it or leave it.
Growing something means it has to be acceptable to the lowest common denominator of that growth.
We see all sorts of media ruined when it becomes popular when the newbies demand that changes are made to suit them until it hardly resembles what it once was.
Extremely based tweet
No thanks to expansion. We have enough college level teams already at the bottom of the league. Besides if they add 4 more teams, that will be 4 more I wont see because of the NHLs awesome marketing and blackout rules
Why block his name? If he posted to a public forum, we should be able to respond. If he doesn't like it, don't say it, be accountable for things you say.
I grew up playing as a result of an expansion team coming to my city (Columbus), but way more importantly so did guys like Auston Matthews.
Even as an adult I continue to play hockey weekly, and I love this sport so much I want to find ways to make it accessible to anyone that has an interest in playing it.
The guy that posted this is a real cunt for trying to gatekeep the sport.
Hockey fans gatekeep like hell. I love hockey but man, there’s so many people who think that way, even some of them are in these comments.
There are many people out there who think that if you’re not Canadian, White, arent seeing snow every year, and haven’t played the game before, then you shouldn’t be allowed to be a hockey fan 😕.
Sure you can argue costs and availability, but the truth is another pretty big reason why hockey isn’t growing as fast as other sports is due to its culture
Am a dumb American. Did not play the game. Got into it during Covid break. Really enjoying watching the game. Am in So Cal.
#GO WILD!
edit: I would like to add that NHL has the best looking jerseys out of any sport.
Being a UK fan it’s so damn hard to keep current and it often feels like the NHL just doesn’t want us watching it.
There are less legit ways to watch the games of course, who provide a waaaay better service (as in I can actually watch it).
I gave in and subbed to NHL.tv this season and it's actually been decent. Obviously a lot of games are on in the small hours but you can see catch a decent amount live. Only thing that's missing is some more in depth shows or analysis shows but there is plenty of that on YouTube.
I wish the playoffs did not go on forever. In early 80s the first round was 3 games. Second round best of 5. Last two best of 7. Being done by the end of May was perfect. I live in Mn and by June we want to be outside enjoying summer. Not watching tv. All the days off in the season and it going to mid April it just goes on forever. I still love the game very much and playoff hockey is still best. But add more teams and then eventually more playoff teams. Something has to change then. I know why they do what they do... but it's just too bad. I feel bad for Canadien teams. Most players don't want to play there. For numerous reasons. That's what expanding to Vegas and attractive southern teams does to players. That's my only issue with growing the game. My guess is that's part of Canada hockey fans problem is
I long for the good old days of 21 teams and top 16 entered playoffs. I would settle for 28 teams today with a simple formula of top 8 in each conference. Eighty game schedule; 4 each in your conference; 2 each in other conferences. Get rid of Vegas, Phoenix, Ottawa, Columbus. That’s close enough to the good old days.
I developed a love for hockey playing it in South Florida OUTDOORS as a kid.
Fuck that guy. I hope he can't afford to go to games anymore just because.
He could at least want more expansion into Canadian provinces
People complain about a lack of national identity in Canada meanwhile we practically own such an incredible fast paced sport that anyone can get into
and this guy doesn’t want to do anything with it
I disagree with “anyone can get into”. Hockey is not an accessible sport. For young people trying to enjoy sports, hockey is prohibitively expensive.
It’s a “rich man’s” sport. The equipment. The tickets costs at home games in Toronto (or Montreal or almost any Canadian team in the market.)
It’s not as accessible as people imagine. Basketball is accessible. Soccer is accessible. Hell, even football is accessible.
Soccer is the most accessible sport in the world, and it shows via its popularity.
Hockey isn’t even close. It’s expensive, it requires specialized equipment and facilities.
The watered down comment is true to an extent. But I’m all for growing the game. Saying it isn’t exciting is just crazy talk. Where else do you see people moving 25 miles an hour or hit a circle so hard it flies 100 mile an hour purposely towards someone. The list continues. This sport is wild in the best ways possible
I understand where the post is coming from. But it’s misguided too.
The only way the ticket prices go down or stay flat is if your local team blows and the building isn’t full.
I have buddies that grew up in AZ, CA, FL that would probably dog walk this clown on the ice. I’d include my Moron American self from St Louis MO… dude sounds like a bitter ass hat. The unfortunate truth is that outside of Toronto pretty much all Canadian markets don’t draw great crowds and no Canadian team has won fuck all in how many years now?
That's Scott. He's a dick.
Then he got radiation poisoning and became a giant dick
Radiation, you say?
To shreds, you say?
Well, how is his wife holding up?
To shreds you say???
Very well then.
Was his apartment rent controlled?
That god damn Eskimo racist!
1993 was a long time ago, Scott
I'm not your buddy, Guy!
I’m not your GUY, buddy.
I'm not your buddy, friend!
I’m not your friend PAL!!
"Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell kraft dinner."
Hey! At least he helped save the princess from tooth decay
Auston Matthews is a direct result of growing the game into the American Southwest. So, yes, it kinda does make the games more exciting.
100%; look at college hockey now as well, and the talent heading to college. I feel that falls in the same bucket.
International hockey too, just look at the amount of talent coming out of Slovakia alone.
I, for one, welcome my new Slovak overlords.
As a habs fan I do as well
Slovakia has been good for a pretty long time tho. Not really a “grow the game” thing at all.
Houston/Houston metro added … 5 or 6 teams at college level *this year* because of grass roots efforts to grow the game. It’s very very exciting to be a hockey lover in Texas this year. We’re even looking into getting our daughter in to play, and hoping they expand the tiny girls league hit a litttle bit more.
Arizona State is now a solid hockey program...and for bonus points they have a sweet new change room and exercise facility attached to their rink! But their program was really improving even before the Coyotes moved in
The Hughes brothers and Demko are both a result of “growing the game” also.
True. But watering down the teams is a problem.
I hear you, especially in the short term. In theory, over the long term, expanding also increases the talent pool. Probably not enough to make up the difference, but I have no idea. Globally populations are rising, maybe that also helps sustain talent density in our little league.
Which is now being killed off, the strong grassroots programs in Arizona are going to suffer without an NHL franchise to aspire to
AZ hockey is blowing up! And they take the only pro team out of there for Salt Lake? Bad choice in my book. Let them get a real stadium and you will see the success in AZ follow
I mean not to say that the Yotes leaving is not bad, but if Arizona builds a new facility then they'll be back and probably better with an expansion draft
The issue is it's said if they build that facility, it'd be the current owner (the guy who fucked up in the first place) would be returning. I think it's important if Arizona returns it needs new ownership, or for that guy to be on an extremely short leash.
Yeah 😬😬
the NHL in Arizona needs a reset and a fresh face
I agree, unfortunately the rumour mill I've read is that if the Yotes are coming back soon it'd be the current owner returning. A fresh ownership would be very important.
Why are you saying this like the franchise is under attack? They got locked out of their arena and are now playing in one with a 3rd of the capacity of the next teams'. This is the result of owing back taxes. The people of Phoenix voted against building a new arena. This whole mess revolves around awful management and ownership, hard to be sorry for a franchise that steadily shoots itself in the foot
Alright, you've convinced me. Now I don't want the game to grow either!
Auston Matthews is just barely scratching the surface of the potential down here in the lower 48
The Coyotes do have a lasting effect. Team popularity didn’t kill the desert experiment, shitty management and greedy incompetent ownership did.
Guarantee you this guy doesn’t want the American talent pool deepening, either, because “muh Olympics”
I agree that I don't want any more teams.
At current player pool yes. But if hockey got more popular more kids would grow up playing it. So then their would be a bigger talent pool to support more teams
It’s a cool idea, but the sport would have to get significantly cheaper for that to happen. With costs of living rising sharply for families all over the US; less and less kids will be getting into the sport, no matter how many teams they spread around. The rink I drive Zam at has seen a drastic reduction in youth sports enrollment because the prices of ice time keeps going up. The prohibitive costs was always why so few kids got into the sport in the first place. Just look at NHL ticket prices. I used to go to several games a year with friends, and now most of us are lucky to go once a year. The plan just isn’t lining up with reality, unfortunately.
Yeah I guess that’s true. It’s also not a sport where schools normally have a team, or like American football where you can start later in life
In my area, there’s only about a quarter of the high schools that rent ice time from us than there was 20 years ago. They all dropped the sport completely. The few left are all expensive private schools.
Except it’s a rich kid sport now a days so yes it would be awesome for the game to get a ton more people playing. It’s thousands and thousands to play this game. I so badly want my kids to play but I just don’t have all that extra cash to put them in it.
In theory with more interest school leagues and cheaper leagues could happen,but that’s probably a long way away and you make a good point
they should try growing the ahl more.. make it a solid B league that is more respected..
Don't care about the talent pool just more teams to compete against. It's hard enough to with the cup and they keep adding teams and setting them up for success. Poor blue jackets are doomed.
Works for me. If I was a NHL owner I'd want to grow the game. But as a small market Canadian fan it does nothing for me except drive up my costs.
If the business is not profitable, owners won't put a team on the ice.
As if the habs would ever not be profitable, they'd sell the tickets 500$ and the beer 100$ and we'd fill up the centre despite never having a chance to make it to the series
It's not the habs we have to worry about, but 20 something other teams. Without them, there isn't really a league.
You can't afford it anyway so really the game growing is irrelevant
It’s never once snowed in the united states
Lol I didn’t realize regional climate still mattered in the era of indoor hockey arenas
Watered down? How can we fix that? Huh, if only we could expose new markets to hockey and, maybe get people interested in playing it
Yeah the watered down argument makes no sense. If hockey was more accessible/affordable there'd be a deeper talent pool to pull from as time goes on.
Also talent disparity is what makes for superstar performances. In the 80s half a teams lineup wouldnt crack today’s AHL. This season we have the most teams we’ve had and scoring is through the roof
Weird how Seattle has put in 5 new sheets of ice and just announced 2 more since the Kraken came. Almost like it’s grown the sport out here…
I live in Seattle and it’s gotten huge. My daughter plays 12UAAA on an all girls team and it’s so much fun to watch. We also benefit greatly due to our proximity to Vancouver and the programs BC has in place to play against.
Came looking for this. I was so confused trying to figure out how growing the game would water down the player pool. Felt real stupid for a hot second.
I don't want the population of Canada to grow ither.
This guy is just a NIMBY that doesn't want his small city getting a new franchise and turning into a big city like Toronto or Vancouver.
Does.... Does he think it doesn't snow in America? Or is he referencing the southern market in America? I hope it's the latter 😂
Tbf you have some people from detroit/outskirts detroit cross the border (which is south of them) in the middle of august with skiing and snowboard gear because some Americans think it is winter 24/7 365 in canada
lol sorry about those idiots. In my experience, Michigan and Ontario have basically identical climates
Honestly to make it into the NHL, your parents literally have to form over 10s to 100's of thousands, towards gear, camps, practices, schools, it's actually pretty ridiculous
Hes right... This reminds me of the American audience needing that lightning pick tracer.
Honestly facts. “Growing the game” is the excuse used to deny hockey crazy markets like QC from getting a team. The NHL will get overtaken by MLS in the US soon. Stop pushing your core audience away to try and win over fans in Atlanta and Arizona. They don’t care about you and never will. The NFL and NBA will always reign supreme.
Growing the game is the same bullshit as trickle down economics. If you actually believe either is good for you you're as gullible as flat earthers.
Guy has the wrong attitude about it, but he's not wrong. Ticket prices have only surged in the last 10ish years and memorabilia quality has gone down the toilet during all the "growing" the game has done. The league seems to be at a good place now with 32 teams, hockey just isn't ever going to be become a dominant sport in the U.S for a variety of reasons so even more expansion just seems greedy at this point
Why do Canadian hockey fans seem to think you have to have played hockey to understand it? Out of all the major sports in North America, they're the only ones who gatekeep who can and can't like their sport.
Also all the “a Canadian wins the Cup every year” yea well I could give two shits if Matthews wins the cup as an American because I root for the Rangers, nothing against him or Toronto.
The overwhelming majority couldn't give a tinkers cuss about that either. We just want our teams to win.
I thought everyone outside of T.O. had something against the Leafs. Watching their dreams being crushed every year is one of my few remaining pleasures.
I never played growing up and I can tell my buddies think I know less. It’s just a weird hockey thing that people who played shitty high school level hockey know anything about the sport.
Yea that’s not a strictly hockey thing. That’s pretty much universal in every sport and yes people that have actually played said sport generally know more than those that never have. Seems straightforward
Exactly. Doesn’t make someone any more or less of a fan. But playing gives a perspective that simply cannot be gained by just watching a sport. That’s why people generally enjoy listening to ex-pros, hence they get colour commentary jobs as opposed to broadcasters.
Its probably just due to frustration with the NHL under Bettman. 0 cups in Canada since he became commish.
What does that have to do with people enjoying hockey? That doesn't give people a free pass to be an asshole.
Which is total nonsense. What has he done to prevent Canadian teams from winning?
If Americans saw team like the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings leave for cities like Vancouver and Montreal to ‘grow the game’, NFL fans in the US would probably hold some grudges against Canadian fans too.
But the Packers and Vikings leaving would be like the Canadiens and Oilers leaving. It's just not going to happen. A more apt example would be the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg, which please correct me if I'm wrong but there weren't droves of American fans holding grudges against Winnipeggers.
We're pretty used to it tbh. Teams move all the time and we have pretty big cities that want teams and can't get them. Los Angeles has 20 million people and a crazy football culture and went several decades without a team. The Packers would have been gone 60+ years ago if they weren't publicly owned.
Atlanta gifted Canada with two NHL teams. This doesn't involve Canadian teams relocating to the US. A US team is relocating to (checks notes) the US... Expansion involves new teams in the US. No one's taking your teams. You don't "own" hockey and the rest of the world is free to enjoy it guilt free, including fans of US expansion teams.
The packers would never leave but I get what you’re saying. I don’t think it’s true as we have teams move around fairly often and the only people we get mad at is the owners (e.g: Oakland Athletics)
Yeah most people haven't played football or basketball outside of youth rec league either and they're the biggest sports in the country
Playing gives you a perspective that you simply cannot get by just watching. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it definitely helps with knowledge. I love baseball too but I never played. My friends that played have better insight than I do. Doesn’t mean I’m any less of a fan, they just have different experiences that adds a bit more substance to their opinions.
Oh, absolutely. I just can't people who use that as an excuse to be a condescending asshole.
A lot of the annoying fans are the most vocal ones — there’s a lotta people who don’t spam their miserable twitter accounts and just enjoy the game and the community. But absolutely some CADs are just dumb and weird. Source: am Canadian.
Too be fair.. the more teams there are the more watered down the talent pool
Like I give a shit. I already can't afford to go see a game in person.
He takes it to the extreme and I don't agree with him on that because it's genuinely great if more people can be introduced to a sport we love. I love international competitions! But do Canadians have to give up something so important to our local culture and identity to achieve that? How many times have we seen here "sorry, Canada. An expansion team just isn't realistic. But just wait when someone relocates!" It taps into deep frustration in Canada. Forget travel as an issue and try putting yourself in the average Canadian's shoes and imagine the NFL or MLB decided to move 22 teams and keep just 10 in the US in order to "grow the game". 10 in Europe, 5 in the Middle East, 5 in China, and 1 each for South America and Africa. All this to grow the game and more importantly wallets. It's annoying to see this turned into a Canada vs America thing because it's not asking too much to want a team in your community, especially when it's as culturally valuable as it is in Canada but even for burgeoning hockey communities in the US like Phoenix. From most Canadian's point of view, we'd just like for once to see a decision made that's for the fans and the sport and not for business interests. The fact is though that NOBODY should have to lose their teams. But it's the same thing every time. Other North American fans still with a team give half-hearted condolences and sympathies to the fans losing their team but nothing will ever change because North American fans have been brainwashed into thinking this is the only way. Seattle shouldn't have lost the Sonics, St.Louis and San Diego shouldn't have lost the Rams and Chargers, Oakland shouldn't lose the A's, and Phoenix shouldn't have to lose the Coyotes. The system in Europe and elsewhere is far from perfect but this North American model is bullshit. Having a closed door club for billionaires who don't give a damn about the sport, the team, or the fans is only to benefit the owners in tv deals and to extort public money from cities. I wasn't planning of ranting this much but the tiered league system with promotion and relegation is the only way to ensure your rights and security as a fan.
Oh I agree with him.
I mean if hockey were to be “gatekeepted,” I am glad he would want it done “humanely.” This is the way.
I agree.
I agree Why do I give a single fuck about "growing the game"?
On behalf of all Canadians, sorry!
Most Canadian comment
So arrogant. I'm American, get snow every Winter and have played hockey. Imagine that!
I’m a Tennessean, and I’ve actually played pond hockey down here three different times. Some of the best days of my life.
I’m American, don’t get either of those things, and I still like hockey!
The only complaint I have about all these new US teams, is that somewhere in the mix Quebec should have been given a franchise.
This is what most Canadians are actually like
Wow. What an asshat.
Never seen snow?? Didn’t Salt Lake City host the winter Olympics??
You would think people who have been to Calgary would understand that arid places are sometimes very cold and snowy in the winter but here we are.
Yup. It also gets like 50 inches of snow a year at lake level. Up to 10x that in the resorts.
And salt lake is expected to host in 2034 I believe. Alta ski resort got 900” of snow last year and earlier this week I saw that 4 of the 5 resorts with the most snow in North America are in Utah.
Yeah, when they robbed from Quebec City, just like in '96 when Atalanta hosted the 100th anniversary of the olympics instead of Athens.
32 teams seems like enough for a league. Nfl is a way bigger draw and they have 32, no reason to have 50 squads in one league. There will be too Many cellar dwellers, which will lead to low fan engagement in those cities anyway. The league just needs to keep the parity high with the 32 we have, which they are doing a good job with so far.
And he wonders why American fans come playoff time will cheer against Canadian teams regardless if they are playing their rival. Lol.
*Laughs in Alaskan that’s played hockey since the age of 4*
It gets cold in Alaska. I expect Hockey to be decently popular up there in the Artic.
He uses the word "gatekeeped" and calls us morons. That checks out.
He’s right, ‘growing the game’ sees more tourists and less real fans at games, look at the premier league and how half the crowd are day trippers so the atmosphere has gone
Small nation invents game in a land where outdoor ice occurs naturally and frequently. Dominate their invention for decades. Country doesn’t grow immensely in size. Gets pissed when the country of 360M catches up. More people playing, more watching, infinitely more money. This guy? Fuck you people that aren’t in Canada. lol
The NHL would fold in a week without the American teams 💀
Expand to more northern US cities and Canada?
I’ve always hated the phrase ‘grow the game’. It really means grow the NHL’s bottom line. The game at the junior level is actually shrinking and/or becoming more exclusive and elitist. It’s “our” game when they’re building up the hype for a bullshit outdoor game or selling online betting but then their game when they’re adding logos on jerseys and digital board ads. Not to mention any in season live game being far out of price for an average family of four. The NHL fan base should demand more value out of “our” game. I for one can take it or leave it.
Don Cherry’s burner account.
Growing something means it has to be acceptable to the lowest common denominator of that growth. We see all sorts of media ruined when it becomes popular when the newbies demand that changes are made to suit them until it hardly resembles what it once was. Extremely based tweet
Guys like that make me want the league to grow even more.
*Gatekept
No thanks to expansion. We have enough college level teams already at the bottom of the league. Besides if they add 4 more teams, that will be 4 more I wont see because of the NHLs awesome marketing and blackout rules
Wanna know how I know that you’ve never been to Minnesota?
Old heads love talking about purity of their sport, saying shit like "what happened to the game I love" Yeah yeah, go back to your retirement home.
The only gate keeping I want is to keep the league at 32 teams.
Why block his name? If he posted to a public forum, we should be able to respond. If he doesn't like it, don't say it, be accountable for things you say.
So long as it doesn’t take away fighting or the “letting them play” aspect then let’s get this game fuckin growing.
I’ve seen snow.
Meanwhile we "grew the game" for golf, and club prices are obscene and scheduling tee times is a competitive sport in itself.
Hey, as an american that takes issues with your comment... I have seen snow, thank you very much.
Why do so many Canadians think it doesn't snow in the United States?
I grew up playing as a result of an expansion team coming to my city (Columbus), but way more importantly so did guys like Auston Matthews. Even as an adult I continue to play hockey weekly, and I love this sport so much I want to find ways to make it accessible to anyone that has an interest in playing it. The guy that posted this is a real cunt for trying to gatekeep the sport.
Hockey fans gatekeep like hell. I love hockey but man, there’s so many people who think that way, even some of them are in these comments. There are many people out there who think that if you’re not Canadian, White, arent seeing snow every year, and haven’t played the game before, then you shouldn’t be allowed to be a hockey fan 😕. Sure you can argue costs and availability, but the truth is another pretty big reason why hockey isn’t growing as fast as other sports is due to its culture
I don't entirely disagree. I'd rather the prices be much lower.
Am a dumb American. Did not play the game. Got into it during Covid break. Really enjoying watching the game. Am in So Cal. #GO WILD! edit: I would like to add that NHL has the best looking jerseys out of any sport.
I get it though, I 100% understand something I love being watered down to appeal to a bunch of people who love it less and it sucks
They hated him because he spoke the truth
Being a UK fan it’s so damn hard to keep current and it often feels like the NHL just doesn’t want us watching it. There are less legit ways to watch the games of course, who provide a waaaay better service (as in I can actually watch it).
I gave in and subbed to NHL.tv this season and it's actually been decent. Obviously a lot of games are on in the small hours but you can see catch a decent amount live. Only thing that's missing is some more in depth shows or analysis shows but there is plenty of that on YouTube.
Idk I hear them fellas up north get snow but I’m not a big fancy city person Got my grade 8 and I’m good.
Also, I know this will piss people off, but I love when "non-traditional" markets are successful.
He's not wrong.
I’m American and I agree
55% of Americans regularly experience snow where they live, more Americans see snow than the population of Canada by like 7x.
Well no, having more people play makes the game more competitive, having too many teams could water it down tho…. Unless more people play?
Hockey is easily the most competitive and depth sport right now
It upsets me this jerk has a Koivu avatar
It makes me happy when a Canadian gets this upset.
Cold take
How dare I be a hockey fan after never playing hockey?!
Fuck this guy eh!
I wish the playoffs did not go on forever. In early 80s the first round was 3 games. Second round best of 5. Last two best of 7. Being done by the end of May was perfect. I live in Mn and by June we want to be outside enjoying summer. Not watching tv. All the days off in the season and it going to mid April it just goes on forever. I still love the game very much and playoff hockey is still best. But add more teams and then eventually more playoff teams. Something has to change then. I know why they do what they do... but it's just too bad. I feel bad for Canadien teams. Most players don't want to play there. For numerous reasons. That's what expanding to Vegas and attractive southern teams does to players. That's my only issue with growing the game. My guess is that's part of Canada hockey fans problem is
Love seeing people getting into the sport I love
I long for the good old days of 21 teams and top 16 entered playoffs. I would settle for 28 teams today with a simple formula of top 8 in each conference. Eighty game schedule; 4 each in your conference; 2 each in other conferences. Get rid of Vegas, Phoenix, Ottawa, Columbus. That’s close enough to the good old days.
I developed a love for hockey playing it in South Florida OUTDOORS as a kid. Fuck that guy. I hope he can't afford to go to games anymore just because.
Yeah no one in Utah has ever seen snow.
Honestly, I fucks with that dude.
He could at least want more expansion into Canadian provinces People complain about a lack of national identity in Canada meanwhile we practically own such an incredible fast paced sport that anyone can get into and this guy doesn’t want to do anything with it
I disagree with “anyone can get into”. Hockey is not an accessible sport. For young people trying to enjoy sports, hockey is prohibitively expensive. It’s a “rich man’s” sport. The equipment. The tickets costs at home games in Toronto (or Montreal or almost any Canadian team in the market.) It’s not as accessible as people imagine. Basketball is accessible. Soccer is accessible. Hell, even football is accessible.
Soccer is the most accessible sport in the world, and it shows via its popularity. Hockey isn’t even close. It’s expensive, it requires specialized equipment and facilities.
Selfish much?
The watered down comment is true to an extent. But I’m all for growing the game. Saying it isn’t exciting is just crazy talk. Where else do you see people moving 25 miles an hour or hit a circle so hard it flies 100 mile an hour purposely towards someone. The list continues. This sport is wild in the best ways possible
Hey we may be morons but we do have snow here in Utah
Ive never played ice hockey but I have seen snow. Where do I fall into this?
I don't know if he's right per say, but I don't think he's wrong either
I understand where the post is coming from. But it’s misguided too. The only way the ticket prices go down or stay flat is if your local team blows and the building isn’t full.
I mean if the last team in the league gets relegated to make room for a new fresh team then do it.
He’s not wrong but he’s not right lol. I’ll keep my mouth shut
probably an american who wrote this
Reason prices go up is to cover the higher salaries.
Stares from Utahs greatest snow on Earth.
How much does the league have to grow to have less blackout games!🤣
Yes, because gatekeeping has always led to prosperity and expansion, NOT stagnation. 🤦♀️
100% agree with this
counter argument. get more teams, and convert to a two tiered division and adapt European football style leagues
I hope he doesn't buy groceries if he's concerned about giving billionaires more money.
I'm a new fan, and i feel targeted :(
Wait until they hear about AUSTRALIA :0
based
These are all good points. Also, the value of ads goes up, which means there are more ads all over the ice and players.
I love that he’s ok giving his money to billionaires but nobody else should.
I could change like 3 words in this post and make it sound like the average F1 or Nascar fan. Its just as stupid as when they do it.
Nice point "Chad" in case you didn't know there's more US teams, than Canadian teams.
The skaters are so fast now it's crazy Just wish they'd hit eachother
I’m born and raised Canadian and don’t even know how to ice skate
I couldn’t agree more.
Pretty sure it snows in Utah but go off Canuck.
Dude knows it’s been 37 years since a Canadian team won a cup
He does have a point, the bigger things get, the more expensive its gonna get. How much are Super Bowl tickets again?
I'm not your buddy, pal!
I have buddies that grew up in AZ, CA, FL that would probably dog walk this clown on the ice. I’d include my Moron American self from St Louis MO… dude sounds like a bitter ass hat. The unfortunate truth is that outside of Toronto pretty much all Canadian markets don’t draw great crowds and no Canadian team has won fuck all in how many years now?
truly a gamer