2013 Stanley Cup Final: Blackhawks win

[Camicon]

RE: the 8 team Canadian division, why would that be such a bad idea? besides the travel.

It wouldn't be a bad idea. Except for the travel. Which would be absolutely fucking brutal on every team in that division, and on every player in that division. That, and only half the number of Canadian teams would have the potential to enter the playoffs. Sure, you'd be guaranteed to get at least four in, but it isn't fair to hamstring Canadian teams that way. In either way.

[Shofercia]

I know there's Hamilton, and Quebec City. Camicon suggested Regina, but I'm not sure if they can handle it, as roughly 8-10% of their population will need to attend 41 games at pricey tickets. Not sure if there are more cities though.

I prefer Seattle and Hamilton as expansion teams, because they can handle it, and maybe Coyotes or Panthers to Quebec.

Hamilton, I could see; but basically wouldn't a team in Hamilton be overshadowed by Toronto in terms of media coverage?

Sure, but as long as they could get their tickets in, and their merchandise out, they'll do fine. The overshadowing would only account for less than ten percent of total revenue.

@Camicon and Qazox:

BTW, I've looked up the top 100 cities in Canada, by Metro Area, because that's how Forbes does it, and Forbes is the only one I know that does team evaluations for all 30 NHL teams. If you know any other sources, that do evals for all 30 teams, I'm open to reading them! It's not that I like/dislike Forbes, it's that they're the most comprehensive magazine out there.

So here are the stats: over 500k - 9 cities. 500k - 200k - 10 cities.

In terms of the ones that are over 500k: 7/9 have hockey teams. The ones that don't are Hamilton and Quebec. However, counting the ones between 500k and 200k, Regina ranks 9/10. So I'm wondering why Camicon's suggesting that one, over the other nine candidates. My guess is that he's going by provinces. Territories can be easily discounted, since the total population of the trio is 328,150. However, in terms of provinces, five have hockey teams, Alberta and Ontario have two, and five provinces do not. Out of the five have nots, Saskatchewan is the most populated. On the other hand, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are much more densely populated, so, I'm not sure about the reasoning.

[Camicon]

Regina ranks 9/10. So I'm wondering why Camicon's suggesting that one, over the other nine candidates. My guess is that he's going by provinces. Territories can be easily discounted, since the total population of the trio is 328,150. However, in terms of provinces, five have hockey teams, Alberta and Ontario have two, and five provinces do not. Out of the five have nots, Saskatchewan is the most populated. On the other hand, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are much more densely populated, so, I'm not sure about the reasoning.

I think I went over that, in part. And yes, I'm basing it somewhat on a province-to-province basis (plus, a team in Saskatchewan would make for some really good rivalries with the Flames and Oilers).

Saskatchewan is bigger, yes, but like I said, it's a bit of a university town. There isn't a huge amount of cash flowing through that city, comparatively. Regina on the other hand has a lot of natural resource industries that use it as a hub. It's a manufacturing centre, and there's a larger amount of wealth staying in the city, than what Saskatoon's industries bring.

Then there is the fact that the city is used to accommodating professional sports teams, more so than Saskatchewan (the Roughriders, in addition to the Pats. Saskatoon only has the Blades).

Now, I wouldn't foresee any problems in merchandise sales. Riders fans are nutty, and I can't imagine they'd tone it down for an NHL team. The problem would be ticket sales, making sure that they get enough people in the doors every game. I think both Saskatoon and Regina would be hard pressed to make it happen, on their own. However, Riders fans are used to making the trip from Saskatoon to Regina. Doing it more often in order to watch an NHL team isn't a big change, and gives a Regina-based team a bigger pool of fans to draw from when selling tickets. But people in Regina never have to drive to Saskatoon in order to watch a sports team. That's a fairly major change, and a Saskatoon based-team wouldn't have the same amount of outer-city draw that a Regina based team would.

You've also got a lot of residents of Saskatchewan living in Alberta, so any games a Saskatchewan-based team played in Calgary or Edmonton would likely be sell-out crowds.

[Shofercia]

Regina ranks 9/10. So I'm wondering why Camicon's suggesting that one, over the other nine candidates. My guess is that he's going by provinces. Territories can be easily discounted, since the total population of the trio is 328,150. However, in terms of provinces, five have hockey teams, Alberta and Ontario have two, and five provinces do not. Out of the five have nots, Saskatchewan is the most populated. On the other hand, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are much more densely populated, so, I'm not sure about the reasoning.

I think I went over that, in part. And yes, I'm basing it somewhat on a province-to-province basis (plus, a team in Saskatchewan would make for some really good rivalries with the Flames and Oilers).

Saskatchewan is bigger, yes, but like I said, it's a bit of a university town. There isn't a huge amount of cash flowing through that city, comparatively. Regina on the other hand has a lot of natural resource industries that use it as a hub. It's a manufacturing centre, and there's a larger amount of wealth staying in the city, than what Saskatoon's industries bring.

Then there is the fact that the city is used to accommodating professional sports teams, more so than Saskatchewan (the Roughriders, in addition to the Pats. Saskatoon only has the Blades).

Now, I wouldn't foresee any problems in merchandise sales. Riders fans are nutty, and I can't imagine they'd tone it down for an NHL team. The problem would be ticket sales, making sure that they get enough people in the doors every game. I think both Saskatoon and Regina would be hard pressed to make it happen, on their own. However, Riders fans are used to making the trip from Saskatoon to Regina. Doing it more often in order to watch an NHL team isn't a big change, and gives a Regina-based team a bigger pool of fans to draw from when selling tickets. But people in Regina never have to drive to Saskatoon in order to watch a sports team. That's a fairly major change, and a Saskatoon based-team wouldn't have the same amount of outer-city draw that a Regina based team would.

You've also got a lot of residents of Saskatchewan living in Alberta, so any games a Saskatchewan-based team played in Calgary or Edmonton would likely be sell-out crowds.

Fair enough, but what makes it more special than Nova Scotia and New Brunswick? Their population density is roughly eight times of Saskatchewan, and the Urban Halifax Area has 297,943 people within an hour's driving distance from a potential stadium site.

[Shofercia]

Also, fuck you NBC! First you buy out exclusive rights to show IIHF Games, and then you make them almost impossible to find and watch. If you cannot show the games, don't buy out exclusive rights. Seriously, how hard can it be?

[Pope Joan]

Watch out world, Sid the Kid is back!

[United Kingdom of Poland]

ok show of hands, who thinks that the montreal ottowa hit was blown way out of proportions.

[Camicon]

*snip*

Fair enough, but what makes it more special than Nova Scotia and New Brunswick? Their population density is roughly eight times of Saskatchewan, and the Urban Halifax Area has 297,943 people within an hour's driving distance from a potential stadium site.

Nothing. Except that I'm a Western boy, and I'd like to see a Saskatchewan team added for my Flames to play.

Watch out world, Sid the Kid is back!

Fuck. Yes.

[Shofercia]

Fair enough, but what makes it more special than Nova Scotia and New Brunswick? Their population density is roughly eight times of Saskatchewan, and the Urban Halifax Area has 297,943 people within an hour's driving distance from a potential stadium site.

Nothing. Except that I'm a Western boy, and I'd like to see a Saskatchewan team added for my Flames to play.

Fair enough. Just out of curiosity, what makes Saskatchewan more special than Seattle? Just because it's Canadian? Not that I have a problem with it, I'm for the NHL being expanded, as long as it's done slowly and reasonably, i.e. not adding 5 teams a year.

Also, Switzerland just pwnd Sweden. Heck yeah!

[Camicon]

Nothing. Except that I'm a Western boy, and I'd like to see a Saskatchewan team added for my Flames to play.

Fair enough. Just out of curiosity, what makes Saskatchewan more special than Seattle? Just because it's Canadian? Not that I have a problem with it, I'm for the NHL being expanded, as long as it's done slowly and reasonably, i.e. not adding 5 teams a year.

Also, Switzerland just pwnd Sweden. Heck yeah!

Yep. I said before, I'd rather have Canadian teams added than American teams.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Fair enough. Just out of curiosity, what makes Saskatchewan more special than Seattle? Just because it's Canadian? Not that I have a problem with it, I'm for the NHL being expanded, as long as it's done slowly and reasonably, i.e. not adding 5 teams a year.

Also, Switzerland just pwnd Sweden. Heck yeah!

Yep. I said before, I'd rather have Canadian teams added than American teams.

Don't worry, you're not alone.
However, Saskatchewan isn't a viable location at this moment. I could see with Quebec City and Hamilton getting a team very soon.
I think Saskatoon and/or Halifax will be the next, but due to their size, I don't see them being ready yet.

[Shofercia]

Yep. I said before, I'd rather have Canadian teams added than American teams.

Don't worry, you're not alone.
However, Saskatchewan isn't a viable location at this moment. I could see with Quebec City and Hamilton getting a team very soon.
I think Saskatoon and/or Halifax will be the next, but due to their size, I don't see them being ready yet.

Hamilton also has a Balls Silly sponsor, who's willing to shell out at least $220 mil to get things rolling, or so I read somewhere. Can Quebec City match that?

[The Pyrillic Empire]

Even though my mind says "Penguins", my heart says "Kings". Can't blame an LA native for rooting for the 2012 champs!

[Shofercia]

Even though my mind says "Penguins", my heart says "Kings". Can't blame an LA native for rooting for the 2012 champs!

Angelino Powah!



Although I'd be happy with any Cali team winning the Stanley

[The Pyrillic Empire]

Even though my mind says "Penguins", my heart says "Kings". Can't blame an LA native for rooting for the 2012 champs!

Angelino Powah!



Although I'd be happy with any Cali team winning the Stanley

As would I, of course. Let's hope the Kings pull off a miracle this year!

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Don't worry, you're not alone.
However, Saskatchewan isn't a viable location at this moment. I could see with Quebec City and Hamilton getting a team very soon.
I think Saskatoon and/or Halifax will be the next, but due to their size, I don't see them being ready yet.

Hamilton also has a Balls Silly sponsor, who's willing to shell out at least $220 mil to get things rolling, or so I read somewhere. Can Quebec City match that?

Pierre Karl Peladeau.

[Eliasonia]

Even though my mind says "Penguins", my heart says "Kings". Can't blame an LA native for rooting for the 2012 champs!

Don't give the Pens too much credit just yet, Isles just pulled even.

[Lesbia]

Last night's results:

Boston Bruins ✓ (2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs ✖ (1)

New York Rangers ✓ (1) vs. Washington Capitals ✖ (2)

Anaheim Ducks ✖ (2) vs. Detroit Red Wings ✓ (2)

Los Angeles Kings ✓ (2) vs. St. Louis Blues ✖ (2)

Tonight's results:

New York Islanders ✓ (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins ✖ (2)

Montreal Canadiens ✖ (1) vs. Ottawa Senators ✓ (3)

Chicago Blackhawks ✓ (3) vs. Minnesota Wild ✖ (1)

San Jose Sharks ✓ (4) vs. Vancouver Canucks ✖ (0)

[Shofercia]

Hamilton also has a Balls Silly sponsor, who's willing to shell out at least $220 mil to get things rolling, or so I read somewhere. Can Quebec City match that?

Pierre Karl Peladeau.

He has that kind of money to be spent on a hockey team? Because I know that Ballsillie does. Not sure about Seattle. But those are the top three competitors for NHL franchises.

[Shofercia]

And the results of the first game are in! Congratulations to those who picked the Sharks over the Canucks. Vancouver got canned. But hey, no riot, so it's all good, eh?

Shofercia: 1
Lesbia: 1
Qazox: 1
Quebec: 0
Poland: 0


Chicago (3) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Qazox, Poland
Minnesota (1) : Not feeling the love yet, like a Parisian who's just been Sutered

Anaheim (2) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Qazox, Poland
Detroit (2) : Ouch! Guys it's Detroit, no love?

Vancouver (0) : Quebec, Poland
San Jose (4) : Shofercia, Lesbia, Qazox

St. Louis (2) : NSG's predictions have them singing the Blues
Los Angeles (2) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Qazox, Poland


Montreal (1) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Qazox, Poland
Ottawa (3) : What? You didn't expect NSG to vote for politicians, did you?

Pittsburgh (2) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Qazox
New York Islanders (2) : Poland

Washington (2) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Poland
New York Rangers (1) : Qazox

Boston (2) : Shofercia, Quebec, Lesbia, Qazox, Poland
Toronto (1) : True to tradition, the Maple Leafs...


So, here's the thing: in the Western Conference, Lesbia, Qazox and me are in the lead, and since the other bets are exactly the same, we're one point away from you guys! However, others can still enter the game, in the second round, but they'll be entering with zero points, and the total possible points shrinks by round: 8, 4, 2, 1.

And I have to say, this was expected. The Wings are a tough team, but the Ducks have more depth, so the longer the series goes, the more odds for Ducks to win. Same with Blues and Kings. In terms of Hawks, I think they'll take out the Wild fairly soon.

Now the attention shifts to the Eastern Conference. Here we have two differing bets: Qazox with NYR, and Poland with NYI. Surprisingly the Isles are holding their own. They're not an Operation Cakewalk over Vancouver team. Win or lose, props to Poland for picking them. Although Poland also picked Vancouver, so no props for that

And in terms of Caps and Rangers, next game is key. If Caps win, I don't see the Rangers recovering. If the Rangers win, then it gets interesting, giving Qazox the possibility to pull ahead of the pack. Much like the NHL, our betting game is also very close, and it could only get more interesting from here

[Lesbia]

The Wild are the next to go.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

And the results of the first game are in! Congratulations to those who picked the Sharks over the Canucks. Vancouver got canned. But hey, no riot, so it's all good, eh?

Well, since Game 4 was in away, obviously there would be no riots. If that happened back in Vancouver, you know what will happen

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

I'll change my vote from Montreal to Ottawa.

I think Minnesota and Montreal are next to go. Montreal somehow keeps having problems and with Price injured and lack of much-needed firepower scoring, they will have some problems.
On the other hand, Minnesota.....They're facing Hawks so yeah.

[Shofercia]

I'll change my vote from Montreal to Ottawa.

I think Minnesota and Montreal are next to go. Montreal somehow keeps having problems and with Price injured and lack of much-needed firepower scoring, they will have some problems.
On the other hand, Minnesota.....They're facing Hawks so yeah.

Sorry, but you cannot change your vote after the first puck drop. Otherwise everyone who voted for Vancouver, could've changed their vote to San Jose after the third game, and our game would become pointless. Worst case scenario, you'll be down by two votes behind Qazox, and with seven games left to predict, you can still catch up. Best case scenario, you'll just be down by one point, so it's no biggie.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Pierre Karl Peladeau.

He has that kind of money to be spent on a hockey team? Because I know that Ballsillie does. Not sure about Seattle. But those are the top three competitors for NHL franchises.

Yep.

At this moment, I don't know if Balsillie's still being considered by the NHL though. For Seattle, who's going to be their knight?