Chips

[wendykh]

On a friend's blog, someone (American, obviously) commented that we (Canadians) seem to have a big chip on our shoulder when it comes to hockey and we shouldn't be so upset about last night's (embarrassing) match against the US. And honestly, yk, I just found that kind of offensive, like it's no big deal, we need not be so upset.

You know, when the NHL decides to expand into the wealthier American market, and you take beloved teams with a solid fan base like the Jets, and stick them somewhere snow has never occurred naturally* (Phoenix) (meaning kids don't grow up playing and knowing and loving hockey, as in then building a solid culturally accurate fan base for the sport) then due to this dumb move bankrupt them, then refuse to let them come home where people love them, yeah, we might have a chip.

And that's just one little example. But that comment that guy made, it really showcased for me how for them it's just a game. Even the most girly girly-girls I know "follow" hockey. Even ones who protest they do not and know nothing about the sport can be proven to be liars, much like I was when insisting I knew nothing of football while living in Nebraska. Simply not true.

For us, it's a culture, a sport, like Britain and soccer. So yeah, sorry, but having the Americans come, after going all big market US Style has changed the NHL in ways many Canadians are sad about and know will never be reversed, and then shamefully kicking our asses, yeah, sorry, it hurt, and no, it wasn't just a game or just a prelim for us. It was sad and embarrassing and sort of like watching Babe Ruth get struck out. Depressing.

*I do believe NHL teams can thrive and survive in snowless places. Places such as LA, Las Vegas, Annaheim for example I am certain could sustain teams for very long term indeed due to the wealth and celebrity factor. Phoenix, Tampa, South Carolina, Nashville (they can't even sustain football there for fuck's sake) Dallas, are you kidding me? I bet anyone reading this $100 in 2030 money that all those teams will fold by 2030. Hands down.

Comments

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

The thing is, it wasn't that long ago that the Canadian teams needed an "assistance program" from the NHL to survive. And it wasn't that long ago that the almighty Habs were feared to be in real danger, because not Jean Coutu, not the Bronfmans and not PKP would step up to buy the team. It took an American to swoop in and save the day.

And if the Canadian dollar hadn't risen so much over the past 3-4 years (or at least, if the American dollar hadn't fallen so much), it's very probably that Canadian teams wouldn't be on the relatively secure footing that they're now on.

I'm with you on the idea that the game obviously doesn't mean to the US what it means to us, but you're way off on the financials of the situation.

Also, have a look at these pages, showing the average NHL attendance and ticket prices over the past decade-plus:
http://www.andrewsstarspage.com/index.php/site/comments/nhl_average_attendance_since_1989_90/118-2008-09
http://www.andrewsstarspage.com/index.php/site/comments/nhl_average_ticket_prices_since_1994_95/119-2008-09

Note, for instance, that the average ticket price in Winnipeg the last year before the Jets left was just under $24, and in their last few years of existence, they didn't average more than 13,500 people in the arena. The average ticket price in the NHL last season was nearly 50 bucks, and the average attendance was 17,475.

And that's not even getting into the matter of the high-profit-margin domain of corporate buys for boxes in the arena, which is where places like Winnipeg (whose biggest corporate resident is currently going through, uh troubles) and Quebec City (whose biggest corporate resident is, uh, who, exactly?) would be at a distinct disadvantage compared to places like Dallas.

Do people in Winnipeg care more about hockey than people in Dallas, on the whole? Absolutely - I don't think the most ardent Dallas Stars fan would argue that. Can Winnipeg better support an NHL team than a place like Dallas? That remains an open question and I, for one, am very skeptical.

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

This isn't to say that I wouldn't love to see NHL teams in places like Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hamilton or a 2nd team in Toronto. Just that in the case of Winnipeg and Quebec City, everything (successful on-ice team, strong local economy and high Canadian dollar) would have to break right almost every single season for the teams to be sustainable.

Toronto or Hamilton I believe could support another team in that market better than probably about half the American teams that currently exist, but the market interests of the Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres make it awfully difficult to actually get the team in there to start with.

[wendykh.livejournal.com]

Yes, sure, in general I agree with everything you said but I still believe over a 25-50 year time period teams in Canada will fare better than in the US. Dallas? Maybe. Of all those I listed I suspect they will keep the team the longest mainly because They Love Sports. Especially "YAR!" manly man sports like hockey (as opposed to say, soccer). Also I don't think just because someone won't buy a team this means they should move . Maybe no one here was rich enough to BUY the habs (or wanted to) but they can sell tickets to a consistently losing season year after year. We like hockey here. It's in our blood, our culture, day to day lives. Shit when people show up to a bar with all their gear, on the plateau no less, and this is perfectly normal etiquette (not a sports bar either FTR) that shows how ingrained it is. Hockey simply is not ingrained in Tampa, Phoenix, and various other places. It will be a cute novelty that ends in time.

So essentially, if you take our game, and then due to all kinds of reason from better financial backing to training etc, pull it off better than us, turn it into a purely for profit US centric entity, and for you it's just a game and for us it's culture, saying "wow you guys have a chip on your shoulder" seems a wee fucking offensive is all I am saying. Hockey, like it or not, is part of our national identity. I'd like to see how friendly the US folks would have been over a TO/MTL world series. Then they'd get it.