So, the Pens get another Bettman handout...hooray.

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Originally Posted by Birdman

http://www.countryliving.com/cm/coun...ERT1106-de.jpg

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Just read your explanation in the shoutbox. First off, slam-fail. If people have to ask you to explain it, it ain't working. And secondly, this isn't about the league vs my team it's about the league favoring a chosen few at the expense of the overall health of the league as a whole. So, if you don't really care about that I cannot see how you can call yourself a hockey fan. Tell me that a well chosen event in a struggling city couldn't save a team from relocation. I think the Penguins are in good shape financially after struggling in the past. How about paying more attention to teams that aren't as healthy. SmytheKing's posted article is a good take on the future relevance of the Winter Classic. If Bettman keeps ignoring 2/3's of the league, what is the point of re-alignment? Just allow relocation to redefine the league. I just do not understand how you can knock me as 'whining'. It's that kind of cavalier 'fiddle-while-Rome-burns' atitude that allows this crap to continue.

EDIT:I thought about this a little more, as usual Birdman, you frustrate me. Ok, at the risk of sounding paranoid(which I counter with myopic), if you do not care about the rest of the league then don't be upset when we lose another hockey season to lockout. Hurm, what is the NBA saying? That 2/3's of their teams lose money. If you went to each owner and they were honest I am sure they would admit that at least some of that is due to the inattention the league pays to them. Do the '76'rs ever get the marquee Christmas game? Timberwolves? Make no mistake, something as simple as the Draft is a financial boon to the team that gets it. You need no further proof than to have listened to Bettman's radio show(which featured it's usual guest list of rotating Pens front office personnel) and, I believe it was the owner, who was slathering Gary's ass while begging for the all star game too. And Bettman even addressed the point I am trying to make(that there are other teams that are more deserving) and he basically just said '**** y'all, I'm the boss'. Is that really ok with you? Am I just WHINING? Or are you so short-sighted that you could care less? Take my Devils angle out of it and simply look at the big picture. And please, tell me why I am wrong instead of just wholesale dismissing my point. Or you Doc. Someone please tell me why I am wrong to be upset about this.

If we were talking about the ASG or the WC, I would agree completely with that sentiment. Those two events could help market the game tremendously in the right cities (Columbus, Phoenix, Florida, etc). However, we're talking about the draft. An event that takes place in the middle of the summer and is only paid attention to by the diehards. Yes, it can help market the game, but it's nowhere near the same level. You're gonna have a hard time attracting new fans to a draft where there is NO action going on, just kids being drafted and trades happening which is not at all interesting to the uninitiated. Heck, most sports fans don't even watch the drafts of the league they follow. Does your average hockey fan watch the draft? NBA fan? MLB fan? NFL fan? I highly doubt it.

How many new fans are you gonna cultivate by showing them a huge arena full of suits and names being called? And even if you could gather more people and say hey, we have this great sport here full of action and speed and grit and that person says hey that's cool when can I check out a game?....

Oh in a few months or so. Go buy a $150 jersey and sit down until then.

No doubt it could help a struggling franchise, but lets not pretend that it'll be the linchpin that saves a team from relocation. And this is coming from a person who is nauseated by the fawning the league does over the Pens, Caps, Rags, et al.

As for the WC, I've said I'll boycott watching it until more teams are involved and I hope to stick to my guns. But I can understand to a degree why they choose the teams they do. They are going for ratings slam dunks. What's likely to get better ratings: Caps/Pens or Oilers/Ducks? Would millions of people on the EC tune into a Kings/Ducks WC at say 3pm or 8pm their time? Doubtful. Heck, I'm not even sure most of them know there's a whole western conference apart from Detroit, Vancouver, and Chicago. They are catering to the populations that give them the best chance of ratings, ticket sales, and buzz. I despise it and I feel we fans in the west get the shaft but I sorta understand why they do it.

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Originally Posted by UnholyGoalie

Would millions of people on the EC tune into a Kings/Ducks WC at say 3pm or 8pm their time? Doubtful. Heck, I'm not even sure most of them know there's a whole western conference apart from Detroit, Vancouver, and Chicago. They are catering to the populations that give them the best chance of ratings, ticket sales, and buzz. I despise it and I feel we fans in the west get the shaft but I sorta understand why they do it.

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I would argue that any of these matchups would be just as good to ratings as any game they've done so far.

LA vs. NY
Van vs. Boston
San Jose vs. Detroit
Toronto vs. Detroit
Anaheim vs. Detroit
I even agree with the Edmonton vs. LA one. It's not JUST about the matchups either. It's the novelty of them playing outdoors in a stadium. Hell, Chicago playing Montreal in Soldiers Field? LA playing the Rangers at the new Giants Stadium? Or even in the Yankees new one? C'mon.