Quote:
Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan
I went Toronto.
They have sucked for years. I'm not a fan, but I think a strong team in Toronto is good for the NHL.
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This.
As much as a lot people do not want to admit it--the league is better off with Toronto being a good team.
It's funny following hockey in the States versus Canada. Down here, all Pro-American bloggers/media types want the game to succeed, and have the country be hockey crazy like Canada (Lambert, Josh Cooper, and Greg Wyshynski--also Roenick from a TV standpoint come to mind). But at the same time they have no issue pointing out a city like Toronto being hockey crazed and just too over the top. Why is that considered a 'bad thing'?
The overall perspective down here always comes off as "Canadians are so hockey crazed--they don't care about anything else--Canadians team suck, etc.." It just really drives me crazy, as there is almost a lack of respect amongst American fans post 2005, as the game has gotten more popular here (the game growing is a good thing! Don't get me wrong). Team like Pittsburgh, DC, Boston, Chicago, LA, and NYR having success is also great for the league--but so many fans of those teams probably couldn't tell you much about those team prior to 2007 or 2008. Try telling a Capitals fan that the Flames won a cup in 1989 and they will think you are insane!
All in all, I think my overall point is that I seem to be one of the few American fans of Hockey who wants the game to thrive and continue to thrive in Canada, and having a guy like McDavid in Toronto would not make me upset in the slightest.