Canada: Full of Hockey Snobs?

It is no secret that many Canadian hockey fans would rather contract genital herpes than have another southern NHL club win the Stanley Cup.

After seeing the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques move to Phoenix and Denver, respectively, it's no small wonder why Canadians feel such a disdain for the US of A.

Well, one Nashville writer, David Climer, is sick and tired of Nashville, and fans of Southern US hockey clubs, being looked down upon.

That is one of the lessons we have learned in the tug-o-war over the Predators. Hockey is a far bigger deal in Canada than in the U.S. Consequently, many Canadians look down their noses at teams in the U.S. - especially those in non-traditional hockey markets like Nashville.

That attitude has led to considerable bombast in the Canadian media. Often, the Our Sport rhetoric is as thick as a Saskatchewan accent.

When Jim Balsillie made his first stab at buying the Predators, he was hailed as a hero in his homeland. Why? Because he was willing to use some of his fortune to transport an NHL team across international lines and station it in Hamilton, Ontario - sooner or later.

Yes, Balsillie was hailed, and still is, for trying to bring a team back North of the 49th parallel. It's nice to see some rich bastard actually make an effort to bring another club back to Canada, rather than just talk the talk.

The Predators? They have cheap ticket prices, a great team (or they did until now), and still draw around around 13,000 per night. You move that team to Hamilton or Winnipeg, and you'll be selling out quickly, even with jacked-up ticket prices.I have known and talked to many smart Southern US hockey fans, so my old train of thought about 'stupid hick hockey fans' has evaporated more quickly than a Paris Hilton brainwave. Still, there is a big reason why I'd prefer more teams in Canada, and less in the Deep South.

1. Hockey IS linked with patriotism in Canada. When Canada won the Gold Medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, the streets of Vancouver, and other major cities, were absolutely flooded with cheering fans. Has any sporting event ever caused Americans to do the same? No, not even your beloved Super Bowl of overrated commercial advertisements.

2. Most players on these Southern teams are Canadian. The only thing American about most of these clubs is their fan-base and location. It's very strange to have a group of Canadians winning cups for places like Tampa.

3. The support is obviously weak in many Southern markets. Hockey, unfortunately, is just not nearly as popular as NASCAR, American Idol, and NCAA sports in these Southern markets. In Canada? It would be #1 by a country mile.

4. If you have your beloved team ripped from your city and into the arms of a disinterested foreign town, you'd be pissed, too. Just imagine if the New York Metropolitans were moved to Hamilton. That's what it feels like.

So, I'll agree that Canadian fans need to stop looking down at fans of the Preds and clubs of the like. There are many smart fans in that part of the world, and they have every bit the passion as your typical Oilers fan.

I will, however, hope that we'll see more teams in Canada, and not in places like Kansas City, which would consider Hockey about the 5th most popular sport. I won't apologize for that, either, as we KNOW that hockey is king in Canada, and just another peon in the minds of most Americans.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-11-2007 @ 11:51AM

mlmintampa said...

You should see a game in Tampa sometime. The Canadian transplants that have moved here make for great fights during Toronto and Montreal games here.

And you are absolutely right about hockey in the south. Four teams; Anaheim, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Carolina have only won one Stanley Cup. And my high school only had two hockey teams. I guess we need five or six to show that the game is growing here.

7-11-2007 @ 11:53AM

twoeightnine said...

I'm sure Canadians will agree to stop doing this as soon as Americans stop making their stupid "hoc-key?" jokes.

7-11-2007 @ 1:02PM

Steve said...

Had you ever known Kansas City existed prior to the idea that they might get an NHL team?

Their baseball team, which hasn't been close to competitive in TWENTY YEARS, still draws well.

A hockey team, particularly one like the Predators that could be competitive quickly, would sell out every game from January on in that building.

They wouldn't overtake the Chiefs, but with the Royals still at least 5 years from contending, they could easily become #2.

7-11-2007 @ 1:05PM

Feruw said...

Nice article Jes, but what reason could Canadians feel such disdain about losing them for.

For being a national institution, the Winnipeg Jets were not above 90% capacity over their last 4 years in the city. They were pulling in an average of just over 13,000. And for a city with literally no other similar major competition, how credible can that argument be for keeping them there?

However once they moved they sold out their entire first 4 years with 16,000+. Then they moved to the Pepsi Center. Up until the strike they were still averaging capacity of about 100% with over 18,000 people per game. That's something the Winnipeg fans couldn't do, and money is what sports is all about.

Lesson: If you love your team and it's what your country prides itself upon (and puts on its freaking currency!) SUPPORT YOUR TEAMS.

I won't defend the Quebec to Phoenix move as attendance in Phoenix is just as mediocre as it was before they moved from the north.

7-11-2007 @ 1:19PM

jkrdevil said...

Feruw, who have it backwards Winnipeg moved to Phoenix and Quebec moved to Denver (hardly a Sun-belt city).

Still even Phoenix's attendance has been about on par with what Winnipeg was and that is with a crappy arena where you can't see half the ice up until just before the lockout.

7-11-2007 @ 1:27PM

Jes Golbez said...

Weird...my comment was eaten

http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2007/03/kc-overextended-market.html

anyway, if it doesn't pop up... KC is shown to be an overextended market. KC already had an NHL team once and failed, and really doesn't have room for an NHL club.

Columbus? That was a city without a pro team, and a good location to go to. Why move to a town where the NHL will struggle for support? KC could easily be another Nashville.

7-11-2007 @ 11:10PM

chris said...

Nice job proving everything he said, Jes.

The problem is that you Canadians fail to realize and/or accept that there are many great US hockey markets. And, some of them are even in the south (Dallas, Tampa).

And I'm sorry to tell you this, Jes, but Canada grasps onto hockey because it's the only thing that they are superior at. But the sad thing is that despite the fact that nobody ever questions their superiority, Canadians constantly have to tell everyone that they are superior... just like this blog. If one of the Fanhouse's NFL writers wrote a blog stating the United States superiority in football what would your reaction be? That's exactly what this blog sounds like to Americans.

"It's very strange to have a group of Canadians winning cups for places like Tampa."

Are you serious? American located teams have been winning Cups since before your parents (maybe even grandparents) wer eborn. How is that strange? Just awful logic.

7-12-2007 @ 11:17AM

RT said...

Did anyone north of the 49th parallel notice that American players were selected 1 and 2 in this year's draft? Kids down here can play too, even in KC.