There was a time when I cared quite a bit about the NHL. There was a time when teams were like they were in other North American pro sports leagues, where they worked hard and built themselves up to become a challenger and, hopefully, a champion. It usually would take years, but if they made the right moves, it could and would happen, if these teams did it right.
Now, you have a team that did not exist in any form last season, who is on the verge of making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and they might even have a chance to win it. Think about that for a second: a team that did not exist, that had not played a single game heading into this season, might wind up hoisting the Cup. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the most storied franchises in the NHL, has not won the Cup in more than half a century. In fact, no Canadian team has won the Cup in a quarter of a century now, and that trend will continue, unless the Winnipeg Jets manage to hold off the Vegas Golden Knights, who rose from literal non-existence to being on the verge of making history by winning it all in their inaugural season.
I should note that I am specifying that this team did not exist in any form last season because a team that did not exist the season prior winning a Stanley Cup for a city that had no hockey team the year before actually has happened. You see, the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their first season in Denver, although the difference was that they did exist the season before, as the Quebec Nordiques. The fact that a Canadian city with loyal, patient fans had to endure many losing seasons, then finally see their team rise, only to have them move literally just when they became good enough to win it all, is a huge part of the persistent problem that the NHL has been dealing with for decades now.
Yes, the city of Quebec was robbed from getting the Stanley Cup when the Nordiques left town, because a rich American city proved too enticing. That same season, the New Jersey Devils managed to avoid moving down south by virtue of winning their first Stanley Cup ever, and many explained that it would be embarrassing for the league's defending champions to relocate to Tennessee. Years before, the Minnesota North Stars left town to become the Dallas Lone Stars, then eventually just the Dallas Stars. In 1996, the Winnipeg Jets also left for south of the border, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes, who have proven pathetic ever since. In 1997, the Hartford Whalers left New England to become the Carolina Hurricanes. Other cold weather northern teams were on the endangered list for years to follow, including the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators, the Calgary Flames, and the Edmonton Oilers.
Meanwhile, we have seen just a crush of southern expansion teams. I already mentioned some, but since the early 1990's, we have seen many more come into existence: the San Jose Sharks, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (now known simply as the Ducks), the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Nashville Predators, and now, of course, the Vegas Golden Knights. If you add those to the three warm weather cities mentioned above, you have ten franchises that came into existence in warm weather, traditionally non-hockey cities. Every year, they are touted as a huge success by the NHL, which always shows throngs of screaming, passionate fans whenever one of these teams suddenly gets good and makes a deep run for the playoffs. The Florida Panthers did in 1996, in their third season. The Carolina Hurricanes went to the Cup Finals in their fifth season after relocating from Hartford, and they would return to win it all in 2006, to relative collective indifference throughout the Carolinas. It took a bit longer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they won the Cup in 2004, after what would have been a decisive goal that effectively won the Cup for Calgary was controversially reversed, giving the Lightning new life and, ultimately, the Cup. There was no season in 2005, but in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to win the Cup. In 2007, the Anaheim Ducks won their first Cup, at the expense of the Ottawa Senators. And we keep seeing stories and images from people trying desperately to convince us that hockey has taken off with explosive popularity in these southern cities, where in many of these places, there is never natural ice to be found anywhere. Seriously, Tampa Bay and Miami? Anaheim? San Jose? Even Nashville, Dallas, or Carolina are not generally known for cold weather, and I doubt that any of these cities regularly sees ice in a typical winter. Yet, we are supposed to rejoice whenever the fans there suddenly start to attend games deep in the playoffs, as their teams get national attention? We are supposed to buy the arguments that these overnight successes have firmly established these cities as hockey hotbeds?
Sorry, but I'm not buying it.
Of course, this trend of dissing northern markets - understandably traditionally more receptive to hockey - in favor of southern markets where the money flows more freely has come at a price. The popularity of the NHL in Canada has been compromised. More and more people are tuning in and turning out for farm leagues, understandably figuring that the NHL has it in for them. After all, one of these trends being relevant would be one thing. But when all of these southern expansion teams keep popping up and gaining seemingly overnight success, while northern teams - particularly north of the border - keep struggling, and when Canadian teams keep losing in a controversial manner, you begin to think that these trends are not coincidental. That they are, in fact, by design. After all, how often has a goal like the one Martin Gelinas scored in Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final just happened to be taken away? Yet, it was taken away from them, thus taking the air out of Calgary in that game and, as it turned out, in the series. That made it 11 years in a row that no Canadian team hoisted the Cup. That trend is now up to 25 years and counting. If Vegas goes on to eliminate the Winnipeg Jets, that will mean that it will have been more than a quarter of a century since the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup, the most prestigious hardware for the sport that they invented.
Like with any sport, championship droughts happen. The Rangers famously went 54 years without a Cup. The Blackhawks very nearly went 50 years without lifting it. The Detroit Red Wings went over four decades without. But with a whole country for over a quarter of a century now? Literally, not one of the eight franchises that have existed since the Canadiens won the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals have managed to win? Is that really just sheer bad luck, or bad management, or whatever? Canada lost two franchises out of the eight that they had, although they finally got one back some years ago. But still, all seven seem to be watered down comparatively speaking. Three of them ran into serious problems, and there were serious discussions of moving them down south, of course. And let us not forget that seemingly Cup-clinching goal that was taken away. All just coincidences? Really?
Yet Vegas, a team that did not exist in any capacity until this season, might win it all in their inaugural season.
And the NHL wants to be taken seriously? Again - Really?!
Now, you have a team that did not exist in any form last season, who is on the verge of making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and they might even have a chance to win it. Think about that for a second: a team that did not exist, that had not played a single game heading into this season, might wind up hoisting the Cup. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the most storied franchises in the NHL, has not won the Cup in more than half a century. In fact, no Canadian team has won the Cup in a quarter of a century now, and that trend will continue, unless the Winnipeg Jets manage to hold off the Vegas Golden Knights, who rose from literal non-existence to being on the verge of making history by winning it all in their inaugural season.
I should note that I am specifying that this team did not exist in any form last season because a team that did not exist the season prior winning a Stanley Cup for a city that had no hockey team the year before actually has happened. You see, the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their first season in Denver, although the difference was that they did exist the season before, as the Quebec Nordiques. The fact that a Canadian city with loyal, patient fans had to endure many losing seasons, then finally see their team rise, only to have them move literally just when they became good enough to win it all, is a huge part of the persistent problem that the NHL has been dealing with for decades now.
Yes, the city of Quebec was robbed from getting the Stanley Cup when the Nordiques left town, because a rich American city proved too enticing. That same season, the New Jersey Devils managed to avoid moving down south by virtue of winning their first Stanley Cup ever, and many explained that it would be embarrassing for the league's defending champions to relocate to Tennessee. Years before, the Minnesota North Stars left town to become the Dallas Lone Stars, then eventually just the Dallas Stars. In 1996, the Winnipeg Jets also left for south of the border, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes, who have proven pathetic ever since. In 1997, the Hartford Whalers left New England to become the Carolina Hurricanes. Other cold weather northern teams were on the endangered list for years to follow, including the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators, the Calgary Flames, and the Edmonton Oilers.
Meanwhile, we have seen just a crush of southern expansion teams. I already mentioned some, but since the early 1990's, we have seen many more come into existence: the San Jose Sharks, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (now known simply as the Ducks), the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Nashville Predators, and now, of course, the Vegas Golden Knights. If you add those to the three warm weather cities mentioned above, you have ten franchises that came into existence in warm weather, traditionally non-hockey cities. Every year, they are touted as a huge success by the NHL, which always shows throngs of screaming, passionate fans whenever one of these teams suddenly gets good and makes a deep run for the playoffs. The Florida Panthers did in 1996, in their third season. The Carolina Hurricanes went to the Cup Finals in their fifth season after relocating from Hartford, and they would return to win it all in 2006, to relative collective indifference throughout the Carolinas. It took a bit longer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they won the Cup in 2004, after what would have been a decisive goal that effectively won the Cup for Calgary was controversially reversed, giving the Lightning new life and, ultimately, the Cup. There was no season in 2005, but in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to win the Cup. In 2007, the Anaheim Ducks won their first Cup, at the expense of the Ottawa Senators. And we keep seeing stories and images from people trying desperately to convince us that hockey has taken off with explosive popularity in these southern cities, where in many of these places, there is never natural ice to be found anywhere. Seriously, Tampa Bay and Miami? Anaheim? San Jose? Even Nashville, Dallas, or Carolina are not generally known for cold weather, and I doubt that any of these cities regularly sees ice in a typical winter. Yet, we are supposed to rejoice whenever the fans there suddenly start to attend games deep in the playoffs, as their teams get national attention? We are supposed to buy the arguments that these overnight successes have firmly established these cities as hockey hotbeds?
Sorry, but I'm not buying it.
Of course, this trend of dissing northern markets - understandably traditionally more receptive to hockey - in favor of southern markets where the money flows more freely has come at a price. The popularity of the NHL in Canada has been compromised. More and more people are tuning in and turning out for farm leagues, understandably figuring that the NHL has it in for them. After all, one of these trends being relevant would be one thing. But when all of these southern expansion teams keep popping up and gaining seemingly overnight success, while northern teams - particularly north of the border - keep struggling, and when Canadian teams keep losing in a controversial manner, you begin to think that these trends are not coincidental. That they are, in fact, by design. After all, how often has a goal like the one Martin Gelinas scored in Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final just happened to be taken away? Yet, it was taken away from them, thus taking the air out of Calgary in that game and, as it turned out, in the series. That made it 11 years in a row that no Canadian team hoisted the Cup. That trend is now up to 25 years and counting. If Vegas goes on to eliminate the Winnipeg Jets, that will mean that it will have been more than a quarter of a century since the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup, the most prestigious hardware for the sport that they invented.
Like with any sport, championship droughts happen. The Rangers famously went 54 years without a Cup. The Blackhawks very nearly went 50 years without lifting it. The Detroit Red Wings went over four decades without. But with a whole country for over a quarter of a century now? Literally, not one of the eight franchises that have existed since the Canadiens won the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals have managed to win? Is that really just sheer bad luck, or bad management, or whatever? Canada lost two franchises out of the eight that they had, although they finally got one back some years ago. But still, all seven seem to be watered down comparatively speaking. Three of them ran into serious problems, and there were serious discussions of moving them down south, of course. And let us not forget that seemingly Cup-clinching goal that was taken away. All just coincidences? Really?
Yet Vegas, a team that did not exist in any capacity until this season, might win it all in their inaugural season.
And the NHL wants to be taken seriously? Again - Really?!
I remember feeling happy about some of the results of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I liked the Islanders back in the early 1980's, when that franchise was enjoying a dynasty and won four straight Stanley Cups. I liked the Canadiens de Montréal, and enjoyed it when they rose to the top in 1986 and again in 1993 to hoist the Cup, and always enjoyed the rich history of numerous championship teams in that city over the course of many, many decades. I loved when the New Jersey Devils finally broke through to win the Stanley Cup in 1995, and I was able to get tickets to playoff games for their 1995 and 2003 runs, and was very happy to attend their post-championship parade in 2003. Hell, even though I am not, and never have been, a Rangers fan, I enjoyed the sheer joy that New York City seemed to have in the aftermath of the Rangers winning the Cup in 1994.
Of course, there were some inevitable disappointments along the way. I saw the Québec Nordiques getting better in the 1990's, and hoped that they could also win the Stanley Cup. Similarly, I wanted the Ottawa Senators to go and win it in the 2000's, when that franchise built up a lineup that seemed good enough to win it all, but never did (though they came close a couple of times). It was not fun to suffer through disappointments like that, but hey, that's sports, right?
Except that with the NHL, it really is not. Ever since Gary Bettman became commissioner (and even, as I understand it, slightly before that), the NHL seems to have changed direction in more ways than one. Cold, northern cities with a natural, obvious connection to a cold weather sport started losing their teams, or at least, coming close to losing their teams. Meanwhile, warm weather cities that never , or at least extremely rarely, saw ice, suddenly were marketed as overnight hotbeds of hockey. Minnesota lost it's team in 1993, then it was Québec in 1995, then Winnipeg in 1996, and then the Hartford Whalers in 1997. Those franchises were relocated to Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, and Carolina, respectively. Meanwhile, expansion teams exploded throughout warm weather cities in San Jose, Anaheim, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, and most recently now, Las Vegas.
Teams in the northern United States and in Canada were losing their teams, and some other franchises seemed to be on shaky grounds. There were constant rumors that some teams might relocate, including the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Islanders, the New Jersey Devils (before they won the Cup in 1995), the Ottawa Senators, the Calgary Flames, and the Edmonton Oilers.
I know some people who love these trends, who think it adds excitement and unpredictability to have a team that did not even so much as exist the previous season suddenly rise up and become a serious force and championship contender. The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their season of existence, and now, the Las Vegas Golden Knights have risen up to become a serious force this season, and could very well wind up winning it all.
But here's the thing: it's discrediting the NHL more than ever for me, and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling this way.
It appears that the Vegas Golden Knights have an excellent chance of moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals. I hope that they do not, but there is an excellent chance of it happening. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning are struggling in the Eastern Conference Finals against a cold, more or less northern city in the Washington Capitals. Hopefully, the Caps will win, and if the Jets fall short, then hopefully it will be the Capitals who get their first Cup. But Tampa Bay is apparently building a contender for many years to come, and the Golden Knights might very well win the Cup right off the bat, and will probably contend for years to come, as well.
Does that make it more exciting?
No. Not to me, at least. To me, it marks exactly what is wrong with the NHL right now, and why I took these Stanley Cup playoffs with the same grain of salt that I have taken them for years now. I follow on the internet, but when I see the warm weather teams winning, as they have done quite a bit now, I cannot pretend to be interested. For a while, seeing Washington and Winnipeg enjoy such success got me interested.
But seeing Vegas and Tampa Bay douses all interest for me, and even seeing the unfamiliar colors of teams that, frankly, should not exist, to me makes the NHL quite unappealing. What says top notch, playoff hockey like Tampa Bay and Las Vegas? It feels like the NHL used to be one of the big four team sports, and is increasingly falling into deserved irrelevance. I'll bet that this trend will continue in a big way if it winds up being Vegas versus Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Finals.
You know why? Because let's be quite bluntly honest: in ice hockey, you never think of Las Vegas or Tampa Bay.
Go figure, huh?
It appears that the Vegas Golden Knights have an excellent chance of moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals. I hope that they do not, but there is an excellent chance of it happening. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning are struggling in the Eastern Conference Finals against a cold, more or less northern city in the Washington Capitals. Hopefully, the Caps will win, and if the Jets fall short, then hopefully it will be the Capitals who get their first Cup. But Tampa Bay is apparently building a contender for many years to come, and the Golden Knights might very well win the Cup right off the bat, and will probably contend for years to come, as well.
Does that make it more exciting?
No. Not to me, at least. To me, it marks exactly what is wrong with the NHL right now, and why I took these Stanley Cup playoffs with the same grain of salt that I have taken them for years now. I follow on the internet, but when I see the warm weather teams winning, as they have done quite a bit now, I cannot pretend to be interested. For a while, seeing Washington and Winnipeg enjoy such success got me interested.
But seeing Vegas and Tampa Bay douses all interest for me, and even seeing the unfamiliar colors of teams that, frankly, should not exist, to me makes the NHL quite unappealing. What says top notch, playoff hockey like Tampa Bay and Las Vegas? It feels like the NHL used to be one of the big four team sports, and is increasingly falling into deserved irrelevance. I'll bet that this trend will continue in a big way if it winds up being Vegas versus Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Finals.
You know why? Because let's be quite bluntly honest: in ice hockey, you never think of Las Vegas or Tampa Bay.
Go figure, huh?
This will likely be the one and only blog entry about the NHL playoffs that I will post this year, barring the unlikely Cup championship by either the Capitals or, even better, the Jets. But my gut feeling tells me that...surprise, surprise...Vegas will win it all. Either them, or Tampa Bay. And we will be given the narrative that the fans there just love hockey, and just love their teams. That a real hockey market is being created, that real passion for the game is alive and healthier than ever.
But that is not the way it feels from a more northern region, where hockey actually has some tradition. I used to dislike the Rangers, as a Devils fan. I used to dislike the Canadiens, as a fan of the Nordiques. But these days, I find myself pulling for any of the Original Six teams, and even more, for the Canadian teams. I would be happy if some other northern cities, like Buffalo or Minnesota, would suddenly enjoy serious success. Because call me crazy, but those are hockey regions. Not hot and humid Tampa Bay. Not the sunny deserts surrounding Las Vegas.
I would be willing to be that other than the most fervent fans, most people would be hardpressed to even name the hockey franchises in Las Vegas and Tampa Bay. I also remember one American journalist rejoicing that Canadian teams were going through their drought. But I will make a prediction myself: without some serious reversion to reviving more traditional markets, the NHL will continue to fade and be taken as a lightweight, and deservedly so. Because I, for one, will not bother tuning in, or even so much as checking in online, if the Cup Finals is between Tampa Bay and Las Vegas. Let those most rabid fans rejoice, and fool themselves into thinking that fan enthusiasm in these new markets will last longer than the current success of the franchises. Because I, for one, am not sold. And I would be willing to bet almost anything that I am not the only one.
Even now, when Winnipeg and Washington - both teams that I can root for - are enjoying serious success, I approach with caution, and find myself almost with moderate interest anyway, at best. Why? Because the NHL has transparently favored the warmer market southern teams so much, that it is hard to take these stories seriously. My guess is that one, probably Washington, makes it to the Cup Final, and most likely will lose. Truth is that when I think about good times and hockey, I have to go quite a ways back, when I used to care much more than I do now. To me, the NHL feels more and more like an unfunny joke that keeps repeating, or perhaps more like a record that skips relentlessly, to the point of driving you crazy. I lost interest quite some time ago, and have not taken the "drama" of the Stanley Cup playoffs seriously for years now.
Even now, when Winnipeg and Washington - both teams that I can root for - are enjoying serious success, I approach with caution, and find myself almost with moderate interest anyway, at best. Why? Because the NHL has transparently favored the warmer market southern teams so much, that it is hard to take these stories seriously. My guess is that one, probably Washington, makes it to the Cup Final, and most likely will lose. Truth is that when I think about good times and hockey, I have to go quite a ways back, when I used to care much more than I do now. To me, the NHL feels more and more like an unfunny joke that keeps repeating, or perhaps more like a record that skips relentlessly, to the point of driving you crazy. I lost interest quite some time ago, and have not taken the "drama" of the Stanley Cup playoffs seriously for years now.
When gimmicky Las Vegas is crowned the new "Hockeytown," it seems as much of a discrediting absurdity as a transparent con artist managing to fool enough people to make his way into the White House. And we all know what could never happen, right?
Oh, wait...
Photos: Sorry Detroit, Las Vegas is the new Hockeytown by Mikayla Whitmore, May 8, 2018:
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