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2019-2020 NHL Thread

Bates said:
When the NHL agrees to fund the next Wonen's League they need to limit the number of teams so that they are truly elite. Then put a little pressure on the networks to broadcast some games. I think it is sellable but it needs to be the best of the best from the start.
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That is a definite. Has to be the best for it to have any chance of working. Don't know how much pressure the NHL can put on networks to carry the games. Only chance I see it working is if the NHL teams/rich business guys own the teams. They need someone like MLSE to run a Toronto team because they have the finances to fund and market them. Still don't know if that would be enough to generate the attendance numbers needed to first succeed as a business and secondly to actually pay the players a decent wage? And then, what is a decent wage for them?
 
MLSE could pay a full women's team of 23 players an average of 100,000 dollars a year at the cost of what they're paying Zach Hyman or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

I feel like they could probably do that until the sun burns out without a serious dent in their bottom line.
 
Nik Bethune said:
MLSE could pay a full women's team of 23 players an average of 100,000 dollars a year at the cost of what they're paying Zach Hyman or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

I feel like they could probably do that until the sun burns out without a serious dent in their bottom line.
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But you'd have to get x amount of owners willing to do that and then pay operating expenses on top of it. We know they can afford to do it, but would they? They're not in business to lose money and having a lose money league makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. They still need to put asses in the seats.  For example since it was mentioned above. The WNBA appears to be struggling with attendance but their numbers are operating at 81.7% capacity. Here's a little comparison from what I could quickly dig up.

WNBA attendance 2019...204 games, avg 6535 per.
CWHL(Canadian Women's Hockey League) last time they published attendance...60 games, avg 255 per
NWHL (still operating 5 teams)...attendance 2018/2019...46 games, avg 945 per
Marlies last year...6419
Miss Steelheads last year 2517. The lowest in the OHL is North Bay at 2350
 
Guilt Trip said:
But you'd have to get x amount of owners willing to do that and then pay operating expenses on top of it. We know they can afford to do it, but would they?
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Will they or won't they isn't in my purview. I'm just saying that anyone saying this shouldn't happen because of the cost is being ridiculous. It isn't crazy to suggest that these people, profiting off the sport of hockey and the love for it they played no role in creating, should put some money back into the game for purposes other than continuing to accumulate gold coins for their lair.

Guilt Trip said:
They're not in business to lose money and having a lose money league makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.
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I appreciate that expecting anything resembling genuine altruism from the capitalist classes is for many people a hilarious flight of fancy but lots of businesses do things that aren't directly or immediately profitable in the interest of a potential long-term benefit. Funding the sport in general to create future fans isn't something that can be neatly measured but it's probably good business even if you don't want to argue that they have a responsibility to do it anyway.

I really think the contrast is funny here between the potential funding of a women's league and what we saw with Olympic participation. The Olympics were unquestionably bad for the league's bottom line which is why they pulled out of it but the popular fan reaction was "FIRE BETTMAN I WANT MUH CANADA VS. RUSSIA" but when it comes to actually putting a little good in the world all of a sudden we see "Oh man, I don't know. If the NHL funded a women's league how would Jeremy Jacobs buy his 7th Faberge egg? Don't see it."
 
If this helps spread recognition of female hockey then I'm all for it. If the showcase is exciting and fun then maybe more people would be interested in the sport. I'd go to a game for sure. Why do we have to overthink this?
 
If you are Canadian and/or a hockey fan, chances are you watch the Saturday game featuring your favorite team. Why not have a women's league game played right before that? Make it an NHL supported and promoted package. I'd watch.
 
Reasonable results:

NBC on Saturday night drew a 1.3 rating for the game, which moved to a Saturday in primetime for the first time in many years. On a Sunday afternoon last year, up against part of the Pro Bowl, NBC drew a 1.5 overnight for the game (13% year-over-year drop). In ?17, the first time the game was on broadcast TV since ?04, NBC drew a 1.6 overnight. The last NHL All-Star Game ('16) drew a 1.2 overnight. While down from recent years, the All-Star Game was the NHL's best non-playoff primetime game since '14.
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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2019/01/28/Research-and-Ratings/Overnights.aspx
 
skrackle said:
If you are Canadian and/or a hockey fan, chances are you watch the Saturday game featuring your favorite team. Why not have a women's league game played right before that? Make it an NHL supported and promoted package. I'd watch.
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Life for me.  I just don't have the time to tune into more sports. 

I'm all for the women having a league and maybe if the NHL is running it there would be more stability in the executive branches to make it a viable product but people just weren't tuning in to the other women's leagues so I'm not sure why there is a rush for support if the NHL drives one.  There have been opportunities to get a women's league up and running and people just didn't go to support it.

I hope they do get a league but I just can't see it being sustainable.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
https://twitter.com/CodexRex/status/1221571578737020928

Guess who the Flames play Wednesday.
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Reminds me of Slapshot when the other team signed a bunch of goons to combat the Hanson brothers.
 
https://twitter.com/TSNRyanRishaug/status/1222764337758007297

4th liner thanks superstar for letting him beat him up. The NHL!
 
CarltonTheBear said:
https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/1-29-caller-duanes-sabres-rant

Duane is not a happy Sabres fan right now.
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No, he is not. And, to be fair, the team continues to be a mess. They haven't been over .500 since the 11/12 season (they were exactly .500 in the lockout shortened season), and are only barely above so far this season. Even during the Leafs' run of hilarious futility, the team never finished below .500 for more than 2 consecutive seasons. Their streak of futility rivals the Oilers, but they don't have the best player in hockey to show for it.
 
https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1222969807584104448

Not that there was really much doubt anymore, but this does it for San Jose's season. They sit 13th in the West, 9 points out of a playoff spot. They of course do not own their 1st round pick this season (the sens do).

I wonder if they considering moving Thornton and Marleau at the deadline, maybe even as a package. Thornton has a NMC so that would need to be dealt with.
 
https://twitter.com/mikemcintyrewpg/status/1223821851891245057

Media: hockey players are the best, they never put themselves ahead of the team.

Also media: absolutely screw this guy for not putting himself in front of the team what am I supposed to write about now?
 
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