NHL News: AZRangerFan, PhxRangerFan, and I have reason to be nervous

so I know what you mean, would have to make a trip to Nashville or down to Tampa to see them play.

here is a great article on the contingency schedule:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010/05/11/mb-nhl-winnipeg-coyotes-winnipeg.html?ref=rss

and be sure to watch the video on the top right of the page. I’d get a link to it, but unfortunately I can’t.

I always made fun of my friend (a Yotes fan) about the team moving because I didn’t think it would happen. Today it seems more likely to happen and since I only get to see the Rangers play in person in Glendale, I really hope that something happens where the team would stay. But, the numbers are against the Coyotes. The team has never made a profit since moving to AZ and is set to lose 20 million this year. I don’t think hockey is right for the state of Arizona….it is very much a fair weather state and up until the recent success of the team, there has not been much playoff hockey here. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I think if the NHL was smart they allow the team to move to a more viable hockey market,

Might be time to check out winter homes for rent in Dallas, So. Cal, or Colorado boys.
 
I’d like to see them move out so hopefully Bettman could realize he’s made plenty of mistakes but he’s like Sather so he wont care or wont realize what actually happened.

but being a Ranger fan in NY is stomach turning enough. I’d get Center Ice and pop a cold one for the money you’d be spending to watch the Rangers play Jeckyl and Hyde type hockey for a couple of games.

After having met Gary Bettman one sunny afternoon four years ago, I realized that this is an egotistical man. Brilliant in his way, yet…egotistical. Just that five minutes I spent talking to him, was enough to tell me that those that don’t go his way…truly go the highway.

I really think that is what happened to the Coyotes here. Bettman went one way, the ownership went another..and Gretzky ended up being the fall guy for it all.

The teams in Phoenix, Columbus, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Florida, etc. There should be 20 teams maximum, and split those teams into 4 divisions. 2 Eastern Conf. Divisions, 2 Western Conf. Divisions. Hockey just can’t survive in obscure southwestern or southern towns. It’s not the NBA. I don’t see how it benefits the NHL to have teams that no one even knows exists outside of their own market and die-hard fans.

Less teams creates higher competition, which creates higher quality of play, which creates more interest.

Maybe I’m in the minority here, and I don’t think it will actually happen, but I think it would be for the overall good of the NHL and Hockey in the US.

No offense to those who live in Arizona, obviously. That’s just my two cents.

I want them to head back to winnipeg… for one it’s a great hockey market, and two it won’t make the NHL continue to lose money, both good for the NHL…

As much as the League & Bettman want the teams scattered through the country, the plan is a failure. In an attempt to bring the game to the masses, as well as trying to elevate the NHL in status (on par with Baseball, Basketball, Football), things have gone from bad to worse. Teams require BIG MONEY and DEEP WALLETS to survive, and sadly, the league will only thrive in BIG MARKETS. Even at that, look at the Kings in L.A. They are bleeding money. In New York, we have a 3 team market, but not a healthy one. The Devils had to move to Newark, and the Islanders will have to move even if they get a new arena on the island. Should the Islanders move to a new arena next to Citifield/Shea, We’ll have all 3 teams a meer PATH Train/ Subway ride away from each other. The Deep Ranger wallets won’t keep spending as in the past now that they have been spun off from cablevision/Dolan empire. As much as I want the league to fill the country, it isn’t going to happen. The Kings, Coyotes, as well as rumored Thrashers and a few others might move/go under, it’s time for the league to restructure, and help make teams healthy and move teams that are unhealthy into sustainable markets.

Read an article about the Islanders moving to Queens. http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2010/05/islanders_may_leave_long_islan.html

Carolina is said to be losing money and might consider moving as well as the LA Kings. A lot of Owners in the NHL are losing profit even if some of the teams make the playoffs. It’s a sad thing to see in the NHL and I wish it was an easy fix, but the way the economy is right now I could see the NHL becoming just 15 teams in the US and 15 teams in Canada.