Kukla's Korner Hockey
Don’t Fault The Location, Fault The Team
by Paul on 10/01/09 at 10:36 PM ET
Comments (0)
from David J. Neal of the Miami Herald,
Northerners, rooted and transplanted, sniff at the travails of Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and the Panthers as proof that hockey should remain the province of cities that have snow days. It doesn’t fit their prejudices to note that each of those four franchises has a history of ineptitude that few markets would support these days. You don’t, for example, hear much griping about a team in San Jose. And the last time a lake froze in St. Louis, a glacier covered Chicago….
Fans of a team rebuilding a fan base can’t enjoy the championship the following season because of a money move by management—attendance springs back instantly from that within a year or two, right, Marlins?
Besides, warm weather doesn’t cause bad decisions. Rick Dudley’s office needing air conditioning in January isn’t why he traded up one spot to draft Petr Taticek ninth overall in 2002, leaving division rival Washington to take Alexander Semin three spots later.
It’s also not why, with the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, Dudley traded down to No. 3 and chose Nathan Horton. Horton’s a good player who hasn’t lived up to being the No. 3 overall pick in one of the best drafts ever. Dudley could have taken center Eric Staal, a great, clutch player who Carolina snapped up at No. 2 and followed to the Stanley Cup three years later.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Florida Panthers | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
NHL Network And NHL.com Stanley Cup Final Coverage
Rick Dudley Named Assistant GM In Montreal
A Slap On The Wrist For The Coyotes?
John Davidson Wants To Stay In St. Louis, But Will He?
About KK Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Make extra cash while playing online poker. Rakeback is free and comes with rake races.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.