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Post by subwayscoundrel on Feb 24, 2011 13:05:57 GMT -5
I saw this posted over on Sportsnet in a forum and thought a non-negative, thoughtful discussion could happen here, but for some reason, I am not sure that can happen, Prove me wrong prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/02/24/hockey-seeing-increased-growth-in-sun-belt-markets/Hockey seeing increased growth in Sun Belt marketsWhen people think about hockey in the United States, the first places they may think about could be New England or Michigan. But increasingly, it’s not the upstate New Yorks of the world that are providing the many American prospects for the NHL. Teams like the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings have helped grow the sport in their respective markets for years. But now, teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators are at the forefront of the impressive growth in non-traditional American markets–and the fruits of their labor are starting to take hold. Participation throughout the United States has increased from 195,000 male and female players of all ages registered with USA Hockey in 1990-91 to 475,000 in 2009-10. Earlier this year, it registered its 100,000th player at the 8-and-younger level. On opening night of the N.H.L. this year, and for the first time in league history, more than 20 percent of league rosters were composed of American players, representing 25 states. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, ice hockey is the second-fastest-growing sport in the country since 2008, behind fast-pitch softball. And though participation has stagnated or fallen in traditional hockey areas like Michigan, Massachusetts and New York, it has skyrocketed elsewhere. When you think about the Southeastern United States, you might not immediately think about hockey. College football probably. Maybe baseball. But probably not hockey, right? In a report released by USA Hockey, registration is exploding in the Sun Belt. On top of the list, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida are the fastest growing states in terms of youth registration. Do you think that has anything to do with the efforts of the Hurricanes, Thrashers, Predators, and Panthers/Lightning in their communities? There’s no question their presence only helps plant the seed into children when they are playing sports during their childhood. Take those teams away and the NHL can kiss growth in non-traditional markets goodbye. It’s easy for fans to pick on Gary Bettman for his failures—but looking at these numbers, one has to wonder if this ever would have been possible 15-20 years ago. These teams are taking hold in their communities. The fans in the area are starting to grab onto “their” teams and it’s translating into kids playing the sport we all love. Passionate hockey fans always hold onto the notion, “Just come watch one game and you’ll be hooked.” It looks like maybe, just maybe, his vision is starting to take shape |
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Post by chad77 on Feb 24, 2011 13:07:35 GMT -5
It was an article in the Global and Mail too at least on line
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Post by jetsorbust on Feb 24, 2011 13:14:09 GMT -5
It says growth is "exploding" in the south, but is that % growth or a lot of skaters?
Because if they had next to no-one playing youth hockey before, and now they have a little more, %-wise that looks like a big increase.
Either way, this MAY lead to an increased fanbase when these kids grow up in 15-20 years. At $20 Million a year losses, can owners afford to wait that long and lose $200-$400 Million on the CHANCE that hockey may become viable?
That wouldn't be how I spent my money.
Try a push from the NHL to support kids hockey because I do agree that would help, but running an AHL team makes a lot more sense than an NHL one that loses boatloads of money. Even if the teams became profitable, after suffering another 15-20 years of losses on top of the last 15 years or so, they are never going to have been a profitable investment.
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Post by neufeld on Feb 24, 2011 13:26:44 GMT -5
Dodgeball has exploded in Winnipeg thanks to Ben Stiller. So what? Ben Stiller movies still suck most of the time and lose money. That kinda sounds like certain American teams...
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Post by subwayscoundrel on Feb 24, 2011 15:14:05 GMT -5
Dodgeball has exploded in Winnipeg thanks to Ben Stiller. So what? Ben Stiller movies still suck most of the time and lose money. That kinda sounds like certain American teams... nothing like "thoughtful" discussion.................. |
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Post by The Winning Pegs on Feb 24, 2011 15:19:44 GMT -5
i heard thath there are no NHL players from arizona, is that true and how did they get those numbers
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Post by mrconfusion87 on Mar 1, 2011 0:32:13 GMT -5
i heard thath there are no NHL players from arizona, is that true and how did they get those numbers The posted article sounds like nothing more than desperate propaganda from the Buttman's office!  But anyway, do check out www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nhl-player-origins.php ;D It's got the lowdown on ALL the statistics regarding the birth places of individual NHL players since the league was formed in 1917! According to this site, ONLY ONE player from (READ: Who was born in) Arizona has ever touched NHL ice. The guy is defenseman Jim Brown and he played for the 1982-83 LA Kings but only for one season! But I'm 99% sure he did not grow up in AZ! Perhaps someone should do that bit of research for me!  Anyway, as it stands, according to the site, the BIG FOUR of Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts STILL comprise of over half the currently-active American NHL players and will most likely do so in the foreseeable future! PS: How DARE they leave Minnesota out when they mentioned the traditional markets? They are NUMBER ONE BOTH in terms of CURRENTLY ACTIVE NHL players and in ALL-TIME numbers out of all US States to begin with!  |
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Post by biddygoat on Mar 10, 2011 4:52:08 GMT -5
if more kids play hockey thats awesome, but i would question the articles accuracy, lol its not like the nhl or the big name corps who back it are gonna admit when they fail. remember they never seen the recession coming, which is a load of BS
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Post by allthisgold on Mar 10, 2011 15:53:13 GMT -5
It is great for them that the game is growing there. However it needs to grow a lot more to justify that many southern NHL teams. I find it funny that the NHL has been able to convince rich people to fund the massive losses while the game is growing.
The growth strategy is something that should help over time. I argue it would have been far better for the NHL to spend $20M is Arizona building hockey rinks than it is to keep a team there.
Perhaps some day the game will be more relevant down there but that will take time.
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Post by The Winning Pegs on Mar 10, 2011 15:56:43 GMT -5
i just remembered a hilarious argument i had on another board with a person who argued that hockey was predujaced against southern players because it was more expensive to rent ice
LOL
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Post by ReJ40 on Mar 10, 2011 16:11:32 GMT -5
i just remembered a hilarious argument i had on another board with a person who argued that hockey was predujaced against southern players because it was more expensive to rent ice LOL I read a thread like that on HF Boards... |
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Post by The Winning Pegs on Mar 10, 2011 16:12:55 GMT -5
i just remembered a hilarious argument i had on another board with a person who argued that hockey was predujaced against southern players because it was more expensive to rent ice LOL I read a thread like that on HF Boards... ya i didnt really feel the love there, so i came here! |
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Post by ReJ40 on Mar 10, 2011 16:18:53 GMT -5
I read a thread like that on HF Boards... ya i didnt really feel the love there, so i came here! Don't blame you at all. I wandered over there to check it out last year, but it only lasted about a month before I exclusively posted here again. |
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Post by The Winning Pegs on Mar 10, 2011 16:19:57 GMT -5
ya i didnt really feel the love there, so i came here! Don't blame you at all. I wandered over there to check it out last year, but it only lasted about a month before I exclusively posted here again. they were all like, oh those crazies at jetsowner and i just missed the 99% fiasco  |
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Post by berzerk on Apr 5, 2011 16:28:16 GMT -5
i heard thath there are no NHL players from arizona, is that true and how did they get those numbers The posted article sounds like nothing more than desperate propaganda from the Buttman's office! But anyway, do check out www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nhl-player-origins.php ;D It's got the lowdown on ALL the statistics regarding the birth places of individual NHL players since the league was formed in 1917! According to this site, ONLY ONE player from (READ: Who was born in) Arizona has ever touched NHL ice. The guy is defenseman Jim Brown and he played for the 1982-83 LA Kings but only for one season! But I'm 99% sure he did not grow up in AZ! Perhaps someone should do that bit of research for me! Anyway, as it stands, according to the site, the BIG FOUR of Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts STILL comprise of over half the currently-active American NHL players and will most likely do so in the foreseeable future! PS: How DARE they leave Minnesota out when they mentioned the traditional markets? They are NUMBER ONE BOTH in terms of CURRENTLY ACTIVE NHL players and in ALL-TIME numbers out of all US States to begin with! Very cool site! Winnipeg is ranked #3 city in the world in regards to most NHL players born here. |
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Post by iliketherangers on Apr 5, 2011 16:52:28 GMT -5
okay, but attendence in phoenix is worse than ever.
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