Would all this be good for hockey? It would surely be happy days for the business of hockey, and NHL owners like to ignore the distinction. In a media environment so enamoured with corporate bravado, it’s no surprise that plenty of sportswriters and commentators have come onside to promote the bigger bucks agenda. "If you're a fan of this game and care about its future you know it's time to be concerned," wrote a Vancouver newspaper as the Ottawa and Buffalo situations unravelled.
There is another way to look at it: If you're a fan of this game, the NHL's latest business troubles are to be welcomed. Bankrupt teams and unsold tickets might finally force the league to abandon the grand plan to conquer the heartland, great news for anyone who thinks there is more to hockey than revenue streams and branding opportunities. History shows that when sports leagues get bigger and richer the only winners are owners, players and sponsors. The average fan is the loser.
Of course the investors would love to see hockey's popularity explode throughout America, home of the world's most affluent sports junkies. Such a breakthrough would puff up franchise values, deliver a jolt to merchandising and licensing revenues and send the price of broadcast rights shooting skyward.
It would also lead to further spiralling of players' salaries, greater disparity between large and small market teams, more games on pay-per-view TV, higher ticket prices and more frequent labour troubles. With all of America clamouring for hockey, the temptation to expand the NHL to 32 or 36 teams would be irresistible. Owners of established franchises could routinely play the "Build me a stadium or we're moving to Houston" game.
Marketing, growth, franchise equity, TV rights fees, branding, celebrity athletes, merchandising and licensing – this is the hopeful language of team owners, broadcasters and the omnivorous drones of advertising. From a fan's perspective, the best thing for the NHL would be if four or six teams folded and the popularity of the game stabilized elsewhere. A regionally strong NHL, living within its means and serving a loyal but limited audience, would be a more affordable, competitive and generally fan-friendly enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits for all. In such a league, even the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, with a little prudent management, might have a chance to thrive.
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