Quote:
Originally Posted by JHikka
They're still NHL teams and they still play in the US.It's not as if there's some Canada-only division the NHL can't market and benefit from. 
US teams make Stanley Cup Finals which is far more of a surge to the pocketbooks than the difference in branding or marketing comparison for US/Canadian NHL franchises. A couple of the players you've listed are more popular than they otherwise should be simply because they play for Canadian teams. I enjoy looking at this the other way: Canadian teams are being led by dynamic young non-Canadian players, and will continue to be. |
The NHL still has the delusional mindset of competing with the NBA, MLB and NFL and "growing the game" in the US... and star players playing for US teams are easier to market down there. They think the Canadian market is tapped out, so all that talent coming up here doesn't help them as much.