Current Events > I honestly don't understand why hockey isn't more popular in the USA.

(+) Yeah! (+)

But my real fallback is basketball.
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TheJBD posted...

Again, if there's another major hockey team in CA please tell me. I'm just going off loose information in my brain.

Ducks
Kings
Sharks
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electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

Again, if there's another major hockey team in CA please tell me. I'm just going off loose information in my brain.

Ducks
Kings
Sharks

Who the fuck are the Kings?
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TheJBD posted...

electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

Again, if there's another major hockey team in CA please tell me. I'm just going off loose information in my brain.

Ducks
Kings
Sharks

Who the fuck are the Kings?

Los Angeles
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AmonAmarth posted...

TheJBD posted...

electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

Again, if there's another major hockey team in CA please tell me. I'm just going off loose information in my brain.

Ducks
Kings
Sharks

Who the fuck are the Kings?

Los Angeles

Fair enough. I've never even heard of them.

But if those are the only three, my point stands of all CA hockey being SJ and southwards.

Edit: All major league*
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AmonAmarth posted...

TheJBD posted...

electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

Again, if there's another major hockey team in CA please tell me. I'm just going off loose information in my brain.

Ducks
Kings
Sharks

Who the fuck are the Kings?

Los Angeles

Yup, team Gretzky played for in the 90's. They've actually been around the longest of all the California teams, unless you count the fact that Dallas was originally in Oakland at the same time.
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TheJBD posted...

only three

Considering Canada has 7 teams, California having the same amount of teams as New York is damn impressive.
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electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

only three

Considering Canada has 7 teams, California having the same amount of teams as New York is damn impressive.

New York is the 4th most populous state at maybe a 4th the size so...maybe?
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I don't even know if I'm arguing with anything anymore.

I'm still just sticking with "The Northern half of California doesn't have a professional hockey team and we're a long-ass state so it seems weird when people bring up hockey."
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Is San Jose not considered NorCal?

And I mean, there's always Stockton in the AHL >_>

I'm not arguing tbh I'm just spouting facts.
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electricbugs2 posted...

And I mean, there's always Stockton in the AHL >_>

That was the one hockey game I saw live. It was fun enough. Though at a certain point the vendors stopped selling beer. That seemed weird. Whatever hockey calls it, halftime or whatever, it was shortly after that they stopped serving beer. It was still light out and we had almost half a game left. wtf

But yeah, Stockton...Thunder? I think?
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TheJBD posted...

But yeah, Stockton...Thunder? I think?

Yeah that was the old ECHL team. The city moved up a level.

The beer thing is weird, but they stop serving it at my hometown team's games halfway through the third so eh. Probably to prevent buffoonery in the parking lot.
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TheJBD posted...

Cj_WlLL_VVlN posted...

3khc posted...

*is wearing a sharks shirt*

The things I'd do to you.

electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

You're right to say that people I associate with don't care about hockey though.

That's just it then. Nothing wrong with that, but to say hockey isn't popular in California at this point is silly. It's been there professionally for over 50 years and got really popular in the 90's when Gretzky was in LA.

Heck, I played Jr. B in Canada in my 19 year old season and one of my teammates was from Oakland. Probably not exactly a hockey hotbed (pun not intended).

This. Each CA team probably gets more support than most states could get behind alone.

We also have the most populous state in the US with the two big hockey teams being located in the lower half.

Again, if there's another major hockey team in CA please tell me. I'm just going off loose information in my brain.

There's the San Jose sharks you sob. OK no cups yet but besides the championships it's arguably one of the best teams in the NHL over the last 20 years with a fan base that has sharks games on in bars while the other screen is on the Warriors. It's definitely not small even if it's not the biggest piece of the pie.
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electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

But yeah, Stockton...Thunder? I think?

Yeah that was the old ECHL team. The city moved up a level.

The beer thing is weird, but they stop serving it at my hometown team's games halfway through the third so eh. Probably to prevent buffoonery in the parking lot.

I mean, I get that, but it's not like the place was packed. This was probably 4 years ago. The stands were easily less than half full. It was basically a pick-your-own-seat situation. And I think they were playing some sort of local-ish rival. It was supposed to be a big game.

I dunno. The beer thing was dumb. I don't know what ECHL means. The game was fun enough, but I don't understand why people get all hung up on it. I'm not shitting on it, it's just not really my bag and I didn't grow up with it.
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Cj_WlLL_VVlN posted...

There's the San Jose sharks you sob.

Read the rest of the topic, bro. It was the Kings of whom I was unaware. The fucking 11 year old kid I mentioned earlier has Sharks colors as his bedroom walls. I painted them myself.
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Not merican enough. Just like soccer.

People do exaggerate how much it costs though. You need more gear than other sports, but I knew some pretty poor kids who still played a bit.

To be fair the ECHL isn't a very strong league.

It's two levels below the NHL and the only real talented players you'll see in the ECHL are goalies who their NHL affiliates in the level above that (AHL) have no room for since each team only has 2-3 goalies.

Almost everyone else in that league is a has been or a never was.

I do recommend seeing a Sharks game if you ever can since it sounds like your close-ish. It will be a way better atmosphere and you might be able to see why people go so crazy.
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it's because skating is for sissies or something
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electricbugs2 posted...

I do recommend seeing a Sharks game if you ever can since it sounds like your close-ish.

That's a two hour drive South. If I'm ever in the area and it's in season I'd consider it, but I'm not likely to go out of my way.

Like I said when I started posting in this topic, hockey seems fun. I just didn't grow up with it other than one random friend in middle school (whose favorite team was...the Avalanche? Is that a thing?) and it's relatively foreign to me.
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electricbugs2 posted...

TheJBD posted...

You're right to say that people I associate with don't care about hockey though.

That's just it then. Nothing wrong with that, but to say hockey isn't popular in California at this point is silly. It's been there professionally for over 50 years and got really popular in the 90's when Gretzky was in LA.

Heck, I played Jr. B in Canada in my 19 year old season and one of my teammates was from Oakland. Probably not exactly a hockey hotbed (pun not intended).

My buddy and his whole family are die hard Ducks fans, Californians definitely like hockey
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TheJBD posted...

That's a two hour drive South. If I'm ever in the area and it's in season I'd consider it, but I'm not likely to go out of my way.

Like I said when I started posting in this topic, hockey seems fun. I just didn't grow up with it other than one random friend in middle school (whose favorite team was...the Avalanche? Is that a thing?) and it's relatively foreign to me.

No I get it, same reason I don't care about basketball all that much.

No one in Canada cared until we started producing draft picks and the Raptors became relevant again.

Just, like I said, the ECHL is kind of a meh introduction to hockey unless your just into the fighting. Even a Junior game would be a better look since you would get to see actual talent lol.
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I'm Canadian and prefer baseball
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electricbugs2 posted...

Is San Jose not considered NorCal?

And I mean, there's always Stockton in the AHL >_>

I'm not arguing tbh I'm just spouting facts.

San Jose is definitely considered norcal. It's an hour train from San Francisco. Really we're central but when people say norcal they mean the Bay area.

TheJBD posted...

Cj_WlLL_VVlN posted...

There's the San Jose sharks you sob.

Read the rest of the topic, bro. It was the Kings of whom I was unaware. The fucking 11 year old kid I mentioned earlier has Sharks colors as his bedroom walls. I painted them myself.

I read the rest of the topic. It said two southern teams. That's be the kings and the Ducks. San Jose is nor Cal. Learn geography.
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Because at this point the media has decided it only kind of matters. ESPN, FOX, CBS. have more money in Football, Baseball, Basketball, than Hockey (still more in Golf, Tennis, and NASCAR as well).

I get ur point from a consumer standpoint, but theres also no ignoring that hockey is canadian/russian sport, while NFL, MLB, NBA, consume American sports and Hockey has always fought that while making little effort to market properly
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Cj_WlLL_VVlN posted...

Learn geography

Learn geography on your own time.
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because normal people can't actually play the sport themselves.

Every other sport on TV, baseball, basketball, football, soccer - I've played personally IRL. But I can't play Hockey.
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Honestly I love the NFL but from a spectator perspective at home, the game is getting boring and it's mainly because in 3 hours of watching you get to see like ten minutes of actual play...the most exciting things are often "Is it a penalty or not??" because of the rules of the game are sometimes subjective. And then you have "BEER COMMERCIAL CAR COMMERCIAL BEER COMMERCIAL CREDIT CARD COMMERCIAL BEER COMMERCIAL WELECOME BACK BROUGHT TO YOU BY COKE (ref says four words" WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS BEER COMMERCIAL"

-_-

In Hockey the rules are plain and simple, at least in comparison.
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browns90 posted...

Because at this point the media has decided it only kind of matters. ESPN, FOX, CBS. have more money in Football, Baseball, Basketball, than Hockey (still more in Golf, Tennis, and NASCAR as well).

I get ur point from a consumer standpoint, but theres also no ignoring that hockey is canadian/russian sport, while NFL, MLB, NBA, consume American sports and Hockey has always fought that while making little effort to market properly

The simple facts are, which you seemed to have ignored, is that the NHL is more American than it is Russian...
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thelovefist posted...

browns90 posted...

Because at this point the media has decided it only kind of matters. ESPN, FOX, CBS. have more money in Football, Baseball, Basketball, than Hockey (still more in Golf, Tennis, and NASCAR as well).

I get ur point from a consumer standpoint, but theres also no ignoring that hockey is canadian/russian sport, while NFL, MLB, NBA, consume American sports and Hockey has always fought that while making little effort to market properly

The simple facts are, which you seemed to have ignored, is that the NHL is more American than it is Russian...

He said hockey not the nhl
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A lot of it probably has to do with the lack of scoring. Older crowd doesn't like that too much.
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The reason I stopped watching is because they cut down on the fighting
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@josifrees posted...

thelovefist posted...

browns90 posted...

Because at this point the media has decided it only kind of matters. ESPN, FOX, CBS. have more money in Football, Baseball, Basketball, than Hockey (still more in Golf, Tennis, and NASCAR as well).

I get ur point from a consumer standpoint, but theres also no ignoring that hockey is canadian/russian sport, while NFL, MLB, NBA, consume American sports and Hockey has always fought that while making little effort to market properly

The simple facts are, which you seemed to have ignored, is that the NHL is more American than it is Russian...

He said hockey not the nhl

Still very wrong. Way more Americans are playing hockey than Russians as of 2016/2017.
Americans - 555,935
Russians - 105,059
In fact, there are more Americans playing hockey than all other countries in the world combined (except Canada) and the number of Americans playing hockey is very close to the number of Canadians (631,295).
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/282349/number-of-registered-ice-hockey-by-country/
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Wow interesting!!
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thelovefist posted...

Still very wrong. Way more Americans are playing hockey than Russians as of 2016/2017.
Americans - 555,935
Russians - 105,059
In fact, there are more Americans playing hockey than all other countries in the world combined (except Canada) and the number of Americans playing hockey is very close to the number of Canadians (631,295).
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/282349/number-of-registered-ice-hockey-by-country/

Interesting that Czechs have more than Russians. Would have expected them to have less than Sweden too.

America's population and wealth probably mean it would have high number in any sport. Even ones deemed less popular there than American sports.

Should probably note that America is the only country besides Canada to really have any decent women players for years. Other countries only recently started catching up.

Yeah Finland and Switzerland are in the mix for women now, but it's recent.

Finnish womens league really helped.
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Hockey is at least way more interesting to watch than most sports. Soccer is fucking boring as hell, idk about US football though.
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Minorities mostly don't give a shit. That's why.
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hockey is a sport that is "fast paced" and "action packed" all the while not being that interesting to actually watch in my opinion
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If we got a team up here in Seattle I'd watch all the time. Right now I just watch the playoffs though
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Muflaggin posted...

Minorities mostly don't give a shit. That's why.

That's actually changing, now at least. There are a few notable black players nowadays, and I know that here is actually Punjabi coverage of the NHL up here in Canada.

Dash_Harber posted...

Muflaggin posted...

Minorities mostly don't give a shit. That's why.

That's actually changing, now at least. There are a few notable black players nowadays, and I know that here is actually Punjabi coverage of the NHL up here in Canada.

Bonino Bonino Bonino Bonino Bonino. Booooniiinooo.
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