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Happy Friday, folks!
I have read and heard plenty of criticism over the years directed at the NHL’s expansion to markets in the southern parts of the United States. It swelled to a wailing in the 1990s when the Jets fled to the Valley of the Sun and became the Phoenix Coyotes.
The jury is still out on whether or not that will prove to be a solid NHL market. But for every poor choice the league has made, Atlanta (twice) and perhaps Miami, there have been many success stories: three solid franchises in California; the Nashville Predators; and notably, the two teams competing for this year’s Stanley Cup — the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning.
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With the Bolts seemingly starting to roll towards a championship, I recall a visit I made to the Tampa Bay area in the winter of 2008. While I was there mostly to play golf, I also took in a Lightning game at what was then the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Now called the Amelie Arena, the rink is located in Downtown Tampa’s Channelside District, a beautiful waterfront setting near the Florida Aquarium and the city’s massive cruise ship terminals.
I was rather surprised at the lively atmosphere around the rink before and after the game, and I was very impressed with a floodlit promenade that was lined with banners of Lightning heroes like Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier and Nikolai Khabibulin.
Chris O’Meara / the associated press archivesVincent Lecavalier helped lead the Lightning to a Stanley Cup title in 2004.
I recall the sold-out crowd being boisterous and knowledgable.
My smug notion of uneducated and superficial fans in the southern U.S. was smashed that night.
My thought at the time was winning a Stanley Cup in 2004 had likely played a huge part in making Tampa Bay a hockey town. The momentum of that championship has been maintained and the average attendance at Lightning games over the last decade has been around 18,500 to 19,092 per game. In 2019-20, Tampa averaged 18,922 fans a game — fifth-most in the league.
I have never been to Dallas but from what I’ve seen and read, Reunion Arena also looks like a great place to watch an NHL game. A lof of people do. After a dip at the beginning of the last decade, the Stars, who won the Cup in 1991, have regularly averaged about 18,000 fans a game over recent seasons and in 2019-20 they had the third-highest attendance in the league with 20,326 per game. Chicago and Montreal were 1-2, if you’re wondering. Winnipeg was 26th.
I dunno, folks, does it still seem like a failed experiment to you?
By the way, if you ever get a chance to visit the Tampa area to play golf, be sure to play the Island course at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor. Copperhead gets all the attention as a PGA Tour stop, but the picturesque Island layout is gorgeous and a treat to play.
As always, you can reach me by replying to this mailing or sending me an email here.
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