From
where I sit it looks like the NHL is getting exactly what it wants...
No,
I'm not trying to start a conspiracy here, but there are seven
healthy teams in Canada, and only one of them is making the playoffs.
Montreal will be in the post-season and that's it. Despite terrible
teams Edmonton and Calgary continue to have robust crowds on a
nightly basis. Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver have all plunged down
the standings this season, but still have great fan support.
Winnipeg is still madly in love with the Jets and sell-outs can be
expected for the next 20 years in Manitoba. Even if Montreal is
eliminated in the first round Canadians will still tune in to watch
the Stanley Cup. It's almost perfect. Even better for the league is
the prospect of both Phoenix and Columbus making the playoffs
allowing struggling markets to (hopefully) gain new support. There's
no way the NHL has the ability to create a situation like this, or
any other, without someone finding out. It's simply too big an
organization and too complicated a conspiracy to pull off. But they
sure aren’t complaining about it.
At
least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.
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