It's become very clear to many fans that the league's partnership with the Versus TV network is a disaster. Unless you're in Philadelphia, Minneapolis/St. Paul, or Detroit no one is tuning in.
The schedule is becoming a big problem too. How exciting is it that the Wings are playing the St. Louis Blues for the 3rd time in two weeks? It's a pattern that stinks... play the Blues, play two other games, play the Blues, play two other games, play the Blues. Even a big hockey fan like me can only take so much of the Blues, Blackhawks, Predators, and Blue Jackets. How stupid is it that the Leafs played their first game in Detroit in nearly 3 years and that this past week was the first time that the Wings visited New York to play the Islanders and Rangers since 2003? There is something seriously wrong with this picture.
Hockey fans in Canada are discouraged too. How much interest is there in Winnipeg for what the Lightning, Panthers, Hurricanes, and Thrashers are doing? (Feel free to add about 10 more teams to that list). I've been reading more and more articles about how its time for commissioner Bettman to leave. It can't happen soon enough if the NHL is to survive with the number of teams it has now. There just won't be support for a game that people can't find on TV and don't really understand anyhow.
It's sad that it seems like interest in hockey in the USA is falling towards the level it was when there was only 6 teams in the league - aside from about 15,000 or so loyal fans in each US city that now has a team.
The players should be alarmed at what is becoming of their league. While it seems like a good thing that there are more jobs than ever before because of the number of teams that exist, they should be watching out for the guy that is trying to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.
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