Red Wings

[DanO]

North America???? Where's that.

GO LIONS "08" !!!!!!!!

[jaadam4]

Hopefully its near Sweden. We've had a lot of luck there.

[Malto Marko]

North American hockey players are going to become very scarce. The sport has become even more expensive than before and the youngins' have no real good reason to try to gain the skills necessary.

Thanks to the NHL and their marketing of the game, young dudes would rather go to the NBA, NFL or MLB and make a ton of money guaranteed. NHL does not even get you on grandpas TV.

BZZZZZZZT. Why would a kid want to spend his entire youth missing out on hanging with the guys, to go to practice so they can play a sport no one cares about?

[jaadam4]

Yeah you just lost me.

[Malto Marko]

My point is that, hockey unlike other sports, requires a huge investment to aquire and sharpen the skills. In all the other sports usually a one time fee to join the league is assessed (in some cases, you can even play for free) then the facilities are available for practices and games. In hockey the players have to pay for every moment they are involved in the game because the facilities cost so much to operate it is necessary to charge rental on the facilities.

In North America, kids want to be like the heros they see on TV. While hockey has never had the viewership that the other big three have had, recently it has become even more difficult to view the game. If the kids aren't watching the game with Dad or Uncle Harold, they are not going to have any interest in the game.

As a youth, we use to play hockey on ponds during the winter time. If I were to raise a family in the same area, there are no ponds any longer. They have all been made into shopping centers and apartment complexes. If you do live in an area rural enough to have a pond, chances are there are not enough people in the neighborhood to get up a game.

[jaadam4]

So start a group to go around building ponds.

[DanO]

"As a youth, we use to play hockey on ponds during the winter time."
---------------------------Ahhhhhhhhh the good old days. Remember them fondly.

GO LIONS "08" !!!!!!!!

[jaadam4]

Hossa has told the Pens that he's gonna see whatelse is out there and Malkin was offered 12.5 mil a year to play with some Russian team back home. No one in the NHL can come close to that especially without having to pay any state taxes.

Not looking so good for the mighty pens.

[FCRhodes]

The Florida teams can offer a contract w/o state taxes.

[jaadam4]

Very true

[Malto Marko]

So start a group to go around building ponds.

I am sure that would make the North Americans start playing hockey.

[SeattleLionsFan]

North Americans or Americans Mark?

Is hockey on the wane in Canadia?

[Malto Marko]

Hossa has told the Pens that he's gonna see whatelse is out there and Malkin was offered 12.5 mil a year to play with some Russian team back home. No one in the NHL can come close to that especially without having to pay any state taxes.

Not looking so good for the mighty pens.

Datzuk used a similar excuse (but, I think his agent said he was offered about 10MM.

The Captain talked him into staying with the Wings.

I suspect (but do not know for a fact) that the contracts awarded in Russia come with a whole lot of strings attached.

[FCRhodes]

Maybe ESPN should gets the rights to the Russian league. It may be better than the NHL in a few years.

[jaadam4]

Malkin said he's not leaving the NHL.