From: patrick@is.rice.edu (Patrick L Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Expansion?
Summary: Sure.  Why should Canada get any more?
Keywords: expansion, salaries, southern US
Organization: Rice University
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 04:39:54 GMT

In article <gmarven.702785741@sanjuan> gmarven@sanjuan.UVic.CA (Grant Marven) writes:
>In the FAN perspective in Canada.... 
>   WHY would I want NHL expansion?
>   WHY would I care if Houston doesn't have a NHL team?

Maybe you don't, but rest assured some of us in Houston do...

>   WHY would I care if there was a US TV contract?

Well, it brings in money -- and someone has to pay the bills...

>I would much rather see Vancouver vrs Hamilton than Tampa Bay.
>Actually I would rather see Vancouver vrs BlackHawks.

Good.  I'd rather see Houston and Vancouver.  (That was possible in the
second and third seasons of the WHA, when the Aeros cleaned the Blazers'
clocks regularly. :-)

>As a hockey fan I don't care if Scott Stevens (the contract that
>started spiralling salaries) makes $1,000,000 or $100,000.

Well, I do.  Enough of those fat contracts, and the price of a ticket goes
right out of my reach.  When I had Aeros season tickets in 1974, I had the
most expensive seat in the Sam Houston Coliseum -- $*260* for a 40-game
season.  These days, that same seat at the Summit would run me more like
$1500...

>BIGGER/MORE is not BETTER (no sexual connotations).

Who said it was?

>Actually I would probably want a good salary for the players...
>lets say 4 times average salary (conservative est.) ($35,000x4 = 140,000)
>   i) there is enough incentive to try to make it to the NHL.
>      It would not hinder the level significantly.
>      (over a 8 year career it would equal what the "average"
>       person would make in a 30 year career)
>   ii) They players could live comfortably in the better areas
>       of towns (some status)
>   iii) They would not act like elitist (esp. during a recession)

So get some owners who'll exercise a little responsibility when writing the
contracts.

>Expansion with more teams hinders the league financially and lowers
>the level of play:  	    	    	    
>   i) Go into markets which may financially jeopardize the whole league.
>   ii) specific teams will meet less often.
>   iii) more players in the league (lowers the level) 
>       Just think if we still had 12 teams?
>         -> The farm teams would be better 
>            and each team would have more premium players. 

Why stop there?  Go all the way back to the original six...

>Strengthen what we have:
>   i) more focus advertising
>   ii) make current teams stronger (more fan support) 
>       More rivalry between 12 teams than 24 (next year?).
>   iii) more stability in the league (long term goals).
>   iv) keeps the level higher (less marginal players in NHL)
>   v) makes it easier to follow 300 people (get to know them)
>     than 560 people (gender neutral)

That's funny -- I had no trouble keeping up with 14 WHA teams *and* 18 more
in the NHL at the same time...and I was doing that right here in Houston.

>I'm not advocating that NHL is a Canada/US argument. In THIS FAN point
>of view more teams in the southern US will change the game. 
>For some, it may be interesting to see gladiators with 
>sticks on skates NOW, but long term interest is proven NOT to be there.

Says you.  I guess you didn't notice that Atlanta drew better than Toronto
or Boston in the mid-'70s...or a lot better than Minnesota in *this* era.
Have you ever been south of the Mason-Dixon line, by any chance?

>Short term proof is available:
> - when baseball season gets into full swing, hockey is put in 
>   the dug out.

Not here, in the six years the Aeros were here.

> - ever try to get a hockey score in the southern states (even
>   during the Stanley Cup finals)?

Yeah.  I look in the Houston Post, and there they are...

> - two teams in California and the LA papers still have hockey
>   on the last page of the sports section (if not in international
>   news section)...speculating on comments earlier made on this
>   newsgroup.

So?  There are quite a few places where that's the practice -- and there are
a few where there's no hockey that put the NHL news up closer to the front.
But I guess you wouldn't read the Dallas papers...

> - ever notice that most Canadian News on TV... the sports announcers
>   start with hockey and show lots of clips and the American TV
>   announcers (as far north as Oregon) will only show the NHL scores IF 
>   there is time.

Of course, having 24 (soon to be 26) baseball teams, 28 football teams, and
27 basketball teams might have a bit to do with that...

>Trends rise and fall, bringing unstable conditions to the entire league.
>(possible examples: Golden Seals/Sharks)

So?  That's a condition of life.

>There isn't the natural conditions (weather wise) for people to relate to 
>hockey in warmer climate. Many kids in Canada and northern US grew
>up with outdoor hockey.... remember thoughs pickup games outside (everyone
>wearing different jersey, helmet, skates, and a stick) playing until
>your feet froze off or one of your parents is coaxing you with
>SUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPER. Outdoor hockey is a minimum investment not
>major expenditure like indoor hockey... I would think it would
>cost more in the southern states since hockey rinks are hard to find.

That hasn't stopped youth hockey programs in Atlanta, Dallas, and
Houston...you might try visiting once in a while.

>More MONEY in the league => more business attitude and less game attitude =>
>it is less fun to watch two greedy sides battling it out than one team
>trying to win a game.

Try convincing the 24 current owners of *that*.

>First thing you are taught in a Business Course... 
>TARGET you market! Maybe a few people in the NHL front office should
>take a couple of refresher courses.

That's one thing they should have done long ago -- if they had, they might
not be in the mess they're in now...

>KEEP hockey at HOME (where the real fans ARE),
>NOT in the board (BORED) rooms or front of disappointed 
>gladiators fans when they find out that there is a purpose to 
>the little black flat ball.

And let's keep it away from ignorant folks up north, too, who seem to think
that no one south of Philadelphia is capable of understanding "their" game.
I'm originally from Kentucky, and have lived the last 27 of my 37 years here
in Houston -- and I think I have a pretty good idea of what the game's
about, considering that of the 270 or so home games the Aeros played in
their six years, I attended about 200...

>Grant Marven
>
>PS... I hope I don't have to kill another thread (Grant's spewing).

Just limit it to Ziegler, and I'll be happy...:-)


-- 
Patrick L. Humphrey  (patrick@is.rice.edu)  Rice Networking & Computing Systems
  +1 713 528-3626 at Rice. 713 776-1541 at home. 713 527-4056 at Willy's Pub.

      "God just THINKS he's David J. Rasmussen." -- me, on 1991 June 5th
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey