2018-19 Hockey Megathread: Lightning-Proof Jackets

[Elejamie]

Also, apologies for the double post (if only because no one's really posted here for a while) and this isn't exactly that hockey related, not to mention it's not that recent, but Gritty, Flyers mascot and surprising left-wing icon, is getting a beer made in his honour. Really. Seeing as I'm not sure if you have to buy it in-store or if you can order it online, is there anyone here from Philly (or the surrounding area) willing to try it just to let us know what it's like?

Oh, and the Bruins revealed their jerseys for the Winter Classic, if we can get some discussion out of that.

[Tarsonis]

Also, apologies for the double post (if only because no one's really posted here for a while) and this isn't exactly that hockey related, not to mention it's not that recent, but Gritty, Flyers mascot and surprising left-wing icon, is getting a beer made in his honour. Really. Seeing as I'm not sure if you have to buy it in-store or if you can order it online, is there anyone here from Philly (or the surrounding area) willing to try it just to let us know what it's like?

Oh, and the Bruins revealed their jerseys for the Winter Classic, if we can get some discussion out of that.

Ugh is that what they actually used to wear.

[Ameriganastan]

Also, apologies for the double post (if only because no one's really posted here for a while) and this isn't exactly that hockey related, not to mention it's not that recent, but Gritty, Flyers mascot and surprising left-wing icon, is getting a beer made in his honour. Really. Seeing as I'm not sure if you have to buy it in-store or if you can order it online, is there anyone here from Philly (or the surrounding area) willing to try it just to let us know what it's like?

Oh, and the Bruins revealed their jerseys for the Winter Classic, if we can get some discussion out of that.

Ugh is that what they actually used to wear.

Least it looks better than The Canadiens throwbacks.

[Elejamie]

Ugh is that what they actually used to wear.

Least it looks better than The Canadiens throwbacks.

Second. Besides, that Habs throwback kit makes them look like they've just recently escaped from some kind of clown prison. Whereas, to be honest, the Bruins throwback I linked to doesn't actually seem that bad; granted it looks like a first draft of a Bruins away jersey and not something I'd want to wear (and I don't imagine my younger half-brother, who is a Boston fan, wanting to wear it often either) but it's fine for what it is.

Also, speaking of the Canadiens, Plekanec has retired from the NHL after the Habs put him on waivers. He might not be retiring from ice hockey proper, since he said he might play in the Extraliga, but still.

[Tarsonis]

Ugh is that what they actually used to wear.

Least it looks better than The Canadiens throwbacks.

Oh my sweet Lord in heaven....

[Shofercia]

Ugh is that what they actually used to wear.

Least it looks better than The Canadiens throwbacks.

Was there a prison breakout?

[Tarsonis]

Woo Rangers are dominating the shootouts this year! 6 game point streak, wining 5 of their last 6, they might actually be a dark horse to make the playoffs this year .

[Tarsonis]

Even hamstringed by their abysmal start, Rangers are 2nd in the met, tied for first. If they had started well, who knows where they’d be

[Elejamie]

So the NHL's deputy commish says that the NHL might expand to Europe one day. He's not saying they definitely would, he's just saying that there's a possibility of it happening. Though, personally, I'm a bit mixed on this. I mean, on the one hand:

• You've got the runaway success of the Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league team that plays in our (British) league system. Not only did they dominate League 1 but they also did fairly well in the Championship; if they didn't lose their Million Pound Game to the London Broncos then they would've made it to the Super League in their third year of existence.
• You've got the rumours of the NFL moving a team over to London. More than likely to be the Jaguars since they play over here a lot.
• You've got the possibility of more money to be made from a foreign audience with a permanent team rather than being part of a Global Series.
• Overall, it could be an interesting experience.

On the other hand:

• There are things like travel costs. Especially since, unlike football or rugby league games, ice hockey games are usually played more than once a week and you usually get teams playing two days in a row against different teams (bonus points if it's home one day and away the next).
• It could be taxing for players, whether they're in the new team and they're playing away to a team in the USA or Canada or they're playing for an established NHL team and they'd have to play against the European team.
• The salary cap could be even more of an issue due to the different currencies involved. Ditto the language barrier unless the new team plays in the UK or Ireland (or maybe France or the French-speaking part of Belgium because Canadiens).
• It's just a question of whether they're going to establish a brand new team or be like the KHL and EBEL did and wait for a team to apply to join them. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there are still plenty of current NHL teams that are in the red (*cough* The Wesleys *unconvincing cough*).

That and I don't think the KHL would be super keen on their North American counterpart muscling in on their turf. Still, what do you guys think?

[Tarsonis]

So the NHL's deputy commish says that the NHL might expand to Europe one day. He's not saying they definitely would, he's just saying that there's a possibility of it happening. Though, personally, I'm a bit mixed on this. I mean, on the one hand:

• You've got the runaway success of the Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league team that plays in our (British) league system. Not only did they dominate League 1 but they also did fairly well in the Championship; if they didn't lose their Million Pound Game to the London Broncos then they would've made it to the Super League in their third year of existence.
• You've got the rumours of the NFL moving a team over to London. More than likely to be the Jaguars since they play over here a lot.
• You've got the possibility of more money to be made from a foreign audience with a permanent team rather than being part of a Global Series.
• Overall, it could be an interesting experience.

On the other hand:

• There are things like travel costs. Especially since, unlike football or rugby league games, ice hockey games are usually played more than once a week and you usually get teams playing two days in a row against different teams (bonus points if it's home one day and away the next).
• It could be taxing for players, whether they're in the new team and they're playing away to a team in the USA or Canada or they're playing for an established NHL team and they'd have to play against the European team.
• The salary cap could be even more of an issue due to the different currencies involved. Ditto the language barrier unless the new team plays in the UK or Ireland (or maybe France or the French-speaking part of Belgium because Canadiens).
• It's just a question of whether they're going to establish a brand new team or be like the KHL and EBEL did and wait for a team to apply to join them. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there are still plenty of current NHL teams that are in the red (*cough* The Wesleys *unconvincing cough*).

That and I don't think the KHL would be super keen on their North American counterpart muscling in on their turf. Still, what do you guys think?

I see no reason to expand to Europe. There's the Worlds for that sort of thing.

[Savojarna]

So the NHL's deputy commish says that the NHL might expand to Europe one day. He's not saying they definitely would, he's just saying that there's a possibility of it happening. Though, personally, I'm a bit mixed on this. I mean, on the one hand:

• You've got the runaway success of the Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league team that plays in our (British) league system. Not only did they dominate League 1 but they also did fairly well in the Championship; if they didn't lose their Million Pound Game to the London Broncos then they would've made it to the Super League in their third year of existence.
• You've got the rumours of the NFL moving a team over to London. More than likely to be the Jaguars since they play over here a lot.
• You've got the possibility of more money to be made from a foreign audience with a permanent team rather than being part of a Global Series.
• Overall, it could be an interesting experience.

On the other hand:

• There are things like travel costs. Especially since, unlike football or rugby league games, ice hockey games are usually played more than once a week and you usually get teams playing two days in a row against different teams (bonus points if it's home one day and away the next).
• It could be taxing for players, whether they're in the new team and they're playing away to a team in the USA or Canada or they're playing for an established NHL team and they'd have to play against the European team.
• The salary cap could be even more of an issue due to the different currencies involved. Ditto the language barrier unless the new team plays in the UK or Ireland (or maybe France or the French-speaking part of Belgium because Canadiens).
• It's just a question of whether they're going to establish a brand new team or be like the KHL and EBEL did and wait for a team to apply to join them. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there are still plenty of current NHL teams that are in the red (*cough* The Wesleys *unconvincing cough*).

That and I don't think the KHL would be super keen on their North American counterpart muscling in on their turf. Still, what do you guys think?

I don't want an NHL team over here. If it's a new team it will be plastic, and taking away from the fanbase of an established European team (or located in a country that has no big hockey tradition, which would be even worse). If it is an established team, that takes a team out of its grown environment with all its rivalries and stories to play in a league it has no connection to. Both suck if you ask me - we don't need the NHL in the countries that already care for hockey, and in the others it would probably just become another entertainment option without the passion behind it that our old teams have.

Additionally, I don't like the way the NHL sees itself synonymous with hockey (talking about "growing the game in Europe" and shit like that when we have almost a century of ice hockey tradition here), and in my opinion European hockey is better than NHL hockey. Not skill-wise, don't get me wrong - the best players are in the NHL - but I think that most European leagues have a nicer playstyle, and outside of the Original Six (and maybe the first expansion teams) they also have more identity, tradition and weight behind them and less of a corporate feeling. Also, franchising sucks. I would not trade my Swiss League for the NHL if I had to, boost the CHL instead and make Europe have its own strong competition.

[The Two Jerseys]

Just got back from the Devils-Habs game. Refs were letting a lot of shit go...

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

So the NHL's deputy commish says that the NHL might expand to Europe one day. He's not saying they definitely would, he's just saying that there's a possibility of it happening. Though, personally, I'm a bit mixed on this. I mean, on the one hand:

• You've got the runaway success of the Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league team that plays in our (British) league system. Not only did they dominate League 1 but they also did fairly well in the Championship; if they didn't lose their Million Pound Game to the London Broncos then they would've made it to the Super League in their third year of existence.
• You've got the rumours of the NFL moving a team over to London. More than likely to be the Jaguars since they play over here a lot.
• You've got the possibility of more money to be made from a foreign audience with a permanent team rather than being part of a Global Series.
• Overall, it could be an interesting experience.

On the other hand:

• There are things like travel costs. Especially since, unlike football or rugby league games, ice hockey games are usually played more than once a week and you usually get teams playing two days in a row against different teams (bonus points if it's home one day and away the next).
• It could be taxing for players, whether they're in the new team and they're playing away to a team in the USA or Canada or they're playing for an established NHL team and they'd have to play against the European team.
• The salary cap could be even more of an issue due to the different currencies involved. Ditto the language barrier unless the new team plays in the UK or Ireland (or maybe France or the French-speaking part of Belgium because Canadiens).
• It's just a question of whether they're going to establish a brand new team or be like the KHL and EBEL did and wait for a team to apply to join them. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there are still plenty of current NHL teams that are in the red (*cough* The Wesleys *unconvincing cough*).

That and I don't think the KHL would be super keen on their North American counterpart muscling in on their turf. Still, what do you guys think?

I don't want an NHL team over here. If it's a new team it will be plastic, and taking away from the fanbase of an established European team (or located in a country that has no big hockey tradition, which would be even worse). If it is an established team, that takes a team out of its grown environment with all its rivalries and stories to play in a league it has no connection to. Both suck if you ask me - we don't need the NHL in the countries that already care for hockey, and in the others it would probably just become another entertainment option without the passion behind it that our old teams have.

Additionally, I don't like the way the NHL sees itself synonymous with hockey (talking about "growing the game in Europe" and shit like that when we have almost a century of ice hockey tradition here), and in my opinion European hockey is better than NHL hockey. Not skill-wise, don't get me wrong - the best players are in the NHL - but I think that most European leagues have a nicer playstyle, and outside of the Original Six (and maybe the first expansion teams) they also have more identity, tradition and weight behind them and less of a corporate feeling. Also, franchising sucks. I would not trade my Swiss League for the NHL if I had to, boost the CHL instead and make Europe have its own strong competition.

Usually I disagree with a lot of things with you on hockey. BUT, I agree with most of things you said here for sure.

It'd be a good thing to have solid, distinctive continental balances than to have a mondiale hockey league that would be pretty much a mush-wash.

[Shofercia]

So the NHL's deputy commish says that the NHL might expand to Europe one day. He's not saying they definitely would, he's just saying that there's a possibility of it happening. Though, personally, I'm a bit mixed on this. I mean, on the one hand:

• You've got the runaway success of the Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league team that plays in our (British) league system. Not only did they dominate League 1 but they also did fairly well in the Championship; if they didn't lose their Million Pound Game to the London Broncos then they would've made it to the Super League in their third year of existence.
• You've got the rumours of the NFL moving a team over to London. More than likely to be the Jaguars since they play over here a lot.
• You've got the possibility of more money to be made from a foreign audience with a permanent team rather than being part of a Global Series.
• Overall, it could be an interesting experience.

On the other hand:

• There are things like travel costs. Especially since, unlike football or rugby league games, ice hockey games are usually played more than once a week and you usually get teams playing two days in a row against different teams (bonus points if it's home one day and away the next).
• It could be taxing for players, whether they're in the new team and they're playing away to a team in the USA or Canada or they're playing for an established NHL team and they'd have to play against the European team.
• The salary cap could be even more of an issue due to the different currencies involved. Ditto the language barrier unless the new team plays in the UK or Ireland (or maybe France or the French-speaking part of Belgium because Canadiens).
• It's just a question of whether they're going to establish a brand new team or be like the KHL and EBEL did and wait for a team to apply to join them. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there are still plenty of current NHL teams that are in the red (*cough* The Wesleys *unconvincing cough*).

That and I don't think the KHL would be super keen on their North American counterpart muscling in on their turf. Still, what do you guys think?

It's unrealistic for several reasons:

1. Schedule: the NBA is far superior to any European Basketball League, the MLB is far superior to any Asian Baseball League, and yet they're not making the move. Why not? Because of the schedule. NFL has one game. NHL has two to three games a week. Leagues that play a similar quantity of games, such as MLB and NBA, do not go abroad.

2. European Hockey Market: the broadcasting revenue's not as big in Europe, as it is in the US. In Europe, hockey has to compete with soccer, as well as with popular local sports. Only seven European teams averaged attendance above 10,000: KHL - 3, DEL - 3, NLA - 1: http://www.eurohockeyclubs.com/attendance?seasonId=18

3. European League Structure: all of the top European Leagues synchronize their schedule with each other, and fans are used to seeing certain games on certain days - it's a lot more organized than the NHL. They also take breaks for International Tournaments, which are a big draw in Europe.

4. Team and Country Loyalty: the teams that do best, financially speaking, are teams with fan loyalty. That means that you'd have to poach teams from their current leagues. I'm not seeing successful poaching from the KHL, and even KHL's poaching hasn't been that successful, when the serious leagues are taken into account. It's easy to poach teams from Latvian Hockey League, (lolwut) but the only team poached from a major league was Helsinki's Jokerit. Having one team in Europe - why bother?

5. Low Entry costs for European Leagues vs NHL's $500 million expansion fee. You can run a team in Europe on that expansion fee for over two decades, if done right.

[Elejamie]

So the NHL's deputy commish says that the NHL might expand to Europe one day. He's not saying they definitely would, he's just saying that there's a possibility of it happening. Though, personally, I'm a bit mixed on this. I mean, on the one hand:

• You've got the runaway success of the Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league team that plays in our (British) league system. Not only did they dominate League 1 but they also did fairly well in the Championship; if they didn't lose their Million Pound Game to the London Broncos then they would've made it to the Super League in their third year of existence.
• You've got the rumours of the NFL moving a team over to London. More than likely to be the Jaguars since they play over here a lot.
• You've got the possibility of more money to be made from a foreign audience with a permanent team rather than being part of a Global Series.
• Overall, it could be an interesting experience.

On the other hand:

• There are things like travel costs. Especially since, unlike football or rugby league games, ice hockey games are usually played more than once a week and you usually get teams playing two days in a row against different teams (bonus points if it's home one day and away the next).
• It could be taxing for players, whether they're in the new team and they're playing away to a team in the USA or Canada or they're playing for an established NHL team and they'd have to play against the European team.
• The salary cap could be even more of an issue due to the different currencies involved. Ditto the language barrier unless the new team plays in the UK or Ireland (or maybe France or the French-speaking part of Belgium because Canadiens).
• It's just a question of whether they're going to establish a brand new team or be like the KHL and EBEL did and wait for a team to apply to join them. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there are still plenty of current NHL teams that are in the red (*cough* The Wesleys *unconvincing cough*).

That and I don't think the KHL would be super keen on their North American counterpart muscling in on their turf. Still, what do you guys think?

Also, a couple of other cons to a European NHL team now that I've thought of them:

• The fans. You watch a usual NHL game and the fans seem to be a bit silent most of the time (though I'm not sure if that's the norm or if something's used to quiet them down for broadcast), only really picking up for things like a goal or a fight. Then you look at German fans or Swiss fans and it's pretty much like going to a soccer match. Hell, I even get a bit into it whenever I go to a Coventry Blaze game (though, fortunately, not enough to insult the other teams' fans; hell, after a game against Guildford I wanted to congratulate their fans for their team coming back from a 2-1 defecit to win 5-2). So I'm not really sure if the NHL (or broadcasters) would try and find a way of shutting them up or if they'd let them chant to their hearts' content.
• The new team would probably have to adopt that goddamn motherfucking away@home scoring system that I absolutely yet bizarrely hate when it's used outside of baseball or softball.

That and what everyone else has written so far. Besides, even if they do include a European team, I could imagine it lasting a couple of seasons before the novelty wears off and either the team goes back to whichever league they came from or disband because the whole experience left them broke.

P.S. Sorry if none of the videos I linked to work, though the first one should because it's from the NHL's channel.

Just got back from the Devils-Habs game. Refs were letting a lot of shit go...

Either refball is now spreading to ice hockey (refpuck, maybe?) or they just hired two blatantly biased referees. Still, any examples of them letting shit go?

[Elejamie]

Apologies for the double post and the obvious news but it's official: Seattle will be getting a new NHL team ready for the 2021-22 season (source). Not just that but the Coyotes will be moved to the Central Division, as I figured they would (especially since it would theoretically make a move to Houston, Kansas City, Saskatoon, Oklahoma City or, I don't know, Oaxaca much easier).

[Ameriganastan]

Apologies for the double post and the obvious news but it's official: Seattle will be getting a new NHL team ready for the 2021-22 season (source). Not just that but the Coyotes will be moved to the Central Division, as I figured they would (especially since it would theoretically make a move to Houston, Kansas City, Saskatoon, Oklahoma City or, I don't know, Oaxaca much easier).

Still say they should have just moved the Coyotes.

[Elejamie]

Apologies for the double post and the obvious news but it's official: Seattle will be getting a new NHL team ready for the 2021-22 season (source). Not just that but the Coyotes will be moved to the Central Division, as I figured they would (especially since it would theoretically make a move to Houston, Kansas City, Saskatoon, Oklahoma City or, I don't know, Oaxaca much easier).

Still say they should have just moved the Coyotes.

They should but until Gary Bettman stops being commissioner the Wesleys are sadly going to stay put in Glendale. Even though he could try and move them somewhere else in Arizona like Mesa, Scottsdale or even Phoenix proper (I would've brought up Tempe but they tried that and it didn't work out as planned).

EDIT: So the Jackets' defence was just too good during their game against the Flames last night.

[Camicon]

Still say they should have just moved the Coyotes.

They should but until Gary Bettman stops being commissioner the Wesleys are sadly going to stay put in Glendale. Even though he could try and move them somewhere else in Arizona like Mesa, Scottsdale or even Phoenix proper (I would've brought up Tempe but they tried that and it didn't work out as planned).

EDIT: So the Jackets' defence was just too good during their game against the Flames last night.

With the 'Yotes moving into the Central to accommodate the inclusion of Seattle, we could very well see the team move into Houston.

The 'Yotes have never turned a profit; their franchise is valued at only $290 million, their operating income is -$11 million, and they're estimated to be $200 million in debt. There is no interest at the state level to give money to the 'Yotes ownership group to build an arena, and they don't have their own arena because Tempe fell through; they're currently leasing on a year-to-year basis with Gila River Arena who appear to be growing increasingly disinterested with the team.

Houston has a solid owner in place, an NHL-ready arena, and is both large enough and interested enough in hockey to support an NHL team. It would move the team closer to the other teams in the Central and keep them in the southern US.

Honestly, if the 'Yotes don't turn things around in a big way before the 20-21 season, I'll be surprised if they don't move.

[Elejamie]

They should but until Gary Bettman stops being commissioner the Wesleys are sadly going to stay put in Glendale. Even though he could try and move them somewhere else in Arizona like Mesa, Scottsdale or even Phoenix proper (I would've brought up Tempe but they tried that and it didn't work out as planned).

EDIT: So the Jackets' defence was just too good during their game against the Flames last night.

With the 'Yotes moving into the Central to accommodate the inclusion of Seattle, we could very well see the team move into Houston.

The 'Yotes have never turned a profit; their franchise is valued at only $290 million, their operating income is -$11 million, and they're estimated to be $200 million in debt. There is no interest at the state level to give money to the 'Yotes ownership group to build an arena, and they don't have their own arena because Tempe fell through; they're currently leasing on a year-to-year basis with Gila River Arena who appear to be growing increasingly disinterested with the team.

Houston has a solid owner in place, an NHL-ready arena, and is both large enough and interested enough in hockey to support an NHL team. It would move the team closer to the other teams in the Central and keep them in the southern US.

Honestly, if the 'Yotes don't turn things around in a big way before the 20-21 season, I'll be surprised if they don't move.

Agreed. Not to mention that there'd be tons of fans who'd come in to watch games even if the teams sucking, which in turn would generate loads of money (and they could use that profit to bring in star talent or help them stay on for longer), they could generate a really great rivalry with the Stars and they could theoretically keep the Roadrunners where they are, which would be easier for their AHL players. Also, naming the team would be easy since they could resurrect the Aeros name, especially since the Oilers are taken by Edmonton, the Texans are a gridiron team and I can't think of anything else that would be a good fit.

However, there is one small problem: Gary Bettman. Namely his masochistic desire to keep the Coyotes in Arizona. Maybe it's because he put too much money, time and effort into bringing them to Arizona even though it would be cheaper to cut his losses and run. Maybe he's so desperate to prove that ice hockey could work in the desert, even though Houston is still that area. Maybe he's so obsessed with Arizona that, if he could, he'd make all NHL venues serve only Arizona iced tea and he only watches Raising Arizona, Arizona Dream, In Old Arizona and Arizona Circle; after all, there's a good reason why I call them the Wesleys most of the time. So, again, unless he steps down or finally gets his act together and moves the team (or lets them contract and give Winnipeg their history back) then it looks like you'll have to be surprised.

[Impaled Nazarene]

God bless Buffalo

[Tarsonis]

(Image)
God bless Buffalo All NY teams

FTFY

[Ameriganastan]

They should but until Gary Bettman stops being commissioner the Wesleys are sadly going to stay put in Glendale. Even though he could try and move them somewhere else in Arizona like Mesa, Scottsdale or even Phoenix proper (I would've brought up Tempe but they tried that and it didn't work out as planned).

There's new news on this front: The guy who owns the Houston Rockets met with the NHL. They might be packing up and headed to Texas.

[Elejamie]

They should but until Gary Bettman stops being commissioner the Wesleys are sadly going to stay put in Glendale. Even though he could try and move them somewhere else in Arizona like Mesa, Scottsdale or even Phoenix proper (I would've brought up Tempe but they tried that and it didn't work out as planned).

There's new news on this front: The guy who owns the Houston Rockets met with the NHL. They might be packing up and headed to Texas.

Well, this calls for a celebration.

(Image)
God bless Buffalo

Then again, what do you expect from the Walking Mediocrity.

Meanwhile, on this side of the pond, there's a chance that there could be an EIHL team up in Leeds, which could lead to a serious rivalry with Sheffield and maybe Manchester and Nottingham as well. Especially since the Edinburgh Capitals disbanded during the off-season, meaning that there's only 11 teams playing this year. Though, personally, I'd prefer a team in Dublin just so we'd have it as a proper UK and Ireland league (plus the possibility of a heated rivalry with their neighbours in the North, the Belfast Giants, though hopefully it won't lead to anything sectarian), but it all depends on whether or not there's enough demand for a second team across the Irish sea.

(EDIT: I now realise the article is actually a couple of weeks old and I'm the only one really interested but whatever. Still something to pad this post out)

P.S. Apologies if the link doesn't work, though since I'm one of the few regular posters in this thread from outside North America there's a good chance it won't work.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

(Image)
God bless Buffalo All NY teams

FTFY

hey now we got 8 points on either of the parasite cities teams.