Well, the Wild succumbed to the Ducks in the playoffs, 4 games to 1. I believe they lost to a better team. All in all, it was a great year. They finished in 2nd place in the tough Northwest Division with 104 points. I got to attend some great games. And, as I've stated previously, it was a bad draw for the Wild, probably the worst match up possible. So, congratulations to the Disney Ducks.
I will say this, however (you knew there was going to be more). I believe one huge reason the NHL is having problems is something they cannot do much about: teams in non-hockey markets continue to do well while teams in traditional markets struggle. Proud Canadian teams like Toronto, Calgary & Montreal have gone years, if not decades without a Stanley Cup. Vancouver has never won a Cup. Teams from Northern American cities with long hockey traditions such as Chicago, Minnesota & Boston have not won a Cup in decades. However, teams from Carolina and Tampa frickin' Bay have won Stanley Cups within the last couple of years. Now, Anaheim could quite possibly win a Cup in 2007. Now, I am a big hockey advocate, and I'm glad the sport is doing better in some of these southern and sun belt cities. And, this is not meant to be a knock on these teams. They have done a great job.
What upsets me is that fans from Canadian cities and many northern American cities (St. Paul) grow up playing the game of hockey, watching it consistently and selling out their arenas. These sun belt teams play to 50-75% capacity, and then show up when the team makes the playoffs. When team like Anaheim plays in the Stanley cup finals, nobody cares. Their cities do not have the understanding of the game and the long-term following. Brian Burke, GM of the Ducks, was on Sid's radio show last Sunday, and admitted that they are behind the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, UCLA Basketball and Football, and USC Basketball and Football in coverage in the LA market. Nobody cares. And next year, if the Ducks fall in the standings, they will play to 50% capacity. Overall, that is bad for the NHL.
Oh well, it's probably just sour grapes on my part. I needed a little bit of a rant, which was fueled by emotion and the couple of beers I had during the game. Like I said, it was a nice run for the Wild.
Now, I'll just sit back and wait for the Anaheim - Tampa Bay Stanley Cup final.
Jeff
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2 comments:
Well put, Jeff. Loved the piece on your son and have had similar experiences myself with Hank.
I've been out of the loop on vacation (with my parents - quite possibly a topic for a future post) in Florida. I'll look to be more involved moving forward.
Draft day @ Ray's still on tap for this weekend? Let me know.
Gilby
Hey Gilby - vacations with the parents are always good for some stories. Glad to have you back! I am planning on making the trip to EC for the draft on Saturday. It sounds like Jase and I are going to spend some time at Ray's and O'Dooleys. Hope you can make it!
Jeff
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