Canada vs USA Hockey Time
- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
After the results are in I will let you know where to mail the cigars to in Calgary.
=( damnit.. was a good game though
I hope you're not trying to say Hockey has better attendance figures than football.
Hockey vs. Football
It's not even close. The NFL is by far the most popular sport in the US by any possible measurement. I'm not saying Hockey sucks, just that it isn't popular in the US so there's no reason to get offended.
As far as 24 teams in the US, that is because Gary Bettman is a fucking tard and has no idea how to run a league. They have over expanded and gone into areas with very little fan support (check the attendance figures and net losses of the teams in the southern states) just because the corporate sponsorships wanted a footprint in certain markets.
The NHL needs to fold about 8 teams in the south and bring back hockey to areas like Winnipeg and Hartford and maybe add a team in Wisconsin where people actually do give a fuck about hockey. Then you would have a more interested fan base and a less diluted talent pool.
Your hockey chart doesn't show TOTAL attendance. If you look here:
NHL Attendance - National Hockey League - ESPN
You will see that total attendance is about the same for both.
Dude, BTW - if I were you, I'd try and score some choice seats for the Frozen Four and dump them on eBay - they are a hot ticket.
Sports Media Watch offers further perspective on the hockey numbers:
"Sunday's game drew a higher overnight rating than every World Series game since 2004 (including every game of Yankees/Phillies last year), every NBA Finals telecast since 1998, and every NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four game since at least '98.
Excluding the NFL, the 17.6 overnight for the game is the second-highest of the year for any sporting event, behind only the Texas/Alabama BCS National Championship Game in January (18.2). "
"Sunday's game drew a higher overnight rating than every World Series game since 2004 (including every game of Yankees/Phillies last year), every NBA Finals telecast since 1998, and every NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four game since at least '98.
Excluding the NFL, the 17.6 overnight for the game is the second-highest of the year for any sporting event, behind only the Texas/Alabama BCS National Championship Game in January (18.2). "
Fuck Norway! Those assholes, their high GDP per capita and their curling pants. I was cheering all week that Canada could pass them for 3rd in the overall medal count.
According to the attendance link you gave, all the southern teams are drawing near or above 15,000, which wasn't happening in Winnipeg or Hartford. Just sayin'..
Yes, I am. NHL Hockey has gross annual attendance around 21.5 million (roughly the same as the NBA) and NFL football has annual attendance of about 17.5 million.
Yes, I know there are far fewer NFL games, but then their stadiums hold upwards of 5 times as many people. I also know there is much more TV viewership with football. It's not meant to be a numbers pissing match, it's simply meant to show that there's not an insignificant number of hockey fans out there and the sport can't be brushed off as being "unpopular".
Well to determine popularity I assumed we would look at per game attendance. Again, I'm not knocking hockey as a sport, but can anybody argue that hockey is not the least popular of the 4 major sports in the United States? Some would even put NASCAR at #4 (although I don't consider turning left a sport).
League average attendance last year in the NHL was 17,460. The southern teams I referred to (Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and for my own amusement - the Columbus Blue Jackets fuck Ohio State) all drew under the league average. Initially, as an eight team to get rid of I was thinking San Jose or Colorado but they have a little bit of team history, so instead I say get rid of the New York Islanders. New York doesn't need 2 teams in every fucking sport.
Looking at the attendance for Hartford and Winnipeg you guys are right - they didn't draw. I guess I just like the old school teams better, but then again - I'm not a hockey fan. But you guys can't tell me a team in Wisconsin wouldn't outdraw all those franchises I listed. They fucking love hockey up there.
bitch bitch bitch. the US got WORKED by Canada, and you can't take it. We also have 1/10th your population and STILL won 5 more gold medals.
Got worked? Arent you getting a little ahead of yourself. We beat you the first game, and the second game ended in overtime
The way Canadians are crowing about an overtime squeaker win makes you think they've never won anything before. Give it a break, guys. This would be like us bragging about the Saints/Colts beating some Canadian football team by a field goal in overtime. It would be pathetic.