dickens wrote:
I'm happy for the peg but what I don' like is how true north and the nhl have seemingly tried to erase the fact
That atlanta had ever exsisted. I thought it a nuts that there was talk of kane not being able to wear 9 because of hull... totally different franchise. I feel bad for the atl fans, not only have you lost 2 franchises but one the
League totally tries to forget about. I'm glad everyone is there to support them but how long til th novelty wears off?
I've felt sorry for Atlanta right since they lost the team, but i'm sure that people can blame Bettman in every case--he gave a team back to a city that had already lost a franchise (Flames), and I just flat out think that he's never actually thought out demographics above the almighty buck. I mean, he's handed out US franchises like nothing, but if you also read between the lines and have noticed, he's never been fond of giving
any Canadian team a hockey team, let alone one that he's in all likelihood considered to already have been a failed city, failed franchise here in Winnipeg. It's not like he's ever believed, "man, I always knew that Winnipeg would get a team back", he did virtually nothing to save the team back in '96, he was all too happy to move the team to Phoenix, whereas he's fought tooth and nail for the last several years to save a failing franchise in Phoenix. With us in '96, it was "don't let your ass hit the door on the way out". If you think Atlanta feels bad for being forgotten; at least Atlanta's the dirt.....we've been 6 feet under for 15 years and then all of a sudden, we're somehow viable to him.
Bettman's problem is that he's tried to sell the NHL in markets that have no business owning a franchise, and the talent pool has got pretty diluted as well. I'm not really sure if you're going to see a true dynasty like the 80's Edmonton Oilers, or the 80's Islanders anymore, though there are some very good teams.
As for the honeymoon period here, no doubt that alot of the casual people will lose interest.....even if the team is winning. But the thing is, there is a real genuine support for this team, because we draw fans from Saskatchewan, Western Ontario (people that are too far to go to a Leafs game), and some people from the US in Minnesota and North Dakota. That's important to point out, in that although our city is still small by big city standards (I think it's between 675,000 and 700,000), it's more a regional team now, whereas it was predominently just a Winnipeg thing before. Our defence needs alot of work right now, as does our goaltending. It's going to be an uphill battle this year probably to be .500, but we've got a young team.