[blueandwhite]

I definitely agree with that.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

Watch where you step. This is an international sport, not one owned by the US.

1st id say im not referring to all hockey in general, im referring to the NHL
which is predominently in the US (not Canada, as shown by only 6 teams out of the 30 are in Canada)

2nd i think in some small way it is "owned" by the US, as we spend more money on the sport then probably all other nations combined

let's remember, the NHL is a business more then anything else, and they want a larger pile of money from the US pockets. in order to get that money they do need to please us here in the US

do you expect them to try and expand to China ? sure maybe you could get 2 or 3 billion Chinese people to say they love the NHL as it is if you put a franchise in Bejing, but just how much money would it generate ? diddly-squat compared to the US

im not trying to say we are better then everyone, or that the world in general revolves around the US, im just stating in the business of the NHL the money comes from the US

b&w please now that i have nothing against Canada and please dont take anything i have said personal, its just a discussion about hockey and how to possibly make it more exciting to watch

[blueandwhite]

I'm not taking it personally, really - I figured you didn't have anything against us.
That said - I understand what you say, I'm just not sure I agree, totally. Yes, it's a business, yes the States offers a huge market. But it's also more than that, and that is what needs to be taken into consideration as well.
You say "6 teams out of the 30 are in Canada". i'd like you to figure out how many members of those 30 teams are from canada. How about the majority?
Is viewership sucking in the States? You know what needs to happen? a paring down of teams that don't do well. Get rid of Florida, get rid of nashville, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, whoever's got the empty seats. Make the teams competitive.
Rules will not change merely because someone thinks if they do, someone in Raleigh may start watching. There are also people who know hockey who disagree with your ideas. Maybe no offside is a horrible idea to many people who watch hockey. Rather than tell those who like hockey how to make it better, maybe learn from those who like hockey and think it's great.