[PST] Stanley Cup Final: Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning---Bolts win the Cup 4-1

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Tampa/st Pete's is great, but it's not a great place for the scf to be happening if u enjoy seeing everybody in the city get really passionate about hockey.

That said I almost wonder if it will be cooler to see the Canadian drought end in a year where fans can actually attend. As long as it's not edmonton

The Lightning are almost as popular as the Bucs in Tampa and much more popular than the Rays. They have a solid fan base for an American team.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The Lightning are almost as popular as the Bucs in Tampa and much more popular than the Rays. They have a solid fan base for an American team.

I disagree with you there, but respect that it's opinion not really scientific. Mentioned in another thread that I spent a decent amount of time in that area... I agree that they have a good core of loyal fans compared to most places with no grassroots hockey but I dont think a anyone cares outside their core group. Realistically that makes sense though, nobody grows up playing the game at all there.

There's a house by us with a lightning flag that stands out but beyond that but I never see people in lightning stuff at the mall or anything away from games. Probably most common sighting is once in a while see that car window sticker I think the st holder's get around town or a sign in a bar here and there. 10x as many yanks fans around town when spring training is on. Maybe it's different in the playoffs as am usually there mid-season.

No argument that the Rays can't draw flies. Honestly wonder even if that Ybor stadium got built if it would have helped a ton seeing what's gone on with the marlins. Florida is a weird state for sports

[savemedrzaius]

I really wanted Hedman to just feed Perry some punches there at the end. Perry showing his true colours.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

I really wanted Hedman to just feed Perry some punches there at the end. Perry showing his true colours.

What??

Perry came in after hedman was the third man in between sergachev and danought ( sp) . What was the problem?

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

What??

Perry came in after hedman was the third man in between sergachev and danought ( sp) . What was the problem?

Wasn't Perry the third man in? I'd watch it again.

[Toonage]

So Tampa hasn't lost twice in a row all playoffs and now the Habs have to do it, probably twice.

Yikes.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Toonage

So Tampa hasn't lost twice in a row all playoffs and now the Habs have to do it, probably twice.

Yikes.

Yup..

Line up that coke, sniff your salts, take your roids and go to war.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Their coach.

https://www.tsn.ca/NHL/video/richard...ongers~2228724

Well that’s just silly, and that’s why Richardson is the assistant and not the top man.

I had hoped that Weber would have a Pronger-like back half of his career, but at age 37, Pronger was dragging the Boucher/Leighton Flyers to the Final.

Weber today is Hal Gill with a bomb shot. Still useful, but clearly no Chris Pronger.

Regardless, saying something like that in the finals is different than the 5 Giordanos comment that came when the Oilers were lost in the desert.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I disagree with you there, but respect that it's opinion not really scientific. Mentioned in another thread that I spent a decent amount of time in that area... I agree that they have a good core of loyal fans compared to most places with no grassroots hockey but I dont think a anyone cares outside their core group. Realistically that makes sense though, nobody grows up playing the game at all there.

There's a house by us with a lightning flag that stands out but beyond that but I never see people in lightning stuff at the mall or anything away from games. Probably most common sighting is once in a while see that car window sticker I think the st holder's get around town or a sign in a bar here and there. 10x as many yanks fans around town when spring training is on. Maybe it's different in the playoffs as am usually there mid-season.

Seriously, though. How many of us living in Canadian cities have neighbours who fly NHL team flags on the front of their homes? I don't think I have ever seen one anywhere.

All this talk about how much Tampa does not "deserve" a championship team is lame, and comes out like petty entitlement. I am a terrible hockey player who can barely skate, and can count on two hands the number of times I have played in pick-up games on the ice. Does this somehow make me less of a fan, or "undeserving" of seeing my favourite NHL team win a championship?

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Seriously, though. How many of us living in Canadian cities have neighbour's who fly NHL team flags on the front of their homes? I don't think I have ever seen one anywhere.

All this talk about how much Tampa does not "deserve" a championship team is lame, and comes out like petty entitlement. I am a terrible hockey player who can barely skate, and can count on two hands the number of times I have played in pick-up games on the ice. Does this somehow make me less of a fan, or "undeserving" of seeing my favourite NHL team win a championship?

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

I think it's funny anyone would say canadian fans feel entitled to win after 30 years without a cup.

It's cheezy and contrived putting sports in places where there is no culture for it and setting up a system where they can beat the places that develop the players and have more fan interest and support. And long run I think by doing it the nhl is cutting its own throat. I generally hate wheb ppl use the tern cultural appropriation in the face but this scenario right here gives me pause.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I think it's funny anyone would say canadian fans feel entitled to win after 30 years without a cup.

It's cheezy and contrived putting sports in places where there is no culture for it and setting up a system where they can beat the places that develop the players and have more fan interest and support. And long run I think by doing it the nhl is cutting its own throat. I generally hate wheb ppl use the tern cultural appropriation in the face but this scenario right here gives me pause.

Really? Hockey in Florida is cultural appropriation? Reeeeallly?

Players coming from California, Arizona and Texas are proof that hockey can spread. Florida has only had a successful hockey franchise for the last decade or so. It stands to reason that we probably don't start seeing young players out of Florida in any significant way for the next 5-10 years as young fans become athletes. But it will happen. The popularity of the team (and hockey overall) has changed substantially since 2004. Kids will see the excitement of the game and some will want to play. Some will end up being good.

I don't know why we get so defensive about it. Having our game become popular in unexpected new places is a good thing.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by Coach

Really? Hockey in Florida is cultural appropriation? Reeeeallly?

Players coming from California, Arizona and Texas are proof that hockey can spread. Florida has only had a successful hockey franchise for the last decade or so. The popularity of the team (and hockey overall) has changed substantially since 2004.

I don't know why we get so defensive about it. Having our game become popular in unexpected new places is a good thing.

mostly hate how liberally I see that tern used and don't see it as appropriation really given tampa locals didnt bring hockey there themselves And also that growing popularity of your sport elsewhere is good.

But it shouldn't be to the detriment of the game where it is popular or u choke yourself out which I think the nhl is doing to itself. There should be some correlation between the teams success and the degree of support they get and the players the area produces. Or it's artificial.

For me is like the epl creating a NYC fc and letting then draft the best English players away from their grassroots, clobber man city, Chelsea and man u for 30 years. Probably makes soccer more popular in NYC, but not a positive long run for their game, and would be super lame/cheezy in my opinion to watch

Edit - OK maybe it would be funny for me in the case of man u

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Matty81

mostly hate how liberally I see that tern used and don't see it as appropriation really given tampa locals didnt bring hockey there themselves And also that growing popularity of your sport elsewhere is good.

But YOU called it cultural appropriation...using the term liberally....which you hate....?

But it shouldn't be to the detriment of the game where it is popular or u choke yourself out which I think the nhl is doing to itself. There should be some correlation between the teams and the degree of support they get and the players the area produces. Or it's artificial.

How's this? A correlation between the degree of support and the players they produce? You can't manufacture support. So Tampa should only be allowed to have support in accordance with how many players the area contributes to the league? What? "Sorry Tampa, we have to reduce your fanbase by 30% this year because Florida didn't provide enough players to the draft." Seriously. What?

I assume you also think this to be the case for teams in Sweden, Finland, Czech, etc...? The NHL is straight up poaching their high-end talent. Has been for decades. Surely that's a problem for you as well. Kucherov? SHould be playing in Moscow like the Russian star that he is, not in Tampa where people don't care. Actually, he's from a small city near Sochi, I guess they should be building their glorious hockey program around him so we can have a Sochi NHL team, where they really care you know?

For me is like the epl creating a NYC fc and letting then draft the best English players away from their grassroots, clobber man city, Chelsea and man u for 30 years. Probably makes soccer more popular in NYC, but not a positive long run for their game, and would be super lame/cheezy in my opinion to watch

Edit - OK maybe it would be funny for me in the case of man u

Any US based soccer team is free to create any sort of draft and draft whichever Euro players they want. Players don't play in NA because no one gives a s*** and there's no money. Football pulls players from literally all over the globe to play for what amounts to basically 10 top teams situated throughout Europe. They don't care where the players come from, just that theyre good. This is just some weird inferiority complex as per usual Canada. There is a Canadian team in the finals right now. With a Canadian captain lead by a Canadian goaltender.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I think it's funny anyone would say canadian fans feel entitled to win after 30 years without a cup.

It's cheezy and contrived putting sports in places where there is no culture for it and setting up a system where they can beat the places that develop the players and have more fan interest and support. And long run I think by doing it the nhl is cutting its own throat. I generally hate wheb ppl use the tern cultural appropriation in the face but this scenario right here gives me pause.

A hockey player who was born and raised in Texas scored the game winning goal last night.

[troutman]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1395056425999667201

https://twitter.com/user/status/1361742211612868610

https://twitter.com/user/status/1393267505708343297

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Matty81

mostly hate how liberally I see that tern used and don't see it as appropriation really given tampa locals didnt bring hockey there themselves And also that growing popularity of your sport elsewhere is good.

I mean, at what point does an imported cultural event become "traditional" enough to be localized? I hate to break it to you, but hockey was not invented in Calgary.

But it shouldn't be to the detriment of the game where it is popular or u choke yourself out which I think the nhl is doing to itself...

You are going to have to explain to me how the success of a hockey team in Tampa is "detrimental" to the popularity of the game in any one of the other 30 NHL cities, because on the face of it I do not get this claim of yours.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

I really wanted Hedman to just feed Perry some punches there at the end. Perry showing his true colours.

So we hate Perry again?

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

So we hate Perry again?

Leafs fan dislikes Hab

News at 6

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

You are going to have to explain to me how the success of a hockey team in Tampa is "detrimental" to the popularity of the game in any one of the other 30 NHL cities, because on the face of it I do not get this claim of yours.

Nobody watches when the sunbelt teams play outside of the markets involved. The Dallas tbay series last year had the lowest tv ratings in a long long time. And it's not just in canada. Even in the northern US traditional hockey markets there it was the same story and fans find other things to do. I hated seeing some random southern us team come to town when I had flames tickets.... you just don't care as much unless they have a huge star. And it's harder to sell the tickets even compared to a Canadian team or a traditional US northern market like the hawks, wings, ranger, bruins, flyers, etc even when those teams are crappy on ice.

Tampa mgmt has built a fantastic team, think they are gonna win, kudos to them but i still hate sunbelt teams and think they are bad for long term viability of the sport and I find it kinda tragic watching a team with 80,000 fans clobber a market where 2 million people would be out in the streets after a win.

I think the nhl should have focused on maintaining the fanbase in cities where people grow up loving the game and not expanded into the southern us. Other engwrtainment is moving in when hockey isn't compelling, youth hockey enrollment in canada has been flat or declining relative to overall population for 20 years now and eventually will come home to roost in tv and ticket #s when coupled with rising ticket prices imo. Winning in those sunbelt markets has an opportunity cost.

[Joborule]

Awesome, so NHL shouldn't grow it's market base to newer regions. Great business plan.