Read my words. Hockey will not work in Las Vegas.
No one here cares about hockey, they didn't barely care when the Thunder were here and they won't care anymore that there is a NHL team here.
No one here could give a flying fuck through a doughnut hole about hockey. At least the arena wasn't built with public money.
Carry On My Blood-Ejaculating Son - JKL2000
I think everyone understands this, except Foley. But he is willing to cough up $500M and that's all the owners really care about. Done deal.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
The expansion fee is mind-boggling when compared to Forbes Magazine's franchise valuations (only 11 of 30 teams with an estimated worth more than $500M) or the actual sale prices of teams that have changed hands in recent years:
Devils: Sold for $320M in 2013.
Coyotes: Sold for $170M in 2013.
Panthers: Sold for $160M in 2013.
Blues: Sold for $180M in 2012.
Blue Jackets: Sold for $173M in 2012.
Stars: Sold for $240M in 2011.
Jets: Sold for $170M in 2011.
Sabres: Sold for $165 in 2011.
Lightning: Sold for $93M in 2010!
But hey, if someone wants to spend $500M for an asset which will likely only be worth ~$180-$200M a few years later then the rest of the owners would be idiots to say no.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
I'll give them 4 years before they move to Quebec.
Somebody in Las Vegas must have the odds on that.
This is such a colossally stupid move. I wonder how much Bettman makes off this deal?
A few years ago, my husband and I were in Las Vegas and went into a Sports Book to place a hockey bet. When we couldn't find the hockey odds, we asked an employee. He batted his eyes a few times and asked "ice hockey?" with a blank stare on his face. We might as well have been asking him what the odds were of Gary Bettman flying to Mars (or who Gary Bettman is, for that matter).
I understand that the arena will be (is?) on the strip. Are they expecting to get tourists to go to games? Because of all the things that I can choose to do in Vegas, hockey isn't high on my list. Maybe it would be if I lived in a country that didn't have hockey....but I doubt it.
"The Rebel League" by Ed Willes is a must-read. It's about the World Hockey Association and has some good Gordie Howe stories when he was playing at an advanced age with his two sons on the Houston Aeros. He was still feared for his elbows and opponents gave him wide berth. I'm not sure if it was part of the same story you mentioned or a different one, but there was one where Gordie reached in to pull a guy away from his son during a fight and reached across his face and one of his fingers got in the guy's nose and the guy cried uncle because it felt like his nose was about to be ripped off his face!
You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...
Hey fellow Canadians, it looks like Strombo is out and McLean is back in. The HNIC world returns to life as it should be.
McLean says it's not official yet, but I have faith.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...nada-1.3642819
I have mixed feelings about this. Strombo was obviously brought in to appeal to a younger demographic but isn't really a hockey guy. MacLean is very old school and his punning schtick had become tedious. Bringing him back is a defeat for the Sportsnet execs that were trying to hip the product. I personally don't much like either, but I rarely watch between periods as I PVR most games and skip the commercials and the intermissions. I've said it here before, that I haven't listened to a word Don Cherry has said in many (10?) years.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
I think that hockey fans are going to watch the game regardless of who is hosting/commentating. I don't think this a "bring in the younger demographic" kind of thing. That's just my opinion, the research may show differently. One of my facebook friends suggested that they switch roles. Bring McLean back into the studio and put Strombo on the street for the Hockeytown segment. I thought that was a pretty good idea. Strombo is a very charming and personable guy. I think he'd do well in a man-on-the-street kind of segment. Kids playing hockey on the pond and dreaming of their NHL future, parents driving kids to the rink and doing fundraisers, those people would relate better to Strombo and he is a great interviewer. I think the role reversal is the way to go!
I watch hockey in French so long as the Habs are playing...
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
It's real. The NHL just approved the team in Las Vegas starting in '17. Dumb, to me, but whatever.
Starting to think of team names. The Las Vegas Strippers? The Las Vegas Alcoholics? How about Swindlers?
Carry On My Blood-Ejaculating Son - JKL2000
Wayne Newton will be performing the anthem before each game.
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
I have a cousin who lives in Las Vegas. He's a transplant from Toronto and a lifelong Leafs fan, but has called Vegas home for the last 20 years and is now an American citizen. He's really excited about getting a team in LV. He told me that they've already sold 14,000 season tickets.
I asked him how many of those are personally owned and how many are owned by the casinos, hotels, and other tourism companies. I don't have an answer yet. It will be interesting to see whether hockey in LV can build a real fan base, or whether it'll just be another sideshow attraction for the tourists.
FA, trust me, we wont. Las Vegas is unreality and this team wont work, I guarantee it.
I ran into a guy a few weeks ago wearing a Hartford Whalers shirt. He told me I was only the second person in all his years here who knew what that was. I'm a anomaly here and if the Thunder didn't work when we had Curtis Joseph and Radek Bonk then this crappy team is going to be a worse disaster than the Phoenix franchise which has been in dire straights for a while.
The corporations didn't kick in when the Thunder were here, why would they do it now? No one here cares about hockey and the only reason anyone cares about any other sport is because they can bet on it. It's the way it is. If it does work it will be like the Super Bowl every night with corporate people there and no actual fans. Great, there goes my civic pride in my fucking POS hometown, as if I ever had any. The only time I've ever felt like I was a citizen of this city and not just a useless mouth breather was when the Rebels won the NCAA's back in 1990. Why the hell do you think I post on PE? It's because I cannot, at all, find real music fans in this POS city. Let alone real people.
At least I didn't have to pay for the damned arena. About the only positive in this whole scenario.
I've been told I'm a POS since nearly the day I was born, just because I was born here in Vegas and that won't change because of some corporate BS and a hockey team that no one will care about. I don't care that EDC with their 300,000 foolish children who don't know a thing about music and the likes come here, this city is NOT reality and never has been. EDC proves it. Iron Maiden only gets 20,000 or so and EDC gets THAT many people? Are you kidding me? Most of those here for the Maiden show were out of towners, so how are we going to support a hockey team, that no one cares about, for 41 games?
Hell, the Miami Heat couldn't get people to show up for their games even when LeBron was there, because they would rather do other things. Same goes for Vegas and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.
Carry On My Blood-Ejaculating Son - JKL2000
Egad. There are a boatload of knowledgeable hockey people on TV these days (men and women) who could fill the role of host. Strombo did not have a hockey (or any sport for that matter) background, so it was a curious choice to begin with. I wouldn't be heartbroken if they tossed Nick Kypreos and Glenn Healey off the broadcasts while they're at it.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
The draft happens this weekend and free agency begins on July 1 so a lot of roster moves and trades could (and will) occur over the next couple of weeks. If the Blues cannot extend Shattenkirk it appears that he will leave town and Lucic is also involved in a number of rumors with teams looking for a player of his...uh...skillset.
Meanwhile, I'm predicting that two of the following four players will be dealt over the next week or so and will not be with the Oil next season:
Jordan Eberle
Taylor Hall
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Nail Yakupov
I know they've been peddling Yakupov for a while, but I'm surprised you think that one of the other three will be gone as well. The Oil need something to shake things up, but this would be major. Not sure they would get equivalent talent back in return either.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
It's pretty simple really with the Oilers...DEFENSE! Right?
Keith Yandle leaves NY and signs with FLA. I liked him here, but he couldn't be afforded. I think this is a great move for FLA. He'll replace Cambell who's probably a goner.
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
Yak is almost certainly gone...I also think RNH is likely gone too, especially if the right deal is offered. If they make the push for the player I think they're making a push for, it may very well take RNH and a swap of draft picks to make it happen.
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