Could Canadian teams in the NHL seperate and create their own league?

Question

So here is my idea:

The Leafs, Habs, Canucks, Senators, Flames and Oilers seperate from the American NHL and form their own league. This new league would have the Stanley Cup because it's a Canadian trophy, the best players would want to play in the new league because the huge fanbases of the Canadian teams would allow for higher salaries

The NHL would continue as an all American league with low ratings and low attendance, and low salaries as a resutl.

The Canadian league would be totally stacked, with almost all great talent going to play for the 6 teams

Canadian rivalries would be even bigger now and the Stanley Cup would bring annual huge celebrations when won by one of the 6 teams

Every Canadian on here, you can't tell me if this happened that it wouldn't be AWESOME!

Answer 1

First of all, I am Canadian, and have been involved with the NHL since February 1959



Could you point to a fact that says that Canadian teams provide 40% of the revenues? Last year they provided 24.4%, and Montreal and Toronto provided 15% (leaving 9.4 for the other 4 teams or below the league average (source, NHLPA and NHL, July 2010). In 2008 when the Canadian dollar was greater than par fop 10 months, Canadian teams still only reached 28% of total revenues (reported in the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail - Kevin McGran reported)



1) Edmonton, Ottawa, and Calgary are 3 of the 5 teams with the lowest revenue in the NHL (only Phoenix has less revenue than Edmonton, and Nashville ranks between Calgary (26th) and Ottawa (28th) - source NHLPA July 2010



2) Edmonton, Ottawa, and Calgary all received league assistance last year (71% of the assistance fund comes from American teams) - source NHL July 2010



3) Hockey News player surveys in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and last March have constantly placed Edmonton as the place players least want to play with Calgary and Ottawa not far behind.



4) 31% of the revenues for Canadian teams comes from the US (you would lose these in an all-Canadian league). The CBC bases it's fees based on American/Canadian rivalries (it's not a random event that Pittsburgh has played almost all it's road games in Toronto on Saturday nights since the lockout (http://www.shrpsports.com/nhl/result.php)...cough cough Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh are a major draw



5) "This new league would have the Stanley Cup because it's a Canadian trophy" - as determined by a 2006 lawsuit, the NHL gets the trophy...........and it's British (again, as determined in the lawsuit), not Canadian. Any Canadian league (as tried in 2005) would have to take the NHL to court to get the trophy. Why would they win now when they didn't win then?



6) Canadian teams currently make more money from NBC/Vs (3.7MM last season) than they get from Canadian TV rights ($1.8MM from CBC ($55MM over 5 years ($11MM/year) divided among 6 teams))







I know almost all the Canadian owners, and all the Canadian GMs................none of them believe a Canadian league would get off the ground......and I agree with them whole heartedly.

Answer 2

Sure they could.

They would be the equivalent of the CFL to the NFL. I'm not entirely sure that is something to strive for.

The US is the biggest stage in the world. Look at musicians or actors. They all want to have success in the States. Even the greatest band ever, the Beatles, were not considered great until they conquered the United States.

So what would happen in reality is that all the best Canadian players would leave and we would be left with an inferior product, the exact opposite of what you are thinking. How many Canadian football players would turn down an opportunity to play in the NFL? What makes you think hockey would be any different. There is no hope that we could compete.

Answer 3

It's not like the U.S. league would whither and die, take the top American talent and the second-string of Canadian talent, and you still have a decent league. That means, instead of the NHL being the worldwide juggernaut of hockey, you have two weaker leagues now both not that far above the KHL. This results in fewer Euros coming to North America overall, and the majority of those that do will probably be drawn to the U.S. league. If our league started looking like a third-place destination, it will become a third-place league in terms of worldwide notoriety, which leads to less overseas money coming in.



And you talk about how so much of the revenue is generated by Canadian teams, you have to keep in mind that a good deal of that revenue comes from the juggernauts in Toronto and Montreal. Vancouver does alright as well, but Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa are middle of the pack teams. If you get rid of the extra revenue that the NHL umbrella provides (in overseas merchandising if nothing else) and they may struggle to keep up financially.



It would be awesome if it worked, but I don't think it would.

Answer 4

LOL yeah that would work great. There's so many things wrong with your idea.



Dude, there's way more money in the US than in Canada. Higher salaries? The Oilers have lost money for years. The senators LOST money last season(2nd season in a row actually), even after making the playoffs and playing to an average 18,269(98.8%capacity) fans per night.



yeah.... most of that % comes from 2 teams. And the Canadian dollar is at par. For now.

Answer 5

Since the NHL started out as a Canadian league... wouldn't it more appropriate to ask if the American team should leave and start their own league?

Answer 6

Since theirs enough of them to go around They should, also 24 teams they could expand the league to Kansas City and Las Vegas in the States, as well as in Canada Winnipeg and Quebec City No problem they got a team as well.

Answer 7

Others have made the case. If you want to

take something back from the USA, take

back this cold prairie wind that is blowing

down. Man oh Manitoba, it's cold...

Answer 8

So how did the teams in Winnipeg and Quebec work out?

Aren't Calgary and Edmonton hemorrhaging money?

Answer 9

OMG GREAT IDEA!



Makes sense because The NHL started out with the Original 6 teams, and the Oilers, Flames, Sens, Canucks were a part of that....Oh, Wait.......... *Rolls Eyes*





Please.......

Answer 10

Well why don't you throw the original teams, 1926, Detroit,Boston,Rangers,Chicago, 1967,St.Louis,Philadelphia,Pittsburgh,Los Angeles,1970,Vancouver,Buffalo,Washington,1972,Islanders.



This is a horrible idea!

Answer 11

Sure they can.



Then in 10 years they'll be down to two teams and begging the NHL to take them back.

Answer 12

And have a 6 team league? No thanks, what a joke that would be.



Find 24 other canadian teams for me and I might look more closely at this idea.

Answer 13

they could but i would be said cause i like watching the redwings playing candian teams (those games are my favorite)

Answer 14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lITBGjNEp08



Not even extreme nationalist Don Cherry would think of something so stupid like this.



Also good luck in trying to convince Gary Bettman with this plan.

Answer 15

Well Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa lost money last year...

Answer 16

What a bunch of BUNK!



And, it's separate, not seperate.

Answer 17

LITY gave a really good answer.