Quote:
Originally Posted by RedHawk12
Absolutely. Players want to win. Build a sustainable winner and players will want to play here regardless of nationality.
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A lot of those teams survived a long enough time now that they also have hardcore fans, which I think helps. The NHL is still #4 in a lot of American markets, but the niche is a lot stronger now. They have some hockey gravity now.
I remember when the Flames were playing Tampa in the SC finals, they weren't even on the front page of their local sports page. It was all talking about the upcoming NFL season. The Tampa fan on hear who came to CP to troll even said he didn't care that much about winning and hockey was just something football fans casually followed after the NFL ended.
I get the sense that even though the NHL is still #4 in that market, they get more respect now at least.